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Heavy metal is a popular genre of rock music with a weighty and impenetrable sound. While metal bands can sound very different from each other, they all embrace distorted guitars, pummeling drums, and groove-laden bass lines. Along with its obvious density and mass, metal music shares a sense of loudness and musical momentum. This much-loved genre came from standard blues-based rock, with early metal musicians also influenced by acid rock and psychedelic sounds.
Heavy metal music started in the late 1960s, and it played an important role as the dark shadow of the Flower Power movement. Today, heavy metal bands are categorized in a wide range of subgenres, from thrash to death and black metal. In this article, we dive deep into the history and makeup of metal music while introducing you to the best heavy bands of all time.
A Brief History of Heavy Metal
There were three prominent proto-metal bands from the United Kingdom: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. All three acts formed in 1968, and they all had a massive influence on the new genre. Of these iconic acts, however, only one is universally regarded as a true metal band. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were hard rock outfits at heart, and they didn’t embrace dark themes like Black Sabbath. That’s not the entire story, though, with other influential proto-metal acts including Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, MC5, Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, and Jimi Hendrix.
The scene became more popular in the 1970s, when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) gained traction in the UK. Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were the early stalwarts of the scene, and other prominent bands include Saxon, Motörhead, and Def Leppard. Across the Atlantic, we saw the emergence of heavy rock bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Öyster Cult, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Kiss. This was a new take on heavy metal — and an early warning sign of things to come.
The ’80s and Beyond
Heavy metal kicked up a gear in the 1980s, especially in the United States. While it’s a gross oversimplification, the scene largely split into two. On one side, we saw the birth of thrash metal, which was represented by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. While the people behind this music certainly had a unified appearance, at the end of the day, it was all about the music. As the ’80s progressed, thrash music splintered further into death metal and speed metal.
The other camp was different entirely, and according to some people, it wasn’t even metal at all. Inspired by the likes of Van Halen and Kiss, bands from California embraced glamour, fame, and big, big hair. Acts like Warrant, Cinderella, and Poison reached the mainstream, which led to Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses becoming huge global superstars. The MTV success and lightweight nature of this music led to a backlash, and even today, this scene is largely derided as “hair metal.”
Once the glam metal scene was done and dusted, metal kept splintering in new directions. Along with the descendants of thrash, we saw other subgenres inspired by the English and European scenes. Power metal brought clean melodies and vocals into the mix, but it largely fell by the wayside as progressive metal took the reins. The dark and foreboding atmosphere of black metal also came into existence, and doom metal slowed things down further while turning the heaviness up to 11.
Heavy metal was born in the middle of the UK, and it remains one of Birmingham’s most famous exports. It didn’t take long for this music to spread, however, taking over the world from the mid-1980s onward. Today, heavy metal enjoys a strong presence in almost every country on Earth. While most of the music is still produced in the United States and Europe, there are strong metal scenes in many non-English-speaking countries. From South America to Southeast Asia and beyond, the future diversity of heavy metal is 100% guaranteed.
Top 10 Heavy Metal Bands You Should Know
This list represents the greatest metal bands of all time.
Black Sabbath
The mighty Black Sabbath were the heavy metal originators. Formed in Birmingham in 1968, their debut album is considered the first true heavy metal record. The band’s dark lyrical themes and down-tuned guitars paved the way for the future, and they stuck around for decades to join the party. Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osborne just passed away, with his final hometown concert attracting the best heavy metal line-up of all time. Famous Black Sabbath songs include “Paranoid” and “War Pigs.”
Judas Priest
If anyone could challenge Black Sabbath for the heavy metal crown, it would have to be Judas Priest. They also emerged from Birmingham, forming in 1969 to pioneer the NWOBHM. While Judas Priest didn’t embrace the dark themes of Sabbath, their complex guitar work and anthemic song structures paved the way for other metal subgenres like speed and glam metal. Popular Judas Priest songs include “Painkiller” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.”
Metallica
If you ask 100 random people on the street to name a heavy metal band, most would point to Metallica. Their name is an obvious reference to their sound, and their legacy is unparalleled in the heavy music world. Metallica formed in Los Angeles in 1981, kick-starting the new thrash metal sound of the 1980s. Metallica’s best-known songs include “Enter Sandman” and “Master of Puppets,” with the latter being the title track of Metallica’s best album.
Megadeth
During the 1980s and ’90s, Megadeth was Metallica’s shadow band. They also emerged from the LA heavy music scene, and they too were thrash metal pioneers. Although Megadeth never had the commercial success of their peers, they were always a favorite among heavy metal purists. The band’s late ’80s albums had some of the genre’s best guitar solos, including Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying and So Far, So Good, So What!
Motörhead
According to the band’s late singer Lemmy, Motörhead was never anything but a hard rock band. And while we hate to disagree with the iconic hard man, Motörhead’s influence on the world of heavy metal simply cannot be denied. Formed in London in 1975, their uncompromising sound and style continually energized the heavy music scene in England and beyond. Famous Motörhead tracks include “Ace of Spades,” “Overkill,” and “Motörhead.”
Pantera
During their heyday, no one had more gravitas in the heavy metal world than Pantera. Formed in Texas in 1981, they popularized a new groove-based sound that merged elements of thrash with early hardcore. Pantera’s music was aggressive, rhythmic, and powerful, and it changed the trajectory of modern metal music. This heavy band’s best albums include The Great Southern Trendkill, Far Beyond Driven, and Vulgar Display Oo Power.
Slayer
Like many heavy metal bands on this list, Slayer formed in California in 1981. If rainy Birmingham was the birthplace of metal, then sunny California was the home of thrash. Slayer delivers a fast, heavy, and uncompromising heavy metal sound. It may be pure thrash, but the band’s fast tempos and aggressive riffs also influenced the speed metal sound. The most famous Slayer songs come from their Reign in Blood album, including “Angel of Death” and “Raining Blood.”
Iron Maiden
The mighty Iron Maiden had a huge influence on the new wave of British heavy music. Taking place a few years after Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, this genre influenced the future sounds of black metal, speed metal, power metal, and even glam metal. Many Iron Maiden tracks deal with religion, mythology, and fantasy-related themes, including huge tracks like “Run to the Hills” and “Number of the Beast.”
Death
If California was the birthplace of thrash metal, then Florida was the home of death metal. This emerging subgenre had a massive influence on heavy music in the ’80s and ’90s, and one name started it all. Death formed in 1983, and their 1987 debut Scream Bloody Gore is widely regarded as one of the first death metal records. The band’s other early albums remain huge favorites among metal fans, including Leprosy and Spiritual Healing.
Motley Crue
While thrash was kicking off in the early ’80s, an entirely different metal subgenre was emerging. Also from California, glam metal combined big hair and makeup with accessible rock hooks and guitar solos. While some metal fans weren’t on board, glam metal was absolutely massive in the ’80s. Motley Crue were among the biggest stars, along with Guns ‘n Roses and Poison. Two huge Motley Crue hits were “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Dr. Feelgood.”
Modern Heavy Metal Bands Keeping the Genre Alive
Heavy metal is an enduring music genre that gets stronger by the year. From the late ’60s to the present day, countless heavy metal bands have stepped into the spotlight and held the metal torch high. Far from being homogeneous, modern metal has splintered into dozens of subgenres, styles, and sounds. We’ll dive deep into specific metal categories below, but for now, it’s time to celebrate some of the most influential heavy bands of modern times.
While it’s difficult choosing five modern heavy metal bands, the following acts all bring something unique to the metal mix:
Bring Me the Horizon
Formed in the UK in 2004, Bring Me the Horizon represents the new face of heavy metal. This is metalcore music at its finest, blending elements of hardcore punk with extreme metal grooves. Bring Me the Horizon has become more melodic and popular over the years, now incorporating elements of electronica, hip-hop, and even pop. Their biggest tracks include “Can You Feel My Heart,” “Throne,” and “Drown.”
Blood Incantation
Blood Incantation represents the changing face of death metal. They bring a psychedelic sensibility to their productions, experimenting with new riffs, textures, and grooves. Blood Incantation has received lots of critical acclaim over recent years, sticking to their death metal roots while exploring new structures and sounds. The latest Blood Incantation album, Absolute Elsewhere, is a modern metal classic.
Babymetal
On the other side of the metal spectrum lies kawaii metal sweethearts Babymetal. While most self-respecting metalheads wouldn’t be seen dead with a Babymetal record, they’re a huge commercial presence on the heavy music scene. This band is produced by a talent agency and backed by top metal musicians, with the three female members adding vocals and cute dance moves. They have five high-selling albums, including Metal Forth from 2025. Many Japanese metal bands are more extreme, but none are this popular.
Gojira
This French metal band is known for its progressive sound, which blends technical death metal with spirituality and philosophical ideas. They were known as Godzilla from 1996 to 2001, before changing their name in 2001 for their Terra Incognita album. Some of the band’s best-known songs include “Flying Whales,” “Stranded,” and “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe.”
Meshuggah
This Swedish heavy metal band has been rocking since 1987, and they’re still going strong. Meshuggah produces dense, rhythmic songs with complex polymetered structures and angular riffs. They have a cult following within the metal world, and a fantastic catalog that includes iconic heavy metal albums like Chaosphere from 1998, obZen from 2008, and The Violent Sleep of Reason from 2016.
Metal Subgenres
The following metal subgenres focus on styles with historic importance and present-day impact. While subgenres like glam metal and power metal were obviously important, they are mostly dead and buried. There’s also things like blackened shoegaze, industrial grindcore, goth metal, and cyber metal, which are sub-subgenres at best and not popular enough to mention in an article of this size.
Saying all that, these five metal subgenres deserve special mention.
Death Metal
This enduring metal format is recognized by low-tuned guitars, growling or guttural vocals, and fast, powerful drumming. Some modern death metal embraces atonality and experimentation, going beyond its thrash roots with tempo shifts and extended breakdowns. Like all heavy metal, however, this subgenre is largely defined by the nature of its guitar riffs. Death metal bands draw from a number of defined riffs, which add tritones and half steps to metal’s ubiquitous power chords. Famous bands include Death, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Obituary.
Black Metal
Black metal is another extreme subgenre, but in a very different way than death metal. This music often employs a shrieking vocal style, along with heavily distorted guitars and unconventional song structures. Black metal is all about the atmosphere, which comes through in the music and also the overall style. While death metal bands are largely happy with jeans, leather jackets, and sneakers, many black metal bands like to wear makeup and ceremonial costumes. Famous heavy metal bands in this category include Mayhem, Burzum, Dimmu Borgir, and Cradle of Filth.
Metalcore
Heavy metal music has changed a lot over the years, largely due to cross-pollination from other genres. Metalcore became popular in the 2000s by blending extreme metal elements with hardcore punk. This music often switches between aggressive growling verses and clean melodic choruses. It has elements of death metal and traditional metal, but along the way, it also learned tricks from hip-hop and crust punk. Famous metalcore bands include Parkway Drive, Bring Me the Horizon, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb of God.
Alternative Metal
Heavy metal music has changed a lot over the years, largely due to cross-pollination from other genres. Metalcore became popular in the 2000s by blending extreme metal elements with hardcore punk. This music often switches between aggressive growling verses and clean melodic choruses. It has elements of death metal and traditional metal, but along the way, it also learned tricks from hip-hop and crust punk. Famous metalcore bands include Parkway Drive, Bring Me the Horizon, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb of God.
Why Heavy Metal Bands Have Such Dedicated Fans
Heavy metal music has an incredibly dedicated fan base. The powerful nature of the music fosters a sense of belonging, with fans connecting deeply to the music and its lyrics. From strength and struggle to religion and spirituality, the universal themes of this music resonate with a huge number of people.
The extreme nature of heavy metal seems to make these feelings run deeper, and the strength of the imagery helps build a great sense of community. The culture surrounding heavy metal also fosters loyalty, with fans talking about their favorite music online and regularly attending live shows and music festivals.
The Enduring Power of Heavy Metal Bands
Heavy metal has been around since the late 1960s, and while it’s splintered in many directions, it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Whether you like classic metal bands like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, nu-metal acts like Korn and Limp Bizkit, or something entirely new, there’s room for everyone in the deep and wonderful world of heavy metal music.
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