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.
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 ...read more.

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.

2 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. ...read more.

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

3 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”. ...read more.

"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?

4 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.

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!

5 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.

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

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.

Without him, no mano-cornuta! He's a legend of the traditional heavy metal

7 Accept Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes.

Love accept should be in front of deep purple

The first speed metal song!

8 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.

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

9 Rainbow 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 worldwide. The band's early work primarily featured mystical lyrics with a neoclassical metal style.

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.

10 Diamond Head 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.

A huge influence on thrash metal. One of the first things Metallica ever did was cover Diamond Head.

The Contenders
11 Mercyful Fate Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann.

They were extremely influential in what would be black metal in the future, especially King Diamond's way of singing

12 Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their leader Phil Lynott was composer or co-composer of almost all of the band's songs, and the first black Irishman to achieve commercial success in the field of rock music. Thin Lizzy's most successful songs, "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", were all major international hits which are still played regularly on hard rock and classic rock radio stations.

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).

13 Led Zeppelin 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 some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more.

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.

14 Ozzy Osbourne 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 in 1979 and has since had a successful solo career, releasing 11 studio albums.

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.

15 King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen, better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish heavy metal musician. He is known for his extensive vocal range, usually sung in falsetto. King Diamond was originally known as the vocalist for Mercyful Fate, but has become notorious for his horror themed Concept albums ...read more.
16 Manowar Manowar is an American power metal band from New York City, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology. They have been a significant influence in the history of metal, especially in genres such as power metal, symphonic metal, Viking metal, war metal, folk metal, doom metal, and death metal. They are also known for their slogan, "Death to false metal."
17 Venom 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.

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.

18 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

May not be old, but it's classic metal style.

19 Scorpions Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal.

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

20 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). ...read more.

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.

21 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.

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).

22 Armored Saint Armored Saint is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1982 in Los Angeles, California. Since 1990, the band has consisted of John Bush on vocals, Joey Vera on bass, Jeff Duncan on guitar and the Sandoval brothers, Phil and Gonzo on guitar and drums, respectively.
23 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

What is pantera doing down here? They've written so many metal anthems! Walk, Cosboys from Hell, Cemetery Gates!

24 AC/DC AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014 . They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1979, after which they hired Brian Johnson ...read more.

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.

25 Uriah Heep Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 that was one of the top rock bands in the early 1970s. Twelve of the band's albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975). Uriah Heep's distinctive features include a massive keyboard sound, strong vocal ...read more.
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