For me:

1.The Bleeding
2.The Wretched Spawn
3.Bloodthirsty
4.Tomb of The Mutilated
5.Gallery of suicide
(still contemplating the ranking of the rest ..)

My top Cannibal albums always seems to change but I do know for certain that Butchered at Birth is my absolute favorite.

1. Tomb of the Mutilated
2. The Bleeding
3. Eaten Back to Life
4. Bloodthirst
5. Gallery of Suicide

In my opinion, a lot of the albums after Bloodthirst feel very similar to one another and kind of cookie cutter, so I'm not sure how to rank them.

I tend to think that each of the Barnes era albums tend to be the most memorable in terms of they have alot of hooks and also each album sounds unique. I agree in that Corpsegrinder era all seems pretty interchangeable after Bloodthirst. That however is not meant as a knock. Cannibal Corpse is one of the most consistent bands in music, I've always felt pretty adamant that in general if you like one Cannibal Corpse song more than likely your going to atleast somewhat enjoy them all. With all that said though I feel like Tomb of The Mutilated is Cannibal Corpse best output. Not just because it really put them on the map or that its a classic or something like that but the entire album is memorable, the riffs, the vocal hooks, the lyrics, the sound. In general over their careers I think Corpsegrinder was the right decision and he to this day is the far superior vocalist to Barnes but lets be honest, Barnes really turned in impressive performances on Butchered and Tomb. I actually think Meathook Sodomy is my favorite Cannibal song but Tomb is superior to Butchered in terms of memorable songwriting, production and the drumming is far better.

I know its cliche but isn't Hammer Smashed Face still kind of the poster child for death metal? Or is that not a thing anymore?

i cant decide between bleeding and tomb of the mutilated for the top spot. however, i havve decided to give butchered some more serious listens

EDIT--I am just half way into butchered and it gives me the impression of being the creation of a death metal monk(s). Simple and linear in trajectory and intention. Not overly complex or too hook laden. Definitely a great album.