Megadeth　

After he left Metallica in 1983, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine formed the thrash metal quartet Megadeth. Though Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Metallica’s relentless attack ..more

Marty Friedman　

One of the ultimate ’80s guitar shredders, Marty Friedman first made his name with the speed-burning virtuoso outfit Cacophony, but landed his most widely renowned gig as the lead guitarist of { ..more

Magnum　

Hard rockers Magnum got their start in Birmingham, England, in the mid-’70s. The band’s first album, Kingdom of Madness, came out in 1978, right in the midst of the punk rock musical revolution. ..more

Lynch Mob　

After Dokken broke up in 1989, George Lynch formed his own band, the Lynch Mob, with Dokken drummer Mick Brown. The band went through several personnel shifts and failed to meet commerc ..more

Lionheart (Metal-uk)　

Lillian Axe　

This melodic rock quintet, originally from Michigan, was formed by Ron Taylor (vocals), Steve Blaze (guitar), Jon Ster (guitar, keyboards), Rob Stratton (bass), and Danny King (drums). ..more

Leaves'Eyes　

Kreator　

Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany’s Kreator are also by far the most enduring. Like many of their European speed metal brethren, Kreator fused ..more

Korpiklaani　

Finnish folk-metal ensemble Korpiklaani (Forest Clan) formed in 2002 after the members of Shaman decided to update both their sound and name. Taking cues from both the Scandinavian metal scene a ..more

KK's Priest　

Kerry King　

Judas Priest　

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the ..more

IRON MAIDEN　

Known for such powerful hits as Two Minutes to Midnight and The Trooper, Iron Maiden are one of heavy metal’s most influential bands. They’re also one of metal’s most enduring and distinctive a ..more

Ihsahn　

One of the leading figures (arguably the leading figure, at least from a musical perspective) in the history of Norwegian black metal, Ihsahn -- born Vegard Sverre Tveitan, in Notodden, Norway, ..more

High On Fire　

Guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike, bass player George Rice, and drummer Des Kensel formed High on Fire in 1999, following the collapse of Pike’s previous band, doom metal titans Sleep. Bu ..more

Helloween　

Alongside Switzerland’s Celtic Frost and Sweden’s Bathory, Germany’s Helloween were possibly the most influential heavy metal band to come out of Europe during the 1980s. By taking the hard-r ..more

The Hellacopters　

What the MC5 and Stooges were to the ’60s, what Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and Radio Birdman were to the ’70s, and what the Celibate Rifles were to the ’80s -- that’s what Sweden’s Hella ..more

Hawkwind　

Any sci-fi fan with long memories probably remembers those 1970s’ DAW paperback editions of Michael Moorcock’s sword-and-sorcery novels, with their images of heavily armored, very muscular warri ..more

Hanoi Rocks　

Finland’s major export to the world of heavy metal, Hanoi Rocks, drew much of their sound and inspiration from ’70s glam rock and were thought by some to have fused the two styles more successfully ..more

H.E.A.T　

Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T made their album debut in 2008 yet didn’t break into the mainstream until the following year, after a strong showing at the 2009 Melodifestivalen with the smash hit ..more