I am quite surprised that this topic hasnt turned up yet.
Even though I know its quite hard (or even impossible) to decide I would like you to List your ten favorite Albums (you might even think about ediding the posts later if these lists might change for some reason so everyone always has an overview over your current taste).
I will make the start with (unranked):

In the woods... - Strange in Stereo
In the woods... - Omnio
Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Drawn - A new world?
Opeth - Still Life
Solefald - The Linear Scaffold
Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the moon
Ulver - Themes from William Blakes "A Marriage of Heaven and Hell"

Good one!

Queen - Greatest Hits I&II
Enslaved - Vertebrae
Abigor - Fractal Possession
Björk - Vespertine
Tenacious D - The Pick Of Destiny
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Lunar Aurora - Elixirs Of Sorrow
Die Ärzte - Geräusch
Dead Can Dance - A Passage In Time
Tiamat - Wildhoney

Subject to change and fluctuation, but that seems to be a steady core of what I can listen to over and over without getting tired for the last years.

i love lists...so this my top...errr....top 26...if you havent heard any of these, run and get them coz your metal expereince is incomplete

pink floyd - piper at the gates of dawn
napalm death - scum
metallica - master of puppets (still there on my top ten despite the betrayal)
moonspell - irreligious
slayer - south of heaven
fields of nephilim - elizium
morbid angel - blessed are the sick
death - human
emperor - into the nightside eclipse
judas preist - painkiller
type o negative - bloody kisses
fear factory - demanufacture
red harvest - sick transit gloria mundi
obliveon - technocarnivore mothermouth
origin - echoes of decimation
his hero is gone - monument to theives
neurosis - through silver and blood
overkill - taking over
ministry - psalm 69
faith no more - angel dust
morser - two hours to doom
iron maiden - killers
motorhead - iron fist (or any other of their 5 classic albums)
entombed - clandestine
sepultura - arise
alice in chains - dirt

Oooh... lists!

#1: Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger
Emperor - Anthems To The Nightside Eclipse
Enslaved - Ruun
Morbid Angel - Formulas Fatal To The Flesh
Mercyful Fate - Into The Unknown
Ulver - Perdition City
V:28 - SoulSaviour
Sahg - Sahg I

Ulver perdition city
arcturus - LMI
tool - lateralus
Johann Wolfgang Pozoj - birth of pozoj
VBE - written in waters
in the woods- strange in stereo

recently

Amok - Amok (croatian hardcore)
Intoxicate - Wasted years
The Beatles - Revolver
Seven that Spells - men from ...

all time top ten would be

thorns - s/t
mithras - worlds beyond the veil
borknagar - epic
arcturus - the sham mirrors
neurosis - the eye of every storm
metallica - master of puppets
enslaved - isa
tool - lateralus
tool - aenima
isis - oceanic

most important albums for my musical education would be... perhaps... these, in random order:

REFUSED - the shape of punk to come
KING CRIMSON - in the court of the crimson king
MARILYN MANSON - antichrist superstar
NINE INCH NAILS - the fragile
METALLICA - master of puppets
VED BUENS ENDE - written in waters
ARCTURUS - le masquerade infernale
BAL-SAGOTH - atlantis ascendants
KRAFTWERK - mench-maschine
BLACK SABBATH - paranoid

this does not exclusively count as my favourite albums today in 2009. I rarely listen to NIN, Manson or Metallica these days. but they were extremely important for me a decade ago.

I still listen to master of puppets to this day with orion and welcome home (sanitarium) being over represented in what gets listened to. On occasions, mostly when I need to fade to black, lightning will get a spin. Other than that, it`s a pity that band metallica ceased to be in the early 90s.

'kay, here we go: no particular order - a real jumbled mix of styles, old and new

King Crimson - Red
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
Yes - Drama
Sonny Sharrock - Guitar
Ministry - In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up
Darkspace - III
Kiss - Alive I
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Emperor - Prometheus
Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness
Satyricon - Rebel Extravaganza
Bozzio Levin Stevens - Black Light Syndrome
Darkthrone - Plaguewielder
Frank Zappa - Make a Jazz Noise Here
Symphony X - The Odyssey
Rage - Speak of the Dead

I am surprised to see Plaguewielder on that list. It is not my impression that a lot of people appreciate that album.

I think that Ravishing Grimness was the first unnappreciated (and maybe even more than the next three), but it's my favourite almost always* anyway.

*It happens sometimes with some bands that the favourite album/song changes on what you are listening to at the moment. Don't you?




By the way, haven't posted here yet because my faves are always changing, and I don't like to put some things over another. Nowadays, anyway, I'd say Carheart, Black Flux, Orakel (by Island), Gruenewald, Electric Sulking Machine by Beyond Dawn, Rdtr by Bogus Blimp, Blood Inside, Shadows of the Sun, Perdition City... that's a mix of my classics and what I listen to most these days. And even Det är jag som är döden would fit in there, for the last week.

@Echon: I´d say "Plaguewielder" is my favourite DARKTHRONE-Album. Especially the last song is great.

@Adryuu: If you like ISLAND and GRUENEWALD, you have to- no, you just MUST- listen to KLABAUTAMANN´s "Merkur". And while we are at it, everyone here must do that. A life without "Merkur" is a wasted one! Thus spoke the tentacle.

I tried Der Ort before but didn't dig it too much, although Merkur definitely sounds a lot better, the songs are great and it has the contributions by Christian Kolf. I'm in love with the vocal parts of Kolf in ANY release. It might be the main reason that Zeitgeister are among my top artists right now. In fact, I'm waiting for them to sell the new Island and Woburn House on their web to make possibly the hugest cd order in my life to date (I mean ordering just for me, have previously made orders for about 200+ euro but not all items were for me).
I think that I'll buy Merkur indeed, previously I thought it was the only project I would not buy by them for now, as Slon, I'm not into them yet. But for the rest, I will buy every release they have, except for not-last ones by Klabautamann and Valborg.
Island's self titled will be an instant favourite judging by the song Nadir they have on their web. And yet I have to thank agm.com again for that Zeitgeister thread, as well as for those texts about Bogus and DÄJSÄD.

I guess mine would be

Unexpect "In a Flesh Aquarium"
Machinae Supremacy "Redeemer"
Polkadot Cadaver "Purgatory Dance Party"
Strapping Young Lad "City"
Pin-Up Went Down "2 Unlimited"

And maybe (unsure)
Between the Buriend and Me "Colors"
Inferno "Pompa Magna"
Machinae Supremacy "Overworld"
Dog Fashion Disco "Adultery"
Stolen Babies "There Be Squabbles Ahead"
Estradasphere "It's Understood"

Wow, I adore people who can everytime just write down these charts, how they can remember and how sure they are. At least, Suleiman, have you got any Excel-shit with these names or what?

But in a fact, tons of great music downthere.