Here is a list of the Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time.  If you don’t own all of these records then you’ve got problems.

It is interesting to note that 40% of these picks were released in the year 1980 and 70% of these came out in the 1980s.  The post-1980’s exceptions are Cowboys From Hell—because Pantera was the only 90’s band to truly push the metal envelope—and Rust in Peace by Megadeth.

1.  Paranoid (1970) Black Sabbath

2.  Master of Puppets (1986) Metallica

3.  The Number of the Beast (1982) Iron Maiden

4.  Blizzard of Ozz (1980) Ozzy Osbourne

5.  Reign in Blood (1986) Slayer

6.  British Steel (1980) Judas Priest

7.  Ace of Spades (1980) Motorhead

8.  Back in Black (1980) AC/DC

9.  Rust in Peace (1990) Megadeth

10.  Cowboys From Hell (1990) Pantera

Top 100 Bands of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal