Top Ten Metal Bands for Beginner Fans

The Top Ten
1 Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy Metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian Smith, and drummer Nicko McBrain. Smith left the band in 1989 and was replaced by Janick Gers. But returned in 1999, and now the band has three guitar players. ...read more.

For people who are new to metal I would recommend to start with good Traditional metal/Heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest, Iced Earth, Primal Fear) and Power metal (Gamma Ray, Edguy, Helloween). Blind Guardian are the best power metal band but their stuff is too complex for beginners - they can be a next step.
Extreme metal, such as thrash, is not for beginners - these bands would be too heavy (Venom, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth). Anthrax aren't that heavy but still. And of course, no death metal for beginners, not yet. Prog metal is not very heavy but it's too complex for new fans.

I'd say.. No need to take suggestions for metal from those who can't appreciate Black metal, because it means they are either like a frog in a well or aren't experienced much..or can't listen to anything other than their favourite sub genre.

Why does a genre of music need "Beginner fans"

2 Metallica Metallica is an American Heavy/Thrash Metal band formed in 1981. The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman".

With their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning reaching underground success, their third effort, Master of Puppets has since become one of the most important heavy metal albums ever, as it became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. The title track has since become the band's most played song live. ...read more.

Anyone interested in Thrash Metal should just turn to Metallica. Soon, you'll be craving for more, ultimately leading to Megadeth, Slayer and other bands, mainstream or underground.

Great mix of lighter and heavier metal. Start with "Metallica" or "And Justice For All" and from there go on to "Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning". Also, look into STANGER2015, it's a great remix of the controversial "St. Anger"

Some of the songs of them still hurts my ears so it should not be a beginner metal band

These guys and to an extent Iron Maiden got me into metal.

3 Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were a Heavy Metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 by guitarist and songwriter Tony Iommi, singer John "Ozzy" Osbourne, bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

The band became mainstream after improving after their debut album got panned. In 1978, Osbourne was fired and replaced with former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Who went to release 2 albums before leaving in 1983, only for Osbourne to return in 1992. ...read more.

Black sabbath, Metallica, and led zeppelin were my first bands I started off with, black sabbath is still a favorite to this day, strongly suggested.

Very good band, Paranoid was one of the first metal songs I listened to.

Not so high because Doom metal it's a pretty advanced genre

4 Judas Priest Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band that formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. They are often referred to as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, and are even commonly called “The Metal Gods”, after one of the songs on their 1980 album “British Steel”.

They are known for several of their hit songs, which include “Painkiller”, “Breaking The Law”, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, and “Turbo Lover”.
Their original lineup consisted of Al Atkins (vocals), K.K. Downing (lead/rhythm guitar), Ian Hill (bass), and John Ellis (drums). Atkins never recorded on any Judas Priest releases, but contributed to several songs. ...read more.

But don't start with Painkiller.

5 Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Megadeth was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine was fired from Metallica. They have released 15 studio albums to date, and have gone through many lineup changes, with Dave Mustaine being the sole constant member.

They released their debut album “Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!” in 1985, but became successful after the release of “Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?” in 1986. ...read more.
6 Dio Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice.

This is great for beginners, should be in the top 5.

7 Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band, that was formed 1999 in California. Their longest lineup of members was M. Shadows (Vocals), Synyster Gates (Lead Guitar), Zacky Vengeance (Rhythm Guitar), Johnny Christ (Bass Guitar), and The Rev (Drums).

Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan (Drums), their most notable drummer, passed away in 2009, being temporarily replaced by Mike Portnoy, who was replaced by Arin Ilejay, who was finally replaced with Brooks Wackerman. A common phrase for fans "foREVer" was created after the Rev's death in his remembrance. ...read more.

A7X would be my best bet in introducing someone to Metal. It's got most of what the genre needs to offer, alongside an adequate vocalist and talented instrumentalists. Not to mention each album sounds different, so you could immerse yourself into A7X's music in various ways.

Fairly soft and chill for metal mostly

8 Anthrax Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker.
9 Motörhead Motörhead were an English heavy metal band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was the sole constant member; guitarist and songwriter Larry Wallis; and drummer Lucas Fox. The band's harsh vocals and fast paced tempos helped inspire speed metal and thrash metal.
10 Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. They rose to fame with their 1986 album Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the big four of thrash metal bands, the others being Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. ...read more.

This would be too heavy for beginners.

Definitely NOT for beginners!

The Contenders
11 Pantera Pantera was an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. The band started out as a glam metal act in the 1980s with little success. After discarding their original lead vocalist and enlisting Phil Anselmo, the band signed a major record deal with Warner Music Group via Atco Records. Around this time, Pantera underwent a major change in their musical... read more

It's too heavy for beginners

12 Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. It was formed in 1984 under the name Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer, and original drummer Greg Seymour. The band's music has also been described as thrash metal and power metal.

They released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations,... read more

Excellent for beginners - moderately heavy, melodic, very good metal, great vocals, no elements of poser metal and pop metal.

13 Nightwish Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and lead singer Tarja Turunen. It's currently formed by Tuomas, Emppu, lead vocalist Floor Jansen, bassist and vocalist Marco Hietala, multiinstrumentist and vocalist Troy Donockley, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen (currently on hiatus and replaced by Kai Hahto).

When people say metal is dirty singing and can't be beautiful, please them some Nightwish. It also helps that a woman is the lead singer since it shows that metal isn't just a man's genre.

14 Gamma Ray Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal band Helloween.

Perfect for beginners - fast yet melodic music, with anthemic and catchy choruses. Not very complex or progressive but guitar work and drumming are great. Songwriting is very good. Probably all bands mentioned on this list have a TopTens list about their best songs so find these lists with the song samples and enjoy! (example - "Best Gamma Ray Songs").

15 Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical approach changed over the years. Originally formed as a progressive rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. ...read more.

I started on these guys!

16 Edguy Edguy is a heavy metal band from Fulda, Germany that was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer.

Another perfect band to start with. Edguy sound pretty much like Iron Maiden, the singer is godly and sounds like Bruce Dickinson. Songs: Nailed to the Wheel, Sacrifice, New Age Messiah, Vain Glory Opera, Out of Control, Mysteria, Defenders of the Crown, Tears of a Mandrake.

Everyone I show this band really like it

17 Slipknot Slipknot is an American metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa in 1996. The band is best known as one of the pioneers of the New Wave of American Alternative Metal during the late 1990s - 2000s and are distinguishable by the band's clothing choices, consisting of black/red jumpsuits and horror inspired masks. ...read more.

I'd be honest if I say this but...

Wanna get into Death Metal? Chances are, Slipknot is a goodway to help you get into it. While not really a Death Metal band, there are influences of said sub-genre in some songs ("Disasterpiece", "The Heretic Anthem", "All Hope is Gone", "Sarcastrophe" etc.) and Corey's great harsh vocals would make you feel more comfortable in listening to growls in songs by other bands.

So in a way, thanks to Slipknot, you'd try out a Death Metal band and in a short time, you'll wind up becoming a fan of the band and later, the sub-genre. While not Death Metal, the influences that Slipknot incorporates would make you tolerate and eventually appreciate some of these elements and you'd be wanting more, hence trying out something like Morbid Angel or Opeth.

It's that usual 14/15-year old metalhead time, you always start loving Slipknot and then finally move on in 2 years. We all had that phase where we thought "Iowa" was the heaviest album ever.

No they are a band you end on. They are a gateway drug into death metal.

P.S. These are my thoughts. Yours can be different, depending on how you got into Death Metal.

18 Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg, Northern Germany. The band is a pioneering force in the power metal genre, and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I and Part II, are considered masterpieces of the genre.
19 Ghost Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2008. The band consists of five masked instrumentalists known as the Nameless Ghouls, and a demonic anti-pope known as Papa Emeritus. They have released four studio albums, one live album, and two EPs. Each album introduces a new version of Papa Emeritus... read more

Are they heavy?

20 Primal Fear Primal Fear are a German metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner. They play heavy metal, power metal and speed metal. Primal Fear remind of Judas Priest but Primal Fear are faster and heavier. They use twin (dual) lead guitars. Ralf Scheepers voice reminds of Rob Halford.

Currently they play the purest form of heavy metal and they are very similar to Judas Priest (King For A Day, All For One, Diabolus, Strike, Bad Guys Wear Black). Primal Fear have no weak spots - all band members are masters, songs are well written and their sound is of high quality (crystal clear).

21 Demons & Wizards Demons and Wizards is a power metal band conceived as a side-project by vocalist for Blind Guardian, Hansi Kürsch, and the guitarist for Iced Earth, Jon Schaffer.

Moderately and pleasantly heavy, perfect vocals, great riffing and songwriting - Crimson King, My Last Sunrise, Path of Glory, Love's Tragedy Asunder, Fiddler On the Green, Tear Down the Wall, Heaven Denies, and basically all songs (my list can also help "Best Demons & Wizards Songs").

I forgot to mention that Demons & Wizards = Blind Guardian + Iced Earth (Iced Earth music and rhythm guitar by Jon Schaffer + Blind Guardian vocals and lyrics by Hansi Kürsch).

22 Sabaton Sabaton is a power metal band from Falun, Sweden formed in 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are based on war and historical battles.
23 System Of A Down System of a Down, formed in 1994, is an Armenian-American alternative metal group from Glendale, California. The band name is sometimes shortened to System or SOAD. They've always been a very political band since their inception. Often being against genocide and war most notably in songs like: Pluck, ...read more.
24 Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Heavily influenced by Queen, they use the technique of overdubbing. They also incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements. Hansi Kürsch creates a huge choir effect by overdubbing his own voice multiple times in complex, overlapping harmonies. Thanks to overdubs and numerous backing vocals Blind Guardian stand out with a very dense sound.

I am a massive fan now but they are too complex, progressive and unusual for beginners. Their sound is very dense and unique. I got into this band after technical death metal and all other subgenres/bands. But everything is very individual - I needed to grow up as a metalhead in order to appreciate them but this may be different for other people.

They would be perfect for Lord of the Rings fans.

25 Mastodon Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor.
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