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) #17 Screaming for Vengeance (1982) #60
2	Iron Maiden 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	The Number of the Beast (1982) #10 Powerslave (1984) #13 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) #49
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #12 Heaven and Hell (1980) #19 Black Sabbath (1970) #41
4	Megadeth 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal	Rust in Peace (1990) #1 Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) #15 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #142
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #36 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #86 Diary of a Madman (1981) #557
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #21 ...And Justice for All (1988) #77
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) #239 Marching Out (1985) #268
8	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #223 Blackout (1982) #227 Moment of Glory (2000) #323
9	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #303 Stand in Line (1988) #362 Venom (2015) #1817
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #43 The Last in Line (1984) #258 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #958
11	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #225 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #300 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #448
12	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #22 Empire (1990) #919 The Verdict (2019) #986
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #122 Jealousy (1991) #478 Art of Life (1993) #1347
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #617 Seven Seals (2005) #833 Nuclear Fire (2001) #952
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #184 Skid Row (1989) #247 Subhuman Race (1995) #2317
16	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #123 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #260 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #472
17	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #759 Metal Heart (1985) #815 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #1008
18	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Lingua Mortis (1996) #654 Trapped! (1992) #660 Strings to a Web (2010) #699
19	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #486 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #951 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1213
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #96 Overkill (1979) #566 Inferno (2004) #2230
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #597 Hunting Time (1989) #1248 Immortal (2006) #1357
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #244 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1219 The Headless Children (1989) #1408
23	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #902 1997 (1997) #1537 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2815
24	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #272 Conspiracy (1989) #637 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1304
25	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #677 Nightmare (2010) #814 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1222
26	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #81 Crimson Glory (1986) #200 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6458
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #704 Hail to England (1984) #937 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2004
28	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
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1505 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1885 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2166
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #344 In God We Trust (1988) #1832 Against the Law (1990) #2657
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Steel (2011) #1089 Battle Beast (2013) #1091 Circus of Doom (2022) #1103
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #226 Shout at the Devil (1983) #989 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1398
33	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #530 From Hell with Love (2019) #903 Dark Connection (2021) #3055
34	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #159 Power Plant (1999) #177 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #189
35	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #2061 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3595 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
36	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #783 City Life History (1996) #1630 Made in Korea (1995) #1668
37	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #938 Death or Glory (1989) #1602 Masquerade (1995) #3401
38	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2147 Pandemonium (2010) #2702
39	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1777 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3132 Crusader (1984) #3551
40	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #212 Melissa (1983) #1538 In the Shadows (1993) #3634
41	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #263 Facelift (1990) #1699 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #1812
42	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #602 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1373 Fever (2010) #3591
43	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #606 The Premonition (2008) #1130 Immortals (2017) #1974
44	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #167 III : 기억상실 (1993) #784 Volume 1 (1986) #1799
45	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #381 Resurrection (2000) #748 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3609
46	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1393 Down and Up (1987) #1968 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2178
47	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #571 At the End of Death (2006) #2068 Karma (2008) [EP] #6096
48	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #87 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #83 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #128
49	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Black Metal (1982) #2881 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3274 Warhead (1984) [Single]
50	Riot 1975, United States Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Power Metal	ThunderSteel (1988) #1329 Army of One (2006) The Privilege of Power (1990) #3831

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