Treble’s Top 100 Metal Albums

60. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
(2012; Profound Lore)

Any hesher worth his frayed denim vest knows that metal’s Genesis essentially took place with the low rumble of doom metal, as pioneered by Black Sabbath. It’s gotten darker, more epic, gothic, funereal, droning, ugly, sludgy and even a bit scary, but it took a Little Rock, Arkansas band with the dark and mournful name of Pallbearer to actually highlight the fact that — in spite of all its inherent misery and gloom — doom metal can be quite gorgeous. The band’s 2012 debut Sorrow and Extinction is sophisticated and stunning, driven largely by masterfully executed guitar harmonies between Brett Campbell and Devin Holt. A towering epic like “Given to the Grave,” which opens with the sound of an ethereal gothic choir, seems fit for performance inside a medieval cathedral, where “Devoid of Redemption” makes great use of some devastating power chord riffs. There is darkness and pain here, but it’s something much more powerful and universal the band aims for. – Jeff Terich

59. Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
(1992; Atco)

In late January of 1992, Nevermind — the major label debut by Nirvana — swept the nation, sparing nothing in its path. Even the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, fell prey to the power that was the grunge movement with his album Dangerous playing second fiddle to Nevermind on the Billboard charts. Just a few months earlier, Metallica released their self-titled Black Album which saw the bay area thrashers change their frantic style dramatically. All of these things happening at once could’ve been considered the death knell of American heavy metal, but thankfully Pantera was there to fill the void. With their sixth studio offering Vulgar Display of Power, Pantera unleashed a furious 11-song set that threw a middle finger in the face of every trend in heavy music of the era. The unrelenting energy of singer Phillip Anselmo combined with the powerful rhythmic backbone of bassist Rex Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul were a formidable trio in their own right, but the mind blowing riff-fest provided by Dimebag Darrell was a complete game changer. Thrash masterpieces like “Fucking Hostile” proved that Pantera could shred with the best, but it was the all-out groove of tracks like “Mouth for War” and “Live in a Hole” that really showcased the southern-tinged heaviness of the Cowboys from Hell. – Ryan Brun

58. Dismember – Like An Ever Flowing Stream
(1991; Nuclear Blast)

Death metal’s greatest achievements have largely taken place in Sweden and the United States. Death metal’s not exclusive to these two countries, but standout bands like the UK’s Bolt Thrower are more the exception than the rule. But the sounds produced by Sweden and the U.S. come not just from geographically different places, but sonically different ones at that. Where groups like Suffocated and Obituary have cornered the market on making metal as ugly as goddamn possible, groups like Entombed and Dismember streamlined a similar kind of ugliness into a strangely accessible art form. Dismember’s Like an Ever Flowing Stream stands at the top of that bilge heap, all neck-snapping rhythms and drill-bit riffs. The ominous introduction of “Override of the Overture” is a shadowy descent into occult eeriness that is more teaser than tone-setter; Dismember drop a brick on the gas pedal and take their death-ride into overdrive in the blink of an ocular cavity. The distortion grows crustier, the rhythms gallop faster, and the bile spews forth with greater toxicity. So when the absolutely gorgeous introduction of “Dismembered” crops up, it feels like some kind of terrifyingly beautiful dream amid the efficiently executed wreckage. – Jeff Terich

57. Venom – Black Metal
(1982; Neat)

Aside from being one of metal’s greatest trios and a particularly fun entry in metal’s NWOBHM chapter, Venom are famous for two things: 1. frontman Cronos’ absurd stage banter (“You’re wild, man. Wiiiiiild!”) and 2. coining the term “black metal.” Newcastle’s Venom called upon the deeds of the Dark Lord long before it became standard practice in metal, and had a damn fun time doing it. Their second album Black Metal has few of the hallmarks of black metal as we know it today — there are no blast beats, vocal croaks or other such devices. There are, however, plenty of riff-rockin’ good times loaded with hooks and blasphemy, from the immortal title track to the speed metal overdrive of “Heaven’s On Fire.” It’s a headbanger’s paradise, or the best house party Hell ever threw. It’s best to follow Cronos’ suggestion in the title track: “Lay down your soul to the Gods Rock and Roll.” – Jeff Terich

56. Anthrax – Among the Living
(1987; Island)

It’s an ironic fact that Anthrax have always been a pretty clean-living kind of band, as they always seemed like the one band of the Big Four that’d be most fun to have a beer with. Rarely overly self-important, frequently unapologetically geeky, and above all masters of churning out some of the most instantly likeable East Coast thrash bruisers ever to come crashing through a Marshall stack. Among the Living is Anthrax at the peak of their powers, before swapping vocalists in the ’90s, trading Judge Dredd references for Twin Peaks, and going sort of alt-rock. Among the Living doesn’t concern itself with any of those growing pains, instead finding the band laying down meaty riff after meaty riff, paying homage to comic book icons and occasionally turning out a mosh-friendly public service announcement (“One World,” “Indians”). The groove-heavy orientation of the album very likely played a significant part in opening up the door to nu-metal — though not as much as, say, Pantera — but here, everything is in a perfectly brutal kind of balance. – Jeff Terich

55. Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
(1989; Earache)

Most, if not all that can be said about Altars has already been said. Along with Death, Morbid Angel rose up and out into the Floridian death metal scene seemingly overnight. But whereas Death would eventually reach the pinnacle of their sound after a series of releases, Morbid Angel created their masterwork on their first attempt. You would be hard pressed to find so many memorable death metal tracks one album. Highlights such as “Immortal Rites”, “Chapel of Ghouls” and “Damnation” are as brutal as they are downright fun to listen to. Twenty-five years after the fact, Altars remains a classic within its dingy discipline. – Greg Speranza

54. In Flames – Colony
(1999; Nuclear Blast)

Like Tampa, Fla. in the mid-nineties, Gothenburg, Sweeden also experienced a metal renaissance of sorts. But unlike their counterparts across the Atlantic the Gothenburg sound, led by bands such as At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Traquility, offered a more diverse palette of sounds and song structures for their audience. Colony, the fourth full-length album by In Flames, is one of the crowning achievements of the melodic death metal movement. From the moment the dual harmonic guitar leads of the albums opener “Embody the Invisible” tear out of the speakers, it’s readily apparent that Colony is a special album. Surprises await listeners with every track on the record, be it the mournful piano interludes on “Ordinary Story” the quasi-industrial overtones of “Insipid 200” or the delicate guitar and strings virtuosity of “Pallar Anders Visa.” Colony only gets better every time it’s played. – Ryan Brun

53. Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
(1991; A&M)

Some bands flaunt the dirty little secret of the so-called sin of “selling out”—mo’ money, less problems—and use access to better production and performance resources to make quantum leaps in their sound. Others find that a personnel change is what they need to be launched into fame’s stratosphere. This durable group borne from Seattle’s grunge scene needed both forms of assistance to get to the next level, but damn, what a level. Two albums removed from their time on the SST label, and working with their third bassist in Ben Shepherd, Soundgarden finally felt comfortable and talented enough in their own collective skin to make music that was more technically astute than the rest of their catalog at the time. Frankly, Badmotorfinger‘s dark pop power in songs like “Outshined” matched many of their contemporaries, the album’s only failing being that it was released in the long and growing shadow of Nirvana’s Nevermind. But where Kurt Cobain’s outfit embraced punk and Pearl Jam settled into surf and stoner jamming, Chris Cornell and company wove abstractly angry whomp and wallop throughout “Jesus Christ Pose,” “Room a Thousand Years Wide,” and especially the two-headed sonic monster “Rusty Cage.” – Adam Blyweiss

52. Entombed – Left Hand Path
(1991; Earache)

The ambient drone and shriek at the beginning of “Left Hand Path” — and its Goblin-like horror prog outro — give you a pretty good indication of the chillingly macabre vibe on the sophomore release by Sweden death metal titans Entombed. But neither one is actually representative of what the album actually sounds like. This is death metal, after all — raw, wretched, crusty, crushing and vile. And goddamn is it fun! Death metal and “fun” don’t always go together so readily, but this is the band that more or less invented death ‘n’ roll, and though Left Hand Path isn’t quite the point where they adopt it, the rollicking rhythms and catchy-yet-venomous riffs are all here, turning a harsh aesthetic into an altogether riotous experience. Plenty of bands in recent memory have gone out of their way to reverse engineer the death-crust sounds on Left Hand Path; just check whoever’s on the Southern Lord roster at the moment. But you can hardly blame them. Entombed’s horror crush is a sound well worth grave robbing. – Jeff Terich

51. Melvins – Houdini
(1993; Atlantic)

Just look at that album cover. Totally ridiculous, yet inviting at the same time. This is the almighty Melvins, and we’re going to have some fun, OK? Seriously, Houdini is a fucking blast, and definitely the Melvins’ best record. It’s impossible not to viciously bang your head to songs like “Night Goat,” “Honey Bucket,” or “Copache.” “Hooch” and “Set Me Straight” could go down as pop metal hits, and the seven-minute lurch of “Hag Me” may be one of the slowest metal songs put to tape. For Houdini, The Melvins absolutely nailed it when it came to capturing the sound perfectly, and Kurt Cobain had his hands in several tracks despite being fired by the band in the middle of it all. Houdini is a main reason why guitarist/vocalist Buzz Osborne is known as “King Buzzo,” and why Dale Crover is recognized as such a behemoth drummer. In the 21 years since the release of Houdini, you’re unlikely to hear a set of drums that have sounded so punishing; Crover’s hi-hat is crisper than a potato chip, his hits monstrous, and his fills neatly placed. Houdini is dirty, diligent, a little silly, and also mind-numbing. I would have a hard time trusting your musical opinions if you didn’t dig this gem. – Jordan J. Michael