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) #52
2	Iron Maiden 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	The Number of the Beast (1982) #8 Powerslave (1984) #10 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) #42
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #13 Heaven and Hell (1980) #19 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) #17 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #134
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #40 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #93 Diary of a Madman (1981) #531
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #25 ...And Justice for All (1988) #73
7	Yngwie Malmsteen Sweden Neoclassical Metal, Heavy Metal	Rising Force (1984) #35 Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor Op.1 (1998) #224 Marching Out (1985) #246
8	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #41 The Last in Line (1984) #229 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #974
9	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #207 Blackout (1982) #232 Moment of Glory (2000) #342
10	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #306 Stand in Line (1988) #368 Venom (2015) #1834
11	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #21 Empire (1990) #795 The Verdict (2019) #935
12	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #215 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #302 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #459
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #129 Jealousy (1991) #491 Art of Life (1993) #1367
14	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #624 Metal Heart (1985) #695 Blood of the Nations (2010) #960
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #186 Skid Row (1989) #241 Subhuman Race (1995) #2550
16	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #577 Seven Seals (2005) #710 Nuclear Fire (2001) #969
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Trapped! (1992) #621 Lingua Mortis (1996) #661 Strings to a Web (2010) #711
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) #254 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #483
19	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #125 Overkill (1979) #574 No Remorse (1984) [Compilation]
20	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #497 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #968 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1213
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #603 Hunting Time (1989) #1246 Immortal (2006) #1377
22	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #199 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1416 The Headless Children (1989) #1457
23	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #609 Nightmare (2010) #750 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1113
24	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #84 Crimson Glory (1986) #198 Strange and Beautiful (1991) #6652
25	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #282 Conspiracy (1989) #720 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1317
26	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #912 1997 (1997) #1370 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2884
27	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #649 Hail to England (1984) #948 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2031
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) #1432 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1896 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2204
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #347 In God We Trust (1988) #1818 Against the Law (1990) #2583
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Hard Rock	Battle Beast (2013) #1084 Circus of Doom (2022) #1142 Steel (2011) #1163
32	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #515 From Hell with Love (2019) #822 Dark Connection (2021) #3684
33	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #239 Shout at the Devil (1983) #1143 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1573
34	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #1794 Crusader (1984) #2121 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #2779
35	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #1811 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #3676 Single Collection (2012) [Compilation]
36	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) #196
37	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #950 Death or Glory (1989) #1616 Masquerade (1995) #3485
38	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2182 Future World (1987) #2693
39	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #800 City Life History (1996) #1645 Made in Korea (1995) #1683
40	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #268 Facelift (1990) #1541 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #2078
41	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #549 The Premonition (2008) #1083 Immortals (2017) #1992
42	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #193 Melissa (1983) #1478 In the Shadows (1993) #3630
43	Bullet for My Valentine 2002, United Kingdom Melodic Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	The Poison (2005) #610 Scream Aim Fire (2008) #1393 Hand of Blood (2005) [Single]
44	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #173 III : 기억상실 (1993) #801 Volume 1 (1986) #1821
45	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #384 Resurrection (2000) #867 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3692
46	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (1993) [Compilation] Black Metal (1982) #2474 Welcome to Hell (1981) #3091
47	Bruce Dickinson United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Chemical Wedding (1998) #1115 Accident of Birth (1997) #1276 Tyranny of Souls (2005) #2271
48	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #83 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #85 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #108
49	Grave Digger 1980, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	25 to Live (2005) [Live] Tunes of Wacken (2002) [Live] Liberty or Death (2007)
50	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1414 Down and Up (1987) #1987 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2214

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