What are the most popular metal albums? (Infinite edition)

Inspired by Sonny sharing with us the top 20 most popular metal releases on RYM, I thought, what if we shared the most popular albums in each clan and judge which ones deserve their right in the list? So that's what I'm doing, starting with my main clans. Any of you please feel free to do the same with the other clans. Here are the 20 most popular releases in the Infinite, according to RYM, with the number of ratings and average score:

#1 Tool - Lateralus (22547 / 3.94)

#2 Deafheaven - Sunbather (17794 / 3.68)

#3 Opeth - Blackwater Park (15351 / 3.94)

#4 Tool - 10,000 Days (15189 / 3.66)

#5 Mastodon - Leviathan (12204 / 3.86)

#6 Boris - Boris at Last -Feedbacker- (12079 / 3.96)

#7 Agalloch - The Mantle (11875 / 3.85)

#8 Mastodon - Crack the Skye (11373 / 3.88)

#9 Dream Theater - Images and Words (11246 / 3.65)

#10 Opeth - Still Life (10367 / 3.95)

#11 Death - The Sound of Perseverance (10588 / 3.90)

#12 Isis - Panopticon (10006 / 3.89)

#13 Opeth - Ghost Reveries (9914 / 3.91)

#14 Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre monde (9849 / 3.64)

#15 Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (9588 / 3.68)

#16 Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain (9285 / 3.91)

#17 Mastodon - Blood Mountain (8711 / 3.73)

#18 Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (8645 / 3.86)

#19 Tool - Fear Inoculum (8633 / 3.14)

#20 Opeth - Deliverance (7870 / 3.78)

Interesting list. I'm surprised to see Tool (alt-metal, specifically for Lateralus and 10,000 Days), Deafheaven (blackgaze), Boris (drone metal), Death (technical death metal), and Alcest (shoegaze/blackgaze) on the list, but I totally understand seeing prog-metal giants such as Opeth, Mastodon, Dream Theater, and Gojira up there along with post-metallers Agalloch and Isis. So what do you all think?

Again, as these are the most recognisable names I guess they would always dominate any popularity list. I am still surprised at Sunbather's huge popularity, proving that it probably made a lot of traction outside of metal circles.

Here's an extension to 25 more of the most popular Infinite albums according to RYM:

#21 Alcest - Écailles de lune (7488 / 3.64)

#22 Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (7445 / 3.91)

#23 Dream Theater - Awake (7399 / 3.63)

#24 Isis - Oceanic (7385 / 3.85)

#25 Opeth - Watershed (7382 / 3.70)

Unlike that other Alcest album, Écailles de lune seems to fit well in the post-metal and blackgaze label according to the genre votes, and I might check that one out, despite my recent departure from black metal.

Now let's check on the Metal Academy charts and see the differences. Here are all the Infinite releases with minimum 10 ratings, sorted by rating number:

#1 Opeth - Blackwater Park (15 / 4.5)

#2 Dream Theater - Images and Words (14 / 4.4)

#3 Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (14 / 4.4)

#4 Agalloch - The Mantle (14 / 4.0)

#5 Opeth - Still Life (13 / 4.4)

#6 Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (13 / 4.2)

#7 Cynic - Focus (12 / 4.3)

#8 Mastodon - Crack the Skye (12 / 4.3)

#9 Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain (12 / 4.1)

#10 Neurosis - Times of Grace (12 / 4.0)

#11 Isis - Panopticon (12 / 4.0)

#12 Mastodon - Leviathan (12 / 4.0)

#13 Voivod - Dimension Hatröss (12 / 4.0)

#14 Opeth - Orchid (12 / 3.9)

#15 Gojira - Magma (12 / 3.4)

#16 Deafheaven - Sunbather (12 / 3.2)

#17 Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (11 / 4.4)

#18 Opeth - Ghost Reveries (11 / 4.4)

#19 Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (11/4.2)

#20 Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (11 / 4.0)

#21 Edge of Sanity - Crimson (11 / 3.9)

#22 Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (11 / 3.3)

#23 Coroner - Mental Vortex (10 / 4.4)

#24 Opeth - Deliverance (10 / 4.4)

#25 Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (10 / 4.3)

#26 Vektor - Black Future (10 / 4.3)

#27 Neurosis - Souls at Zero (10 / 4.1)

#28 Gorguts - Obscura (10 / 4.1)

#29 Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (10 / 4.0)

#30 Opeth - Morningrise (10 / 3.9)

#31 Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (10 / 3.9)

#32 Alcest - Écailles de lune (10 / 3.8)

#33 Gojira - L'enfant sauvage (10 / 3.7)

It's interesting seeing some more albums in this list, now from progressive death metal bands Atheist, Cynic, and Edge of Sanity, and progressive thrash metal bands Voivod, Coroner, and Vektor, along with pioneering works of their respective genres such as progressive metal for the Queensryche and Fates Warning albums, and avant-garde metal for Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium. I am a little surprised about Gorguts and Deathspell Omega appearing on the list.

I've decided to exclude releases I've rated, not only to see what the ratings would be like without me, kinda like an "It's a Wonderful Life" experiment, but also in case any of you find some good recommendations. Here they are, still at minimum 10 ratings, sorted by rating number (includes earlier ratings I've deleted because I've moved away from the albums' bands):

#1 Agalloch - The Mantle (14 / 4.0)

#2 Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (13 / 4.2)

#3 Cynic - Focus (12 / 4.3)

#4 Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain (12 / 4.1)

#5 Gojira - Magma (12 / 3.4)

#6 Deafheaven - Sunbather (12 / 3.2)

#7 Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (11 / 4.4)

#8 Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (11 / 4.0)

#9 Edge of Sanity - Crimson (11 / 3.9)

#10 Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (11 / 3.3)

#11 Gorguts - Obscura (10 / 4.1)

#12 Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (10 / 4.0)

#13 Gojira - L'enfant sauvage (10 / 3.7)

Now let's decrease the minimum rating number to 8 and extend that list:

#14 Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (9 / 3.9)

#15 Enslaved - Below the Lights (9 / 3.7)

#16 Tool - Fear Inoculum (8 / 3.6)

#17 Agalloch - The Serpent & the Sphere (8 / 3.4)

I changed the list above after reviewing a couple of the excluded releases from the previous edition. I might try listening to and reviewing the Tool and Agalloch albums, the latter to see if I'm still up to post-black metal or not after that Oranssi Pazuzu album.

There are those "top 50 progressive metal releases in 2021" lists on other sites, so I decided to see what are indeed the most popular 50 of the Infinite in 2021 (including EPs) in RYM. I'm actually busy this weekend, but after that, I'll work on similar lists for my other 3 clans. So here they are, with the number of ratings and average score:

#1 Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I (3077 / 3.57)

#2 Gojira - Fortitude (2983 / 3.24)

#3 Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (2566 / 3.63)

#4 Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (2250 / 3.51)

#5 Mastodon - Hushed and Grim (2120 / 3.52)

#6 Papungu - Holoceno (1822 / 3.62)

#7 Thy Catafalque - Vadak (1368 / 3.56)

#8 Cult of Luna - The Raging River (1269 / 3.53)

#9 Kaatayra - Inpariquipê (1256 / 3.74)

#10 Atvm - Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless (1243 / 3.60)

#11 Amenra - De doorn (1121 / 3.49)

#12 Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (1020 / 3.25)

#13 Kaya Dot - Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike (1009 / 3.48)

#14 Portal - Avow (986 / 3.40)

#15 Dvne - Etemen Ænka (937 / 3.51)

#16 King Woman - Celestial Blues (905 / 3.49)

#17 Soen - Imperial (876 / 3.30)

#18 Diskord - Degenerations (865 / 3.53)

#19 VOLA - Witness (837 / 3.45)

#20 Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - The Helm of Sorrow (762 / 3.42)

#21 So Hideous - None but a Pure Heart Can Sing (758 / 3.61)

#22 Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon (755 / 3.27)

#23 Cynic - Ascension Codes (712 / 3.32)

#24 Lantlôs - Wildhund (678 / 3.28)

#25 Kauan - Ice Fleet (639 / 3.45)

#26 Black Sheep Wall - Songs for the Enamel Queen (638 / 3.38)

#27 Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit (638 / 3.53)

#28 Rivers of Nihil - The Work (624 / 3.33)

#29 Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (604 / 3.49)

#30 ERRA - ERRA (590 / 3.39)

#31 Big Brave - Vital (565 / 3.37)

#32 Fire-Toolz - Eternal Home (551 / 3.42)

#33 Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate (523 / 3.54)

#34 Furia - w Śnialni (510 / 3.14)

#35 Vildhjarta - Måsstaden Under Vatten (505 / 3.45)

#36 Krallice - Demonic Wealth (502 / 3.29)

#37 Whitechapel - Kin (485 / 3.43)

#38 Victory Over the Sun - Nowherer (436 / 3.22)

#39 Year of No Light - Consolamentum (430 / 3.41)

#40 Iotunn - Access All Worlds (427 / 3.45)

#41 Dordeduh - Har (415 / 3.51)

#42 Effluence - Psychocephalic Spawning (379 / 3.66)

#43 Jinjer - Wallflowers (364 / 3.29)

#44 Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix (350 / 3.40)

#45 Five the Hierophant - Through Aureate Void (343 / 3.38)

#46 Dola - Czasy (336 / 3.46)

#47 Bríi - Sem propósito (325 / 3.44)

#48 Fawn Limbs - Darwin Falls (310 / 3.34)

#49 Suffocate for Fuck Sake - Fyra (292 / 3.33)

#50 Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (281 / 3.29)