There was a time in the not so distant past (2012) that we made fun of Rolling Stone's coverage of metal. But since that time, the magazine has really stepped up its metal coverage, hiring some of the top writers in music journalism, who actually listen to metal, to cover the genre we hold so dear.
So, when they decided to release a list of the 100 greatest metal albums of all time, we find little room to argue here, in terms of substance. Sure, for you, some of the arrangement of albums might be different, but this is definitely a credible list. Here's how the albums rank to Rolling Stone:
100. Avenged Sevenfold â âCity Of Evilâ
99. Evanescence â âFallenâ
98. Sunn O))) â âMonoliths & Dimensionsâ
97. Gojira â âFrom Mars To Siriusâ
96. Kvelertak â âMeirâ
95. Dream Theater â âImages And Wordsâ
94. Deafheaven â âSunbatherâ
93. White Zombie â âLa Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume Oneâ
92. Eyehategod â âTake As Needed For Painâ
91. Naked City â âTorture Gardenâ
90. Body Count â âBody Countâ
89. Nightwish â âOnceâ
88. Pig Destroyer â âTerrifyerâ
87. Manowar â âHail To Englandâ
86. Lamb Of God â âAs The Palaces Burnâ
85. Darkthrone â âTransilvanian Hungerâ
84. High On Fire â âBlessed Black Wingsâ
83. Baroness â âThe Red Albumâ
82. Entombed â âThe Left Hand Pathâ
81. Bathory â âUnder The Sign Of The Black Markâ
80. Ministry â âPsalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggsâ
79. At The Gates â âSlaughter Of The Soulâ
78. Voivod â âDimension Hatrössâ
77. Meshuggah â âDestroy Erase Improveâ
76. Twisted Sister â âStay Hungryâ
75. Morbid Angel â âCovenantâ
74. Venom â âWelcome To Hellâ
73. Scorpions â âBlackoutâ
72. Isis â âOceanicâ
71. Living Colour â âVividâ
70. Death â âHumanâ
69. Soundgarden â âLouder Than Loveâ
68. Marilyn Manson â âPortrait Of Am American Familyâ
67. QueensrĂżche â âOperation: Mindcrimeâ
66. Deftones â âWhite Ponyâ
65. Faith No More â âAngel Dustâ
64. Godflesh â âStreetcleanerâ
63. Sodom â âAgent Orangeâ
62. Sleep â âJerusalemâ
61. Converge â âJane Doeâ
60. Melvins â âBullheadâ
59. Napalm Death â âFrom Enslavement To Obliterationâ
58. Life Of Agony â âRiver Runs Redâ
57. Emperor â âAnthems To The Welkin At Duskâ
56. The Dillinger Escape Plan â âCalculating Infinityâ
55. Opeth â âBlackwater Parkâ
54. Helmet â âMeantimeâ
53. Type O Negative â âBloody Kissesâ
52. Def Leppardâ â âPyromaniaâ
51. Carcass â âHeartworkâ
50. Slipknot â âIowaâ
49. Neurosis â âThrough Silver In Bloodâ
48. Rainbow â âRisingâ
47. Slayer â âSouth Of Heavenâ
46. Mastodon â âLeviathanâ
45. Exodus â âBonded By Bloodâ
44. Mötley CrĂŒe â âShout At The Devilâ
43. Judas Priest â âStained Classâ
42. Diamond Head â âLightning To The Nationsâ
41. Kyuss â âBlues For The Red Sunâ
40. Mayhem â âDe Mysteriis Dom Sathanasâ
39. Pantera â âFar Beyond Drivenâ
38. Iron Maiden â âPowerslaveâ
37. Black Sabbath â âHeaven And Hellâ
36. Van Halen â âWomen And Children Firstâ
35. Metallica â âKill âEm Allâ
34. Black Sabbath â âMaster Of Realityâ
33. Megadeth â âCountdown To Extinctionâ
32. Black Sabbath â âSabotageâ
31. Slayer â âSeasons In The Abyssâ
30. Korn â âKornâ
29. Sepultura â âChaos A.D.â
28. Celtic Frost â âMorbid Talesâ
27. System Of A Down â âToxicityâ
26. Alice In Chains â âDirtâ
25. Metallica â âMetallicaâ
24. Rage Against The Machine â âRage Against The Machineâ
23. Danzig â âDanzigâ
22. Mötley CrĂŒe â âToo Fast For Loveâ
21. Metallica â ââŠAnd Justice For Allâ
20. Anthrax â âAmong The Livingâ
19. Megadeth â âRust In Peaceâ
18. Tool â âĂnimaâ
17. Mercyful Fate â âMelissaâ
16. Dio â âHoly Diverâ
15. Ozzy Osbourne â âDiary Of A Madmanâ
14. Black Sabbath â âVol. 4â
13. Iron Maiden â âIron Maidenâ
12. Judas Priest â âScreaming For Vengeanceâ
11. Metallica â âRide The Lightningâ
10. Pantera â âVulgar Display Of Powerâ
09. Ozzy Osbourne â âBlizzard Of Ozzâ
08. Megadeth â âPeace Sells⊠But Whoâs Buying?â
07. Motörhead â âNo Remorseâ
06. Slayer â âReign In Bloodâ
05. Black Sabbath â âBlack Sabbathâ
04. Iron Maiden â âThe Number Of The Beastâ
03. Judas Priest â âBritish Steelâ
02. Metallica â âMaster Of Puppetsâ
01. Black Sabbath â âParanoidâ
For in-depth explanations on each pick, visit Rolling Stone.