U.F.O.　

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, ..more

Black Sabbath　

An English hard rock institution whose influence on heavy metal cannot be overstated, Black Sabbath not only pioneered the genre, they helped launch the career of one of its most colorful and contr ..more

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

Def Leppard　

UK heavy metal top band Def Leppard dates back to Atmoic Mass, formed in 1977 by Rick Savage (bassist) and Pete Wills (guitarist). Let’s take a review at their long and winding career. ..more

Van Halen　

With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what the electric guitar could do, ..more

AC / DC　

AC/DC’s mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the ’70s, and is now one of the defining sounds of rock and metal. In its own way, it was a reaction against ..more

Metallica　

American quartet Metallica were one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’80s and ’90s, inspiring generations of rockers with their early thrash and later hard rock sounds before settli ..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

Michael Schenker Group　

Motorhead　

Motorhead’s overwhelmingly loud and fast style of heavy metal was one of the most groundbreaking styles the genre had to offer in the late ’70s. Though the group’s leader, Lemmy Kilmister, had h ..more

Thunder　

Vocalist Danny Bowes and lead guitarist Luke Morley first played together when they were 15-year-old classmates in London. The two later formed the band Terraplane, and released two albums bu ..more

Ozzy Osbourne　

Though many bands have succeeded in earning the hatred of parents and media worldwide throughout the past few decades, arguably only such acts as Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, and Marilyn Manson ..more

Bruce Dickinson　

Perhaps second only to Rob Halford, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson was the most acclaimed and instantly recognizable vocalist to emerge from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement of the ..more

Gary Moore　

One of rock’s most underrated guitarists (both from a technical and compositional point of view), Gary Moore remains relatively unknown in the U.S., while his solo work has brought him substanti ..more

Alice Cooper　

Originally, there was a band called Alice Cooper led by a singer named Vincent Damon Furnier. Under his direction, Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical and violent brand of heavy metal ..more

Saxon　

Saxon was one of the early leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, alongside Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, even outdistancing them at the onset, only to see their career slide into com ..more

Whitesnake　

After recording two solo albums, former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale formed Whitesnake around 1977. In the glut of hard rock and heavy metal bands of the late ’70s, their first albums ..more

Riot　

The long-lived New York-based heavy metal band Riot was formed in 1976 by guitarist/songwriter Mark Reale, who recruited vocalist Guy Speranza, guitarist L.A. Kouvaris, bassist Jimmy Iom ..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

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