Extreme metal is one of the most consistent genres of music, because if you've tapped into unbridled rage and aggression, chances are you can keep it going for a whole album. These 25 albums from the last 40 years are legendary, and they've got no weak songs.
The first extreme metal album is debatable, but Venom's iconic duo of Welcome to Hell and Black Metal is a solid starting point, as is Slayer's unholy Hell Awaits or Reign in Blood. You'll find Black Metal representing the earliest days of extreme metal in this list, along with a Slayer album from the 1990s
The '90s are often dismissed when it comes to metal, but extreme metal was thriving throughout the decade known for grunge and pop-punk. The disciples of Chuck Schuldiner kept his gory legacy moving with albums like Suffocation's Pierced From Within and Cryptopsy's None So Vile, while Gorguts brought the genre into strange new places.
