every day my musical tastes expand a bit. some bands i hated yesterday are starting to click for me today, and stuff like that.

a few bands that im really starting to like are cryptopsy, my dying bride, dimmu borgir, and immortal, and if you could just represent the albums by those bands that you like best, i'd be grateful.

and i'd like to know WHY the album is their best, too.

like gods of the sun. just a great album.

that's what i've been figurin. but lets get more opinions. in the meantime add arch enemy to the aforementioned bands.

Cryptopsy:
Blasphemy Made Flesh - crazy, sometimes silly debut full length. Gutteral vocals.
None So Vile - the standard of death metal to which all things compare. Still gutteral vocals.
Whisper Supremacy - more precise musicianship. One word: intense. New vocalist, more of a hardcore style.
And Then You'll Beg - pretty crazy, almost not death metal anymore. Still second vocalist. "Shroud" is their Hasidic anthem.
None So Live - live album . New vocalist, didn't do as well as he's capable of at this show. But almost if not all the songs are played faster.

Dimmu Borgir:
Spitirual Black Dimensions (modern style black metal) - dark, fast, fairly technical. My favorite of theirs.
Stormblåst (old style black metal) - atmospheric, slow to mid-paced without being boring.
DCA (brand new one) - watery poo.

Those are the two I know most about of your list. Someone else can surely give you a good run down on Immortal and MDB.

arch enemy - stigmata - has some of the best melodies and the best lead work they have ever done. and fuck that new album if i wanted to see a chick in baggy pants i'd go fucking see kittie.

first off. the music after none so vile is better than nsv/blasphmomy... but the new singer is terrible. he's like tough guy hardcore over death metal, doesnt really make sense, but they're really good albums anyway, but pick up none so vile for your first choice.
and i really like the new singer on the live album.

My Favorite My Dying Bride album is easily Meisterwork 2. They cover portishead. its awesome.

And get Sons of Northen Darkness by Immortal. Fucking awesome christraping black metal.
and get marduk too. panzer devsion.