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) #14 Screaming for Vengeance (1982) #52
2	Iron Maiden 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	The Number of the Beast (1982) #8 Powerslave (1984) #11 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) #45
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #13 Heaven and Hell (1980) #20 Black Sabbath (1970) #48
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) #133
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #40 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #91 Diary of a Madman (1981) #528
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #24 ...And Justice for All (1988) #72
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) #224 Marching Out (1985) #245
8	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #226 Blackout (1982) #231 Moment of Glory (2000) #294
9	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #307 Stand in Line (1988) #367 Venom (2015) #1833
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #41 The Last in Line (1984) #239 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #973
11	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #215 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #303 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #456
12	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #21 Empire (1990) #794 The Verdict (2019) #998
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #127 Jealousy (1991) #486 Art of Life (1993) #1362
14	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #623 Metal Heart (1985) #693 Blood of the Nations (2010) #958
15	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #577 Seven Seals (2005) #706 Nuclear Fire (2001) #968
16	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #185 Skid Row (1989) #247 Subhuman Race (1995) #2545
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Trapped! (1992) #620 Lingua Mortis (1996) #660 Strings to a Web (2010) #707
18	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #141 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #257 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #478
19	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #495 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #967 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1211
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #112 Overkill (1979) #574 Inferno (2004) #2265
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #602 Hunting Time (1989) #1243 Immortal (2006) #1372
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #222 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1413 The Headless Children (1989) #1456
23	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #607 Nightmare (2010) #746 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1112
24	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #83 Crimson Glory (1986) #196 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6638
25	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #281 Conspiracy (1989) #715 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1311
26	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #912 1997 (1997) #1365 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2877
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #649 Hail to England (1984) #947 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2028
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] #47
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1430 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1897 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2200
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #345 In God We Trust (1988) #1818 Against the Law (1990) #2579
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Battle Beast (2013) #1085 Circus of Doom (2022) #1139 Steel (2011) #1161
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #237 Shout at the Devil (1983) #1141 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1570
33	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #561 From Hell with Love (2019) #820 Dark Connection (2021) #3678
34	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #1810 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3671 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
35	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #159 Power Plant (1999) #180 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #194
36	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #949 Death or Glory (1989) #1616 Masquerade (1995) #3476
37	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1792 Crusader (1984) #2119 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3188
38	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2177 Future World (1987) #2686
39	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #799 City Life History (1996) #1645 Made in Korea (1995) #1682
40	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #269 Facelift (1990) #1712 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #2075
41	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #547 The Premonition (2008) #1084 Immortals (2017) #1990
42	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #192 Melissa (1983) #1477 In the Shadows (1993) #3624
43	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #608 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1389 Hand of Blood (2005) [Single]
44	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #172 III : 기억상실 (1993) #800 Volume 1 (1986) #1821
45	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #382 Resurrection (2000) #866 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3686
46	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (1993) [Compilation] Black Metal (1982) #2468 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3080
47	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1410 Down and Up (1987) #1985 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2209
48	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #84 Rising (1976) #96 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #115
49	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #611 At the End of Death (2006) #2097 Karma (2008) [EP] #6271
50	Virgin Steele 1981, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal	The House of Atreus: Act I (1999) #692 Invictus (1998) #2680 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part One (1994) #2693

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