Scream Bloody Gore by Death is a fantastic record. Also, the demo's they did before that. Way underproduced proto death metal.

Burzum's Filosofem is I think my favorite metal album. It's almost psychedelic and it reminds of Big Black and oh, Flying Saucer Attack at times.

Call Of The Mastodon collects early stuff by the band and is worth a listen if you can get it for cheap. Apparently 'Today Is The Day' are amazing as well, keep meaning to get some of their stuff.
Also check out, if you haven't already, the various Pen Rollings bands (Breadwinner/Butterglove/Loincloth) of which there is a selection in the EAforums gmail account.

I've also really been enjoying albums by Betzefer (a kind of Israeli Pantera), the second Trivium album is OK, and if you want to go down the preposterous route, the new Dragonforce album is quite impressive while at the same time being a total turd, Falconer's 'Chapters from a Vale Forlorn' is about as good as Swedish Battle Metal gets, and I recently saw Helloween live - they were excellent and their new album Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy is actually pretty good.

\m/

ACCEPT: Restless and Wild, Balls to the Wall, Metal Heart (as heavy as pure melodic metal got)
ACID KING: Busse Woods (best stoner rock album ever)
ARMAGEDDON: s/t LP (post-Yardbirds hard rock/prog, almost like the third Physical Graffitti LP)
BLACK SABBATH: first six LPs, Heaven and Hell, Born Again
CELTIC FROST: first three LPs (three different sounds, all cool in their own ways)
DEATH: Scream Bloody Gore (good death metal)
EARTH: Earth 2 (metal as minimalist composition)
HELLHAMMER: Apocalyptic Raids (the outrageous birth of black metal)
IRON MAIDEN: first five albums and corresponding European 12" singles with non-LP b-sides
JUDAS PRIEST: I'd get their first nine LPs, but start with Stained Class or Unleashed in the East
KING DIAMOND: Fatal Portrait (almost as good as Mercyful Fate)
MEGADETH: first two LPs, forget their later garbage
MERCYFUL FATE: all of their original line-up stuff, KILLER teen Halloween mushroom horror spook music
METAL CHURCH: s/t LP (solid thrash)
METALLICA: first four LPs, especially Lightning and Puppets
MOTORHEAD: anything w/ Fast Eddie
OZZY OSBOURNE: the ones w/ Rhoads
SAINT VITUS: Hallow's Victim (Spot makes them sound like they're speed-sailing a river of mud, in a good way)
SLAYER: Hell Awaits, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven
VOIVOD: Killing Technology, Dimension Hatross

I recommend Palehorse very highly.

High On Fire.

A thousand times, High On Fire.

kerble wrote:Also,

I don't listen to zmetal.

The Sword !!! - http://www.myspace.com/thesword

Botch - We are the Romans

both of the C Average albums are fucking great.
http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/factsheets/caverage/

death angel's "the ultra-violence" is indeed the shit.

i'll second the first metal church record.

you cannot go wrong with mastodon or slayer. i was listening to "god hates us all" just last night. great fucking record.

megadeath's "peace sells" is a metal-classic.

someone recommended exodus' "fabulous disaster". i'd probably recommend "bonded by blood" over that.

my first concert ever was Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween at the Paramount in '88. I saw a dude in a wheelchair taking bong hits from a 3 foot glass bong in the middle of the aisle of the Paramount. i was finally "home". ahh the memories.

High on Fire has been 1,0002nded
also
the Crown - Crowned in Terror
At the Gates later stuff
Municipal Waste