Top 10 Most Influential Metal Bands
The top 10 metal bands that most inspired you to (try) to make music or were the biggest inspiration and had the biggest influence on the metal industry.
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... read more They created and popularized heavy metal. It is idiotic not to have Black Sabbath at number one. Not only were they the first true metal band, but they were also the direct inspiration for quite a few major subgenres. Doom metal, sludge metal, stoner metal, and gothic metal are all inspired by the mighty Sabbath!
Sabbath started metal. They created metal. If it weren't for them, Metallica, Lamb of God, Megadeth, Slipknot, and Iron Maiden wouldn't exist. And what the heck is up with Slipknot, Lamb of God, and System of a Down being on this list? They are good, yeah, but they didn't influence.
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... read more They are one of the best metal bands in all of metal history, maybe the most influential band alongside Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Lamb of God and Slipknot should not be here because they are not influential bands. They are from these times. In my opinion, an influential band is one that has influenced many bands in metal, like Iron Maiden!
Sabbath was undeniably the first metal band in existence, but Iron Maiden was really the first band to play actual heavy metal. What I mean by that is they were the first to play metal like how it's known today.
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"... read more Let's be real, Black Sabbath was really the first metal band, but Metallica is definitely the most well-known metal band and by far the most famous and popular, with Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Iron Maiden being close behind. If you asked someone what the first band they think of when they think of metal, they will most likely say Metallica.
They actually should be number one since most of the world today wouldn't even know every band on this list (even Black Sabbath or any other metal band, for that matter) if it wasn't for Metallica.
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”... read more Leaders of the NWoBHM, without them, metal would have died away. Rob Halford set the stage for what being a metal frontman is. Also, I believe that having two lead guitars was their idea.
Should really be above Maiden. Black Sabbath at 1 makes sense.
One of the earliest metal bands.
Death was an American death metal band formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner. Death is considered to be one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and a pioneering force in death metal. Its debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as the first death metal record, while the band's... read more Yeah, everybody knows about the invention of death metal, but don't undermine their influence on metal as a whole. Albums like Human and Symbolic explored the limits of metal.
When they heard the Possessed demo, Chuck said, We should be like these guys. But they later influenced Possessed with Scream Bloody Gore.
These guys were the reason for the existence of Cannibal Corpse, Children Of Bodom, and many others.
Venom are an English extreme metal band formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal—are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Essentially created the genres of Thrash and Black Metal and were a significant inspiration for Death Metal. On a side note, why is Slipknot number 4?
First band to go extreme, and whether you like them or not, you have to admit that was a huge turning point for the genre.
Thrash Metal and Black Metal. All extreme metal bands were influenced by this band, from Death to Darkthrone.
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 Not a fan, but their influence on early death metal bands is as significant as Possessed, believe it or not!
P.S. What in the world is Slipknot doing on the list? They were probably the first metal band to set an example of how to be utterly terrible by churning out sonic garbage after garbage.
Major influence over extreme metal subgenres and also cited as an influence by many modern metal bands. Definitely top 10 material.
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... read more If this list was 'top metal bands' instead of 'influential metal bands,' I would put Pantera at number one simply because their music seems as heavy now as it did when it was released. As legendary as they were, I just don't think the same can be said for bands like Sabbath and Maiden. If it wasn't for Pantera, we wouldn't be able to enjoy many of the top metal bands around now, due to Pantera being the frontmen in the charge against the post-metal grunge era (Nirvana), when metal was no longer considered cool.
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... read more Motorhead influenced bands such as Metallica. These guys need to be at the top with Black Sabbath. But let's be honest, you can only trust the first Black Sabbath album anyway! Motorhead all the way!
They were the first to fuse hardcore punk and metal's energy together. Without them, there would be no Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, or any bands that were inspired by them.
Motorhead at number 11? Should be at number 1 or 2. They invented so many genres. It's ridiculous.
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,... read more Many bands of the '60s-'70s played heavy blues rock or hard rock, believing it was heavy metal. Many metal fans still make this mistake. Deep Purple played hard rock but also metal as we know it now: non-bluesy rock music, mostly based on classical music. For example, "Highway Star" is a metal definition: an entirely non-bluesy song based on Bach-like chord sequences. It's not their first metal song, but it's the best.
Later, this non-bluesy sound became the most important feature of metal music. Rainbow, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden made it more evident. Metal, in general, became a genre based on classical music. Behind the riffs of "Holy Wars" and "Master of Puppets," you can hear classical music. R. Blackmore is a pure genius. "Highway Star" is widely considered as early speed metal. It also has a memorable riff, a breathtaking technical solo, and Gillan's great vocals.
The Newcomers
Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner and Chris Robertson. They influenced the Big Four of thrash.
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the new wave of British heavy metal and is acknowledged by thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.
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... read more I voted for them because they happened to be exactly tenth on my list.
Dave Mustaine revolutionized metal riffs and heavily inspired the change in Pantera's sound, which led to the rebirth of the most influential metal band of all time.
I get sore necks and headaches headbanging to Megadeth all day!
Bathory was a Swedish Black/Viking Metal band formed in 1983 by Quorthon and Jonas Åkerlund. Bathory's first 4 albums layed the blueprint for Scandinavian Black Metal. Quorthon is often credited with creating the "shrieking" vocal style of Black Metal. Their 5th album, Hammerheart (1990) displayed... read more What, the most influential Black Metal band is not in the top ten? This band was responsible for the Norwegian Black Metal scene.
Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted... read more Whether or not you think Zep is metal, it's certainly the biggest influence to have existed on the genre. Nobody played hard rock/"classic metal" until Zep came around. Black Sabbath should be in second. They basically did Zep but a bit heavier with more distorted guitar. But that "metal" sound came from Zep.
Why is Slipknot on here? They're not even really metal! Every band on the whole list is five stars (except Slipknot), so it was really hard to choose. Zeppelin is the early metal band definition.
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... read more They are influential not only in metal but in other genres as well.
Celtic Frost was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metal. Formed in 1981 as Hellhammer, the band became Celtic Frost in 1984 and was active until 1993.
Rainbow are a British rock band led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1993 to 1997. They were originally established with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer and lyricist. Rainbow were ranked No. 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The band has sold over 28 million albums... read more Without Rainbow and Deep Purple, nobody would ever understand the process of metal invention and its evolution. In the late '70s, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden continued in the direction of Rainbow and Deep Purple with a non-bluesy heavy sound, mostly based on classical music. Judas Priest and Iron Maiden didn't sound like the bluesy Led Zeppelin and the bluesy Black Sabbath.
Moreover, in 1977, Roger Glover (Rainbow bassist and ex-Purple bassist) became a producer for Judas Priest to help them. Not many believed in Judas Priest back then, and they had no support, money, gigs, etc. So let's talk about influence. Rainbow perfected the general pattern of metal music and also the speed metal sound started by Deep Purple. Rainbow also invented at least three metal subgenres: power, symphonic, and neo-classical metal. I'd say this is quite influential.
Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David... read more In terms of being influential, KoRn may not have created metal, but they created a major subgenre that dominated the mainstream unlike almost any other subgenre.
They created nu-metal. Whether you like it or not, it was the biggest subgenre in the late '90s and early '00s. They deserve top 10.
There's no nu-metal without Korn. They invented it.
Meshuggah is a Swedish progressive metal band from Umeå, formed in 1987. They are often considered the fathers or founders of the djent metal sub genre due to their use of downtuned guitars. They are also known for their song “Bleed”, which is known for its extremely complicated instrumentation,... read more One of the most influential bands in modern metal. Even outside Djent, you can hear their influence, from hardcore to jazz (Tigran Hamasyan).
The godfathers of Djent. Bleed is one of the most iconic metal songs of all time!
They are more influential than the rest of these bands here. Even Townsend says that everyone imitates Meshuggah in the end.
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler. It gives me Redneck when I see this in the top 11. Holy cow, this is better than the others.
Possessed is an American thrash/death metal band, originally formed in 1983 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre. Possessed is the sometimes credited with being the first... read more I'm surprised that they are this low.
Napalm Death are a British grindcore/death metal band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, England, in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent... read more
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen. Their style of music is similar to that of their compatriots Destruction, Sodom and Tankard; along with those three bands, Kreator has been referred to as one of the "big four" of Teutonic thrash metal, and they are often credited with helping pioneer... read more
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948. He is also known as ''The Prince of Darkness''. Ozzy is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the band Black Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath... read more
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
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later... read more They're the greatest progressive metal band. Their musicianship is the best, especially if you listen to them playing live.