Top 15 Most Influential Metal Bands of All Time
From Thrash to Prog to Death Metal: Here are the band’s that inspired what metal has become today.
Metal is one of the most creative and ever-evolving genres of music and it has changed a lot since the beginning. From the dark and doomy origins to wildly progressive metal acts, each of these bands has left a lasting mark on the genre for years to come.
Here’s our picks for the 15 most influential metal bands of all time, and how they’ve impacted today’s metal artists. Let us know what your picks are in the comments!
15: Cannibal Corpse
If one band embodies the sheer brutality of death metal, it’s Cannibal Corpse. Their gore-filled lyrics and relentless heaviness have made them both controversial and legendary.
Despite censorship and bans, their influence on extreme metal is undeniable and their gore-themed lyrics and brutal music is a massive contributor to the state of modern death metal today.
14: Tool
Tool’s unique blend of progressive metal, intricate time signatures, and deep lyrical themes has made them one of the most distinctive metal bands of all time. The band is know for having an incredibly dedicated fan base and brought an incredibly progressive sound to heights of success that had seemed impossible previously.
With a rather small discography of just 2 EPs and 4 albums, Tool is known for their incredibly well received music, particularly Lateralus and Ænima.
13: Meshuggah
Few bands have been as forward-thinking as Meshuggah. Their polyrhythmic, down-tuned assault reshaped modern metal, inspiring entire genres like djent and technical death metal.
Albums like Destroy Erase Improve and Obzen helped define what many technical/progressive genres sound like today, particularly with how popular djent riffs have become with modern metalcore bands in recent years.
12: Dream Theater
Dream Theater took the technicality of metal to new heights, blending complex compositions with virtuosic musicianship. Albums like Images and Words and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory set a new standard for progressive metal.
Dream Theater probably inspired your favorite prog band, and is an incredibly important and influential act in the genre.
11: Anthrax
As one of thrash metal’s “Big Four,” (alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth) Anthrax brought a different energy to the genre—blending metal with punk, humor, and even hip-hop. Albums like Among the Living showcased their tight riffing and infectious energy.
Their influence can be seen in everything from crossover thrash to the rap-metal explosion of the late ‘90s.
10: Motörhead
Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead didn’t fit neatly into metal or punk, but their raw energy and speed influenced both genres immensely. Tracks like Ace of Spades helped shape speed metal, thrash, and even hardcore punk.
Without Motörhead, there’s no Metallica, no Slayer, and no modern extreme metal as we know it.
9: Pantera
Pantera took thrash’s aggression and injected it with a deep, groove-heavy sound that reshaped metal in the ‘90s. With Dimebag Darrell’s legendary guitar work and Phil Anselmo’s commanding vocals, albums like Cowboys from Hell and Vulgar Display of Power are quintessential examples of classic heavy metal that still hold up today.
8: Korn
Korn didn’t just help create nu-metal—they defined it. With their downtuned guitars, hip-hop-inspired rhythms, and emotionally raw lyrics, they changed the landscape of metal in the mid ‘90s.
Their self titled album and Follow the Leader influenced bands like Slipknot, Linkin Park, and Deftones, proving that metal could be heavy, emotionally deep, and incorporate other genres into the sound as well.
7: Slipknot
Slipknot burst onto the scene in the late ‘90s with a sound that was chaotic, aggressive, and completely fresh. Blending elements of death metal, groove metal, and nu-metal, their self-titled debut and Iowa cemented their reputation as one of the most intense bands in metal at the time.
Beyond their music, their masked personas and unrelenting stage presence helped redefine what a modern metal band could be, influencing countless acts in the 2000s and beyond. Slipknot helped introduce metal to a new generation and introduced a lot of people to metal that may not have heard it otherwise.
6: Death
Death, led by the late Chuck Schuldiner, revolutionized metal by pushing the limits of technicality and brutality. Their early work, including Scream Bloody Gore, is often credited as the first true death metal album.
As their sound evolved into more progressive and intricate territory (Symbolic, The Sound of Perseverance), Death helped pave the way for many technical death metal and progressive extreme metal bands that would come in the future.
5: Slayer
Slayer didn’t just play fast; they played with an intensity that bordered on insanity. Albums like Reign in Blood pushed thrash metal to its absolute limits, influencing the rise of death metal and extreme metal as a whole.
With Tom Araya’s furious vocals, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman’s blistering riffs, and Dave Lombardo’s thunderous drumming, Slayer became the ultimate blueprint for aggression in metal.
4: Judas Priest
Few bands have defined the sound and aesthetic of heavy metal like Judas Priest. With Rob Halford’s operatic vocals, twin-guitar harmonies, and a leather-clad image, Priest gave metal a distinct identity in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Albums like British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance cemented their status, influencing countless bands in power metal, speed metal, and thrash.
3: Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden took metal’s potential and ran with it, incorporating galloping riffs, epic storytelling, and some of the most recognizable guitar harmonies in history. With classics like The Number of the Beast and Powerslave, they became one of the most beloved and influential bands in the genre.
Their theatrical live performances and iconic mascot, Eddie, helped shape metal’s visual identity, inspiring generations of bands to aim for both musical and artistic grandeur.
2: Metallica
Metallica took the raw aggression of thrash metal and brought it to the mainstream in a way that still remains unparalleled. Unarguably the most known and successful metal act of all time, its no surprise to see Metallica on this list.
Their early albums, Kill ’Em All (1983) and Ride the Lightning (1984), set new standards for thrash at the time, while Master of Puppets (1986) and …And Justice for All (1988) showcased their ability to blend melody with their sound. 1991s Black album (self-titled) is still the most successful metal album of all time, with billions upon billions of streams.
Metallica’s legacy extends beyond metal, proving that heavy music can be both commercially successful and paving the way for generations of metal bands to come.
1: Black Sabbath
If metal has a single point of origin, it’s Black Sabbath. Formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England, Sabbath took the bluesy rock of the ‘60s and turned it into something darker, heavier, and more sinister. With Tony Iommi’s ominous riffs, Geezer Butler’s brooding bass lines, and Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals, they laid the foundation for everything metal would become.
Their influence is immeasurable—whether it’s doom, thrash, death, or sludge, almost every metal subgenre owes something to Sabbath’s genre pioneering sound.
Thanks for reading! Let us know what metal band you think is the most influential in the comments!
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