Most Influential Traditional Heavy Metal Bands
The most influential 'TRADITIONAL' Heavy Metal bands!I request the visitors not to add Thrash Metal, Death Metal or any other subgenre bands in this list! Just pure Heavy Metal bands should be added.
Every metal band since the 80s has been influenced by Iron Maiden at some point. The galloping effect of their guitars was a massive influence on the entire thrash metal genre. Bruce Dickinson's high vocals have influenced many a vocalist.
Iron Maiden a true inspiration, but WHY are they #1. If it weren't for Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest they wouldn't even BE here. Steve, Bruce, Nicko, Adrian, Janick, AND Dave will all tell you the same, Black Sabbath are THE gods, nobody higher and inspirational/ influential.
This band is fantastic! Nothing would ever be the same without Maiden! They're original beyond any reasonable doubt, and the list of bands whom they have inspired just keeps on going and going... And going!
Granted Sabbath Invented metal but that doesn't earn rights to the summit of the list where Maiden rightfully sit purely based on longevity and quality of music within the genre.
The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years
Black Sabbath are cited as pioneers of heavy metal. The band helped define the genre with releases such as quadruple-platinum Paranoid, released in 1970. They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time
More bands have cited Black Sabbath as their main influence than Deep Purple. Also, metal is not based on classical or blues, it can be either. Metal is something you can headbang too. Don't treat metal like this, metal is the people's, a way of life. Metal.
Black Sabbath, are THE GODS of ALL things metal and rock. EVERYONE in Iron Maiden was inspired by them, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Which is why Black Sabbath deserves 1st place. The pioneered everything we know.
I don't understand how iron maiden is ahead of the original metal band. Iron maiden was influenced by Black Sabbath, there for every band that iron maiden influenced was influenced by Black Sabbath
"Metal Gods"! The greatest and most influential heavy metal band that ever was or ever will be! Fronted by none other than the greatest voice of metal and rock Rob Halford, along with Glenn Tipton and K.K. downing, the best guitar duo in history of metal, they definitely are the best... However, as the father of the whole genre, Sabbath does deserve the first spot and Priest is perfect on being 2nd, exactly where they belong... THIS IS THE PAINKILLER!
All hail the 'Metal Gods'!
This is the BEST metal band ever to compose a song and to play a live concert.. However Black Sabbath deserve the first place... And overall this list is ok!
Keep the horns up!
Priest is the obvious choice as second most influential band after Sabbath. The leather and studs look the heavy riffs and Halfords screams make them the Metal Gods.
Judas Priest are the epithomy of "Traditional Metal"... I love Metallica, but what are they doing here?
The inventors of heavy metal - they invented the pattern of metal music as we know it now: non-bluesy rock music, mostly based on classical music. In the late 70s Judas Priest and Iron Maiden continued in this direction - Judas Priest and Iron Maiden didn't sound like the bluesy Led Zep, they didn't even sound like the bluesy and slow Black Sabbath.
After Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, things got even more evident: behind the riffs of Holy Wars and Master of Puppets you can hear classical music structures. God bless Ritchie Blackmore.
Nothing is more influentia than that - most influential doesn't mean most popular in this case.
Facts about metal invention are different from the most popular myths and legends about its invention.
DEEP PURPLE is the best hard rock band of all time!
DEEP PURPLE is pioneer of heavy metal!
The greatest hard rock band all time!
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.
Yeah, they are influential but what many bands picked up on was their Load and Reload garbage and Master of Puppies. A pity. Kill'em All was insanely good and Ride the Lightning was solid but after that Metallica released a bunch of loads to be sure.
Not traditional heavy metal. Literally, on every heavy metal list on this website people put in Metallica even if they don't belong on it, like putting Metallica at 3 on most influential heavy metal bands. Just stop.
Because Metallica is Metallica... Metallica is LIFE! Metallica is everything a person can ask for! A dream! Not SAD BUT TRUE, but CRAZY (great) BUT TRUE!
They were influential as a Thrash band, but not traditional Metal. They shouldn't be here
Without him, no mano-cornuta! He's a legend of the traditional heavy metal
Love accept should be in front of deep purple
The first speed metal song!
OH please these guys are awesome they even don't have bad songs... Songs like THE GAME (yeah H'S entrance music), hell raiser, born to raise hell, ace of spades are one of the few they are the influence for many metal bands.. Respect them
They are NOT metal, never been - Lemmy himself stated that in 2011:
"We were not heavy metal. We were a rock'n'roll band. Still are. Everyone always describes us as heavy metal even when I tell them otherwise. Why won't people listen?"
Lemmy is god, a true inspiration to metal and rock
Without Rainbow and Deep Purple, nobody will e-v-e-r understand the process of metal invention and its evolution. Judas Priest and Iron Maiden used the formula of Rainbow and Deep Purple: non-bluesy heavy sound, mostly based on classical music. The bluesy formula of Black Sabbath and Led Zep wasn't used in the metal development because this formula led to heavy blues rock and not to heavy metal.
Also, in 1977 Roger Glover (Rainbow bassist and ex-Purple bassist) became a producer of Judas Priest to help them. Not many believed in Judas Priest back then and they had no support, money, gigs, etc. So lets 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 3 metal subgenres: power, symphonic, and neo-classical metal.
A huge influence on thrash metal. One of the first things Metallica ever did was cover Diamond Head.
They were extremely influential in what would be black metal in the future, especially King Diamond's way of singing
They are a rock-to-metal band (late 70s-early 80s) but they really influenced metal and many of their songs are considered metal, especially their last 2 albums - 1981, 1983. Some of the biggest Thin Lizzy fans are Metallica, Iron Maiden, Vader and Mastodon, to name a few. They all state they were influenced by Thin Lizzy and did many covers.
Their riffs are killers, some solos and basslines are remarkable, too.
Recommended songs and their covers:
Angel Of Death (it's probably their darkest song and my favorite; covered by Vader - death metal style; Gamma Ray - another great cover)
Cold sweat (covered by Kalmah - death metal style; Megadeth)
Killer On The Loose (covered by Paul Di'Anno; Southbound)
Massacre (covered by Iron Maiden)
Emerald (covered by Mastodon)
Thunder And Lightning (covered by Assassin; Gothic Slam)
Whiskey In The Jar (covered by Metallica but it was already a cover, not original Thin Lizzy song).
They have nothing to do with metal and it's invention. Too bluesy to be metal. Not every heavy sound is heavy metal sound (metal sound is non-bluesy and for that reason Guns N Roses and ACDC were labeled as non-metal, too). Led Zep themselves have ever refused to be associated with metal.
Facts about metal invention are different from the myths and legends about its invention.
Everybody who wants to understand early metal evolution should pay more attention to Deep Purple and Rainbow - Judas Priest and Iron Maiden continued in this direction (non-bluesy heavy sound). The sound of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden was different from the bluesy Led Zep and even from the bluesy Black Sabbath and there were reasons for that.
They are NOT metal, never tried to become a metal band and never been - not every heavy sound is heavy metal sound. Moreover, Led Zep themselves have always refused to be labelled as metal.
They pretty much invented heavy metal. The true hard rock origins. How can you get anyone influential than that.
Well, Black Sabbath was nothing without Ozzy!
He was the person who led the band with his epic vocal quality.
And he was far beller with his own project!
But, respect to Iommi too.
One of the main inspirations of any black/speed/thrash band. Rode the new wave right into Hell.
Yeah, but this list is on traditional metal and Venom are not.
They released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations,... read more
May not be old, but it's classic metal style.
Their style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal (even though they see themselves more like a pure rock n roll band) and their influence, especially between 1972-1984 era, has been tremendous for the evolution of metal. Albums like Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer, Taken by Force, Lovedrive, Animal Magnetism and Blackout contain songs way ahead of their time. Also one of the most consistent live performers ever, even today in their early seventies. Very underestimated...
Avenged Sevenfold aren't traditional heavy metal and most bands here are thrash bands. Scorpions rule m/
Uli Jon Roth invented the dive bomb
One of the first heavy metal bands
Hmm.. Did not expect this down here... Not a traditional band either, though is my favorite band of all time, and to the retard who commented below, are you illiterate? Led Zeppelin isn't metal at ALL, they're classic rock, but its INFLUENTIAL
Neither traditional, nor influential.
Avenged Sevenfold isn't metal
This doesn't belong here.
A current band but they play an updated version of traditional metal of Judas Priest type and they show excellent musicianship - remarkable vox, drums, guitars, bass.
Currently not many bands play traditional metal and I really appreciate what Primal Fear do - they remind us of the pure metal sound and it's good. Primal Fear are the most successful attempt to revive traditional metal by adding some fresh air.
Songs: King For A Day, Strike, Rebel Faction, All For One, Diabolus, Blood on your hands (all released from 2005 to 2014).
What is pantera doing down here? They've written so many metal anthems! Walk, Cosboys from Hell, Cemetery Gates!
Though they do have certain traits of heavy metal in their songs, AC/DC is Hard Rock, not metal, and as so should not be on this list.
They only have one or two songs that are heavy metal, it doesn't mean they are metal.