These are not necessarily your current favorite albums, or albums you think are best, but maybe albums that most ruled your world at the time and/or changed the way you felt about music throughout your life.

JUDAS PRIEST - Painkiller
DREAM THEATER - Images and Words
WATCHTOWER - Control and Resistance
FATES WARNING - Awaken the Guardian
PANTERA - Vulgar Display of Power
ALICE IN CHAINS - Facelift
MORBID ANGEL - Blessed are the Sick
DARK ANGEL - Time Does Not Heal
ANNIHILATOR - Never Neverland
METALLICA - And Justice for All

(Honorable Mention:
GUNS N ROSES - Appetite for Destruction
MEGADETH - Peace Sells
TESTAMENT - The New Order)

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys ("Halloween" in particular)
Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath


These five albums all introduced me to a new style of music, expanding my tastes - in some cases, it was a particular song that then made me go purchase the album (when I first heard "A Dangerous Meeting", I was blown away!).

i know not all of these are metal, but all of these albums impacted me greatly, or were extremely important to me during certain periods in my life.

Judas Priest - Sin After Sin
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Black Flag - Everything Went Black
Death - Leprosy
Warlock - Burning the Witches
Morbid Angel - Blessed are the Sick
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Misfits - Walk Among Us
Napalm Death - Scum
Burzum - Det Som Engang Var

Not "top" 10...but 10 personal game-changers:

Two of the first albums I ever bought...set me on my path
Journey - Frontiers
Def Leppard - Pyromania

When I was exploring pop songwriting, these albums stood out as measuring sticks
The Beatles - Abbey Road
U2 - The Joshua Tree

An album that made me want to BE a Metal singer
Queensryche - The Warning

And an album that made me rethink how I sing Metal
Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell

Albums I listened to a LOT when I was first playing music in Oracle
King's X - Out Of The Silent Planet
Believer - Sanity Obscure
Vicious Rumors - Welcome To The Ball
Annihilator - Never, Neverland

Life-changing albums from various times in my existence.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
King Crimson - Red
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Rush - Moving Pictures
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
King's X - Gretchen Goes To Nebraska
John Coltrane - Crescent
Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys

My list is very obvious but these are the albums that made a huge impact on me

1-AC/DC-Highway to Hell & If You Want Blood You've Got It (tie)
2-Jimi Hendrix Experience-Are You Experienced?
3-Deep Purple-In Rock
4-Black Sabbath-s/t
5-KISS-Rock and Roll Over
6-The Doors-s/t
7-Alice Cooper-Greatest Hits
8-T. Rex-The Slider
9-Van Halen-Women and Children First
10-Led Zeppelin-IV & Aerosmith-s/t

GnR - Appetite for Destruction
Introduced me to everything hard & heavy.

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation
Introduced me to the band

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Introduced me to the "classic" (and favorite) era of the band.

Ozzy - Blizzard of Oz
One of the 1st cds I ever purchased (along with GnR & Aerosmith)

Ozzy - No More Tears
My introduction to Ozzy, then his older material, then Black Sabbath, then Dio, etc.

(tied) Anthrax - State of Euphoria / Megadeth - So Far, So Good...
My introduction to thrash

Motorhead - No Remorse
My love affair with Lemmy began here.

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper
My introduction to the Fab 4 and helped shape my love of harmonies & melody in the music that I listen to.

Megadeth - Rust in Peace

Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time

Overkill - The Years of Decay

Slayer - Show No Mercy

Sepultura - Arise

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness

Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt 1

Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather

Metallica - Kill em All

Van Halen - VHI

Van Halen...Women and Children First

Chuck Berry....Gold

Elvis Presley...Golden Records Vol. 1

AC/DC...Back In Black

Judas Priest...Screaming For Vengeance

Motley Crue...Too Fast For Love

Sweet...Desolation Boulevard

Keel...The Right To Rock

MSG...Assault Attack

Waylon Jennings....Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Fates Warning - Parallels - Best. Album. Ever. Made.
WASP - The Idol
UDO - Faceless World
Queensryche - Rage For Order
Vicious Rumors - Welcome To The Ball
Fifth Angel - Time Will Tell
Lethal - Both Programmed and Poison Seed
Dio - Sacred Heart
Savatage - Gutter Ballet
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Forgot a lot, but this ten I adore for various reasons and can listen to any of them any day. Thinking of it now, I should just post FW discography .

Mortification - Blood World
Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out
Megadeth - So Far, So Good
Kreator - Extreme Aggression
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster
Overkill - Taking Over
Testament - The Legacy
Metal Church - The Dark

Kyuss-Sky Valley
Hawkwind-In Search of Space
Vektor-Black Future
Snoop Doggy Dogg-Doggystyle
Monster Magnet-Dopes to Infinity
The Doors
Slayer-Reign in Blood
Death Angel-Frolic Through the Park
Faith No More-Angel Dust
Dr.Know-Wreckage in Flesh

Covenant-In Times Before The Light
Antestor-The Forsaken
Mortification-Scrolls of The Megilloth
Impellitteri-Answer To The Master
Seventh Angel-The Torment
The Famine-The Raven & The Reaping
Brain Drill-Apocalyptic Feasting
Metallica-Ride The Lightning
Kalmah-SwampSong
Stryper-various releases I cant remember because I was too young to care about album names.

Not all of them are metal/hard rock, but their influence/impact on me is undeniable.
Van Halen - 5150
Vengeance Rising - Human Sacrifice
Killswitch Engage - Alive of Just Breathing
Def Leppard - Hysteria
INXS - Kick
Symphorce - Godspeed
Dream Theater - Train of Thought
The Police - Synchronicity
Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise
Tourniquet - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance

Hmmm...in no particular order, various reasons:

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Megadeth - Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?
Quiet Riot - Metal Health
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
AC/DC - Back in Black
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Queen - Queen II
Van Halen - Van Halen
Dio - The Last in Line

Cool topic.

Not all of these are metal, but its my list!


Aerosmith - Get Your Wings
First really heavy album I ever listened to.

Kansas - Point of Know Return
This album is why I love progressive music

KISS - Love Gun
My first KISS...

Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
Still their best, as far as I'm concerned

AC/DC - Back in Black
I prefer the Bon Scott era now, but this was the soundtrack to most of my senior year in high school

Stryper - Soldiers Under Command
My "thank God there is Christian metal" moment!

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
My introduction to the band. It also rekindled my interest in prog.

Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
"Flight of Icarus" was my intro to the band. I remember being blown away by Bruce's voice when I heard this on the radio.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Still my favorite Floyd album. Not a bad note anywhere on this album.

Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
Yeah, I know. But this piece floored me when I had to listen to it for a class in college. And, the ballet caused a riot in Paris when it was premiered in 1913. What's more metal than that?

Def Leppard- Hysteria
Metallica- Metallica
Helloween- Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt. 2
Iron Maiden- Fear Of The Dark
King Diamond- Conspiracy
Anthrax- Sound Of White Noise
Blind Guardian- Imaginations From The Other Side
Savatage- Hall Of The Mountain King
Dream Theater- Images And Words
Faith No More- The Real Thing

Judas Priest - Painkiller
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Bride - Silence is Madness
Impellitteri - Screaming Symphony
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Keith Richards - Talk is Cheap
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys 2
Alice Cooper - Schools Out
Grave Digger - Tunes of War
Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings

I like this idea!

Black Sabbath - Greatest Hits 1970-1978 (My first CD I ever bought with my own money.)
Rush - 2112
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
Yes - The Yes Album (My first prog experience.)
King Crimson - Red (The album that got me into KC.)
Lucifer's Friend - Banquet (Thanks S.D.!)
Pink Floyd - Animals
Wishbone Ash - Argus
John Coltrane - Blue Train (The first jazz album I got into.)
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Death - Symbolic (The album that got me into extreme metal.)

Gonna try and do this chronological

1) At Fillmore East by Allman Brothers Band

The first lp I ever got, a birthday present from my father.

2) Grateful Dead-Europe 72'

The first lp I ever got just cause of the cover.

3) The Beatles 1967-1970

Got me into listening to albums with headphones and diggin it.

4) Houses Of The Holy-Led Zeppelin

Just got my first "frankenstein" drum kit and the songs on here were an intrigue to my ears as I tried to play along. It took me a few years to get it.

5) KISS-Alive !

The first thing to come along that was considered "our" band by kids in the neighborhood

6) Rainbow-Long Live Rock-n-Roll

"Kill The King" made me purchase a second kick drum.

7) UFO-Strangers In The Night

First album that really made me take notice of a lead guitar player

Van Halen-S/T

I was somewhat familar with the name but this release impacted EVERY young musician growing up in So. Calif.


9) Metallica-Kill 'em All

Saw them in El Lay before this came out and almost didn't buy it cause of some lacking aspects they had at that time. I was really surprised at how good they had become. Another lp that made me realize something new had arrived.

10) Savatage-The Dungeions Are Calling

First listen made me an instant fan


I will also add listening to Priest and Scorpions in the 70's gave me a music snob attitude later on when they got big. Rush was an impact, but more to the musicians I jammed with than myself. They were over saturated in the local aspiring musician scene of my hometown. Great songs and players, but my interests as a drummer were not focused on Peart.

Roger Miller - Golden Hits (shut up)
Petra - Not Of This World
Triumph - Thunder Seven
Stryper - The Yellow And Black Attack
Gary Moore - Victims Of The Future
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force
Vengeance Rising - Human Sacrifice
Circle Of Dust - s/t
Alison Krauss - I've Got That Old Feeling (shut up again)

Here goes......

Petra - Never Say Die (my intro to christian rock)
Stryper - The Yellow And Black Attack (intro to christian metal)
Chicago 17 ( can't help it, I love it!)
Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye ( made me want to play guitar)
Mortification - s/t (intro to more extreme metal)
Rush - 2112
Bride - Live To Die (Hell No is still one of my favorite songs)
Barren Cross - Atomic Arena
Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance
Living Sacrifice - Reborn

These records turned me onto the prog/power genre and probably impacted me the most.

Queensryche: EP and The Warning
Crimson Glory: s/t album (better than Transcendence IMO)
Fates Warning: Awaken the Guardian