Heavy metal is characterized by loudness, heaviness, distorted guitars and extended solos. The history of the genre is often associated with the blues, as is the case with most subgenres of rock music. However, statistics have shown that a lot of heavy metal fans tend to gravitate towards classical music as well. 

While this may surprise some, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock. After all, heaviness and complex musicianship is a staple of classical artists like Beethoven. Unsurprisingly, this passion for classical music and heavy music has led to the blending of heavy metal and classical music, thus creating a brand new genre of symphonic metal. 

Of course, it would be wrong to dismiss the rest of rock as a heavy influence on metal. Some of the greatest and most influential metal bands of all time have their roots in blues music. And it doesn’t end at blues. Punk fans making metal is tradition going back to the 80s, when speed metal and thrash metal first blew up the scene. 

The question we are asking in this article is this: What are the most important and influential bands in the history of metal? Who are the bands that helped create the scene? What are the albums that started the dozens of metal genres? In this article, we take a look at the answers to these questions. 

Table of Contents 

1. Proto-Metal
2. Black Sabbath 
3. Judas Priest
4. Motorhead 
5. The Big Four
6. Conclusion

Proto-Metal

The 60s and 70s were a time of cultural revolution. The hippie movement had begun to take hold of popular culture. The emphasis on freedom led to changes in the outlook of many people. It is no surprising that this was the time when Las Vegas and casinos began to grow in popularity once more. The decades were all about fun. 

And while Las Vegas has never lost popularity since then, the digital age has given birth to a new form of gambling. Online casinos like Big Wins bring all of the popular casino games to the table, all the while being much more accessible than any land-based casino. It is unsurprising that in the 21st century, most people choose online gambling over land-based gambling with increasing frequency.  

Musically speaking, the 60s and 70s had a huge impact on the culture. These decades were the era of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and a plethora of other musicians who helped build the rock genre as we know it today. 

As with most rock music, many trace metal’s creation to the Beatles. Specifically, the song Helter Skelter. The speed and heaviness of the song are certainly huge aspects of what makes heavy metal the genre it is today. 

While Helter Skelter is often viewed as the earliest influence on metal, many have made the argument that metal goes back further than that. All the way to the blues legend, Howling Wolf. Known for his raspy singing and heavy music, Howling Wolf is often regarded as one of the greatest bluesmen, and a definite influence on metal. 

As we said, however, metal’s influence can be traced even further back to the classical musicianship of Beethoven. Whatever the case may be, there are three bands who are most often credited with the creation of metal music proper. 

● Deep Purple
● Led Zeppelin
● Black Sabbath

Arguments on who started metal still rage on to this day. Deep Purple fans claim that the band’s 1969 album Deep Purple was the progenitor of the genre. Led Zeppelin fans will say the same about the 1969 self-titled. However, most reviewers, fans, and experts agree that metal proper began in 1970, when Black Sabbath released their self-titled album, and blew the minds of thousands of confused rock fans. 

Black Sabbath

Formed in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath is the creation of guitarist Tony Iommi. The original line-up consists of drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and of course, one of metal’s biggest stars, Ozzy Osbourne as vocalist. 

The band’s influence on metal cannot be understated. Their musicianship has influenced dozens of future metal acts, including Judas Priest, Motorhead, Danzig, and Dio. Their sound has influenced genres from old-school heavy metal, to doom metal, to the extreme genres like black and death metal. And their lyrical content has been an influence on rock, metal, and even outside of music, on films, comic books, poetry, etc. 

Throughout the 70s, Black Sabbath gained huge popularity, despite being derided by the music reviewers of the time. However, by the end of the decade, Ozzy Osbourne and the band split ways, and a man by the name of Ronnie James Dio took the job as the band’s vocalist. 

With Dio at the helm, the band moved in a different direction, creating albums like Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. These albums are often considered to be some of Black Sabbath’s best, and arguments still rage to this day about which vocalist was better for the band. 

Regardless of where you fall on the discussion, one thing is certain, Black Sabbath’s influence on metal cannot be understated. They’ve inspired everyone from Anthrax to Behemoth, and whatever may lie in between. 

Judas Priest

We often hear discussions about the “metal” nature of Black Sabbath. While the influence can’t be denied, a lot of people still believe that those early albums can’t be considered proper metal. Some say they are too slow; others say they are too bluesy. Whether you agree with this assessment or not, there is one band you can’t argue had a massive influence on the genre.

Judas Priest released their debut album, Rocka Rolla in 1974. And it was a travesty. It sold only a couple of thousand copies, and was panned as “riding the coattails” of Led Zeppelin. And indeed, the album bordered on Led Zeppelin plagiarism. 

So, for their sophomore, Judas Priest decided to buckle down, and outdo themselves. And that is how we got the proper “first” Judas Priest album, Sad Wings of Destiny. Melancholic, incredibly heavy, and featuring vocalist Rob Halford’s notorious banshee scream, Sad Wings of Destiny to this day is considered one of the greatest albums in early heavy metal. 

The technical mastery, operatic vocals, and dark lyrics all served to inspire bands from Iron Maiden, to Slayer and Metallica, all the way to Opeth, whose songwriter/vocalist/guitarist, Mikael Akerfeldt has said that Sad Wings of Destiny might just be the greatest album of the 70s. 

Apart from Sad Wings of Destiny, Judas Priest have created a ton of just-as-influential, albums. The following are only a few of the biggest and best that the band have released: 

● British Steel (1980): had a huge impact on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.
● Screaming for Vengeance (1982): like British Steel, this album also influenced the NWBHM movement.
● Painkiller (1990): Often considered the “last classic” the band produced, Painkiller had a major influence on the Extreme genres that spawned in the late 80s and early 90s.

But Judas Priest’s influence on metal does not stop at music. Their biggest influence on the genre is in the style and fashion. The black leather, chains, and biker aesthetic all come from vocalist, Rob Halford’s stage persona. To this day, metal acts still try to emulate the metal god’s sense of fashion. 

Motörhead 

In the 21st century, the popularity of heavy metal has largely veined. However, a vibrant underground still exists, where metal acts can experiment, get as heavy as possible, and still garner a massive following. In large part, we have the Extreme Metal of the late 80s and early 90s to thank for that. However, this subculture of extreme metal would not be around without the legendary Motorhead. 

Formed in 1975 by rock legend, Lemmy Kilmister, the band’s debut was more punk than anything. With a terrible production, speedy and politically-charged songs, and a “don’t care” attitude, Motörhead did not do great in sales. 

However, that all changed two years later, when the band’s line up changed. Lemmy parted ways with the original members and teamed up with Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke. And the power trio came out with one of the greatest albums in metal history, Overkill. 

Overkill is often accredited as the album that started the speed and thrash metal movements of the 80s. At the time, the album shocked the world by reaching 24 on the UK Album Chart. It was the first of Motörhead’s albums to feature Phil Taylor’s signature double bass, and blew the mind of fans who wanted something even heavier than the standard metal of the time. 

Most metal fans, experts, and reviewers draw a direct link from Overkill to the Big 4 of Thrash. And from there, it is easy to draw a connection to the extreme side of the music. And speaking of the Big 4…

The Big 4 of Thrash Metal

In the 80s, heavy metal had reached the peak of its popularity. Bands like Aerosmith and Van Halen had hit the big leagues, and their success inspired dozens of others to emulate them. Thus, the “glam metal” or “hair metal” movement took over the mainstream. Bands like Motley Crue, Poison, Dokken, Twister Sister, etc. were the face of metal of the time. And while many of these bands released quite a few bangers, some metal fans were not pleased.

Many wanted a return to the harsh vocals, fast sound, and crude attitude that metal was built on. To top it off, hardcore punk was thriving in the 80s, and inspiring a lot of metalheads in the process. From this frustration and inspiration came thrash metal. And the four horsemen that led the charge were the bands often dubbed “The Big 4 of Thrash.” 

Metallica

The first of the Big 4, Metallica formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were the two responsible for the band. They took inspiration from punk rock, early heavy metal, and the NWBOBHM movement which was just starting out. 

Two years after the band’s formation, they came out with their debut Kill ‘Em All. An album thriving on the frustration that the band felt towards the music and metal industry. The album received incredibly positive reviews, and to this day is considered one of the band’s best albums. Later Metallica releases which are still celebrated today include: 

● Ride the Lightning (1984)
● Master of Puppets (1986)
● …And Justice for All (1988) 

In 1991, Metallica came out with their self-titled album, which is often called The Black Album (in reference to its entirely black cover inspired by the Beatles’ the White Album). By far, it was Metallica’s most commercially successful record. However, it was also the album that put them out of favor with the metal community. 

Megadeth 

In 1983, Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica. In retaliation, Mustain formed “his own Metallica”. The product of this was Megadeth. In 1985, Megadeth released their debut, Killing is My Business… And Business is Good! 

In much the same way that Kill ‘Em All was fueled by frustration towards the music industry, KiMB was fueled by a frustration and anger towards Mustaine’s former band members. This frustration led to the album being a massive success, and elevating Megadeth to the same level as Metallica. 

Megadeth and Dave Mustaine went on to create a plethora of hugely influential albums. Apart from Killing is My Business… And Business is Good, the two most influential and important albums released by Megadeth are Rust in Peace and Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? 

Slayer

In terms of extreme metal, Slayer are by far the most influential. With fast music, brutal, gory, and violent lyrics, and incredibly harsh vocals, it is hard to ignore the influence of Slayer on genres like Black and Death metal.

Fans of thrash often consider Slayer the most consistent of the Big 4. The band has released a total of five albums that could be considered heavy metal classics:

● Show No Mercy (1983)
● Hell Awaits (1985)
● Reign in Blood (1986)
● South of Heaven (1988)
● Seasons in the Abyss (1990)

Anthrax 

Formed in 1981, Anthrax is often considered “the forgotten of the Big 4.” The key figures in the band are Scott Ian and Dan Lilker, whose influence on heavy metal and hard rock cannot be understated. Anthrax were among the first thrash metal bands, releasing incredible albums like Fistful of Metal (1984) and Spreading the Disease (1985). 

Their influence on the genre doesn’t end there, however. Anthrax were one of the first metal bands to collaborate with a rap group (Public Enemy), and thus had an incredible influence on the Rap Rock and Nu Metal genre. 

Extreme Metal

Eventually, thrash metal evolved into more extreme genres. The Swedish black metal band, Bathory came out with four low-production, albums, often credited as the first ever black metal albums:

● Bathory (1984)
● The Return…. (1985)
● Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)
● Blood Fire Death (1988)

Simultaneously, in San Francisco, a band was taking thrash metal to its logical extreme. Possessed incorporated growled vocals, fast musicianship, and double bass into their sound, creating the prototype for the death metal subgenre. Their two studio albums released in 1985 and 1986 are:
 
● Seven Churches
● Beyond the Gates

Inspired by Possessed, a Florida metal band simply called Death began creating music. The influence of Death is such that the genre bears the band’s name. Unfortunately, their lead vocalist, Chuck Schuldiner passed away, leading to the group to disband. However, their seven studio albums were all incredibly influential, and a huge influence on extreme metal.

● Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
● Leprosy (1988)
● Spiritual Healing (1990)
● Human (1991)
● Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
● Symbolic (1995)
● The Sound of Perseverance (1998)

Nowadays, metal’s popularity is largely underground. Extreme metal is where the genre is thriving, with bands like Gojira, Slipknot, Arch Enemy, the Black Dahlia Murder, etc. carrying the torch for the genre.