MTV's Top 10 Greatest Metal Bands of all Time.

[Unchainme]

9. Kiss

OK, marketing your own condoms, vacation packages and even coffins isn't terribly metal, but consider this: Without Kiss, glam metal wouldn't have had the same flash, strut or exuberance; shock-rockers might never have spat blood, blown fire or detonated things onstage; and black-metal musicians might never have donned kabuki makeup and prowled around like demons.

Kiss did it all right from the start of their career, which began with a bang as loud as their onstage pyro. Mixing the glam stylings of the New York Dolls with hard-rock riffing, Kiss crafted a calculated blend of fist-in-air anthems and emotive ballads that set the sky alight. And while it was their stage shows that made them legendary, they were also prolific songwriters.

Between their excellent self-titled debut in 1974 and their 1985 disc Asylum, Kiss released a total of 18 albums (including the members four 1978 solo efforts). And during this time, Kiss commanded a legion of frenzied followers who doled out their allowances to become members of the Kiss Army. While it was probably another of Gene Simmons' shrewd business moves (along with releasing comics, board games, pinball machines and the awful movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park"), the Army gave Kiss fans a community and a sense of empowerment. Regardless of what kind of trauma was going on at home, as soon as Kiss soldiers put the needle on the record, they were part of a worldwide cultural phenomenon — something much bigger than themselves.

Although many consider Kiss to be a straight-ahead rock band — musically, anyway — they were vital to the evolution of metal. The structures of songs like "Detroit Rock City," "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "God of Thunder" have been imitated by countless metal bands, and loyal Kiss Army troopers included Rob Zombie, Pantera's Vinnie Paul and the late "Dimebag" Darrell (who actually was buried in a Kiss Kasket).

In 2000, Kiss launched a farewell tour — which still hasn't ended despite the comings and goings of guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. Kiss, Inc. just keeps on rollin' ...

[Unchainme]

7. AC/DC

Heavy metal was always a musical form built on sonic excess and sensory overload. Then came AC/DC.

Embracing a less-is-more aesthetic, the Australian quintet stripped rock to its rawest essence with simple song structures, minimalist blues-based riffs, frill-free drumming and screeching vocals. Their unsophisticated, uncluttered songs made AC/DC the ultimate party rockers: The space between Angus and Malcolm Young's blaring guitars and thunderous beats provided a stunning sense of tension and release, and the slow, steady rhythm made the songs perfect for headbanging. The pulse of the music was aggressive and exciting, but more than anything it was raw and sexual. Tracks like "TNT," "Highway to Hell" and "If You Want Blood" gyrated and thrusted in just the right places, and each climaxed with one of Angus' patented freewheeling solos.

AC/DC's lyrics were cleverly stupid, packed with juvenile imagery and dirty double-entendres. "Big Balls," to cite a less-subtle example, could be a song about great parties. The band's sense of fun (as opposed to menace) led them to be embraced by a more mainstream crowd than the intimidating Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

They were also exceptional showmen. In concert, Scott was plenty charismatic, yet he was completely upstaged by Young, who ran, leapt and rolled around in a schoolboy uniform, all the while making ridiculous faces that contrasted with the ferocity of his playing.

Tragically, Scott died from an alcohol overdose in February 1980 after recording six albums with the band. Incredibly, AC/DC immediately bounced back, hiring British singer Brian Johnson a month later and going right into the studio to record Back in Black. The album included the band's biggest hits — the title track and "You Shook Me All Night Long" — and has sold more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Since then, AC/DC have released eight more studio albums with Johnson, including their most recent, Stiff Upper Lip, which came out in 2000 and proved that while they have aged, they certainly haven't grown up.

[Unchainme]

6. Slayer

Metallica may have invented thrash metal, but Slayer injected the form with a near-lethal dose of undiluted evil.

Although they essentially started as a Judas Priest cover band, Slayer — bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman and drummer Dave Lombardo — quickly evolved. Inspired by classic metal, hardcore punk, horror movies and a hunger to destroy, the band wrote brutal, unrestrained songs that were disturbing, controversial and took heavy metal to new extremes.

Of course, Slayer weren't just devastating and frightening, they were also incredibly influential musically. Their downtuned rhythms, infectious guitar licks, graphically violent lyrics and grisly artwork set the standard for dozens of emerging thrash bands, and Slayer's music was directly responsible for the rise of death metal. Today, the band are far from the fastest, most disgusting or most dangerous outfit — and they don't even support death metal, which they refer to as "Cookie Monster music." Yet Slayer's recent live shows and recordings prove they remain both menacing and undeniably vital.

Like many of their peers, Slayer's sound is anchored in the dual guitar rhythms of King and Hanneman, but while the two have created some of the fastest and tightest thrash-metal riffs of all time, their leads are savage, sloppy and often atonal, sounding not unlike animals being tortured — and that's what makes them so identifiable. Slayer aren't about subtlety; they're about excess and overload, yet through the years they've learned to use dynamics and atmosphere to make their impact even more pronounced — and Dave Lombardo's impossibly fast and complex drumming is the final nail in the coffin.

[Unchainme]

4. Iron Maiden

To say that a heavy metal band is larger than life verges on redundancy, since the entire genre is about being bigger, stronger, faster, louder and more intense. But even within the metal microcosm, Iron Maiden are larger and more iconic than most of their peers. Unlike many metal bands, however, Maiden's music isn't primarily about rage or revenge — it's more an outlet for escape. And since the release of their debut EP in 1979, Maiden have provided millions of fans with a high-energy vacation from life via thunderous guitars, galloping beats and melodramatic vocals that transport the listener wherever the lyrics command.

In addition to traditional horror-story fare, Iron Maiden have explored Greek mythology ("Flight of Icarus"), ancient Egypt ("Powerslave") and the bowels of hell ("The Number of the Beast"). They also addressed more historically significant subjects such as the genocide of Native Americans ("Run to the Hills") and the war in Iraq ("Face in the Sand"). The horrors described in their lyrics found physical manifestation in the band's ghoulish mascot, "Eddie the 'ead," which routinely joins them onstage in some or other robotic form. And, whether tackling a tale in a conventional four-minute framework or stretching a yarn into a 15-minute mini-epic, Maiden perform with equal vigor, laying down technically proficient passages and mindbending solos that impress without being pretentious.

Although the band recorded classics like "Running Free" and "Wrathchild" with original singer Paul Di'Anno, they hit their stride with his successor, Bruce Dickinson. Between 1982 and 1992, the band released a formidable series of high-impact songs driven by Dickinson's multi-octave vocals and unforgettable guitar parts. Yet the band's anchor since its 1977 inception has been Steve Harris, whose songwriting strength and signature, 16th-note-laden bass runs propel the Maiden sound.

In 1992, Dickinson quit the band to focus on his solo career and Maiden continued with singer Blaze Bailey, but the shift didn't work for either, and in 1999 the powerhouse lineup reunited, even stronger than ever: When early guitarist Adrian Smith, who'd left in 1989, said he wanted to return, the band boosted its lineup to include three guitarists, making the epic vibe of its music even more so. Since then, Maiden have logged thousands of miles on the road, just wrapped their third post-reunion studio LP (slated for release later this year) and look set for another decade of dominance.

[Unchainme]

2. Judas Priest

If Black Sabbath planted the seeds of metal, their demon offspring Judas Priest made sure the vitriolic blossoms continued to flourish in fresh, exciting ways.

Between 1974 and 1990, Judas Priest — who arose from the same part of England as Sabbath and even shared a rehearsal space with them in the early days — were the keepers of the metal crown, writing songs that were slick as leather and sharp as spikes. Their mid-tempo sound — a surging mix of gleaming guitars, thundering beats and vocals that vaulted from fiery scowls to operatic howls — is custom-designed for headbanging. And their twin-axe attack gives them enormous flexibility: At any given point in a song, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing can create a dense, impenetrable wall of sound, play flashy guitar harmonies or work in tandem where one provides grinding rhythm while the other solos.

But most of all it is singer Rob Halford who brings the magic to Priest, with a menacing wail that has been often copied but never duplicated. In his songs, Halford addresses themes of self-empowerment, liberation and revenge — and when he screams for vengeance, he looks the part.

Indeed, Judas Priest's biker-bar stagewear, which the band adopted around the release of 1978's Hell Bent for Leather, shaped metal fashion in the '80s. Clad in studded leather and brandishing their instruments like weapons, the members were a vision of danger and devastation— and the band's shows traditionally culminate with Halford coming onstage for the encore astride a roaring motorcycle.

Ironically, Halford was depicted throughout the '80s as a ladykiller, and was frequently photographed with buxom models draped around his shoulders. But in 1998, about seven years after years after he left Judas Priest, he publicly admitted his homosexuality. Fortunately, there was no backlash, and when Halford rejoined the band in July 2003, new and old fans embraced his return. Priest's performance on Ozzfest in 2004 was one of the highlights of the festival, and the band kept the momentum flowing by returning to the studio and releasing a new album, Angel of Retribution, in 2005. Judas Priest are currently in the studio working on their next LP, an epic concept album about the life of legendary soothsayer Nostradamus. In 2007, the screaming will begin anew.

[Unchainme]

1. Black Sabbath

A tolling bell cuts through a torrential thunderstorm. Then, a trudging, three-note riff is capped with a sinister guitar trill. As moody drum fills tumble ominously, a powerful, nasal voice sings, "What is this that stands before me?/ A figure in black which points at me." The year is 1970 and the horned beast of heavy metal has just been born: Black Sabbath have arrived.

Musically, Sabbath's inception marked the moment when rock, blues, psychedelia and the occult fused into a powerfully volatile medium. The band's appeal was largely due to the disparate voices and collective might of its members. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne looked like a disillusioned hippie gripped by madness and consumed by hatred, but he sang memorable melodies with a fatalistic sneer that resonated like a rock through a window. Guitarist Tony Iommi (who'd lost the tips of three fingers in a factory accident, inadvertently spawning the band's down-tuned sound) drew influence from Led Zeppelin, Cream and Blue Cheer and amped up the sound with extra distortion and chugging power chords; bassist Geezer Butler played imaginative counter-lines to the riffs and drummer Bill Ward made sure the music felt like thunder. Together, Black Sabbath were the sound of the world in flames — a working-class shout from the industrial hinterlands of Birmingham, England, to the post-Altamont generation, challenging them to accept a life of chaos and embrace the wreckage.

In addition to being heavy and menacing, Black Sabbath were also incredibly prolific. The band released its classic first four albums in a mere two-and-a-half years. Four more LPs with Osbourne followed before long-simmering tensions led to his departure from the band; he was replaced by Ronnie James Dio, who recorded two impressive albums with Sabbath before leaving to form the eponymously named outfit that continues to this day.

Sabbath persevered through the '80s and '90s, releasing albums and touring with a variety of vocalists, but none could recapture the majesty and insanity of the Ozzy years. Finally, in 1997, Ozzy convinced Iommi and Butler to reunite with him to headline the heralded Ozzfest; Ward was on board for reunion shows at the end of that year, which were released as a live LP, Reunion. The drummer's participation in Sabbath tours has been on-again off-again, and the band's plans to record a new studio LP have yet to reach fruition, but all four members took the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony earlier this year for the long-overdue induction of this most quintessential heavy metal band.

[Unchainme]

Honorable Mention

Van Halen
There was much debate in the brain trust over whether or not Van Halen is a metal band (Is David Lee Roth a metal artist? Is Sammy Hagar?), which is the reason for this comparatively low placement. Still, it's impossible to deny the strength of the band's first four albums or the guitar prowess of Eddie Van Halen, who virtually revolutionized the metal guitar lead.

[bantonelli]

I still think Van Halen should have ranked higher....it hadn't been for Dave leaving and that damn SPAMtard and changing the style of hard rock to that easy listening crap, they would be more identifyable as a Heavy Metal band. (My opinion only)

[Binky]

I personally think Van Halen are more hard rock than metal to be honest, they don't have that certain heaviness that other bands do. Also, unfortunately I don't think Van Halen are as respected as other bands such as Maiden or AC/DC even though they have been around since 1979ish. It could have been the Hagar era, or the brief whatshisface era and the egotism that contributed. I know when they released their CD Greatest Hits (the one with the two reunion songs) it didn't get flattering reviews that I saw of. Believe it or not, Van Halen are slightly underrated where I come from as well. In fact, all you hear of is Jump, and anywhere else something like Panama. The only time I've heard Roth stuff is Download 2006 where Just Like Paradise was played a lot. *^_^* \m/

[bantonelli]

Originally posted by Binky
I personally think Van Halen are more hard rock than metal to be honest, they don't have that certain heaviness that other bands do. Also, unfortunately I don't think Van Halen are as respected as other bands such as Maiden or AC/DC even though they have been around since 1979ish. It could have been the Hagar era, or the brief whatshisface era and the egotism that contributed. I know when they released their CD Greatest Hits (the one with the two reunion songs) it didn't get flattering reviews that I saw of. Believe it or not, Van Halen are slightly underrated where I come from as well. In fact, all you hear of is Jump, and anywhere else something like Panama. The only time I've heard Roth stuff is Download 2006 where Just Like Paradise was played a lot. *^_^* \m/

You've got a good point.

I'm proud of "JUMP" if I hear it on the radio, but I'm SICK of it at the same time too. It sounds so "Bubblegum" compared to the kick ass stuff they did, like D.O.A., Women in Love, Hear about it Later, etc. that you never hear get air time.

[Mr Badguy]

It`s bullshit.

Where the fuck is Deep Purple?

Pantera, Metallica, Kiss, Slayer and Motley Crue get in but Purple don`t?

The other five are solid hall of fame metal bands but of all the US bands I would have had Van Halen in first, even if only for the impact of their debut which is still far and away better than any album of the five US bands on the list.

MTV`s ass.

The only time they talk about metal these days is to take the piss out of it.

[sammysucks65]

The crue? Figures, MTV. I think Vh1's the better classic metal channel.
Surprised though, they had In Flames and Faith No More, very overlooked bands.

[Terry]

10. Motley Crue - not metal
9. KISS - not metal
8. Motorhead - very metal
7. AC/DC - not metal
6. Slayer - metal
5. Pantera - metal
4. Iron Maiden - metal
3. Metallica - metal
2. Judas Priest - metal
1. Black Sabbath - forerunners of metal, but am not sure I'd peg them as simply a metal band

CVH I would never have pegged as a metal band.

[Sugar-Dave]

kiss?!?!

fucking Kiss

Kiss are shite

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by Terry
10. Motley Crue - not metal
9. KISS - not metal
8. Motorhead - very metal
7. AC/DC - not metal
6. Slayer - metal
5. Pantera - metal
4. Iron Maiden - metal
3. Metallica - metal
2. Judas Priest - metal
1. Black Sabbath - forerunners of metal, but am not sure I'd peg them as simply a metal band

CVH I would never have pegged as a metal band.

I'm pretty much in line with Terry...I wouldn't peg Motley Crue as metal, per se...closer to hard rock or glam rock I guess...not really metal...Kiss is hard rock likewise (or whatever you classify Crue as), again not metal...AC/DC is hard rock, not metal...Pantera doesn't belong in top 10, top 30 - ok, but not in the top 10...

Obviously agree with Black Sabbath being at #1...

In regards to Deep Purple, they're not a metal act, either...diverging with Badguy there...