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) #59
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) #53
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #11 Heaven and Hell (1980) #19 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) #14 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #143
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #36 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #83 Diary of a Madman (1981) #537
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #20 ...And Justice for All (1988) #74
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) #234 Marching Out (1985) #258
8	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #278 Stand in Line (1988) #363 Venom (2015) #1776
9	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #221 Blackout (1982) #256 Moment of Glory (2000) #324
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #49 The Last in Line (1984) #268 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #939
11	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #227 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #291 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #472
12	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #22 Empire (1990) #897 The Verdict (2019) #966
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #120 Jealousy (1991) #459 Art of Life (1993) #1310
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #598 Seven Seals (2005) #815 Nuclear Fire (2001) #933
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #175 Skid Row (1989) #236 Subhuman Race (1995) #2286
16	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #115 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #265 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #468
17	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #743 Metal Heart (1985) #798 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #991
18	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Lingua Mortis (1996) #640 Trapped! (1992) #650 Strings to a Web (2010) #751
19	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #476 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #822 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1184
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #95 Overkill (1979) #551 Inferno (2004) #2111
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #582 Hunting Time (1989) #1215 Immortal (2006) #1320
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #238 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1213 The Headless Children (1989) #1373
23	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #878 1997 (1997) #1507 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2751
24	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #267 Conspiracy (1989) #626 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1266
25	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #78 Crimson Glory (1986) #200 Astronomica (1999) #6143
26	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #731 Nightmare (2010) #847 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1458
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) #691 Hail to England (1984) #924 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #1967
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1473 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1848 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2131
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #351 In God We Trust (1988) #1971 Second Coming (2013) #2609
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Steel (2011) #1071 Battle Beast (2013) #1073 Circus of Doom (2022) #1087
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #228 Shout at the Devil (1983) #921 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1361
33	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #156 Power Plant (1999) #166 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #184
34	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #547 From Hell with Love (2019) #987 Dark Connection (2021) #3168
35	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #2024 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3509 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
36	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #770 City Life History (1996) #1593 Made in Korea (1995) #1635
37	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #925 Death or Glory (1989) #1571 Masquerade (1995) #3315
38	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2112 Pandemonium (2010) #2642
39	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #587 The Premonition (2008) #1112 Immortals (2017) #1940
40	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1621 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3058 Crusader (1984) #3463
41	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #162 III : 기억상실 (1993) #771 Volume 1 (1986) #1755
42	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #208 Melissa (1983) #1510 In the Shadows (1993) #3548
43	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #293 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #1768 Facelift (1990) #1863
44	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #381 Resurrection (2000) #736 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3527
45	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1352 Down and Up (1987) #1933 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2140
46	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #555 At the End of Death (2006) #2030 Karma (2008) [EP] #5957
47	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #84 Rising (1976) #88 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #136
48	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Black Metal (1982) #2992 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3036 Warhead (1984) [Single]
49	Riot 1975, United States Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Power Metal	ThunderSteel (1988) #1292 Sons of Society (1999) Army of One (2006)
50	Royal Hunt 1989, Denmark Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal, Symphonic Metal	Paradox (1997) #72 Show Me How to Live (2011) #279 1996 (1996) [Live] #414

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