Best Heavy Metal Albums
1,066 albums
| Rank | Cover art | Artist / Album | Rating | Votes | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Painkiller (1990) | 97 | 254 | 17 |
| 2 |  | The Number of the Beast (1982) | 94.8 | 119 | 11 |
| 3 |  | Powerslave (1984) | 94.9 | 108 | 5 |
| 4 |  | Defenders of the Faith (1984) | 93.8 | 120 | 6 |
| 5 |  | Operation: Mindcrime (1988) | 94.2 | 94 | 7 |
| 6 |  | Paranoid (1970) | 94.1 | 96 | 7 |
| 7 |  | Heaven and Hell (1980) | 93.6 | 89 | 4 |
| 8 |  | Blizzard of Ozz (1980) | 92.7 | 94 | 5 |
| 9 |  | Rising Force (1984) | 93.2 | 81 | 5 |
| 10 |  | United Alive (2019) [Live] | 97.7 | 26 | 2 |
| 11 |  | Screaming for Vengeance (1982) | 91.9 | 93 | 5 |
| 12 |  | Priest... Live! (1987) [Live] | 93 | 62 | 5 |
| 13 |  | Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] | 93.3 | 52 | 2 |
| 14 |  | Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) | 92.7 | 57 | 5 |
| 15 |  | Ace of Spades (1980) | 93.7 | 45 | 3 |
| 16 |  | Holy Diver (1983) | 91.3 | 78 | 9 |
| 17 |  | Transcendence (1988) | 92.2 | 62 | 5 |
| 18 |  | 92.3 | 57 | 3 | |
| 19 |  | Black Sabbath (1970) | 91.6 | 62 | 5 |
| 20 |  | Master of Reality (1971) | 92.3 | 52 | 4 |
| 21 |  | II : Remember (1987) | 93 | 43 | 4 |
| 22 |  | Blue Blood (1989) | 90.1 | 80 | 6 |
| 23 |  | Firepower (2018) | 90.2 | 78 | 4 |
| 24 |  | Rising (1976) | 91.1 | 60 | 3 |
| 25 |  | Piece of Mind (1983) | 90.2 | 71 | 4 |
| 26 |  | Countdown to Extinction (1992) | 88.7 | 98 | 3 |
| 27 |  | Live After Death (1985) [Live] | 92.3 | 40 | 3 |
| 28 |  | Crimson Glory (1986) | 91.5 | 48 | 5 |
| 29 |  | Ram It Down (1988) | 89.9 | 69 | 5 |
| 30 |  | Slave to the Grind (1991) | 90 | 67 | 9 |
| 31 |  | Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) | 91.1 | 51 | 6 |
| 32 |  | Don't Break the Oath (1984) | 92.6 | 34 | 3 |
| 33 |  | Skid Row (1989) | 89 | 74 | 6 |
| 34 |  | Heading for Tomorrow (1990) | 89.4 | 65 | 5 |
| 35 |  | Somewhere in Time (1986) | 90.8 | 46 | 7 |
| 36 |  | Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) | 89.1 | 66 | 5 |
| 37 |  | Endgame (2009) | 87.6 | 90 | 9 |
| 38 |  | Gutter Ballet (1989) | 91 | 40 | 5 |
| 39 |  | To Hell with the Devil (1986) | 90.3 | 47 | 5 |
| 40 |  | British Steel (1980) | 86.4 | 111 | 5 |
▶ Best Heavy Metal Albums | ||