Top 10 Best Heavy Metal Bands

Iron maiden are simply the best live performers in any genre of music. As for their studio albums they have this unique way of drawing you on board the more you listen. I recently converted two good friends both over the age of 50. Simply told them maiden is coming to town. Trust me they are worth a look! Both agreed the best concert they've seen bar none. At the age when they should be lower the singer's volume to hide his failing higher range. Or packing their set list with timeless oldies to ensure their faithful followers stay aboard as they grind out their last few tours. Surprisingly these guys take huge artist risks. Thankfully show us what this new material is about with all the band and Dickinson can muster. Don't believe me go to every extent to catch their show. They truly are second to none! God bless you beautiful bastards! !

One cannot resist such titillating lyrics as they lithe and throb from mastered instruments of pleasure as they seductively taunt and slowly tease all our most forbidden places with rhythms... Base lines... Solos... Versus... Unlike any prior... Like the naughty little girl... Lured so skillfully and willfully her most delicious desires... As each song, lip and breath... Move slowly working and working every sense of our being to a ones ultimate metal deliverance. Perhaps matched only by my pure carnal lust for all things naughty... Metallica is just that good.

I'm always more surprised by the comments than the actual lists. This Metallica vs. Black Sabbath one might be the worst. You all realize that both Metallica and Black Sabbath created 4-5 of the best metal albums ever created, then both dropped off by trying to evolve? Don't get me wrong, I think once Dio was in Sabbath, they raised their sound higher than Metallica likely ever will, but those two bands are almost identical in terms of history and consistency. We really need to stop saying this, "Black Sabbath was the first so therefore they're the best". We also need to stop this, "That's hard rock, that's progressive metal, that's thrash". All those fall under "heavy metal". It's not like someone is trying to list a rapper on the heavy metal list. The two best, most consistent metal bands are Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I wouldn't even care to see someone like Iced Earth added to the top 5, just because they've not changed their sound, even with different singers. Last, if you really want to point out a great error, look and see where Nevermore is. Easily the most underrated metal band in 2014. If you don't knew Nevermore, go listen to them and I bet you'll like them.

The one song you have to listen to before you judge metal is the live version of Victim of Changes. We almost set reunion arena in Dallas on fire during the screaming for vengeance tour. They never had another metal concert without fire extinguishers. We even made the news. I've seen them 7 times. Back in the day. They were the greatest live metal show of all time and that includes Metalica and Iron Maiden. The only thing that bothers me is the big 3 when I was young has 1 missing on the list. A very big 1. Where the hell are the SCORPIONS! AC/DC were always there as well no matter what you think of them. They are pure metal rock.

They are the best Metal (Heavy metal, if you want to call it that. They're specifically Thrash) band out there. Their music is amazing. Even their newer albums are amazing. Endgame was a good refreshment of what we love them for. Super Collider was a good change-up further exploring their other genre tastes. I think it was also an amazing album. I am not one of those Rust an Peace replay guys. I enjoy their metal-pop, and all of it. So, I can say, without a doubt Megadeth is my favorite and the BEST heavy metal band there is

These guys need to be in the top 5. PanterA actually saved metal from grunge when all the other bands gave up. If it wasn't for Pantera, Metallica and those other bands would not have came back. They are in the metal hall of fame just for that. You have to know what the band did before just voting on this list. The level of greatness in this band is infinite, forget about the glam years and listen to the groove of, Cowboys from Hell, the power of Vulgar Display of Power, the brutal of Far Beyond Driven, the different trend of, The Great Southern Trendkill, and the unique of, Reinventing the Steel.

In my personal opinion, Avenged Sevenfold is the best heavy metal band in the world because they have proven they can do absolutely anything! They can make any style of metal work. They can scream, they can sing, and in Hail to the King, they've proven they can pull off the Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath sound.M. shadows voice is probably the most unique voice in the world. No one can sing like him. Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance are the best guitar duo in to world, and no one can shred a solo like Gates! Johnny Christ is an amazing bassist and he certainly knows how to make everything come together with the bass! Now Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan was one of the best of the best! He was an inspirational drummer who always knew how to get the beat kicking! It was a tragedy what happened to him.. But now we move on to Arin Ilejay! Arin is another amazing drummer! What he did for the band in the Carry On, Not Ready to Die, and Hail to the King songs was amazing! He stepped up and took a role not many people would ever dream to do. Although he will never replace Jimmy, He is a part of the band now and he's doing an amazing job!

Without Motorhead there's a good chance that thrash and speed metal wouldn't exist. 99.9% of Thrash, Black, and Death Metal bands in the entire universe cite Motorhead as one of their chief influences. 22 albums and not a single bad one in the bunch, They deserve much more recognition than they receive.

Not even sure they call themselves heavy metal.but they deserve to be higher up with Maiden and Van Halen. Ossy and Sabbath are not proper rockers for me and don't deserve any recognition, other that their appalling drugs antics and waste of talent. Motorhead are very clever lyricists and are quite clean for heathens! Not sure if they will convert esp lemmy.

Slipknot is best without a doubt because more people can relate to them and their songs more than any other bands. And some bands that say they are heavy metal really aren't. As an example system of a down isn't heavy metal at all most of their songs and videos don't make sense but then they do at the same time, but I will admit that I like them. While, Slipknots music is mostly about real life things like how they based.5:The Gray Chapter on Paul's death. Also I have seen Judas Priest live and I have seen Slipknot live, but at the Judas Priest concert I was really bored because I expected more, then at the Slipknot concert I was so happy and excited because they went well over the bar that I had set for them. And finally we miss you R.I. P Paul Gray, the best bassist ever. Maggot until I die.

No matter how much a band doesn't pack Ozzfest or has 1,000,000 likes on facebook. In Grey (from Sweden) was the best metal band in nature (gothic-doom). It wasn't with common people, but was more worthy of praise then Heavy Metal bands that I care to name (they are talented), but some of those better bands of 15,000 scrobbles 1,000 listeners on last.fm, are very much underrated...

Their songs are extremely catchy (in a really heavy way most of the time). Great riffs. Awesome solos in songs such as Inside the Fire and Indestructible. Cool bass lines. Lead singer David Draiman has an excellent observation ability on reality and writes very meaningful lyrics. His voice is currently the best metal voice that has ever existed. They love their fans and they seem like they are a bunch of cool dudes to hang out with in general. What's not to like about Disturbed?

Disturbed were the ones that got me into metal, with powerful guitar and drums and David Draiman's glorious voice. And to top it off, amazingly varied and meaningful lyrics. I try to listen to a variety of metal bands and whenever I find a new one that I like and start to listen to, I come back to Disturbed after a while and it's like it sounds better than before. It just pumps me up!

Just for the sake of giving Anthrax some attention on here, I'll give 'em some lovin':

Anthrax are arguably the greatest heavy metal band of all time. Are they my favorite? Probably not, no. But trust me when I say that they deserve hella recognition. Back when they got started, they became one of the most influential speed metal of not just the 80s but of all time, being regarded as one of the members of the Big Four of the Thrash.

By the time 1990 had rolled around, Anthrax was getting ready to release the incredibly mature and well-developed 'Persistence of Time', a record which demolished the typical expectations of the Anthrax fan with absolutely pummeling riffs and conceptual themes of nuclear holocaust and the need for peace. Following this ridiculously kick-ass album, Anthrax collaborated with Public Enemy and released the song 'Bring the Noize'. This popular song is often seen as the catalyst for the fusing of rap and rock/metal which, like it or not, dominated metal from the mid-90s until the early/mid-2000s (and thus Anthrax laid the foundation for literally 15 years of some of the most popular metal music of all time).

Following their supposed hey-day, Anthrax hit some comparatively hard times yet maintained an extremely loyal cult following. Come 2011, however, Anthrax made what is frequently regarded as a comeback with the album 'Worship Music', almost breaking the top ten of the Billboard 200 and selling over 100,000 copies.

All in all, Anthrax is awesome and amazingly influential. They are certainly one of the best metal bands ever.

Lamb of God has some of the best lyrics I've ever heard in any band of any genre. They are one of the few bands I've ever heard whose music and lyrics come together like clockwork. They've had consistently amazing albums throughout their career and their live shows are nothing short of cathartic. I understand that it's competing with older bands that have seniority when it comes to this genre of music, but lamb of god is the best band all around when considering anything within the past 10-15 years.

Ivan Moody is under rated. This band has talent at all positions, amazing talent... The fact that their material continues to get better and better with each album should prove their worth of a top 5 spot for artists currently producing music. This list is hilarious because its more over voted than American Idol. Love what you love, but just keep fk'n rocking'!

These guys should easily be top ten. I'd say switch them with Avenged and call it good. Don't get me wrong, I like Avenged as much as the next guy, but this list is for HEAVY metal. Avenged hasn't been in that category since Waking the Fallen. FFDP on the other hand stays true to their original heaviness that made them great in their first two albums. Just my 2 cents.

How are they only ranked 21, They are number 1 in my books, they had loads of hit songs greatest rock band on the planet.

They're a fad, that's what they are. Go play a slot machine - they're the same thing.

Guns N' Roses is hard rock. But still love them

If you listen very hard, Led Zeppelin I defined the genre of hard rock for the years to come. Every band in the late 60s and through the seventies drank from the Zepp bottle. If Communication Breakdown is not a heavy metal statement, then Paranoid from Sabbath is not either. In the late sixties a lot of bets for the metal sound were placed: Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, Cream, Jeff Beck, Hendrix... But the jackpot went to Led Zeppelin, they took the blues, jazz, psychedelia, country, folk and made a great synthesis, something as wild as the blues, complicated as jazz, ethereal as country and intelligent as folk, known as heavy metal. When you think seventies in music you think LZ, just like sixties-Beatles or fifties-Presley, just like that.

Should have been in top 5, best vocals, best lyrics, best melodies and the best concept album! The top 5 in this list are generally overheard, overplayed and overrated bands.
Queensryche is overall a very underrated band. Please listen to 1994 album Promised Land, and you'll see this band and the rest are completely in different fields.

I like 'Rage for Order' better. It is a lot more progressive and experimental than 'Operation Mindcrime' - as great as that album is. Check out Evergrey's 'The Inner Circle' if you want a more metallic progressive album. It's a conceptual masterpiece.

System of a Down is the most innovator, creative and consistent metal band.

- Amazing guitar riffs and bass line.
- insane drums. Heavier than lots of blast beat bands.
- One of the most beautiful voices in the world, Tankian, mixed with well executed screams by him and Daron. Their voices together are simple pretty.
- Epic Lyrics.

I could be showing many points proving System of a Down is the top 1 metal band. Unfortunately, tradition and the long career influences people to think Iron Maiden and Metallica are better. But they're not.

This band was at it's best when Ronnie James Dio was in the band and it sold the most records with him on vocals, after they got rid of Ronnie they started declining.

I agree loved Rainbow but they deserve to be in top 20. With Blackmore on guitar dio on vocals and Cozy Powell on drums they produced Cath the raibow, Stargazer amongst other classics. Defnitely top 20.

Most of my passcodes are based on rainbow and deep purple variants...! if 16th century was like what is narrated in these songs, I would put on my greensleeves and live then and 'dance around the fire"!

Oh, dear. I confess I own 'Too Fast For Love' and 'Shout at the Devil' but I have learned, over time, that I like women with lipstick, make-up, eyeliner, and hairspray who deal in sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll more than the men.

Great artist, could be good for motley crue that they was smoking 5 cigarettes per. Day and max 2 drinks during the weekend, in order to preserve health and the clear singing voice

They're men dressed like drag queens, playing glam metal for groupies who look almost as pretty as they do. Next fad please.

First band to combine heavy hard rock and classic music- The root of heavy metal.
Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are way softer then Deep Purple's songs..
Ian's screams, Lord's heavy organ chords, Blackmore's heavy guitar riffs and more..

It is all about opinions, but it is an insult to hard rock history to place Deep Purple at number 50. A top 3 place at least.

Wow, the inventors of heavy metal are not recognized as the The Number 1 metal band? Not even in the top 10?

Great band! Got ever album and not one is disappointing. I find it a shame that clear talent from these guys can be put so far below so many bands that just strut random chords and bash their instruments while growling and snorting like pigs.

Really great band and the band that pretty much started power metal, definitely deserves to be at least top 15 if not top 10. list to all their albums and you will understand

Outstanding in every single way. One cannot simply compare Helloween to any other band, simply the best band ever.

You have to be kidding! AC/DC is one of the best metal bands ever. It has one of the greatest guitar rest ever: Angus Young. Best classic songs: Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway to Hell, Back in Black, The Razor's Edge... At least should be in the top five after Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica... If you like metal you like AC/DC!

No one made a ranking here. YOU MAKE IT. Vote for your favorite bands and stop complaining about their ranks.

AC/DC is best metal band for me so my I vote is for them.

I agree. Heard the other day that the highest selling hard rock album of all time is Back in Black. 23. I don't think so. They are like The Rolling Stones of Heavy Metal. Along with AeroSmith

If you can get past the juvenile name this is probably one of the best death metal bands out there right now. They are halfway between brutal and tech death.

They're not heavy metal, but they are they heaviest death metal band OF ALL TIME