Hard to pick favorite albums, maybe favorite songs would be a lot easier.

DØDHEIMSGARD - 666 International would have to be my #1. The first time I heard it I knew Dødheimsgard had done something special. Some people I have talked to say they can't stand to listen to it any more, but it is one of the few albums that have withstood the test of time for me. Every time I listen to it I love it every bit as much as when I heard it on day 1. Though, oddly my favorite Dødheimsgard song (and favorite song in general) is Traces of Reality.

After #1 the list gets tougher... these are in no particular order.
DEATH - Human
AT THE GATES - With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness
NUCLEAR DEATH - Bride of Insect
WHEN - Black, White, and Grey (Drowning But Learning is a very close contender for favorite WHEN album)
PORTISHEAD - Dummy
VED BUENS ENDE - Written in Waters
VIRUS - Carheart (The Black Flux is amazing though too)
GORGUTS - Obscura
BOGUS BLIMP - cords.wires

I could list a few more, but I figured I'd stop at 10.

I think you are right and I never understood why. I was hooked on Ravishing Grimness from the first play and The Claws of Time remains one of my favourite Darkthrone songs. But although I like everything they have released, I think Plaguewielder and Hate Them are relatively weak.

I agree with The Claws of Time, but I think that the weaker albums are the last two and Total Death, I save Panzerfaust because of the non-CF ripoffs songs, which are great (En vind av soooooooorrrrrgggg!!!). Fuck, I think En vind av sorg is the most underrated song of Darktrhone and one in black metal in general. Such three awesome riffs.

About 666 International, I must confess that, although I was curious to hear it from the first time (I was addicted to Satanic Art), I got kind of overwhelmed by the layers, weird atmosphere and so much electronica. Too many different things to listen at the time also, so I as a much younger boy got to it very slowly, although it became and still is one of the albums of my life.
The same happened with Rebel Stravaganzza, but different. I fucking loved the samples they put on moonfog.no (and Intermezzo too) before the release, but when I got to the full album, I expected something a bit different. But that one required just two or three listens to become a ultimate favourite.

I remember with much nostalgia that age of discovering strange kinds of black metal in Moonfog, enjoying it and being curious, discovering new paths, when almost all the other people around (the few black metal people on my town), discarded those things as being too modern and too far from black metal somehow. Haha! They started digging into Rebel Extravaganza a lot of years after (not all though), but 666 is yet too much for them.

The funny thing is I have a friend that is into Psytrance and Electronica almost exclusively. She hates metal, but she likes 666 International because of the Electronica influence. Though she says she still can't listen to it because of Aldrahn's vocals. :\

Psytrance and electro is ok...

@flames : actually the list i posted here, i actually typed off my head...but now that you mention it i have an excel file that im slowly building of what i beleive are landmarks in metal.....its upto around 2 hundred albums..........yeah its retarded

http://rateyourmusic.com/ might come in handy.

Favorite top 10

CREST OF DARKNESS * The Ogress. (with Kristin Fjellseth of Pale Forest as back ground vocalist, she really lit the album up with perfect vocals, to add a cool element to all the authentic metal mayhem).

Exodus * A Lesson In Violence ( Studio 54 live + 1986 demo with Paul Baloff, to bad Relativity deleted this cat# COMBAT 2026 and offered in its place RELATIVITY 2026 "Good friendly violent fun" instead).

Mercyful Fate * Melissa ( I still play this one non-stop at least for 8 hours, every friday night, perfect metal all the way. I have every CD pressing of this title, but on Friday night I still perfer my Megaforce Cassette of this, because when the cassette ends on each side, it is the correct cue (PERFECT timing) to get another beer or vodka + cranberry or one of each) !!!

Madder Mortem * Deadlands (Madder Mortem GODS!!!!!!)

Iron Maiden * Killers

Atrox * Mesmerized (close tie with the best works of 3rd and the Mortal)

Cradle of Filth * Dusk and her Embrace

Sabbat * History of a time to Come ( the songwriting brains of a Diamond Head, with the RIFFING might of Exodus)

Dismal Euphony * Python Zero

Blind Illusion * The Sane Asylum

I know I already listed 10 but I can not forget

Onslaught * The Force (the songwriting brains of a Metallica, with the RIFFING might of Slayer)

Impossible of course to give an accurate list, but these immediately came to mind:

Michael Stearns - Planetary Unfolding
Mago - Definitions of Raw Moments From a Different Perspective
Manes - Vilosophe
Solefald - Neonism
Ulver - Perdition City
Neurosis - Through Silver In Blood
Red Harvest - HyBreed
Sanctum - Lupus In Fabula
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Lights Out Asia - Garmonia
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
The Kovenant - Animatronic

Nice to see some Red Harvest in someone other's lists! That band deserves so much more attention, especially the older stuff.

Impossible of course to give an accurate list, but these immediately came to mind:

Michael Stearns - Planetary Unfolding....
....Quote by Razorjack ...
********************************************

Whoa, I am glad to see this album on someone's top 10 list, this is one of my favorite new age releases.

I discovered this artist at a book store of all places, "Planetary Unfolding" was the only music title that the store ever owner played, and the only cassette he sold, circa 1986, when the sonic atmospheres re-edition was pressed, so every year it is a one of those titles, I always try to update my Very Good plus copy for a Mint Condition copy if possible.

This is one of those titles, if you ever find copy of it in a second-hand store, snag that CD up fast as you can, I still listen to this on casette format, and still hope to see a re-edition on CD on day, since the original Sonic Atmospheres CD seems to have been a small CD press run, or NO BODY has ever re-sold there original CD's, around where I live, I go to record store 3 times a week, and have never seen this in the USED CD section on any of my local stores.

Lets see...

Windir - Arntor and Likferd
Bathory - Hammerheart
Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth
Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
Diabolical Masquerade - Death's Design
Mortiis - Født til å Herske
Absu - Tara
Green Day - Dookie
Cryptopsy - Once Was Not
Hirilorn - Legends of Evil and Eternal Death
Burzum - Det Som, Hvis Lyset, Filosofem, ...Belus maybe?
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Rush - Moving Pictures and A Farewell To Kings
Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
Negura Bunget - OM
Zwenz - A Life's Work of Natrgaard
Paysage d'Hiver - Self Titled
Urfaust - Geist ist Teufel
Agalloch - The Mantle
Deathspell Omega - Fas
Cake - Comfort Eagle
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Akercocke - Antichrist and Words That Go Unspoken
Koji Kondo - Zelda Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Links Awakening (So good!!!)
Mike Oldfield - Amarok
Drudkh - Autumn Aurora

ARGH. I'll cut it off there...around 30

But I could see The Deserts of Traun - The Lilac Moon, and Lykathea Aflame - Elvenfris sneaking into there at some point in the near future.

I'm still trying to refine this list, as I'm always playing catch-up with the music I obtain...But here is an amateurish list (at best).

Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Arghoslent - Hornets of the Pogrom
Augury - Fragmentary Evidence
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Agalloch - The Mantle
Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh
Blotted Science - The Machinations of Dementia
Buckethead - Colma
Cobalt - Gin
Continuo Renacer - Continuo Renacer
Cynic - Traced in Air
Electro Quarterstaff - Gretzky
Windir - Arntor
Weapon - Drakonian Paradigm
UneXpect - In a Flesh Aquarium
Rush - Moving Pictures
Protest the Hero - Fortress
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muukalainen Puhuu
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Machine Head - The Blackening
Lantlos - Lantlos
Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase
Ihsahn - After
Hirilorn - Legends of Evil and Eternal Death
Fen - The Malediction Fields

Phew.

Inspired by all of you, here goes, in no particular order wse:

Ulver - Blood Inside
Opeth - Deliverance
Kiss - Music from the Elder
Metallica - ... And justice for all
Opeth - Damnation
Gorgoroth - Incipit Satan
Jeff Hanson - Jeff Hanson
Enslaved - Isa
Neil Young - OST Dead Man
Allegri - Miserere

CREST OF DARKNESS- THE OGRESS featuring Kristin Fjellseth
***and other riff oriented metal albums that are always in constant play-list rotation***

Accept- Restless and Wild
Acid- Maniac
Agent Steel- Skeptics Apocalypse....Abattoir-Screams From the
Grave...Bloodlust-Guilt as Sin (connection by lead singers/ family tree)
Anacrusis- Screams and Whispers.
ANGEL DUST- INTO THE DARK PAST
ANTHRAX- FISTFUL OF METAL
Annihialtor- Alice in Hell
Anvil- Metal on Metal
ANVIL- FORGED IN FIRE
Anvil- Live in concert
Anvil-Worth the weight
Anvil Chorus- Thought Crimes (demo 1983)
ATHESIT- PIECE OF TIME
ATHIEST- UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE
Attacker-Battle at Helms Deep
Attacker-Second Coming
Bathory- Bathory
Black Sabbath- Mob Rules
BLIND ILLUSION- THE SANE ASYLUM
CACOPHONY- SPEED METAL SYMPHONY
Cage- Astonomy
Cathedral- Supernatural Birth Machine
CELTIC FROST- MORBID TALES
Celtic Frost- Emperors Return
Celtic Frost- To Megatherion
CELTIC FROST- INTO THE PANDEMONIUM
Culprit- Guilty As Charged
DEATH- SCREAM BLOODY GORE
Death Angel- The Ultra-Violence
DEATH ANGEL- ACT III
Death Strike-Fuckin' Death
Deep Swith- Nine inches of God
DESTRUCTION- INFERNAL OVERKILL
EXCITER- HEAVY METAL MANIAC
Exciter- Violence and Force
Exhorder- Slaughter in the Vatican
EXODUS- BONDED BY BLOOD
EXODUS- PLEASURES OF THE FLESH
EXODUS- A LESSON IN VIOLENCE (LIVE)
EXODUS- BONDED BY BALOFF (A.L.I.V::REMASTERED)
FORBIDDEN- FORBIDDEN EVIL
Forbidden- Twisted into Form
Griffin- Flight of the Griffin
Hawaii- One Nation Underground
HALLOWEEN- DONT METAL WITH EVIL
Hell- Hell (1982)...Demos come with 2 disc version of 2011 CD
H-Bomb- Attaque
HEATHEN- BREAKING THE SILENCE
HEATHEN- VICTIMS OF DECEPTION
HIRAX- RAGING VIOLENCE
HOLOCAUST- THE NIGHTCOMERS
Insanity- Death after Death
IRON MAIDEN- IRON MAIDEN
IRON MAIDEN- KILLERS
Iron Maiden- The Number of the Beast
Jaguar- Power Games
JAG PANZER- AMPLE DESTRUCTION
Judas Priest- British Steal
Judas Priest- Painkillers
King Diamond- Abigail
King Diamond- Them
Kreator- Endless Pain
Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
Liege Lord- Master Control
Macbre- Gloom
Malediction- Condamnes
MANOWAR- INTO GLORY RIDE
Massacre- From Beyon
MASTER- MASTER
MASTER- 1985 ALBUM UNRELEASED
Metal Church- Metal Chuch
MEDIEVAL- DEMO CASSETTE ALBUM
Medieval- All knobs to the Right
MEDIEVAL- MEDIEVAL KILLS
MEGADETH- RUST IN PEACE
METALLICA- NO LIFE TIL LEATHER
METALLICA- KILL EM ALL
Metallica- Ride the Lightning
Metallica- Creeping Death/ Jump in the Fire CD
Metallica- Master of Puppets
MERCYFUL FATE- 1982 EP
MERCYFUL FATE- MELISSA
MERCYFUL FATE- DON'T BREAK THE OATH
MERCYFUL FATE- CURSE OF THE PHARAOHS
MERCYFUL FATE- THE BEGINNING
MERCYFUL FATE- RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE
MERCYFUL FATE- INTO THE SHADOWS
MORBID ANGEL- ALTARS OF MADNESS
MOTORHEAD- NO SLEEP TIL HAMMERSMITH
Nasty Savage- Nasty Savage
NASTY SAVAGE- INDULGENCE
ONSLAUGHT- THE FORCE
OVERKILL- FEEL THE FIRE
Oz- Fire in the Brain
Pagan Altar- Pagan Altar
PILE DRIVER- METAL INQUISTION
Pentagram- Pentagram
Pentagram- Day of Recokoning
Pentagram- Be forwarned
POSSESSED- SEVEN CHURCHES
RAVEN- ALL FOR ONE
RAZOR- EXECUTIONERS SONG
RAZOR- EVIL INVADERS
REPULSION - HORRIFIED
Riot- Fire Down Under
Riot- Thunder Steel
Riot- Privilege of Power
RUSH- MOVING PICTURES
RUSH- SIGNALS
RUSH- GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
SABBAT- HISTORY OF A TIME TO COME
Scorpions- Taken By Force
SACRIFICE- TORMENT IN FIRE
SEPULTURA- BENEATH THE REMAINS
Skullview- Kings of the Universe
Sindrome- Sindrome (2 demos on CD)
SLAUGHTER- STRAPPADO
SLAYER- SHOW NO MERCY
SLAYER- HAUNTING THE CHAPEL
SLAYER- LIVE UNDEAD
SLAYER- HELL AWAITS
Slayer- Reign in Blood
Slauter Xstroyes- Free the Beast
Syris- Unseen Forces
Tank- Filth Hounds of Hades
Tank- Power of the Hunter
TANK- THIS MEANS WAR
TERRORIZE- WORLD DOWNFALL
Testament- The Legacy
The Gathering- Nighttime Birds
The Rods- Wild Dogs
TROUBLE- PSALMS 9
TYGERS OF PAN TANG- WILD CAT
Tygers of Pan Tang- Spell Bound
UFO- The Wild, The Willing, The Innocent
Unseen Terror- Human Error
Venom- Welcome to Hell
Venom- Black Metal
Voi Vod- War and Pain
Voi Vod- RRRROOOOAAAARRR
WARHEAD- THE DAY AFTER
WATCHTOWER- ENERGETIC DISASSEMBLY
WITCHCROSS- FIT FOR FIGHT
WITCHFINDER GENERAL- DEATH PENALTY
WITCHFINDER GENERAL- FRIENDS OF HELL
Witchkiller- Day of the Saxon
Zoser Mez- Visier of Wasteland

Ok first 10 that came to my mind:

Ulver - William Blake
Minsk - Out of a Center Which is Neither Dead nor Alive
Akercocke - Words...
<Code> - Resplendent Grotesque
Nachtmystium - Assassins
Virus - Carheart
Altar of Plagues - Mammal
Cobalt - Gin
DHG - Supervillain
Ghost - Opus Eponymous