Help this noob discover real metal?

WOW!! A lot of replies since I last checked.

Also, thanks to the guy (sorry, didn't look at the name) who wrote that longer, more informative reply, I will indeed check out the older bands and work my way up. That seems the best way for me.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. I will indeed check out ALL the recommended bands.

You guys rock.
 
Here's a pretty good list for metal n00bs (a.k.a. people who are just getting into metal).

Metallica - Kill 'Em All (This got me into real metal, and it's still one of my favorites) and Ride The Lightning
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (Don't even bother getting anything from them after this album. Get their glam albums instead.)
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast and Powerslave
Judas Priest - British Steel and Painkiller
Slayer - Reign In Blood and Show No Mercy
Death - Spritual Healing
Overkill - The Years Of Decay
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
 
Kreator
some newer Kataklysm
Strapping Young Lad
Pantera (@IWP: Vulgar Display of Power was awesome)
Corrosion of Conformity
Opeth (they miss death vocals with clean so it'll ease you into it)
Dismember (maybe)
Into Eternity
Evergrey
 
good advice, but that seems too extreme for him.

your sig is awesome...even as a jew i enjoy Anal Cunt's twisted and psychotic songs titles...I Ate Your Horse, Hitler was a Passionate Man, I Kicked you in the Stomach Because you Were Pregnant all these and more if you order now from these amazing musicians with hearts of gold...they will bring you to tears (of sheer horror) and soothe you (then slice you) so call now
 
your sig is awesome...even as a jew i enjoy Anal Cunt's twisted and psychotic songs titles...I Ate Your Horse, Hitler was a Passionate Man, I Kicked you in the Stomach Because you Were Pregnant all these and more if you order now from these amazing musicians with hearts of gold...they will bring you to tears (of sheer horror) and soothe you (then slice you) so call now

I have a friend named Tim who walked up to Seth Putnam and said "I'm your biggest jewish fan", Seth got a look on his face that said "finally, someone who gets it"
 
Here's a handful of albums you should check out:

Strapping Young Lad - Alien
Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
Vio-Lence - Oppressing The Masses
Iron Maiden - Killers
Mnemic - Mechanical Spin Phenomena
Darkane - Layers Of Lies
S.O.D. - Speak English or Die
Seriously, this is exactly the sort of list my long post was advising against. With the obvious exception of Killers (and in some opinions Opressing the Masses), these are exactly the sort of albums you will want to sell cheap on ebay in a year or too, if you have any taste.

Knifehappy - good to hear you're going to work back from the early stuff, you won't regret it. And yes, of course this includes heavy metal to whoever pointed out its lack of mention.