In our first head-to-head battle in the Headbanger Region, we've got arguably the heaviest records on the planet at their time of release, but will one be voted the greatest metal album of all time? They face each other for a chance to move into Round 2 of Loudwire's March Metal Madness 2013.

Black Sabbath's second studio album, 'Paranoid,' deserves a spot on anyone's best metal albums of all time list. Every single track written by Sabbath for this disc is regarded as a classic, with 'War Pigs,' 'Iron Man,' 'Electric Funeral' and the album's title track still holding up as masterpieces in the present day.

Venom have a difficult challenge ahead of them in attempting to beat out Sabbath, but 'Black Metal' is not an album to be dismissed as unworthy. Sabbath's fellow Brits released 'Black Metal' in 1982, coining the term that spawned metal's most blasphemous and sonically violent genre. Featuring the brilliant title track, 'Raise the Dead,' 'Countess Bathory' and more, 'Black Metal' has cemented Venom as a legendary act.

Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid' or Venom's 'Black Metal'? Vote for your favorite album in the poll below!

(This poll will end on Monday, March 18 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans are able to vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite album wins!)

Headbanger Region
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