Top 10 albums that most impacted you

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?

QuothTheRaven wrote:

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?

Stravinsky is heavy as hell. Charlie Parker used to mix Stravinsky quotes into his bebop solos.

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

Temple of Blood wrote:

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.

Def Leppard ~ Pyromania
Guns N Roses - Apettite for Destruction
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Judas Priest - Painkiller
AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (we salute you)
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Helloween - The Dark Ride
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Nightwish - Wishmaster