Top 10 Music Artists Who Turned Metal

These bands were not metal bands from the start, but they played their music harder and harder and eventually turned to heavy metal or other metal genres. They may have played other genres alongside metal, but they also stuck with metal.

Feel free to add anything if you think it deserves to be here.

The Top Ten

  1. Deep Purple

    Deep Purple is an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are regarded as pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has changed over the years. They originally played progressive rock but shifted to a heavier sound around 1970.... read more

    They were a psychedelic and progressive rock band but then turned into a hard rock and heavy metal band.

  2. Thin Lizzy

    Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their leader, Phil Lynott, composed or co-composed almost all of the band's songs and was the first Black Irish musician to achieve major commercial success in rock music.... read more

    Definitely. Their last two albums had more metal songs than before (1981, 1983). Good examples are songs like Angel of Death (100% metal), Thunder and Lightning (thrash before Metallica), and Cold Sweat (covered by Megadeth).

    Unfortunately, Phil Lynott died and the band didn't complete the process, but Thin Lizzy influenced the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, especially with the famous Thin Lizzy twin lead guitars.

    Hard rock to heavy metal.

  3. Uriah Heep

    Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969, and they were one of the top rock bands of the early 1970s. Thirteen of their studio albums have reached the UK Albums Chart, with Return to Fantasy peaking at number seven in 1975.... read more

    They were a progressive rock and hard rock band, but then they became heavy metal.

  4. Scorpions

    Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by guitarist Rudolf Schenker. Vocalist Klaus Meine and guitarist Michael Schenker joined several years later. Michael Schenker was succeeded by Uli Jon Roth, while Matthias Jabs became the band's lead guitarist in 1978. The band first gained... read more

    Yes, they were close to metal in the '70s (or what people thought was metal back then). But it was for a very short period of time, and afterwards they were mostly hard rock and rock. Their sound became quite mainstream/commercial and overall too poppy for metal. Eventually, they became known for their power ballads.

    And before you kill me, I don't hate them. I'm a fan, but I wanted to add some details. By the way, "Rock You Like a Hurricane" isn't a metal song. It's hard rock.

    They were a hard rock band from the start but then turned into heavy metal.

  5. Gary Moore

    Robert William Gary Moore was a Northern Irish musician, celebrated as a singer, songwriter, and virtuoso rock/blues guitarist. His solo career included the hit album Still Got the Blues (1990). Before cementing his legacy as a solo artist, he played in acclaimed rock bands such as Thin Lizzy and Skid... read more

    He is known as a blues/blues rock musician, but he often included metal songs on his albums, especially in the '80s when he played mostly hard rock. For the albums with metal songs, he invited guest metal musicians like Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Don Airey (Rainbow, Ozzy), Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio), and several more. Songs include Hiroshima, Out in the Fields, and Murder in the Skies.

    But Gary Moore didn't stay with metal. He continued with blues and jazz in the '90s and later. However, his song Out in the Fields (a duet with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy) was covered by over 10 metal bands. For details, see my list Best Cover Versions of Gary Moore and Phil Lynott's Out in the Fields.

  6. 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. Their self-titled debut album received mixed reviews, but they quickly gained a strong following... read more

    Okay, this may start a debate, but Black Sabbath was a psychedelic rock band, then they turned to heavy metal in the '70s.

  7. Whitesnake

    Whitesnake was an English rock band formed in London in 1978 by singer David Coverdale after his departure from Deep Purple. Originally assembled as Coverdale's backing group, the band quickly developed its own identity, though Coverdale remained the sole consistent member throughout its history.... read more

    Yes, they are a hard rock/blues rock band, but some songs touch on metal, and these songs appeared at a later stage (the '80s). But I don't think Whitesnake had a goal to become a metal band. These "metal effects" in their songs were mostly due to line-up changes when some metal-oriented musicians joined the band and brought metal riffs, drumming, etc., to the table.

    Steve Vai's riffs and solos weren't typical hard rock stuff. They were more than that. Cozy Powell's (ex-Rainbow) drum beats were mostly metal. John Sykes' (ex-Thin Lizzy) guitars were metal guitars for the most part, too. When these guys left, Whitesnake's sound also changed, back to typical hard rock, but they played it louder.

  8. Blue Öyster Cult

    Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band from Long Island, New York, known for blending hard rock and heavy metal with science fiction and occult themes. Their most successful songs include "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," "Godzilla," and "Burnin' for You." The band has maintained a cult following since the... read more

    Same: rock, psychedelic rock, and hard rock to heavy metal.

  9. UFO

    UFO was an English rock band formed in London in 1968. It played a significant role in bridging early hard rock and heavy metal. The band also influenced the development of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and inspired many later artists in the genre.

  10. Blue Cheer

    Blue Cheer was an American rock band that performed and recorded primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band remained sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, they played psychedelic blues rock and acid rock.... read more

    Almost the same as Blue Öyster Cult. They only turned into heavy metal before them.

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