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) #53
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) #51
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #10 Heaven and Hell (1980) #17 Master of Reality (1971) #49
4	Megadeth 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal	Rust in Peace (1990) #1 Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) #18 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #145
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #38 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #78 Diary of a Madman (1981) #528
6	Yngwie Malmsteen Sweden Neoclassical Metal, Heavy Metal	Rising Force (1984) #37 Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor Op.1 (1998) #197 Marching Out (1985) #258
7	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #22 ...And Justice for All (1988) #80
8	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #236 Blackout (1982) #242 Lovedrive (1979) #361
9	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #296 Stand in Line (1988) #380 Venom (2015) #1659
10	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #47 The Last in Line (1984) #241 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #895
11	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #25 Empire (1990) #690 The Warning (1984) #960
12	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #202 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #314 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #408
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #128 Jealousy (1991) #529 Art of Life (1993) #1413
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #582 Seven Seals (2005) #645 Nuclear Fire (2001) #928
15	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #630 Metal Heart (1985) #700 Blood of the Nations (2010) #774
16	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #168 Skid Row (1989) #245 Subhuman Race (1995) #2569
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Trapped! (1992) #620 Lingua Mortis (1996) #668 Strings to a Web (2010) #737
18	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #118 Overkill (1979) #621 Inferno (2004) #2598
19	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #147 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #268 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #521
20	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #508 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #976 Night of the Stormrider (1991) #1158
21	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #208 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1223 The Headless Children (1989) #1468
22	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #644 Hunting Time (1989) #1004 Immortal (2006) #1386
23	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #577 Nightmare (2010) #632 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #941
24	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #281 Conspiracy (1989) #643 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1491
25	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #83 Crimson Glory (1986) #219 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6745
26	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #1043 1997 (1997) #1566 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2921
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #614 Hail to England (1984) #787 Warriors of the World (2002) #1998
28	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1212 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1679 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2300
29	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] #50
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #358 In God We Trust (1988) #1814 Against the Law (1990) #2418
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Hard Rock	Battle Beast (2013) #1102 Circus of Doom (2022) #1153 Steel (2011) #1157
32	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Crusader (1984) #2142 Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #2156 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #2812
33	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #1810 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3472 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
34	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #250 Shout at the Devil (1983) #1104 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1416
35	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #654 From Hell with Love (2019) #1012 Dark Connection (2021) #4032
36	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #959 Death or Glory (1989) #1626 Masquerade (1995) #3394
37	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #159 Power Plant (1999) #173 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #191
38	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #264 Facelift (1990) #1555 Alice in Chains (1995) #1923
39	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #553 The Premonition (2008) #1101 Allegiance (2006) #1813
40	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2205 Future World (1987) #2718
41	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #367 Resurrection (2000) #713 Halford IV - Made of Metal (2010) #3693
42	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #806 Made in Korea (1995) #1360 City Life History (1996) #1887
43	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #573 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1302 Hand of Blood (2005) [Single]
44	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #199 Melissa (1983) #1488 In the Shadows (1993) #3178
45	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #179 III : 기억상실 (1993) #808 Volume 1 (1986) #1816
46	Grave Digger 1980, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	25 to Live (2005) [Live] Tunes of Wacken (2002) [Live] Knights of the Cross (1998) #5045
47	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (1993) [Compilation] Black Metal (1982) #2338 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3335
48	Riot 1975, United States Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Power Metal	ThunderSteel (1988) #1361 Army of One (2006) The Privilege of Power (1990) #4029
49	Virgin Steele 1981, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal	The House of Atreus: Act I (1999) #675 Invictus (1998) #2713 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part One (1994) #2724
50	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #84 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #85 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #125

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