Okay, here we go. It’s the big one. We’ve already revealed that Mastodon’s Emperor Of Sand is Metal Hammer’s album of the year (because who can keep a secret like that?!), but what about the other 99 albums on our mammoth roundup of the past twelve months?

Voted on by Metal Hammer staffers and a load of freelancers, this is the most comprehensive and well-orchestrated Albums Of The Year list you’re going to find anywhere (it took ages). Of course, if you pick up the latest issue of Metal Hammer you’ll be able to read exactly why certain albums were voted for, along with stories behind the key releases and an interview with Mastodon about reaching the coveted number one spot.

The 100 albums listed below span the vast smorgasbord that is metal. We’ve got hardcore (Code Orange), doom (Pallbearer), thrash (Kreator), post-metal (Amenra), prog-metal (Anathema), metalcore (While She Sleeps), noise (Full Of Hell) and so so much more.

And it’s not just the established bands propping up the Top 100 Albums Of 2017, there are plenty of debut albums in there from bands ready and waiting to conquer the world – from Creeper to Zeal & Ardor.

So, without further ado, here is the definitive list of the one hundred best albums of the year.

Have we ballsed up? Did we miss out your favourite album? Or did we do just fine? Let us know!

Metal Hammer’s Top 100 Albums Of 2017

100) Hey Colossus – The Guillotine

99) Rebirth Of Nefast – Tabernaculum

98) Bokassa – Divide & Conquer

97) Forgotten Tomb – We Owe You Nothing

96) Implore – Subjugate

95) Betraying The Martyrs – The Resilient

94) The Night Flight Orchestra – Amber Galactic

93) Hallatar – No More Stars Upon The Bridge

92) R.I.P – In The Wind

91) Botanist – Collective: The Shape Of He To Come

90) Blaze Bayley – Endure And Survive

89) Arugs – From Fields Of Fire

88) Necromandus – Necromandus

87) Pagan Altar – The Room Of Shadows

86) Primus – The Desaturating Seven

85) Septicflesh – Codex Omega

84) Ufomammut – 8

83) Comeback Kid – Outsider

82) Förgjord – Uhripuu

81) Circle – Terminal

80) Helheim – Landawarijar

79) H.E.A.T – Into The Great Unknown

78) Integrity – Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume

77) Ho99o9 – United States Of Horror

76) Caligula’s Horse – In Contact

75) August Burns Red – Phantom Anthem

74) Battle Beast – Bringer Of Pain

73) Papa Roach – Crooked Teeth

72) Fleurety – The White Death

71) Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black

70) The Haunted – Strength In Numbers

69) Nicole Sabouné – Miman

68) Ghost Bath – Starmourner

67) Sons Of Apollo – Psychotic Symphony

66) Dragonforce – Reaching Into Infinity

65) Oxbow – Thin Black Duke

64) Tchornobog – Tchornobog

63) Immolation – Atonement

62) Vuur – In This Moment We Are Free – Cities

61) Blood Command – Cult Drugs

60) Iced Earth – Incorruptible

59) Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper

58) Deep Purple – Infinite

57) Darkest Hour – Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora

56) Thy Art Is Murder – Dear Desolation

55) Akercocke – Renaissance In Extremis

54) The Bronx – V

53) Disperse – Foreword

52) The Great Discord – The Rabbit Hole

51) Mutoid Man – War Moans

50) Accept – The Rise Of Chaos

49) Whoredom Rife – Dommedagskvad

48) Alice Cooper – Paranormal

47) Here Lies Man – Here Lies Man

46) Cradle Of Filth – Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay

45) Horisont -– About Time

44) Wear Your Wounds – WYW

43) Threshold – Legends Of The Shire

42) Elder – Reflections Of A Floating World

41) AFI – AFI (The Blood Album)

40) Arch Enemy – Will To Power

39) Stray From The Path – Only Death Is Real

38) The Lurking Fear – Out Of The Voiceless Grave

37) Northlane – Mesmer

36) At The Drive-In – In.ter.a.li.a

35) Body Count – Bloodlust

34) Power Trip – Nightmare Logic

33) Full Of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy

32) Spectral Voice – Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing

31) Perturbator – New Model

30) The Contortionist – Clairvoyant

29) The Ruins Of Beverast – Exuvia

28) Sikth – The Future In Whose Eyes?

27) Prophets Of Rage – Prophets Of Rage

26) Trivium – The Sin And The Sentence

25) Royal Thunder – Wick

24) Amenra – Mass VI

23) Employed To Serve – The Warmth Of A Dying

22) Satyricon – Deep Calleth Upon Deep

21) Sólstafir – Berdreyminn

20) The Obsessed – Sacred

19) Ulver – The Assassination Of Julius Caesar

18) Kreator – Gods Of Violence

17) Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms

16) Leprous – Malina

15) Anathema – The Optimist

14) Marilyn Manson – Heaven Upside Down

13) Pallbearer – Heartless

12) The Black Dahlia Murder – Nightbringers

11) Wolves In The Throne Room – Thrice Woven

10) Converge – The Dusk In Us

9) Paradise Lost – Medusa

8) While She Sleeps – You Are We

7) Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun

6) Grave Pleasures – Motherblood

5) Zeal & Ardor – Devil Is Fine

4) Enslaved – E

3) Code Orange – Forever

2) Myrkur – Mareridt

1) Mastodon – Emperor Of Sand

You can read our full 2017 review in the latest issue of Metal Hammer – in stores now. Buy it directly here or become a TeamRock+ member to read it right now.

Machine Head star in our end of year spectacular