Best Heavy Metal Bands

Rank	Band / Formed / Genres	Albums
1	Judas Priest 1970, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Painkiller (1990) #2 Defenders of the Faith (1984) #15 Screaming for Vengeance (1982) #60
2	Iron Maiden 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	The Number of the Beast (1982) #9 Powerslave (1984) #13 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) #58
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #11 Heaven and Hell (1980) #20 Black Sabbath (1970) #39
4	Megadeth 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal	Rust in Peace (1990) #1 Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) #16 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #137
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #34 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #82 Diary of a Madman (1981) #529
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #19 ...And Justice for All (1988) #74
7	Yngwie Malmsteen Sweden Neoclassical Metal, Heavy Metal	Rising Force (1984) #33 Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor Op.1 (1998) #228 Marching Out (1985) #266
8	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #275 Stand in Line (1988) #358 Venom (2015) #1769
9	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #210 Blackout (1982) #251 Moment of Glory (2000) #312
10	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #225 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #285 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #466
11	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #22 Empire (1990) #881 The Verdict (2019) #950
12	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #48 The Last in Line (1984) #270 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #926
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #112 Jealousy (1991) #453 Art of Life (1993) #1291
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #590 Seven Seals (2005) #796 Nuclear Fire (2001) #921
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #174 Skid Row (1989) #231 Subhuman Race (1995) #2279
16	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #110 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #262 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #463
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Lingua Mortis (1996) #543 Trapped! (1992) #643 Strings to a Web (2010) #742
18	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #471 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #801 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1172
19	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #738 Metal Heart (1985) #872 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #974
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #87 Overkill (1979) #511 Inferno (2004) #2094
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #570 Hunting Time (1989) #1200 Immortal (2006) #1304
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #236 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1199 The Headless Children (1989) #1359
23	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #858 1997 (1997) #1485 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2720
24	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #79 Crimson Glory (1986) #199 Astronomica (1999) #6038
25	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #670 Nightmare (2010) #826 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1439
26	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #317 Conspiracy (1989) #602 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1246
27	Helloween 1983, Germany Power Metal, Heavy Metal	Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (1988) #7 Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I (1987) #28 United Alive (2019) [Live] #40
28	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #682 Hail to England (1984) #911 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #1957
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1458 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1833 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2117
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #330 In God We Trust (1988) #1961 Second Coming (2013) #2588
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Battle Beast (2013) #975 Steel (2011) #1071 Circus of Doom (2022) #1091
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #226 Shout at the Devil (1983) #956 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1554
33	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #156 Power Plant (1999) #165 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #182
34	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #732 City Life History (1996) #1575 Made in Korea (1995) #1621
35	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #575 From Hell with Love (2019) #988 Dark Connection (2021) #3406
36	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #2015 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3451 Disillusion (1984) #4409
37	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2095 Pandemonium (2010) #2620
38	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #1097 Death or Glory (1989) #2022 Masquerade (1995) #4203
39	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #578 The Premonition (2008) #1100 Immortals (2017) #1927
40	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #172 III : 기억상실 (1993) #755 Volume 1 (1986) #1752
41	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #207 Melissa (1983) #1488 In the Shadows (1993) #3492
42	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #2208 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3025 Crusader (1984) #3407
43	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #276 Facelift (1990) #1749 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #1763
44	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #372 Resurrection (2000) #728 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3469
45	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1342 Down and Up (1987) #1923 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2125
46	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #546 At the End of Death (2006) #2021 Karma (2008) [EP] #5849
47	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #86 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #91 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #128
48	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Welcome to Hell (1981) #2709 Black Metal (1982) #2855 Warhead (1984) [Single]
49	Virgin Steele 1981, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal	The House of Atreus: Act I (1999) #634 Invictus (1998) #2562 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part One (1994) #2914
50	Grave Digger 1980, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	25 to Live (2005) [Live] Tunes of Wacken (2002) [Live] Liberty or Death (2007)

Best Alternative Metal Bands	Best Atmospheric Black Metal Bands	Best Atmospheric Sludge Metal Bands
Best Avant-garde Metal Bands	Best Black Metal Bands	Best Brutal Death Metal Bands
Best Crossover Thrash Bands	Best Death Doom Metal Bands	Best Death Metal Bands
Best Deathcore Bands	Best Deathgrind Bands	Best Depressive Black Metal Bands
Best Djent Bands	Best Doom Metal Bands	Best Drone Metal Bands
Best Folk Metal Bands	Best Funeral Doom Metal Bands	Best Glam Metal Bands
Best Goregrind Bands	Best Gothic Metal Bands	Best Grindcore Bands
Best Groove Metal Bands	Best Hard Rock Bands	▶ Best Heavy Metal Bands
Best Industrial Metal Bands	Best Mathcore Bands	Best Melodic Black Metal Bands
Best Melodic Death Metal Bands	Best Melodic Metalcore Bands	Best Metalcore Bands
Best Neoclassical Metal Bands	Best Nu Metal Bands	Best Power Metal Bands
Best Progressive Metal Bands	Best Sludge Metal Bands	Best Speed Metal Bands
Best Stoner Metal Bands	Best Symphonic Black Metal Bands	Best Symphonic Metal Bands
Best Technical Death Metal Bands	Best Technical Thrash Metal Bands	Best Thrash Metal Bands
Best Trance Metal Bands	Best Trancecore Bands	Best Viking Metal Bands
Best War Metal Bands