Top 10 Most Important Metal Albums--Repost

Even if you haven't heard some of the albums on this list, it is guaranteed that the metal bands that you listen to were influenced by most of, if not all of, these albums. Jormungandr Metal Forum spent months researching many albums. We set up a ranking system which included criteria such as influence, innovation, timelessness, and riffs among others. There were many albums that just missed the cut. I've included a few of those albums as honorable mentions. If you don't own some of these albums, you are in for a treat. Go buy them and listen to them from start to finish, I guarantee you'll be blown away!

1 Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath (1970). If this album didn’t exist, this list wouldn’t exist. The tri-toned, eponymous title track, birthed the first angry, evil, and thunderous metal riff and changed music forever.

2 Paranoid, by Black Sabbath (1970). The riffs, melodies, and lyrics on this album led to just about every other sub-genre of metal.

3 Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (1982). This album introduced melody to the world of metal with operatic vocals, twin lead guitar licks and unprecedented lead bass lines.

4 Master of Puppets by Metallica (1986). At the time, there was nothing close to this album as far as intricacy, production, complexity, and aggression. Without this album, many of the successful metal bands of today would not exist. Nearly flawless!

5 Kill ‘Em All by Metallica (1983). Low budget recording and all, this album influenced other up and coming metal bands to tighten up their act, speed up the tempo, darken the lyrics, and head bang. Props should go to Dave Mustaine for his mostly uncredited influence and contributions to this album.

6 British Steel by Judas Priest (1980). Although Priest’s previous albums were outstanding, this album created the "heavy" metal genre: Riffs, Solos, Aggresion, and scaring the hell out of your parents.

7 Blizzard of Ozz Ozzy Osbourne (1980). Along with British Steel, this album helped define Heavy Metal. Rhoads’ blistering, precisely played guitar solos, were unprecedented and are still influencing guitarists today.

8 Rust In Peace Megadeth (1990). Complex lyrical themes, intricate riffs, hyper-speed solos, and the pissed-off growl of Dave Mustaine’s vocal lines made this album the second greatest thrash album ever recorded. Props to Metallica for firing Dave, the world is better off with both Megadeth and Metallica.

9 Vulgar Display of Power Pantera (1992). Heavier than Metallica and more dangerous than any other metal band at the time. This album helped metal stay relevant through its near-demise in the ‘90’s.

10 Ace of Spades Motorhead (1980). One of the first bands to play metal riffs at fast speeds. This album was ugly, in a good way. The raw, unrelenting, in-your-face-metal helped launch the speed metal genre and ultimately thrash.

Some honorable mentions in no particular order: Slayer's Reign in Blood, Tool's Aenima, Dio's Holy Diver, Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime, Dream Theater's Images and Words, Judas Priest's Pain Killer and the Sad Wings of Destiny, Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind, Powerslave, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Pantera's Cowboys from Hell, Metallica's Ride the Lightening and St. Anger (just kidding on the latter), Motorhead's Overkill, Venom's Black Metal, Diamond Head's Lightning to the Nations, Opeth's Black Water Park and Deliverance, Blind Guardian's, Nightfall In Middle Earth.

Thanks to the Earl of Metal, Scott McPhie, Mook Farchings, Jason Smith, Boz, and Austin Lewis for special contributions and research.

Give me your top 10 but be prepared to back it up.

Peace, Love, and Riffs--

Jormungandr.

Metal Bracket 2011

Vote for your winner for each match up in round 1. Then you will vote again for the match ups in round 2 etc.

Keep in mind the following: Influence on the scene, albums, song writing, innovation

John Myung Voted Worst Bass Player of All Time!

John Myung was officially voted the worst bass player of all time in the metal genre. It was close, Myung battled runners up Jason Newstead of Flotsam and Jetsam and Voivod and Ian Hill of Judas Priest for the coveted spot. Newsted and Hill’s bass lines are unmemorable at best but Myung takes unmemorable to a new level by making his parts inaudible.

Yes, there are times when Myung’s bass shines through, these times are when Petrucci stops playing. Even when Petrucci isn’t playing, it is hard to discern what Myung is doing. Listen to the tapping solo on Metropolis, although it sounds cool and he uses an eight finger technique that is hard to master, it is difficult to hear all of the notes he is playing. On stage his fingers are flying all over the strings and there is no doubt that he is a well schooled/rehearsed musician. The only problem is that musicians must be heard! Why play all of those notes if you can’t hear them? He might as well put the bass down and crochet Petrucci a new muscle shirt on stage instead of wasting energy plucking a non existent bass sound. Who knows, maybe the problem was Portnoy and now that he is gone Myung will be able to actually plug in his electric bass instead of playing it "unplugged".

Congratulations John!