Guitar World's 10 Essential Classic Metal Albums

This list of Guitar World's 10 essential classic metal albums is part of a much larger feature—Guitar World's 100 Essential Guitar Albums—which you'll be seeing in the weeks ahead.

For the time being, we'll start you off with these 10 masterpieces from guys named Tipton, Hammett, Young and Slash.

And, to help you get into the spirit of the music on this list, we thought you could use some inspiration:

INSPIRATIONAL VERSE: "I'm on the highway to hell!" — "Highway to Hell," AC/DC

INSPIRATIONAL LICK: "Iron Man," Black Sabbath

THE LOOK: Leather trousers, demin jacket and long, unwashed hair. Shirt optional.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

• Guitar: Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Flying V
• Amps: Marshall JCM800 (with 4x12 full stack, dude!)
• Effects: Rangemaster Treble Booster, DOD 250 Overdrive/Preamp, Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, MXR Flanger, MXR Phase 90

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