non prog metal vote

Sean Trane wrote: I voted none of them . This is because I am not much of metal fan (especially with NWOBHMB) but it's a toss between Whitesnake (more bluesih) , Maiden (DiAnno was a superb but crazed vocalist), but no Sabbath or Heep?!?

Nice to hear that you liked DiAnno's singing. Sometimes I'm feeling kinda sorry that he left the band, because sometimes Dickinson's screaming really tires me...

But there's not beating Rob Halford, of course!

Certif1ed wrote: No Motorhead or Black Sabbath? I guess it doesn't matter, because Metallica are/were the ultimate Heavy Metal band. Before them, Motorhead and Sabbath moulded the genre. Metallica kicked the genre's ass.

...in your very humble opinion.........
I think,Metal said all it had to say by 1980.After that it was all about degrees of loudness and crassness! (IMVHO)

I couldn't disagree more - as a single example, Number of the Beast (1982) was fantastically melodic and very polished.

Kill 'Em All (1983) was very rough, production-wise, but blew old-school metal into the dark ages - it's an incredible album full of fresh, new energy, and I cannot think of an album before it with that kind of buzz (except, maybe Metal Church's debut). Metal Militia and Whiplash are stunning examples of what the band had done to revitalise metal.

Ride the Lightning (1984) added melody and a slick production to Metallica's energy - which intensified in places (Fight Fire with Fire, Trapped Under Ice), whilst being reigned back in others (Fade to Black, For Whom the Bell Tolls).

Master of Puppets (1986) really showed the world a trick or two - this is where prog metal began, IMNSHO. Battery is a devastating assault on the ears, whilst maintaining a powerful integrity. The title track is practically prog rock, with the numerous time-changes and mega-riffathon worthy of Rush, I would suggest. Then there's Sanitarium, plagirised by nearly every so-called prog metal band on the planet, it seems; Orion, showcasing their melodic sensibilities, and Damage Inc., proving that they were still masters of thrash.

...And Justice for All IS the 1st prog metal album. 'nuff said. It's awesome.

Metallica (the Black album) is toned down, but with that massive production that sparked the whole nu-metal thing, and revolutionised metal for the 1990s.

Metallica were the pioneers - the trailblazers of new (not "nu") metal - but they had plenty of challengers;

Slayer, despite the dreadful production on their 1st two albums, kept the faith and produced the ultimate thrash album that has remained a benchmark ever since; Reign in Blood is the ultimate in breakneck speed, brutal riffs, screaming vocals and dive-bombing guitars. South of Heaven was much heavier, thanks to even better production, and is a classic in its own right - out-Sabbathing Sabbath, but remains in the shadow of Reign in Blood.

Other bands that shouldn't be overlooked include the infamous Napalm Death, who took speed metal to its natural conclusion - everything since has just been gravy really. Also worth a mention as pioneers of the darker genre are Helloween, for their early "Maiden on speed" sound, Death, for the notorious and now omnipresent death grunts, Celtic Frost for their daring experimentation, Megadeth, Voivod and Kreator.

All these bands experimented and took their music to new levels - this was a time when creating new music was a good thing again; it was almost like being back in the 1970s to hear all this new stuff being created.

Sabbath (Ozzy era and Dio era),Thin Lizzy,,UFO,Rainbow (Dio era),Scorpions (first 5 or 6 albums were very good) early Van Halen could all be very heavy but tuneful with it.Motorhead (in my experience) where, and should have remained, unique and enjoyable for that fact.Lemmy's vocals were at odds with the bands above and seem to have spawned all these "barking" metal vocalists that are so prevalent now.If I was 10 years younger I would have probably got into Maiden, and later,Metallica but they always seemed empty,hackneyed and soulless to me.

I really don't understand that - Metallica's first 3 albums are crammed full of the passion and hunger that up and coming bands should show - and then some. From the opening of Kill 'Em All - the heavy guitars being gradually faded UP in the mix, through the sheer exuberance of The Four Horsemen,  the gleeful power-riffing of Seek and Destroy and the insanity of Whiplash - this is an album full of a new kind of spirit, but based in the rifferama of Black Sabbath (almost constant use of tritones) and Motorhead. Hetfield's voice is atypical of the speed/thrash genre too - it's almost a tuneful "bark"!

Frankly, after Metallica entered the scene, I felt that the old school rock bands (Rainbow, UFO, Lizzy, etc.) all sounded a bit tired, lame and thin. Fortunately I got over that, and can enjoy all these bands - and some of the newer crowd, like Cradle of Filth, Killswitch Engage, System of a Down and Bathory. I still don't like Dream Theater though

Same goes for Slayer, although some of the other bands early material sounded a bit nervous, despite the heavy pretensions. Sacred Reich are another good band of the time - they always sounded like they enjoyed what they did.