Baroness’ Gina Gleason Reveals Her Top 5 Metal Albums of All Time

Baroness guitarist Gina Gleason knows her heavy metal history.

Gleason helped us construct our list of the 75 Best Metal Albums of All Time by participating in a survey alongside more than 40 fellow musicians. Not only did she provide us with a list of her own personal top five metal albums, but she wrote some incredibly detailed and thoughtful descriptions to accompany her picks. She was also one of the only survey participants to have all five of her picks make it into the final Top 75 — a testament to her excellent taste.

Get Baroness Tickets Here

Gleason’s influences shine through in her expressive guitar playing, which can be heard on all of Baroness’ albums since 2017. Her lead work is particularly fantastic, steeped in the classic heavy metal tradition, and Baroness fans have recently been treated to full album performances of the band’s Red Album and Blue Record as part of a tour celebrating those seminal releases. These songs really let Gleason dance around the fretboard, and thankfully the trek has another leg on the books, with dates kicking off in September (get tickets here).

In the meantime, check out Gina’s top five metal albums below, and stay tuned for a couple more upcoming personal top-five lists as we comb through our survey results in the aftermath of Metal Week here at Consequence.

5. Death – Symbolic (1995)

A list of greatest metal albums would not be complete without mention of Chuck Schuldiner’s incredible body of work and influence. Symbolic takes the spot for me for the band’s ability to continuously grow and push the boundaries of more traditional death metal. It is possibly the most melodic of the band’s discography while maintaining a high level of technicality and harshness. I am always blown away by records that contain some of the highest levels of musicianship imaginable, meaningful and thought provoking lyrics while still presenting some level of accessibility to pull in new listeners. Symbolic does all of that with precision while creating an aura for the listener to enter. It’s a front to back record, no skips.

Stream Symbolic on Apple Music | Buy on CD/Vinyl

4. King Diamond – Abigail (1987)

King Diamond possesses the unique ability to weave intricate stories, world build, and develop recurring characters through ripping guitar centric heavy metal, and Abigail is my favorite example of it. Lyrical plot and aesthetics aside, the bands lineup is pure heavy metal royalty with the likes of Motörhead’s own Mikkey Dee, Andy LaRoque, and Mercyful Fate’s Michael Denner and Timi Hansen. It has some of the most quintessential metal guitar playing in the genre’s history. Andy LaRocque is equal parts melodic and technical in his prowess, building whirlwind solos and enhancing the melodies and explosive energy of each song. I love the movie that plays in my head while listening to albums like Them or Abigail. Long live the King.

Stream Abigail on Apple Music | Buy on CD/Vinyl

3. At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul (1995)

A Swedish death metal classic solidifying the Gothenburg sound in a way that’s melodic, full of musical hooks and beautiful interlude pieces that perfect the record’s cohesion. I love this album in relation to the bands previous releases which feel much harsher by comparison or their Gardens of Grief EP, which presents elements of blackened doom, death metal, and even crust. Their catalogue is so expansive, it’s beautiful to hear everything that led up to this more pointed masterpiece, Slaughter of the Soul. Tomas Lindberg is one of the greatest metal frontmen of our time, and worth noting is Andy LaRocque’s guest appearance on “Cold,” which is in my opinion one of the greatest metal guitar solos of all-time.

Stream Slaughter of the Soul on Apple Music | Buy on CD/Vinyl

2. Metallica – Ride the Lightning (1984)

The sheer force of youthful punk and thrash energy is still intact from the album’s predecessor Kill ‘Em All, but with much more ambitious compositions. The band’s ability to incorporate elements of classical music with blistering riffs, thoughtfully crafted solos and harmonic guitar playing make Ride the Lightning the most fierce of the Metallica catalog. I love James’ voice on this album and hearing a younger Hetfield explore deeper, more empathetic and philosophical lyrics that would continue to be a mainstay and develop through his future songwriting. The world built around the songs and lyrics through Flemming Rasmussen’s production is one I never want to leave and is the final touch to this record’s massive impact and staying power.

Stream Ride the Lightning on Apple Music | Buy on CD/Vinyl

1. Sepultura – Chaos A.D. (1993)

The lyrical themes of anti racism, discrimination, neocolonialism, virulent policies and tyrannical politicians make Chaos A.D. more relevant and urgent than ever. Its scope on these issues combined with their musical innovation and ability to pave the way for new presentations of heavy music to emerge solidify it as one of the most important records of our time.

Stream Chaos A.D. on Apple Music | Buy on CD/Vinyl