--- title: "Heavy Metal" type: "MusicGenre" url: "https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy" bands: 3304 era: "1970s" --- # Heavy Metal **Heavy Metal** is a metal genre, formative in the 1970s. TheMetalNet maps 3,304 bands and 9,964 albums under it. Heavy metal is the foundation from which every other style here branches — loud, riff-driven music built on distorted electric guitars, pounding drums, and powerful vocals. Britain’s Black Sabbath invented the template in 1970 with downtuned, ominous riffs, and Judas Priest stripped out the blues, added twin guitars, and set the classic mold. Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Dio then defined its melodic, galloping, anthemic peak. Tempos run mid-to-fast, the mood is powerful and dramatic, and themes range from rebellion to fantasy. ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Genre | Heavy Metal | | Level | Macro genre | | Formative era | 1970s | | Bands | 3,304 | | Albums | 9,964 | | Formation span | 1960 to 2026 | ## Sub-genres - [Heavy Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy-metal) (3,030 bands) - [NWOBHM](https://themetalnet.com/genre/nwobhm) (87 bands) - [Speed Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/speed-metal) (352 bands) - [US Power Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/us-power-metal) (8 bands) - [Neoclassical Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/neoclassical-metal) (36 bands) ## Notable bands (top 60 by prominence) - [Aerosmith](https://themetalnet.com/band/aerosmith) (United States, 1970) - [Black Sabbath](https://themetalnet.com/band/black-sabbath) (United Kingdom, 1968) - [Guns N’ Roses](https://themetalnet.com/band/guns-n-roses) (United States, 1985) - [Deep Purple](https://themetalnet.com/band/deep-purple) (United Kingdom, 1968) - [Iron Maiden](https://themetalnet.com/band/iron-maiden) (United Kingdom, 1975) - [KISS](https://themetalnet.com/band/kiss) (United States, 1973) - [Scorpions](https://themetalnet.com/band/scorpions) (Germany, 1965) - [Judas Priest](https://themetalnet.com/band/judas-priest) (United Kingdom, 1969) - [Motörhead](https://themetalnet.com/band/motorhead) (United Kingdom, 1975) - [Blue Öyster Cult](https://themetalnet.com/band/blue-oyster-cult) (United States, 1967) - [Europe](https://themetalnet.com/band/europe) (Sweden, 1982) - [Rush](https://themetalnet.com/band/rush) (Canada, 1968) - [Thin Lizzy](https://themetalnet.com/band/thin-lizzy) (Ireland, 1969) - [Def Leppard](https://themetalnet.com/band/def-leppard) (United Kingdom, 1977) - [Mötley Crüe](https://themetalnet.com/band/motley-crue) (United States, 1981) - [Dio](https://themetalnet.com/band/dio) (United States, 1982) - [Ólafur Arnalds](https://themetalnet.com/band/olafur-arnalds) (Iceland, 1986) - [Andrew W.K.](https://themetalnet.com/band/andrew-w-k) (1979) - [Danzig](https://themetalnet.com/band/danzig) (United States, 1987) - [Manowar](https://themetalnet.com/band/manowar) (United States, 1980) - [Twisted Sister](https://themetalnet.com/band/twisted-sister) (United States, 1972) - [Uriah Heep](https://themetalnet.com/band/uriah-heep) (United Kingdom, 1970) - [Accept](https://themetalnet.com/band/accept) (Germany, 1971) - [Black Label Society](https://themetalnet.com/band/black-label-society) (United States, 1998) - [Led Zeppelin](https://themetalnet.com/band/led-zeppelin) (United Kingdom, 1968) - [Queensrÿche](https://themetalnet.com/band/queensryche-deeea939) (United States, 1981) - [Quiet Riot](https://themetalnet.com/band/quiet-riot) (United States, 1973) - [The Darkness](https://themetalnet.com/band/the-darkness) (United Kingdom, 2000) - [Boston](https://themetalnet.com/band/boston) (1975) - [Buckcherry](https://themetalnet.com/band/buckcherry) (United States, 1995) - [Lordi](https://themetalnet.com/band/lordi) (Finland, 1992) - [Saxon](https://themetalnet.com/band/saxon) (United Kingdom, 1976) - [W.A.S.P.](https://themetalnet.com/band/w-a-s-p) (United States, 1982) - [Rainbow](https://themetalnet.com/band/rainbow) (United Kingdom, 1974) - [Ratt](https://themetalnet.com/band/ratt) (United States, 1976) - [SOiL](https://themetalnet.com/band/soil) (United States, 1997) - [UFO](https://themetalnet.com/band/ufo) (United Kingdom, 1969) - [King Diamond](https://themetalnet.com/band/king-diamond) (Denmark, 1985) - [Nonpoint](https://themetalnet.com/band/nonpoint) (United States, 1991) - [Skid Row](https://themetalnet.com/band/skid-row) (United States, 1986) - [Blue Cheer](https://themetalnet.com/band/blue-cheer) (United States, 1966) - [Grave Digger](https://themetalnet.com/band/grave-digger) (Germany, 1980) - [Poison](https://themetalnet.com/band/poison-c79c43d4) (United States, 1983) - [Savatage](https://themetalnet.com/band/savatage) (United States, 1979) - [Tesla](https://themetalnet.com/band/tesla) (United States, 1981) - [Diamond Head](https://themetalnet.com/band/diamond-head) (United Kingdom, 1976) - [Dokken](https://themetalnet.com/band/dokken) (United States, 1979) - [Five Finger Death Punch](https://themetalnet.com/band/five-finger-death-punch) (United States, 2005) - [Great White](https://themetalnet.com/band/great-white) (United States, 1977) - [Primal Fear](https://themetalnet.com/band/primal-fear) (Germany, 1997) - [Volbeat](https://themetalnet.com/band/volbeat) (Denmark, 2001) - [Warrant](https://themetalnet.com/band/warrant) (United States, 1984) - [Axel Rudi Pell](https://themetalnet.com/band/axel-rudi-pell) (Germany, 1989) - [Doro](https://themetalnet.com/band/doro) (Germany, 1988) - [Hardcore Superstar](https://themetalnet.com/band/hardcore-superstar) (Sweden, 1997) - [Mägo de Oz](https://themetalnet.com/band/mago-de-oz) (Spain, 1988) - [Metal Church](https://themetalnet.com/band/metal-church) (United States, 1980) - [U.D.O.](https://themetalnet.com/band/u-d-o) (Germany, 1987) - [Anvil](https://themetalnet.com/band/anvil) (Canada, 1978) - [Budgie](https://themetalnet.com/band/budgie) (United Kingdom, 1967) ## Where it is played - [United States](https://themetalnet.com/country/us): 574 bands - [Germany](https://themetalnet.com/country/de): 215 bands - [United Kingdom](https://themetalnet.com/country/gb): 193 bands - [Sweden](https://themetalnet.com/country/se): 139 bands - [Argentina](https://themetalnet.com/country/ar): 110 bands - [Japan](https://themetalnet.com/country/jp): 98 bands - [Italy](https://themetalnet.com/country/it): 92 bands - [Brazil](https://themetalnet.com/country/br): 72 bands ## Bands formed by decade | Decade | Bands formed | | --- | --- | | 1960s | 97 | | 1970s | 197 | | 1980s | 492 | | 1990s | 334 | | 2000s | 524 | | 2010s | 677 | | 2020s | 191 | --- Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt