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) #17 Screaming for Vengeance (1982) #63
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) #56
3	Black Sabbath 1969, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Doom Metal	Paranoid (1970) #11 Heaven and Hell (1980) #20 Black Sabbath (1970) #40
4	Megadeth 1983, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal	Rust in Peace (1990) #1 Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986) #15 Countdown to Extinction (1992) #144
5	Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Blizzard of Ozz (1980) #36 Tribute: Randy Rhoads (1987) [Live] #81 Diary of a Madman (1981) #496
6	Metallica 1981, United States Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal	Ride the Lightning (1984) #6 Master of Puppets (1986) #19 ...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) #228 Marching Out (1985) #267
8	Impellitteri 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Screaming Symphony (1996) #276 Stand in Line (1988) #357 Venom (2015) #1761
9	Scorpions 1964, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	Love at First Sting (1984) #209 Blackout (1982) #252 Moment of Glory (2000) #310
10	Savatage 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock	Gutter Ballet (1989) #226 Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) #285 Dead Winter Dead (1995) #464
11	Queensrÿche 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Operation: Mindcrime (1988) #22 Empire (1990) #877 The Verdict (2019) #950
12	Dio 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Holy Diver (1983) #43 The Last in Line (1984) #270 Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010) [Live] #925
13	X Japan 1982, Japan Visual Kei, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal	Blue Blood (1989) #110 Jealousy (1991) #451 Art of Life (1993) #1296
14	Primal Fear 1997, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Unbreakable (2012) #587 Seven Seals (2005) #797 Nuclear Fire (2001) #919
15	Skid Row 1986, United States Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal	Slave to the Grind (1991) #184 Skid Row (1989) #237 Subhuman Race (1995) #2267
16	N.EX.T 1992, Korea Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Pop Rock	The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being (1994) #108 Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera (1997) #263 The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World (1995) #461
17	Rage 1986, Germany Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Power Metal	Lingua Mortis (1996) #546 Trapped! (1992) #641 Strings to a Web (2010) #737
18	Iced Earth 1988, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal	Alive in Athens (1999) [Live] #469 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) #802 Burnt Offerings (1995) #1175
19	Accept 1976, Germany Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Balls to the Wall (1983) #766 Blood of the Nations (2010) #963 Stalingrad: Brothers in Death (2012) #974
20	Motörhead 1975, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Ace of Spades (1980) #87 Overkill (1979) #466 Inferno (2004) #2094
21	Anthem 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Bound to Break (1987) #570 Hunting Time (1989) #1205 Immortal (2006) #1309
22	김경호 (Kim Kyungho) Korea K-Pop, Hard Rock, Rock, Heavy Metal	00:00:1998 (1998) #859 1997 (1997) #1487 Kim Kyungho - 5th (2000) #2718
23	W.A.S.P. 1982, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Glam Metal	The Crimson Idol (1992) #233 W.A.S.P. (1984) #1203 The Headless Children (1989) #1363
24	Crimson Glory 1983, United States Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal	Transcendence (1988) #78 Crimson Glory (1986) #199 Astronomica (1999) #6013
25	Avenged Sevenfold 1999, United States Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Hard Rock	City of Evil (2005) #668 Nightmare (2010) #828 Avenged Sevenfold (2007) #1441
26	King Diamond 1985, Denmark Heavy Metal	Abigail (1987) #327 Conspiracy (1989) #580 Fatal Portrait (1986) #1251
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) #26 United Alive (2019) [Live] #39
28	Manowar 1980, United States Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Kings of Metal (1988) #763 Hail to England (1984) #928 Sign of the Hammer (1984) #2208
29	HammerFall 1993, Sweden Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Threshold (2006) #1459 No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009) #1836 Crimson Thunder (2002) #2118
30	Stryper 1983, United States Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Christian Rock	To Hell with the Devil (1986) #329 In God We Trust (1988) #1958 Second Coming (2013) #2588
31	Battle Beast 2005, Finland Heavy Metal	Battle Beast (2013) #955 Circus of Doom (2022) #1094 Steel (2011) #1132
32	Mötley Crüe 1981, United States Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Dr. Feelgood (1989) #220 Shout at the Devil (1983) #913 Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) #1559
33	Gamma Ray 1989, Germany Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal	Land of the Free (1995) #155 Power Plant (1999) #163 Somewhere Out in Space (1997) #181
34	Black Hole 1986, Korea Heavy Metal	Hero (2005) #729 City Life History (1996) #1575 Made in Korea (1995) #1622
35	Beast in Black 2015, Finland Heavy Metal, Power Metal	Berserker (2017) #593 From Hell with Love (2019) #929 Dark Connection (2021) #2962
36	Pretty Maids 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	The Best of...Back to Back (1998) [Compilation] Carpe Diem (2000) #2095 Pandemonium (2010) #2619
37	Running Wild 1979, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	Port Royal (1988) #1099 Death or Glory (1989) #2021 Masquerade (1995) #4191
38	Loudness 1981, Japan Heavy Metal, Hard Rock	Soldier of Fortune (1989) #2215 Hurricane Eyes (1987) #4110 Disillusion (1984) #4395
39	부활 (Boohwal) 1985, Korea Heavy Metal, Rock, K-Pop	II : Remember (1987) #172 III : 기억상실 (1993) #752 Volume 1 (1986) #1755
40	Firewind 1998, Greece Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal	Days of Defiance (2010) #606 The Premonition (2008) #1102 Immortals (2017) #1924
41	Alice in Chains 1987, United States Heavy Metal, Grunge	Dirt (1992) #277 Facelift (1990) #1752 MTV Unplugged (1996) [Live] #1768
42	Mercyful Fate 1981, Denmark Heavy Metal	Don't Break the Oath (1984) #203 Melissa (1983) #1453 In the Shadows (1993) #3249
43	Saxon 1978, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM	Hell, Fire and Damnation (2024) #2116 The Inner Sanctum (2007) #3021 Crusader (1984) #3122
44	시나위 (Sinawe) 1993, Korea Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock	은퇴선언 (1997) #1346 Down and Up (1987) #1920 크게 라디오를 켜고 (1986) #2127
45	Halford 1999, United Kingdom Heavy Metal	Live Insurrection (2001) [Live] #402 Resurrection (2000) #803 Live in Anaheim - Original Soundtrack (2010) [Live] #3462
46	Downhell 2003, Korea Heavy Metal	A Relative Coexistence (2011) #549 At the End of Death (2006) #2020 Karma (2008) [EP] #5827
47	Rainbow 1975, United Kingdom Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, AOR	Rising (1976) #85 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) #91 Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) #129
48	Venom 1979, United Kingdom Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM	Welcome to Hell (1981) #2706 Black Metal (1982) #2852 Warhead (1984) [Single]
49	Virgin Steele 1981, United States Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal	The House of Atreus: Act I (1999) #633 Invictus (1998) #2563 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part One (1994) #2911
50	Grave Digger 1980, Germany Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal	25 to Live (2005) [Live] Tunes of Wacken (2002) [Live] Liberty or Death (2007)

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