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) #55
2	Iron Maiden 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	The Number of the Beast (1982) #10 Powerslave (1984) #12 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) #47
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #13 Heaven and Hell (1980) #20 Black Sabbath (1970) #43
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) #142
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #42 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #88 Diary of a Madman (1981) #521
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #21 ...And Justice for All (1988) #69
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) #224 Marching Out (1985) #247
8	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #226 Blackout (1982) #234 Moment of Glory (2000) #296
9	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #307 Stand in Line (1988) #360 Venom (2015) #1836
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #44 The Last in Line (1984) #240 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #965
11	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #232 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #305 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #451
12	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #23 Empire (1990) #922 The Verdict (2019) #990
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #125 Jealousy (1991) #481 Art of Life (1993) #1358
14	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #626 Metal Heart (1985) #692 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #962
15	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #572 Seven Seals (2005) #840 Nuclear Fire (2001) #959
16	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #186 Skid Row (1989) #252 Subhuman Race (1995) #2544
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Trapped! (1992) #621 Lingua Mortis (1996) #660 Strings to a Web (2010) #709
18	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #135 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #263 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #476
19	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #489 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #958 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1207
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #109 Overkill (1979) #568 Inferno (2004) #2265
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #600 Hunting Time (1989) #1238 Immortal (2006) #1366
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #222 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1290 The Headless Children (1989) #1446
23	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #81 Crimson Glory (1986) #198 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6594
24	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #277 Conspiracy (1989) #715 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1307
25	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #908 1997 (1997) #1361 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2869
26	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #648 Nightmare (2010) #824 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1213
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #716 Hail to England (1984) #941 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2025
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] #46
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1420 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1899 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2200
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #341 In God We Trust (1988) #1818 Against the Law (1990) #2578
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Battle Beast (2013) #1080 Circus of Doom (2022) #1098 Steel (2011) #1125
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #238 Shout at the Devil (1983) #1143 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1569
33	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #550 From Hell with Love (2019) #909 Dark Connection (2021) #3106
34	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #1810 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3657 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
35	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #161 Power Plant (1999) #182 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #194
36	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #943 Death or Glory (1989) #1620 Masquerade (1995) #3457
37	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1797 Crusader (1984) #2115 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3173
38	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2177 Future World (1987) #2683
39	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #789 City Life History (1996) #1647 Made in Korea (1995) #1686
40	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #192 Melissa (1983) #1470 In the Shadows (1993) #3611
41	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #266 Facelift (1990) #1713 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #2070
42	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #606 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1380 Hand of Blood (2005) [Single]
43	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #610 The Premonition (2008) #1124 Immortals (2017) #1988
44	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #174 III : 기억상실 (1993) #790 Volume 1 (1986) #1820
45	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #385 Resurrection (2000) #912 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3670
46	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (1993) [Compilation] Black Metal (1982) #2522 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3065
47	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1403 Down and Up (1987) #1982 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2211
48	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #82 Rising (1976) #96 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #123
49	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #611 At the End of Death (2006) #2095 Karma (2008) [EP] #6233
50	Virgin Steele 1981, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal	The House of Atreus: Act I (1999) #691 Invictus (1998) #2678 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part One (1994) #2690

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