Top 10 Heaviest Heavy Metal Albums

In compiling a list of the 10 heaviest heavy metal albums, I have decided to reject those that are simply loud or controversial in their subject matter. I will use musical and lyrical aggression to detail what exemplifies true heaviness in the realm of Heavy Metal. Since the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple introduced us to amplified distortion and roaring vocals, many bands have supplemented all the traditional elements with developed elements of Heaviness. Now I was never a Metal Head when I was a teenager. I properly introduced myself to Heavy Metal when I was about 20. So I was never a part of the scene, I never had long hair or wore spikes on my wrists. And unlike one of my friends, I never had 666 tattooed on the inside of my lip. I see Heavy Metal music as a distinct and impressive sub section of music that many people overlook because of its in your face aggression and at times deafening volume. So here is my 10 favourite Heavy Metal Albums and what I consider to be the heaviest of the heavy.

10. War Master €“ Bolt Thrower (1991)

A bit of a change up from their previous album Realm Of Chaos, War Master see€™s the band develop a more authoritative stamp on the Death Metal attitude. Moving on from the elements of Grindcore that dominated their previous album, War Master is packed full of throaty growls, whilst the guitars interplay with the machine gun drumming to create chaotic themes of war. Add in some Melodic sequences with all the brutality and it is plain to see why this album has stood the test of time.

09. Arise €“ Sepultura (1991)

With a little more production money, Sepultura and their chief producer/engineer Scott Burns managed to further mature their thrash metal sound, incorporating elements such as groove and industrial metal with small facets of Latin percussion (something they would later explore more fully on their Roots album). With lightning speed, the guitars bring a real crunchy vibe to the unyielding drum work. Max Cavelera€™s vocals are harsh and furious sounding, yet still comprehensible. Dead Embryonic Cells stands out as a natural head banger, with all the essential facets of thrash metal on display, just turned up to 11!

08. From Enslavement To Obliteration €“ Napalm Death (1995)

Controversially outing another, perhaps better known, band from Birmingham, Napalm Death created this album during a tumultuous period of personnel shifts and genre creation. Two stand out tracks are the title track that mixes the more traditional aspects of heavily distorted guitars with the much more modern (during the time of recording) guttural vocal approach. Unchallenged Hate assaults the drums like a clapper monkey on speed, whilst the vocalist Lee Dorrian mixes it up with more growls and high pitched yelps. With almost all songs coming in under two minutes, the 27 tracks fly by!

07. No Sleep Till Hammersmith €“ Motorhead (1981)

The only live album on the list. Whilst the music might not be as extreme as some of the others, this is the ultimate showing of the bands Heavy Metal capabilities. The culmination of their raw energy on stage and exceptional sound recording gives rise to the ultimate in not just live metal, but quite possibly one of the most energized and emphatic albums since recording began. The tracks are presented in such an astonishingly perfect order that you genuinely get the sensation of being front and centre back in early eighties Leeds and Newcastle, interestingly the London Hammersmith was never graced by Motorheads presence on the tour.

06. Reign In Blood €“ Slayer (1986)

This album changed the game! Coming in at just under 30 minutes in length, it blows the listener away with lightning speed and utter brutality. The range of subjects centres on themes of death, psychosis and mass murder, quite the controversy back in the late eighties and a bit more complex than their previous Satanic investigations. The production is not only clean, affording the ability to appreciate the true complexities that Heavy Metal can produce, but it is exceptionally well thought out in terms of album arrangement, peaking at all the right moments ... which pretty much means the whole way through! Perfect music to work out to, if you can keep up!

05. Remission €“ Mastodon (2002)

Representing the element of Fire in Mastodons album table of elements, this album pummels you in the face with the roar of a T-Rex as an opener. The introductory riff and drum attack of March Of The Fire Ants definitely gives off a definite feeling of metal swagger. Extremely complex layers of musicianship are exhibition here, blending some melodic moments with ones of epic heaviness. It is clear that these guys know what music is, and exploit that ability to create some truly innovative sounds. In my view, they reached their musical peak two albums later with Blood Mountain, but this still serves as the most veritable testament of their heavy capabilities.

04. Deicide €“ Deicide (1990)

Considered by many music historians as one of the best Death Metal albums ever. Deicide manipulated vocalist Glen Bentons voice so much that it at times gives way to sounding utterly animalistic, combine this with some seriously rapid fire drumming and guitar interplay and you have the ground work that many bands attempted to copy in the Death Metal scene throughout the nineties and well into the present day. The groundwork this album laid down for such an extreme genre of music definitely entitles it to a place on this list.

03. Scum €“ Napalm Death (1987)

Napalm Deaths first recording. And possibly the most unique album that they ever created, perhaps due to the fact that Mick Harris, the drummer at the time, was the only band member to appear on both sides of the album. Originating a trend that would dominate the bands span, not just in personnel shifts, but in absolute heaviness and aggression. The accepted grindcore rudiments are all displayed here for the first time. It is interesting though, on the introduction to Human Garbage, more traditional drum beats and guitar riffs, akin to bands such as Motorhead.

02. Christ Illusion €“ Slayer (2006)

I could never pick Reign In Blood as number one, as it always appears there in lists containing the mighty Slayer. Plus with the advent of modern recording techniques, Slayers more recent albums bring a certain degree of heaviness not quite obtainable back in the good old days. The lyrical content is best exampled in the track Catalyst, which bursts with testosterone when Tom Araya snarls €œ...with my attrition I bring it with all that I fucking am!€ which, when accompanied by some bombastic drumming, proves impossible not to nod your head with aggression. One of the strongest aspects of this album has to be the drumming. At times perfectly rhythmical, at other times entirely chaotic. With Dave Lombardo€™s return, there seems to be a surge of energy released on this album, with such effectiveness not seen for 10 years. This was recognized with their receiving a Grammy for Best Metal Performance for the songs Eyes of the Insane and Final Six.

01. Paracletus €“ Deathspell Omega (2010)

Well....where to begin. Part atmospheric and industrial sounding, part Black Metal, part concept album (the last of a stunning trilogy delving into the metaphysics of God, Man and Satan). Strangely, this album walks a very fine line between being completely horrible and outright exquisite. The album arrangement and song structures can easily be cast off as a bit of a sound wall for the uninitiated, but on closer listening it becomes clear just how multifaceted the music really is. Most of the songs flow together, so unlike some of the other albums I have listed here which are undoubtedly a collection of songs (even if they fit together perfectly) this record flows together so brilliantly that it has the feel of the often overlooked concept of an unremitting, uninterrupted super song!