Metal Bands, Ranked

Their 1970 self-titled debut and 'Paranoid' effectively invented heavy metal, and Tony Iommi's detuned, doom-laden riffs became the genre's foundational blueprint.

The best-selling metal band in history, their 1991 self-titled 'Black Album' has sold over 16 million copies in the US alone. 'Master of Puppets' is a thrash landmark.

Leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they've sold over 100 million records with mascot Eddie and epics like 'The Number of the Beast' and 'Run to the Hills'.

They defined metal's leather-and-studs image and the twin-guitar attack; 'British Steel' and Rob Halford's operatic wail set the template for heavy metal itself.

One of thrash's 'Big Four,' their 1986 'Reign in Blood' is widely cited as one of the most influential and extreme metal albums ever recorded.

Founded by ex-Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine, they brought technical precision to thrash with 'Rust in Peace,' featuring 'Hangar 18' and 'Holy Wars'.

'Vulgar Display of Power' and Dimebag Darrell's riffing pioneered groove metal and dominated the 1990s heavy scene.

The nine-member masked collective became modern metal's biggest new institution, winning a Grammy and topping charts with 'Iowa' and '.5: The Gray Chapter'.

Lemmy's speed-and-volume assault bridged punk and metal; 'Ace of Spades' remains one of the most iconic metal anthems ever written.

Grammy-winning progressive metal architects whose intricate, cerebral records like 'Lateralus' and 'Ænima' pushed the genre's artistic ceiling.

Germany's industrial-metal juggernaut turned pyro-heavy stadium spectacle and provocative German-language anthems into global arena tours.

The standard-bearers of progressive metal, their 1992 'Images and Words' and virtuosic musicianship defined a whole subgenre.

Leaders of the 2000s new wave of American heavy metal, 'Ashes of the Wake' cemented their brutal, precise groove-thrash sound.

Their unpredictable, politically charged alt-metal broke through with the multi-platinum 'Toxicity' and the ubiquitous 'Chop Suey!'.

Their 1994 debut essentially launched nu-metal, with detuned seven-string riffs and raw angst that defined a late-90s era.

They rode metalcore into mainstream arenas, scoring number-one albums with 'Nightmare' and 'Hail to the King,' though purists debate their pivot to radio-friendly rock.

Reliable hitmakers with multiple number-one albums and 'Down with the Sickness,' though their formulaic output rarely pushes boundaries.

Commercially massive with a huge fanbase, but widely criticized in metal circles for repetitive songwriting and cover-heavy setlists.

Often lumped into hard rock/metal radio, they became the internet's punchline for cookie-cutter songwriting despite huge sales.