Best Heavy Metal Albums
1,035 albums
| Rank | Cover art | Artist | Album | Rating | Votes | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Painkiller (1990) | 97.1 | 241 | 16 | |
| 2 |  | The Number of the Beast (1982) | 94.5 | 109 | 9 | |
| 3 |  | Powerslave (1984) | 94.9 | 99 | 5 | |
| 4 |  | Defenders of the Faith (1984) | 93.7 | 118 | 6 | |
| 5 |  | Paranoid (1970) | 94.3 | 94 | 7 | |
| 6 |  | Operation: Mindcrime (1988) | 94.1 | 89 | 6 | |
| 7 |  | Heaven and Hell (1980) | 93.7 | 85 | 4 | |
| 8 |  | Blizzard of Ozz (1980) | 92.8 | 87 | 5 | |
| 9 |  | Rising Force (1984) | 92.9 | 78 | 5 | |
| 10 |  | Screaming for Vengeance (1982) | 91.8 | 92 | 4 | |
| 11 |  | United Alive (2019) [Live] | 97.6 | 23 | 1 | |
| 12 |  | Priest... Live! (1987) [Live] | 93 | 59 | 5 | |
| 13 |  | Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] | 93.2 | 51 | 2 | |
| 14 |  | Ace of Spades (1980) | 94 | 42 | 3 | |
| 15 |  | Transcendence (1988) | 91.9 | 60 | 5 | |
| 16 |  | Holy Diver (1983) | 90.9 | 71 | 9 | |
| 17 |  | Black Sabbath (1970) | 91.6 | 60 | 4 | |
| 18 |  | II : Remember (1987) | 93 | 43 | 4 | |
| 19 |  | Firepower (2018) | 90.4 | 75 | 1 | |
| 20 |  | Blue Blood (1989) | 90.1 | 80 | 6 | |
| 21 |  | 91.7 | 54 | 3 | ||
| 22 |  | Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) | 92.1 | 49 | 5 | |
| 23 |  | Master of Reality (1971) | 92 | 49 | 4 | |
| 24 |  | Countdown to Extinction (1992) | 88.8 | 89 | 3 | |
| 25 |  | Don't Break the Oath (1984) | 93 | 32 | 3 | |
| 26 |  | Crimson Glory (1986) | 91.4 | 45 | 5 | |
| 27 |  | Slave to the Grind (1991) | 89.8 | 64 | 8 | |
| 28 |  | Ram It Down (1988) | 89.7 | 65 | 5 | |
| 29 |  | Piece of Mind (1983) | 89.7 | 63 | 4 | |
| 30 |  | Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) | 90.7 | 48 | 6 | |
| 31 |  | Rising (1976) | 90.2 | 53 | 2 | |
| 32 |  | Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) | 89.3 | 65 | 4 | |
| 33 |  | Skid Row (1989) | 88.9 | 71 | 5 | |
| 34 |  | Heading for Tomorrow (1990) | 89.5 | 59 | 5 | |
| 35 |  | Screaming Symphony (1996) | 90 | 51 | 7 | |
| 36 |  | British Steel (1980) | 86.7 | 106 | 5 | |
| 37 |  | The Crimson Idol (1992) | 91.7 | 33 | 3 | |
| 38 |  | Gutter Ballet (1989) | 91 | 38 | 5 | |
| 39 |  | Marching Out (1985) | 91.1 | 36 | 2 | |
| 40 |  | Endgame (2009) | 87.3 | 86 | 8 |
▶ Best Heavy Metal Albums | ||