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) #16 Screaming for Vengeance (1982) #57
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) #48
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #12 Heaven and Hell (1980) #20 Black Sabbath (1970) #45
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) #143
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #39 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #88 Diary of a Madman (1981) #518
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #21 ...And Justice for All (1988) #70
7	Yngwie Malmsteen Sweden Neoclassical Metal, Heavy Metal	Rising Force (1984) #32 Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor Op.1 (1998) #225 Marching Out (1985) #250
8	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #227 Blackout (1982) #235 Moment of Glory (2000) #293
9	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #306 Stand in Line (1988) #356 Venom (2015) #1820
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #46 The Last in Line (1984) #248 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #955
11	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #232 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #304 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #450
12	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #23 Empire (1990) #916 The Verdict (2019) #984
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #125 Jealousy (1991) #480 Art of Life (1993) #1351
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #615 Seven Seals (2005) #836 Nuclear Fire (2001) #949
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #185 Skid Row (1989) #249 Subhuman Race (1995) #2338
16	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #128 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #263 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #475
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Lingua Mortis (1996) #656 Trapped! (1992) #662 Strings to a Web (2010) #701
18	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #759 Metal Heart (1985) #764 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #1008
19	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #488 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #948 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1203
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #99 Overkill (1979) #565 Inferno (2004) #2255
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #594 Hunting Time (1989) #1237 Immortal (2006) #1360
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #223 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1286 The Headless Children (1989) #1437
23	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #82 Crimson Glory (1986) #197 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6540
24	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #276 Conspiracy (1989) #706 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1302
25	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #900 1997 (1997) #1354 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2842
26	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #643 Nightmare (2010) #817 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1211
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #707 Hail to England (1984) #934 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2020
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] #44
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1510 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1888 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2191
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #340 In God We Trust (1988) #1801 Against the Law (1990) #2557
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Steel (2011) #1082 Battle Beast (2013) #1084 Circus of Doom (2022) #1097
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #233 Shout at the Devil (1983) #987 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1399
33	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #531 From Hell with Love (2019) #901 Dark Connection (2021) #3074
34	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #158 Power Plant (1999) #180 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #192
35	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #935 Death or Glory (1989) #1608 Masquerade (1995) #3434
36	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #2081 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3630 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
37	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2171 Future World (1987) #2655
38	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #783 City Life History (1996) #1635 Made in Korea (1995) #1673
39	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1783 Crusader (1984) #3063 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3147
40	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #190 Melissa (1983) #1465 In the Shadows (1993) #3588
41	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #267 Facelift (1990) #1702 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #2064
42	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #599 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1373 Fever (2010) #3677
43	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #603 The Premonition (2008) #1125 Immortals (2017) #1984
44	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #168 III : 기억상실 (1993) #784 Volume 1 (1986) #1803
45	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (1993) [Compilation] Black Metal (1982) #2501 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3033
46	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #384 Resurrection (2000) #853 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3645
47	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1393 Down and Up (1987) #1977 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2202
48	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #84 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #85 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #132
49	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #604 At the End of Death (2006) #2087 Karma (2008) [EP] #6174
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)

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