Reign In Blood
spoiler: this album is #6

Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time

Last year, Rolling Stone published a list of the 40 greatest punk albums of all time, and today, they ranked the 100 greatest metal albums of all time.

The list really covers all of the ground, from the super classic stuff (Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, Slayer); to the more extreme metal subgenres like black (Darkthrone, Mayhem, Bathory), death (Morbid Angel, Death, Carcass), and grind (Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer); to the more popular, poppy stuff like hair (Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister) and nu (Korn, System of a Down, Slipknot). Fitting somewhere in between all that, they’ve got Danzig, Marilyn Manson, White Zombie, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Tool, Deftones, Melvins, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Kyuss, Meshuggah, Deafheaven, Mastodon, Baroness, Kvelertak, Neurosis, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth, Type O Negative, Life of Agony, Pantera, Sepultura, and still tons more from all over the metal spectrum.

It’s maybe a little weird that Avenged Sevenfold and Evanescence made the cut, considering all the stuff that didn’t. (There’s only one Motorhead album and it’s not Ace of Spades??) And it’s maybe a little weird that Black Album ranks ten slots higher than Kill ‘Em All. Especially if you’re a doom fan, it might be weird seeing Master of Reality as low as it is, but there is of course no lack of Sabbath and Ozzy in the high slots. The #1 choice will probably not shock you.

Check out the full list below and read commentary on each pick HERE.

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Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time
100. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘City of Evil’ (2005)
99. Evanescence, ‘Fallen’ (2003)
98. Sunn O))), ‘Monoliths & Dimensions’ (2009)
97. Gojira, ‘From Mars to Sirius’ (2005)
96. Kvelertak, ‘Meir’ (2013)
95. Dream Theater, ‘Images and Words’ (1992)
94. Deafheaven, ‘Sunbather’ (2013)
93. White Zombie, ‘La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One’ (1992)
92. Eyehategod, ‘Take as Needed for Pain’ (1993)
91. Naked City, ‘Torture Garden’ (1990)
90. Body Count, ‘Body Count’ (1992)
89. Nightwish, ‘Once’ (2004)
88. Pig Destroyer, ‘Terrifyer’ (2004)
87. Manowar, ‘Hail to England’ (1984)
86. Lamb of God, ‘As the Palaces Burn’ (2003)
85. Darkthrone, ‘Transilvanian Hunger’ (1994)
84. High on Fire, ‘Blessed Black Wings’ (2005)
83. Baroness, ‘The Red Album’ (2007)
82. Entombed, ‘Left Hand Path’ (1990)
81. Bathory, ‘Under the Sign of the Black Mark’ (1987)
80. Ministry, ‘Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs’ (1992)
79. At the Gates, ‘Slaughter of the Soul’ (1995)
78. Voivod, ‘Dimension Hatröss’ (1988)
77. Meshuggah, ‘Destroy Erase Improve’ (1995)
76. Twisted Sister, ‘Stay Hungry’ (1984)
75. Morbid Angel, ‘Covenant’ (1993)
74. Venom, ‘Welcome to Hell’ (1981)
73. Scorpions, ‘Blackout’ (1982)
72. Isis, ‘Oceanic’ (2002)
71. Living Colour, ‘Vivid’ (1988)
70. Death, ‘Human’ (1991)
69. Soundgarden, ‘Louder Than Love’ (1989)
68. Marilyn Manson, ‘Portrait of an American Family’ (1994)
67. Queensrÿche, ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ (1988)
66. Deftones, ‘White Pony’ (2000)
65. Faith No More, ‘Angel Dust’ (1992)
64. Godflesh, ‘Streetcleaner’ (1989)
63. Sodom, ‘Agent Orange’ (1989)
62. Sleep, ‘Jerusalem’ (1999)
61. Converge, ‘Jane Doe’ (2001)
60. Melvins, ‘Bullhead’ (1991)
59. Napalm Death, ‘From Enslavement to Obliteration’ (1988)
58. Life of Agony, ‘River Runs Red’ (1993)
57. Emperor, ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk’ (1997)
56. The Dillinger Escape Plan, ‘Calculating Infinity’ (1999)
55. Opeth, ‘Blackwater Park’ (2001)
54. Helmet, ‘Meantime’ (1992)
53. Type O Negative, ‘Bloody Kisses’ (1993)
52. Def Leppard, ‘Pyromania’ (1983)
51. Carcass, ‘Heartwork’ (1993)
50. Slipknot, ‘Iowa’ (2001)
49. Neurosis, ‘Through Silver in Blood’ (1996)
48. Rainbow, ‘Rising’ (1976)
47. Slayer, ‘South of Heaven’ (1988)
46. Mastodon, ‘Leviathan’ (2004)
45. Exodus, ‘Bonded by Blood’ (1985)
44. Mötley Crüe, ‘Shout at the Devil’ (1983)
43. Judas Priest, ‘Stained Class’ (1978)
42. Diamond Head, ‘Lightning to the Nations’ (1980)
41. Kyuss, ‘Blues for the Red Sun’ (1992)
40. Mayhem, ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ (1994)
39. Pantera, ‘Far Beyond Driven’ (1994)
38. Iron Maiden, ‘Powerslave’ (1984)
37. Black Sabbath, ‘Heaven and Hell’ (1980)
36. Van Halen, ‘Women and Children First’ (1980)
35. Metallica, ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
34. Black Sabbath, ‘Master of Reality’ (1971)
33. Megadeth, ‘Countdown to Extinction’ (1992)
32. Black Sabbath, ‘Sabotage’ (1975)
31. Slayer, ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ (1990)
30. Korn, ‘Korn’ (1994)
29. Sepultura, ‘Chaos A.D.’ (1993)
28. Celtic Frost, ‘Morbid Tales’ (1984)
27. System of a Down, ‘Toxicity’ (2001)
26. Alice in Chains, ‘Dirt’ (1992)
25. Metallica, ‘Metallica’ (1991)
24. Rage Against the Machine, ‘Rage Against the Machine’ (1992)
23. Danzig, ‘Danzig’ (1988)
22. Mötley Crüe, ‘Too Fast for Love’ (1981)
21. Metallica, ‘…And Justice for All’ (1988)
20. Anthrax, ‘Among the Living’ (1987)
19. Megadeth, ‘Rust in Peace’ (1990)
18. Tool, ‘Ænima’ (1996)
17. Mercyful Fate, ‘Melissa’ (1983)
16. Dio, ‘Holy Diver’ (1983)
15. Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Diary of a Madman’ (1981)
14. Black Sabbath, ‘Vol. 4’ (1972)
13. Iron Maiden, ‘Iron Maiden’ (1980)
12. Judas Priest, ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ (1982)
11. Metallica, ‘Ride the Lightning’ (1984)
10. Pantera, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992)
9. Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ (1980)
8. Megadeth, ‘Peace Sells … but Who’s Buying?’ (1986)
7. Motörhead, ‘No Remorse’ (1984)
6. Slayer, ‘Reign in Blood’ (1986)
5. Black Sabbath, ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
4. Iron Maiden, ‘The Number of the Beast’ (1982)
3. Judas Priest, ‘British Steel’ (1980)
2. Metallica, ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
1. Black Sabbath, ‘Paranoid’ (1970)