From thundering double bass drums and razor-sharp guitar solos to dark, theatrical themes: metal bands have one of the most devoted fan bases in the world. Which band is the undisputed king of heavy guitars for you? Cast your vote now!
Cast your vote - the ranking shifts live based on the votes.
Metallica
Founders of thrash metal and, with more than 125 million records sold, the most commercially successful metal band ever.
Iron Maiden
Figurehead of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, famous for their mascot Eddie and stadium anthems like The Trooper.
Casual fan vote right here. Real music heads know Iron Maiden is painfully mid.
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Black Sabbath
With Tony Iommi's crushingly heavy riffs on Paranoid, they are widely recognized as the birthplace of the entire heavy metal genre.
Kings of this era.
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Judas Priest
Defined the classic metal look of leather and studs and, with singer Rob Halford, set the benchmark for high metal screams.
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Slayer
Together with Metallica, part of the 'Big Four' of thrash metal, notorious for their unmatched speed and uncompromising intensity.
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Megadeth
Founded by Dave Mustaine and loved for their lightning-fast, technically complex guitar parts on classics like Rust in Peace.
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Pantera
Breathed new life into the metal world in the 1990s with the crushing 'groove metal' riffs of guitar legend Dimebag Darrell.
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Slipknot
Nine masked men from Iowa who flatten festival fields all over the world with an explosive mix of nu-metal, percussion and chaos.
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Rammstein
The German giants of Neue Deutsche Härte are known worldwide for their gigantic flamethrowers and theatrical stadium shows.
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Tool
Famous for complex polyrhythms, philosophical concepts and hypnotic progressive metal on masterpieces like Lateralus.
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Still mind-blowing to think about: founders of thrash metal and, with more than 125 million records sold, the most commercially successful metal band ever.