The reason why Slayer wasn't part of this contest was because they would've won by default. I mean come on, their worst pre-Undisputed Attitude album still kicks the shit out of most of these bands, and they'd all admit to it.
Listening to Bathory right now. How anyone can dislike Twilight of the Gods is beyond me. Blood and Iron rules. Hammerheart (the song) is a great closer, having been totally written off of Holtz's "The Planets". And any fan of Moonsorrow is REQUIRED to like To Enter Your Mountain since all of those riffs have been "borrowed" by them.