Heavy Metal

The Next Band were a British rock trio featuring vocalist/bassist Rocky Newton, guitarist John Lockton and drummer Frank Noon, who is credited with playing drums on Def Leppard's 1979 EP The Def Leppard E.P.. The band's name was later changed to Red Alert.

Zoetrope was an American heavy metal band from Chicago, Illinois. Although their sound was akin to thrash metal, the group described themselves as "Street Metal". The group was formed in 1976 by teenage friends Barry Stern (drums/vocals), Kevin Michael Rasofsky, aka Kevin Michael, (guitar), and Calvin "Willis" Humphrey (bass), soon to be joined by second guitarist Ken Black. Initially playing covers, the band soon ventured into writing their own material and released a single in 1980. Although undeniably a metal band, Zoetrope was also active in Chicago's hardcore punk scene, sharing bills with locals hardcore bands and hanging out at O'Banions, a Chicago punk bar (Ken Black and Barry Stern also produced the self-titled LP by Chicago-based hardcore band Life Sentence in 1986). Following the release of a couple of demo tapes, the group was signed to Combat Records and issued their first LP, Amnesty, in 1985. In 1987, the band traveled to Los Angeles to record their follow up, A Life of Crime, with producer Randy Burns (Megadeth, Nuclear Assault). During the recording sessions, Ken Black left the band and returned to Chicago to sort out substance abuse issues. He was replaced by Louis Svitek. Although Svitek appears on the album's cover, Kevin Michael later confirmed that Ken Black had finished his guitar parts before leaving Los Angeles. During the tour supporting A Life of Crime, Svitek was recruited for M.O.D. by Billy Milano. After the tour, Barry Stern jumped ship to fellow Chicagoans Trouble. Kevin Michael eventually returned with a new line up for 1993's Mind Over Splatter but the band folded for good soon after.

Y&T (originally known as Yesterday & Today) is an American hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1974. They hail from Oakland, California. The band released two studio albums on London Records as Yesterday & Today in the 1970s, before shortening their name to Y&T and releasing several albums on A&M Records beginning in 1981, as well as albums on Geffen Records, Avex Records, and others. The band was originally co-managed by Herbie Herbert (who also managed Journey) and Louis "Lou" Bramy. The band has sold over 4 million albums worldwide to date.

Wrathchild America was an American heavy metal band formed in Martinsburg, West Virginia in 1978. They released two studio albums through Atlantic Records, and gained charting success through the Billboard 200. In 1993, they changed their name to Souls at Zero.

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The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide and establishing their reputation equally on live shows and studio work.

Witchfynde are a British heavy metal band, which was one of the forerunners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 1970s.

Witchfinder General were a doom metal band from Stourbridge, England. They were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.

Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash (1970), Pilgrimage (1971), Argus (1972), There's the Rub (1974), and New England (1976). They were one of the first bands to use twin lead guitars.

Wild Horses were a British rock band, active during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Wild Dogs is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed loosely in 1981 by original members Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. The band has since released six albums, three live albums and one DVD. Wild Dogs rose to local and regional recognition in the 1980s as a pioneer of metal in the Pacific Northwest, followed by international recognition after the release of their second album.

White Wolf was a Canadian heavy metal band from Edmonton.

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Whitesnake are a rock band, formed in England in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. Their early material has been compared by critics to the blues rock of Deep Purple, but they slowly began moving toward a more commercially accessible rock style. By the turn of the decade, the band's commercial fortunes changed and they released a string of UK top 10 albums, Ready an' Willing (1980), Come an' Get It (1981), Saints & Sinners (1982) and Slide It In (1984), the last of which was their first to chart in the US and is certified 2x platinum.

White Sister is an American hard rock and AOR band formed in 1980. Their song "Save Me Tonight" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1985 Columbia Pictures film, Fright Night. Their song "April You're No Fool" can be heard in the 1986 Metro-Goldwyn Mayer film, Killer Party. The band also performs in the movie. The band recorded the song "Touch the Sky" which can be heard in the 1986 film Thrashin' starring Josh Brolin. Their song "Dancin' on Midnight" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1989 Magnum Pictures film Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Their song "Fashion by Passion" appeared on the soundtrack album for Touchstone Pictures film Stella (1990 film) starring Bette Midler.

Warning was a French hard-rock band active from 1980 until 1985. They released three albums sung in French language, their second being produced by Dieter Dierks.

Warhorse were a British rock band formed by the bassist Nick Simper.

Vulcain is a French hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 1981 by Daniel Puzio (vocals and guitar) and his brother Vincent Puzio (bass). The group also included Didier Lohezic (guitar) and Franck Vilatte (drums). They released a first demo in 1982 with "Private" and after winning a 1984 contest, a second demo with "Media 7". Soon after they were signed to Ebony Records in 1984, releasing their debut album Rock 'n' Roll Secours. The music critics dubbed them the "French Motörhead".

Vixen are an all-female American rock band. They achieved commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.

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Vicious Rumors is an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco, California Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder & guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and the band has been actively recording and touring worldwide since their full-length recording debut in 1985. The band is signed to Germany-based label SPV/Steamhammer records.

Venom are an English extreme metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982)—are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Venom's second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of an extreme metal subgenre: black metal.

Vardis are an influential three-piece hard rock, boogie rock and heavy metal band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who enjoyed hits between 1978 and 1986.

Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their extended rock renderings of contemporary hit songs, most notably "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Some Velvet Morning". The band's original lineup—vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice—recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970. The band has reunited in various configurations over the years, and is currently operating with three of the four original members, Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Carmine Appice with Pete Bremy on bass for Tim Bogert, who has retired from touring. The band has been cited as "one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal."

Van Halen is an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band comprised guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony.

Vandenberg was a Dutch hard rock band named after guitarist Ad "Adje" van den Berg (a.k.a. Adrian Vandenberg)

V8 was an Argentine heavy metal band created in 1979, one of the first notable Argentine and Latin America bands of that genre. After its dissolution former members have continued their careers starting other heavy metal bands, Hermética, Horcas, Rata Blanca, Logos and Almafuerte.

Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Twelve of the band's albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975) while of the fifteen Billboard 200 Uriah Heep albums Demons and Wizards was the most successful (#23, 1972). In the late 1970s the band had massive success in Germany, where the "Lady in Black" single was a big hit. Along with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, Uriah Heep had become one of the top rock bands in the early 1970s.

Urchin (originally Evil Ways) were an English hard rock band.

UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band that was formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. UFO were ranked No. 84 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".

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Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perform. The name is derived from Pan Tang, a fictional archipelago in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné fantasy series whose wizards keep tigers as pets.

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Turbo is a Polish heavy metal band. It was started in January 1980, in Poznań, by Henryk Tomczak (formerly in Stress and Heam, both pioneering Polish hard rock groups). Turbo is one of the most important bands in Polish heavy metal. Turbo's most famous album is Kawaleria Szatana (Satan's Cavalry), considered an opus of Polish heavy metal. The band is best known for the tracks "Dorosłe Dzieci", "Jaki był ten dzień", "Żołnierz fortuny" and "Wszystko będzie ok".

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TSA is a Polish hard rock and heavy metal band.

Trust is a French heavy metal band founded in 1977 and popular in Europe in the first half of the 80s. The band was best known for guitarist Norbert "Nono" Krief's prowess, for Bernard "Bernie" Bonvoisin's voice reminiscent of AC/DC's Bon Scott and for his lyrics about social and political themes. Iron Maiden's drummers Nicko McBrain and Clive Burr were part of Trust line-up in the 80s. The band disbanded in 1984 and reformed in the 2000s for live shows and new recordings.

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Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Between the band's 16 albums and DVDs, Triumph has received 18 gold and 9 platinum awards in Canada and the United States. Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.

Trespass are a heavy metal band from Suffolk, England. They were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal at the beginning of the 1980s. The band reformed in 2015.

Tobruk was an English rock band, Its second incarnation formed in 1981 when vocalist Stuart "Snake" Neale (born 26 April 1963 - died 20 December 2006), guitarist Nigel Evans, and keyboard player Jem Davies from the Bedford-based band, Stranger, joined forces with guitarists Mick Newman, lead Martin Gregory, bassist Steve (Woody) Woodward and drummer Alan Vallance. Prior to this, the band had already had one single released in Ireland. Original members were Newman, Woodward, Vallance (previously Chris Thomas on drums), Nick Petty on guitar and Terry on vocals. Although the band came to the fore during the tail-end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, their sound was more melodic and polished.

Toad were a Swiss hard rock band, formed by ex-Brainticket members in Basel, Switzerland during 1970. Their best known songs were covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There", along with originals "Usin' My Life" and "Stay!". Their first two albums were engineered by Martin Birch.

TKO was a hard rock and heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, which was active between 1977 and 2001. The group's lead vocalist and only consistent member was Brad Sinsel.

Thor is a heavy metal band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist and vocalist Phil Lynott, met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of twelve studio albums. Thin Lizzy's most successful songs, "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", were all major international hits which are still played regularly on hard rock and classic rock radio stations. After Lynott's death in 1986, various incarnations of the band have emerged over the years based initially around guitarists Scott Gorham and John Sykes, though Sykes left the band in 2009. Gorham later continued with a new line-up including Downey.

Tesla is an American rock band formed in Sacramento, California in late 1981 by bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon as City Kidd. Lead vocalist Jeff Keith, drummer Troy Luccketta and guitarist Tommy Skeoch joined them by 1984. By 1986, the band had changed its direction under a new name: "Tesla". By 1990 the band started showing signs of wear, with the introduction of drummer, Stefano Pasta taking the throne for Luccketta for a brief period until his own departure for personal reason. In 1996, the band disbanded, with members devoting themselves to solo projects. In 2000, they reformed, but Tommy Skeoch departed the band in 2006 due to substance abuse, and was replaced by Dave Rude. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.

Tank is a British heavy metal band, formed in 1980 by Algy Ward, a former member of The Damned. The band is known as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Tank was often compared to Motörhead as both bands, trios fronted by singing bassists, played a loose, almost punk-styled metal music with often colourful lyrics.

Sweet Savage are a metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 1979. The band once included former Dio and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell. Since forming in 1979, Sweet Savage have released three studio albums, three singles and one demo.

Suicidal Tendencies (or simply Suicidal) is an American crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, California by vocalist Mike Muir, who is the only remaining original member of the band. The band is often credited (along with D.R.I.) as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash". To date, Suicidal Tendencies have released nine studio albums, one EP, four split albums including the rare Welcome to Venice, six compilation albums (one of which is a "double-EP", while the other is a re-recording of their debut album), and two long-form videos.

Suck were a rock band who were part of South Africa's first wave of hard rock titled, the "Big Heavies." The group lasted eight months between 1970 to 1971 in which they recorded their lone LP, Time to Suck. It was later released in America in 2009. They were also one of the earliest groups to cover Black Sabbath. In March 2007 they were featured in an article in Classic Rock magazine titled, "The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal" where they were referred to as "acidpunk metal".

Stray is an English hard rock band formed in 1966. Vocalist Steve Gadd (born 27 April 1952, Shepherd's Bush, London), guitarist Del Bromham (born Derek Roy Bromham, 25 November 1951, Acton, London), bass player Gary Giles (born Gary Stephen Giles, 23 February 1952, North Kensington, London) and drummer Steve Crutchley (born c 1952) formed the band whilst all were attending the Christopher Wren School in London. Richard "Ritchie" Cole (born 10 November 1951, Shepherd's Bush, London) replaced Crutchley in 1968. They signed to Transatlantic Records in January 1970.

Stormwitch is a metal band from Heidenheim, Baden Württemberg, Germany, formed in 1979 under the name Lemon Sylvan. The name was changed into Stormwitch in 1981. They have been called "The Masters of Black Romantic" by their fans. The band's song lyrics often focused on fantasy, occult or historical themes, along with their contemporaries and countrymen Helloween. They performed at Wacken Open Air festival in 2002.Over time they have changed their sound from a Judas Priest-esque style of heavy metal to a more keyboard based form of power metal.

Steppenwolf is a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1961 in Toronto by vocalist John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton. Guitarist Michael Monarch and bassist Rushton Moreve were recruited by notices placed in LA area record stores and musical instrument stores. The essential core of Steppenwolf was John Kay, Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn from The Sparrows (originally Jack London & the Sparrows from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada).

Steeler was a heavy metal band formed in 1981, from the German city of Bochum. The band was active between 1984–1988. The founding members consisted of Peter Burtz on vocals, Axel Rudi Pell on guitar, Tom Eder also on guitar, Volker Krawczak on bass and Jan Yildiral on drums. The band was named after "Steeler", a song from Judas Priest album British Steel (album).

Starz is a heavy metal and power pop band from New Jersey, United States. Despite a lack of big commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison and Twisted Sister.

Stampede are a British hard rock band formed in 1981 by songwriting partnership Reuben Archer and Laurence Archer. The band signed to Polydor Records, emerging as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene. Stampede disbanded in 1983, and guitarist Laurence Archer went on to play with UFO, Phil Lynott's Grand Slam amongst other projects. The band reformed 26 years later in 2009, and a new studio album titled 'A Sudden Impulse' was released on 9 May 2011 on the Grind That Axe label, a subsidiary of Rock Candy Records.

Spider were a British NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band from Liverpool that formed in 1976.

Spinal Tap (stylized as Spın̈al Tap, with a dotless letter i and a metal umlaut over the n) is a parody British heavy metal band that first appeared on a 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called The T.V. Show, starring Rob Reiner. The sketch, actually a mock promotional video for the song "Rock and Roll Nightmare", was written by Reiner and the band, and included songwriter/performer Loudon Wainwright III on keyboards. Later the band became the fictional subject of the 1984 rockumentary/mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. The band members are portrayed by Michael McKean (as David St. Hubbins), Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel) and Harry Shearer (as Derek Smalls).

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Sortilège was a French heavy metal band from Paris, regarded by many as a cult band of the French scene, the group ceased to exist in 1986.

The U.S. rock band Sorcery were from Hollywood and Los Angeles, California circa 1976 to 1987.

Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. Along with the bands Kreator, Destruction and Tankard, Sodom is considered one of the "The Big Teutonic Four" of Teutonic thrash metal. While three bands (except Tankard) created a sound that would influence death metal and black metal, Sodom's early music style would greatly influence many late-1980s and early-1990s black metal bands more than others.

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with its 1986 release Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "big four" thrash metal bands, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Since its debut album in 1983, the band has released twelve studio albums, two live albums, a box set, six music videos, two extended plays and a cover album. Four of the band's studio albums have received gold certification in the United States. The band has received five Grammy nominations, winning one in 2007 for the song Eyes of the Insane, and one in 2008 for the song "Final Six" (both from 2006's Christ Illusion). Slayer has also played at several music festivals worldwide, including Unholy Alliance, Download and Ozzfest.

Skitzo is a thrash metal band from Santa Rosa, California, United States. The band was formed in 1981 in Healdsburg, California, when Lance Ozanix and several other people joined together and called their band Venom. The name was later changed to Skitzo, after discovering that there is already a band with the same name.

Sister was an American heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Los Angeles. Former members included Blackie Lawless, formerly of the New York Dolls and later of W.A.S.P., and Nikki Sixx, who would later co-create Mötley Crüe. They are notable for being one of the first bands to make usage of the pentagram and other occult symbols. Due to the late 70's music scene, and personal differences, they never achieved success and broke up sometime in 1978. Sixx and guitarist Lizzie Grey would go on to form the band London.

Sir Lord Baltimore was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, United States, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. Some have cited the 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, in Creem magazine as containing the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music; the truth is the same reviewer used the term when reviewing a Humble Pie album in Rolling Stone six months earlier. Sir Lord Baltimore featured a drumming lead singer, traditionally a rarity in rock and metal music. The group have been called "the godfathers of stoner rock."

Shark Island was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles that played during the 1980s.

Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from 1978–92 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass guitar), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band's only constant member is Rudolf Schenker, although Meine has been the lead singer for all of the band's studio albums, and Jabs has been a consistent member since 1979.

Michael Schenker (born Michael Willy Schenker, 10 January 1955) is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. Nicknamed the "Blonde Bomber", he first rose to fame as an early member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid-1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the Michael Schenker Group in various incarnations. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. He is the younger brother of Rudolf Schenker, who is still a guitarist with the Scorpions. His career has had many ups and downs, partly due to a long history of alcoholism and personal problems; still, Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."

Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976, in South Yorkshire. As one of the leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had eight UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including four UK Top 10 albums and two Top 5 albums. The band also had numerous singles in the UK Singles Chart and chart success all over Europe and Japan, as well as success in the US. During the 1980s Saxon established themselves as one of Europe's biggest metal acts. The band tours regularly and have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. They are considered one of the classic metal acts and have influenced many bands such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, Sodom, Skid Row, and Megadeth.

Savatage (/ˈsævətɑːʒ/) is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Savage Grace was a power/speed metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed by Chris Logue and Brian East (nicknamed "The Beast", from the Pacific Northwest band Alleybrat), active between 1981 and 1993. They reformed in 2009, and subsequently released an EP entitled The Lost Grace. In 2010, they performed at the Up the Hammers, Bang Your Head!!! and Keep It True festivals.

Savage is a heavy metal band from Mansfield, England.

Satan are a heavy metal band originating from Newcastle, England in 1979, known as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash/speed metal that was fairly advanced by the standards of the early 1980s.

Paul Samson (4 June 1953 – 9 August 2002) was a British guitarist, closely associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Salem is a hard rock/metal band from Hull, England. The band was formed following the split of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Ethel The Frog who featured on the Metal for Muthas compilations alongside the likes of Iron Maiden, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Praying Mantis and Samson. Salem recorded three demos and a single in the early 1980s; a compilation album of these recordings was released in 2010.

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Saint is an American Christian metal band, first active in the mid-1980s, releasing their first album Warriors of the Son in 1984. Common themes of Saint's music include hell, evil, and apocalyptic themes such as the End times. In 2010, HM magazine ranked the band's albums Time's End and Hell Blade among Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time list on No. 67 and No. 46 respectively.

Sacred Rite is a US heavy metal band formed in 1980 hailing from Honolulu, Hawaii. Sacred Rite was one of the two notable heavy metal bands from Honolulu, Hawaii (the other being Hawaii).

Saber Tiger (サーベル・タイガー, Saberu Taiga?), is a Japanese heavy metal band from Sapporo. It was founded in 1981 by guitarist Akihito Kinoshita, who is responsible for producing, engineering and composing most of the band's work. Saber Tiger has released nine studio albums, four compilation albums, a live album, two EPs and one single. Their latest release Decisive, is seemingly becoming one of their best selling albums to date.

Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee; guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Lifeson; and drummer, percussionist, and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through several reconfigurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving its current lineup when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first United States tour.

Running Wild is a German heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Hamburg. They were part of the German metal scene to emerge in the early to mid-1980s. Over the course of their career, they have released fifteen studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, and six singles/EPs. Although their earlier releases contained Satanic themes and imagery, Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke, the guitar player of the band, was studying theology at the time and is now a vicar in Cologne.

The Runaways were an American all-female rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground’s "Rock & Roll". The Runaways, though never a major success in the United States, became a sensation overseas, e.g. in Japan, thanks to the hit single "Cherry Bomb".

Rough Cutt was an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California who released 2 studio albums on Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1980s. Rough Cutt never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by many other L.A. bands of that time but various members went on to success in other groups, including Jake E. Lee with Ozzy Osbourne, Amir Derakh with Orgy, Paul Shortino with Quiet Riot, and Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell with Dio.

Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth, 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist, who became famous as the Scorpions lead guitarist, and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky Academy and inventor of the Sky Guitar. He is the older brother of fellow guitarist and artist Zeno Roth.

Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life". Their first four albums were produced by Harry Vanda and George Young who also worked with AC/DC. They disbanded in 1987, subsequently reforming briefly in 1993 to support Guns N' Roses on an Australian tour. They reassembled again from 1998 and have since released two more studio albums.

Rok Mašina (Serbian Cyrillic: Рок Машина; trans. Rock Machine) was a short-lasting former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade. Rok Mašina was formed in 1980 by former members of the progressive/hard rock band Pop Mašina, and released only an album before disbanding in 1982.

The Rods are an American heavy metal band formed in 1978 by David "Rock" Feinstein (guitar and vocals), Steven Starmer ( and vocals), who was later replaced by Garry Bordonaro (bass and vocals) after the first two albums, and Carl Canedy (drums and vocals).

Rock Goddess are an all-female heavy metal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era who enjoyed cult status in the 1980s in Great Britain and who have recently reformed.

Riot V, formerly known as Riot until 2012, is an American heavy metal band founded in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Reaching a peak in popularity in the early 80s, the band has continued a long-running successful career.

Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".

Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is perhaps best known for hit singles such as "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down", tracks that ranked on Billboard's top 40 at No. 12 and No. 40, respectively, as well as other songs such as "Wanted Man", "You're in Love" and "Dance". Along with groups such as friendly rivals Mötley Crüe, Ratt has been recognized as instrumental in the formation of the early 1980s Los Angeles glam metal scene, also known as "hair metal" or "pop metal".

Rainbow (also known as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow or Blackmore's Rainbow) are a British rock band led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1993 to 1997. A limited number of European appearances have been announced by Blackmore for the summer of 2016. They were originally established with Ronnie James Dio's American rock band Elf, but after the first album, Blackmore fired the backing members and continued with Dio until 1979. Three British musicians joined in 1979, singer Graham Bonnet, keyboardist Don Airey, former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, and this line-up gave the band their commercial breakthrough with the single "Since You Been Gone". Over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up. Other lead singers Joe Lynn Turner and Doogie White would follow, and the project consisted of numerous backing musicians. The band's early work primarily featured mystical lyrics with a neoclassical metal style, but went in a more streamlined, commercial direction following Dio's departure from the group.

Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band, best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum on Feel the Noize". The band was founded in 1973, by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1. They then changed the name to Little Women, before settling on Quiet Riot in May 1975. The band's name was inspired by a conversation with Rick Parfitt of the British band Status Quo, in which Parfitt said he'd like to name a band "Quite Right", and his thick English accent made it sound like he was saying "Quiet Riot". The band is ranked at No. 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Queensrÿche /ˈkwiːnzraɪk/ is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 14 studio albums, one EP and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup consisted of vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield.

Queen are a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. The classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock, into their music.

Quartz are a British heavy metal band.

Primevil were a short-lived American rock group of the 1970s. Their lone release, Smokin' Bats at Campton's, has been described as "a bona fide stoner rock touchstone" and was later reissued in 2006. In 2007, the group was mentioned in an article in Classic Rock magazine titled "The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal".

Pretty Maids are a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer, their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melodic elements like vocals and keyboards.

Praying Mantis are an English rock band. Although a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they pursued a musical direction more melodic and AOR-sounding than their contemporaries.

The Pink Fairies are an English rock band initially active in the London (Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop stunts, such as playing for free outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City, the first Glastonbury and many other free festivals including Windsor and Trentishoe.

Picture is one of the first Dutch heavy metal bands. Formed in 1979, they were especially popular in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy for their live performances, and still have a fan base in South America, Mexico and Japan.

Persian Risk are a heavy metal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era formed in 1979 and hailing from Cardiff, Wales. The brainchild of ex-Stoned Soul Party guitarist Phil Campbell, he recruited vocalist Jon Deverill, second guitarist Dave Bell, bass player Nick Hughes, and drummer Razz. The group was active until 1986. In 2012, the band was re-activated by vocalist Carl Sentance albeit without the involvement of any other past members.

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Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. The group was formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers – drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell – along with vocalist Terry Glaze. Bassist Rex Brown joined the band the following year, replacing the original unofficial bass guitarist Tommy D. Bradford. Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released four albums during the 1980s. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera replaced Glaze with Phil Anselmo in 1986. With its fifth album, 1990's Cowboys from Hell, Pantera introduced a groove metal sound. The sixth album, 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, exhibited even heavier sound. Far Beyond Driven (1994) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Pagan Altar is a doom metal band from England.

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Oz (written OZ) is a heavy metal band originally from Nakkila, Finland. It was formed in 1977, split in 1991 and re-established 2010.

Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax, whose one-time lead guitarist Dan Spitz was also an early member of Overkill, the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal bands, and they are often called "the Motörhead of thrash metal". The band has a notable mascot named "Chaly", a skeletal bat with a skull-like face, horns, bony wings, and green eyes. Chaly has appeared on most of their album covers.

The Obsessed is a doom metal band from Maryland led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich, who also fronted Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls, The Hidden Hand and W.I.N.O.. Formed in 1976, they first split up in 1986 when Wino joined Saint Vitus, but reformed four years later. After releasing three albums (including the one that was originally recorded in 1985), The Obsessed broke up for a second time in 1995. However, they announced another reunion in September 2011.

Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent (/tɛd ˈnuːdʒɨnt/; born December 13, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, hunter, and political activist. Nugent initially gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes before embarking on a solo career. His hits, mostly coming in the 1970s, such as "Stranglehold", "Cat Scratch Fever", "Wango Tango", and "Great White Buffalo", as well as his 1960s Amboy Dukes hit "Journey to the Center of the Mind" remain popular today.

Nightwing is a British rock band, originally formed in 1978 as "Gordon and Friends" by bassist Gordon Rowley (formerly of Strife) and keyboardist Kenny Newton.

Night Sun were a German heavy prog/metal band consisting of Bruno Schaab (vocals, bass), Walter Kirchgessner (guitar), Knut Rossler (organ, saxophon) and Ulrich Staudt (drums).

Necromandus were an English rock band from Cumberland, United Kingdom. They were formed in 1970 and were discovered by Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath in 1972. After recording one album in 1973, they split up. The album was not released until 1999. In 2007 they were mentioned by Classic Rock magazine as a "lost pioneer" of heavy metal. Author Ian Christe has cited the band as one of the earliest doom metal groups.

Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band formed in 1968, that had several hits in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975. The band continues to record and tour.

Napalm Death are a British extreme metal band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, England, in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's career.

Moxy is a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1974, from previous members of the rock group Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman (former teen singer of Sherman & Peabody), alongside Greg Godovitz of Fludd & Goddo, and Gil Moore (later of Triumph), Earl Johnson (former member of King Biscuit Boy), Bill Wade (former member of Outlaw Music and Brutus under the alias Hally Hunter that also included Gino Scarpelli of Goddo) and Terry Juric, (former member of Outlaw Music) as Leigh Ashford. The group changed its name to Moxy in late 1974. This name change was accompanied by a change in the group's sound. Buddy Caine, a former band mate of Earl Johnson, was added to the group in 1975.

Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist/vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 and has reunited frequently since 1973, remaining active today. Best known for their cowbell-tinged song "Mississippi Queen", as well as for their performance at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969, Mountain is one of many bands to be commonly credited as having influenced the development of heavy metal music in the 1970s. The groups musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock and early heavy metal.

Motörhead (/ˈmoʊtərhɛd/) are an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser Kilmister, professionally known by his stage name Lemmy, who has remained the sole constant member. The band are often considered a precursor to, or one of the earliest members of, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which re-energised heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite this, Lemmy has always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll".

Mötley Crüe is an American rock/metal band formed in Los Angeles, California on January 17, 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by guitarist Mick Mars, and vocalist Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold more than 100 million records worldwide including 25 million in the US.

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Montrose was a California-based hard rock band. The band originally featured Ronnie Montrose on guitar and future solo artist and Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar. Rounding out the original foursome were bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi.

Misfits are an American punk rock band often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk subgenre, blending punk rock and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery.

Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a new wave synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the mid-1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992) and touring as part of the Lollapalooza festival.

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. Metallica was formed in 1981 when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper. The band's current line-up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Lead guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band. Metallica collaborated over a long period with producer Bob Rock, who produced all of the band's albums from 1990 to 2003 and served as a temporary bassist between the departure of Newsted and the hiring of Trujillo.

Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 before relocating to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Their eponymous first album was released in 1984, and their latest, Generation Nothing, in 2013.

Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, with lyrics dealing with Satan and the occult, Mercyful Fate were part of the first wave of black metal in the early to mid-1980s. Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence later black metal musicians in the 1990s, particularly in Norway. Since the band's inception in 1981, Mercyful Fate have released seven studio albums, two extended plays and four compilations.

The Mentors are an American heavy metal band, noted for their deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.

MC5 was an American rock band from Lincoln Park, Michigan, formed in 1964. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson. "Crystallizing the counterculture movement at its most volatile and threatening", according to AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the MC5's far left political ties and anti-establishment lyrics and music positioned them as emerging innovators of the punk movement in the United States. Their loud, energetic style of back-to-basics rock and roll included elements of garage rock, hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock but were not known for including fuzz elements.

May Blitz is a British heavy rock power trio that was active in the early 1970s.

Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in 1973 in Toronto.

Marseille are a British heavy metal band from Liverpool, England.

Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology). The band is also known for a loud and bombastic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that." In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on 2 occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for 5 hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal".

Manilla Road is an American heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, founded by lead guitarist Mark 'the Shark' Shelton (vocals and guitar) (born December 3, 1957, Wichita, Kansas, United States).

Mama's Boys were a 1980s hard rock/heavy metal group from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland featuring the three McManus brothers Pat, a.k.a. "The Professor", (guitar and occasionally fiddle), John (bass and vocals), Tommy (drums). Later in their career they became a four-piece adding Rick Chase on vocals in 1985 who was later replaced by Keith Murrell in 1987 due to Rick's ill-health. Keith was later replaced with Mike Wilson in 1989.

Yngwie Johan Malmsteen (/ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn/ ING-vay MAHLM-steen; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Malmsteen first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, as well as being one of the key figures who popularised shred guitar.

Malice is an American heavy metal band formed in the early 80's best known for their appearance on the first Metal Massacre compilation and a pair of albums on Atlantic Records. Their heavily European influenced style elicited instant comparisons to Judas Priest due to vocalist James Neal sounding uncannily like Rob Halford in addition to fielding a guitar duo in the Tipton/Downing mode, with Malice's Jay Reynolds looking like a dead ringer for K.K. Downing.

Mahogany Rush is a Canadian progressive rock band led by guitarist Frank Marino. The band had its peak of popularity in the 1970s, playing such venues as California Jam II together with bands such as Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and Heart.

Lucifer's Friend is a German hard rock band, formed in Hamburg in 1970 by guitarist Peter Hesslein, singer John Lawton, bassist Dieter Horns, keyboardist Peter Hecht, and drummer Joachim Reitenbach. The group was noted as early practitioners of heavy metal and progressive rock, they also incorporated elements of jazz and fusion into their music, especially in their fourth album Banquet of 1974. Furthermore heavy metal, the band has been cited, too, as one of the pioneers of doom metal, helping to define both genres due to their heavy sound and dark oriented lyrics of their acclaimed debut Lucifer's Friend of 1970, and returning to their roots in 1981 with Mean Machine, although more influenced by speed metal.

Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits radio stations across the United States and Canada. The band is currently based in Vancouver.

Loudness (ラウドネス, Raudonesu?) is a Japanese metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing twenty-six studio albums (five in America) and nine live albums by 2014 and reaching the Billboard Top 100 in their moment of maximum international popularity, as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in their roster, the band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2001. On November 30, 2008 original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with Masayuki Suzuki.

Los Suaves is a Spanish hard rock band from Ourense, Galicia. The band was founded in the 1980s by the Domínguez brothers: Charly, bassist and Yosi Domínguez, vocalist.

Lone Star was a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1975. An embryonic line-up consisted of former Iona members, Kenny Driscoll and Tony Smith, former Quest bassist Ray Jones, and drummer Jim Mathews. The band took on the Lone Star moniker in early 1975 with the addition of new rhythm section, Pete Hurley on bass and Dixie Lee on drums, and noted guitarist Paul "Tonka" Chapman (a cousin of famed Welsh rocker Dave Edmunds), whose credits included the bands Universe, Skid Row (where he had replaced Gary Moore), Kimla Taz, and most notably, UFO, in a short-lived 1974 dual guitar configuration alongside Michael Schenker. Canadian keyboardist Rick Worsnop completed the line-up.

London is an American heavy metal band, based in Hollywood, California. The band is perhaps most notable for featuring members that would go on to play in more famous bands such as Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Cinderella.

Living Death was a German heavy metal band from Velbert, whose career spanned from the early 1980s until the early 1990s.

Lionheart was a British hard rock band formed in late 1980, originally featuring singer Jess Cox (ex-Tygers of Pan Tang), guitarist Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden), guitarist Steve Mann (ex-Liar), bassist/vocalist Rocky Newton (ex-The Next Band, Wildfire), and drummer Frank Noon (ex-The Next Band, Def Leppard).

Leviticus was a Christian metal band from Sweden. The band formed in 1981 and was led by Bjorn Stigsson. They released four albums before breaking up in 1990.

Leño was a Spanish hard rock band created in 1978 in Madrid. They are considered pioneers of hard rock in Spain and they also introduced the concept of the Spanish urban rock.

Legs Diamond is an American rock band that has often been called "The American Deep Purple". They formed in Los Angeles, California starting with Michael "Diamond" Gargano (bass) and Jeff Poole (drums). The group released their self-titled debut album for Mercury Records in 1977. The original band broke up in 1980 after three popular albums, but reformed in 1984 after their original albums had begun to acquire a cult following.

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Leatherwolf is an American heavy metal band that formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1981. The group is also nicknamed the 'Triple Axe Attack' for pioneering the use of a 3-guitar line-up in heavy metal. Currently comprising vocalist and guitarist Michael Olivieri, guitarists Rob Math and Greg Erba, bassist Patrick Guyton, and drummer Dean Roberts, the band has released five studio albums.

Leaf Hound is an English 1960s/1970s hard rock band. The group has been cited as a major influence on the stoner rock movement.

Krokus is a hard rock and heavy metal band from Switzerland. They enjoyed great success in North America during the 1980s.

Kix is an American hard rock band that achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Band members have continued to tour, including at the Rocklahoma festival in 2008 in Oklahoma and the M3 Rock Festival in May 2011 in the band's home state of Maryland.

Kiss (often styled as KISS) is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Well known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 1970s with their elaborate live performances—which featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics. The band has gone through multiple lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons the only remaining original members. Counting the 1978 solo albums, Kiss has been awarded 30 gold albums to date, the most of any American band. The band has sold more than 40 million albums in the United States, of which 25 million have been certified by the RIAA and their worldwide sales exceed 100 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. The original and best-known lineup consisted of Stanley (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals).

King's X is an American rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance. King's X was ranked No. 83 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

King Crimson are a rock band. Formed in London in 1968 (but featuring a transatlantic line-up since 1981), the band are widely recognised as a seminal group in the development of progressive rock (although the group members resist the label). The band have incorporated diverse influences and approaches during their five-decade history (including jazz and folk music, classical and experimental music, psychedelic rock, hard rock and heavy metal, new wave, gamelan, industrial, electronica and drum and bass) as well as balancing highly structured compositions against abstract improvisational sections and an interest in pop songs. The band has a large following, despite garnering little radio or music video airplay.

Killing Joke is an English rock band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original line-up included Jeremy Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), "Big" Paul Ferguson (drums), Kevin "Geordie" Walker (guitars) and Martin "Youth" Glover (bass).

Killer Dwarfs (stylized as KiLLeR DWaRfS) are a Canadian heavy metal band who formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario, and who enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada in the 1980s. Known for their offbeat sense of humor (all band members adopted the surname "Dwarf"), they were nominated for two Juno Awards during their career. Though not British, they were sometimes compared to NWOBHM acts such as Iron Maiden and Saxon.

Kick Axe is a Canadian heavy metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan. Influenced by rambunctious arena rock from the 70s and early 80s, the group is perhaps best known for their 1984 album Vices, praised by publications such as Allmusic for its "down-and-dirty guitar riffs" and notably managing to crack the American market. The band achieved moderate commercial success in the mid-1980s on the strength of the singles "Heavy Metal Shuffle", "On the Road to Rock", and "Rock The World". Following the release of their 1986 album Rock the World, Kick Axe disbanded and remained on hiatus for many years. In 2004, they re-emerged with the album Kick Axe IV.

Kerber (Serbian Cyrillic: Кербер; trans. Cerberus) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Niš.

Kat is a Polish heavy metal band formed in 1979 in Katowice, Poland. They have been accused, mainly by the Polish media, of promoting Satanism.

Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. The band has sold over 45 million albums to date. MTV ranked them the second greatest metal band of all time.

JPT Scare Band is an American rock band. It took its name from its members first initials and their scary acid rock sound. Although the band did not release their first album until the early 1990s, they had formed in the early 1970s and made numerous recordings on a reel to reel tape deck in a basement.

Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1973, composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between 1978 and 1987. During that period, the band released a series of hit songs, including 1981's "Don't Stop Believin'", which in 2009 became the top-selling track in iTunes history amongst songs not released in the 21st century. Its parent studio album, Escape, the band's eighth and most successful, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and yielded another of their most popular singles, "Open Arms". Its 1983 follow-up album, Frontiers, was almost as successful in the United States, reaching No. 2 and spawning several successful singles; it broadened the band's appeal in the United Kingdom, where it reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. Journey enjoyed a successful reunion in the mid-1990s and later regrouped with a series of lead singers.

Josefus was a rock band from Houston who have been credited for being "one of the first models for the blunt sound of Texas hard rock and heavy metal." They were also mentioned in an article in Classic Rock titled, "The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal".

Jethro Tull were a British rock group, formed in Luton, Bedfordshire, in December 1967. Initially playing blues rock, the band's sound soon incorporated elements of British folk music and hard rock to forge a progressive rock signature. The band was led by vocalist/flautist/guitarist Ian Anderson, and have included other significant members such as guitarist Martin Barre, keyboardist John Evan, drummers Clive Bunker, Doane Perry, and Barriemore Barlow, and bassists Glenn Cornick, Jeffrey Hammond, and Dave Pegg.

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Jameson Raid are a British heavy metal band. They are usually considered to be part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, following their inclusion on EMI's album Metal For Muthas II, although they were established on the Birmingham circuit as a hard rock band several years before this.

Jaguar are an English heavy metal band, formed in Bristol, England, in December 1979. They had moderate success throughout Europe and Asia in the early 1980s, during the heyday of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.

Jag Panzer is an American power metal band from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, east London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, eleven live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.

Iron Claw is a Scottish rock band currently signed to Californian record company and publisher Ripple Music. In March 2007 the band were mentioned in an article in Classic Rock called "The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal".

Iron Butterfly is an American rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock music. Formed in San Diego, California among band members that used to be "arch enemies", their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members with varying levels of success, with no new recordings since 1975. The band's seminal 1968 album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is among the world's 40 best-selling albums, selling more than 30 million copies. Iron Butterfly is also notable for being the first group to receive an RIAA platinum award.

Icon is an American heavy metal/glam metal band that formed in 1979, disbanding in 1990. Icon has fully reformed as of 2008, currently consisting of three-fifths of the classic lineup: Dan Wexler (guitar), Stephen Clifford (lead vocals), and John Aquilino (guitar), along with Dave Henzerling (bass) and Gary Bruzzese (drums).

Holy Moses is a German thrash metal band. They are well noted for being fronted by Sabina Classen (it is rare for a woman to be a singer in thrash metal) and for being one of the very first German thrash metal bands.

Holocaust is a heavy metal band which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1977 while still at high school.

Hollow Ground were an English heavy metal band.

High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill (guitar and vocals), Simon House (violin and keyboards), Peter Pavli (bass guitar) and Roger Hadden (drums).

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an English-American rock band that formed in Westminster, London, in September 1966. Composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969. During this time they released three successful studio albums. After Redding left the band in mid-1969, Hendrix and Mitchell continued to work together on other projects. The Experience reformed in 1970, with Billy Cox on bass, until Hendrix's death in September. Redding died in 2003, and Mitchell died in November 2008.

Helix is a Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band. They formed in 1974, and are best known for their 1984 single "Rock You". The original lineup was formed by drummer Bruce Arnold, and consisted of lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don Simmons, and bassist Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg. However, their most well known lineup, and the one that recorded "Rock You", was the 80s version of the band: Vollmer on vocals, accompanied by guitarists Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman, bassist Daryl Gray, and drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz. The history of the band has been marked by many lineup changes, with Vollmer being the sole constant member and only remaining member of the original lineup. Although Hackman was killed in a tour bus accident in 1992, the surviving members of the 80s lineup reunited in 2009 for an album and have continued to tour since 2011.

The Heavy Metal Kids are a British hard rock band, formed in 1972 in London. The band's founding frontman Gary Holton, guitarist Mickey Waller, and early member Dave Dee are deceased.

Heavy Load was a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm. The band is often hailed as the first Swedish heavy metal band, and were known for their Viking themes. The Wahlquist brothers, who founded the band in 1976 along with Michael Backler, were later producers and owners of Thunderload Records in Sweden, were at one point producing Veni Domine, and also were considering releasing a new album, though that never occurred. Misfortune struck when Thunderload Studios got severely damaged due to a water leakage in the 2000s, which meant a halt to its official existence. After the breakup, the members then went on and performed with other bands.

Heaven is a heavy metal band from Sydney, Australia that formed in 1980. The band recorded three albums and toured throughout the United States during the 1980s. The group's original style was similar to that of AC/DC but in later years went in a more commercial heavy metal direction along the lines of Judas Priest.

Heart is an American rock band that first found success in Canada and later in the United States and worldwide. Over the group's four-decade history it has had three primary lineups, with the constant center of the group since 1974 being sisters Ann Wilson (lead singer) and Nancy Wilson (guitarist). Heart rose to fame in the mid-1970s with music influenced by hard rock and heavy metal as well as folk music. Their popularity declined in the early 1980s, but the band enjoyed a comeback starting in 1985 and experienced even greater success with album oriented rock (AOR) hits and hard rock ballads into the 1990s. With Jupiter's Darling (2004), Red Velvet Car (2010), and Fanatic (2012), Heart made a return to its hard rock and acoustic folk roots.

Headpins are a Canadian rock group, founded as a side project in the late 1970s by then Chilliwack members Ab Bryant and Brian MacLeod. Macleod was impressed by the vocal talents of Vancouver rock singer Denise McCann, and asked her to join his new venture. Originally, Matt Frenette played drums for The Headpins while Bernie Aubin played drums for fellow Vancouver band Loverboy but, within months, Aubin and Frenette swapped bands where each continues to play to the present. The Headpins began gigging around the Vancouver area throughout 1981, quickly building a fan base. McCann left at the end of that first year, and MacLeod brought in Darby Mills to provide lead vocals.

Hawkwind are an English rock band and one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. Formed in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and they have incorporated different styles into their music, including hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and psychedelic rock. They are also regarded as an influential proto-punk band.

Hard Stuff were an English hard rock group which included John Du Cann and Paul Hammond, formerly of Atomic Rooster. Also in the line-up were vocalist Harry Shaw, formerly of Curiosity Shoppe and latterly Export, and John Gustafson, formerly of Quatermass.

Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish hard rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after their drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a car accident a year earlier. Original members vocalist Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy reunited in 2001 and were active with the new line-up of Hanoi Rocks until 2009.

The Handsome Beasts are a British heavy metal band who surfaced during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity, their album Beastiality is infamous for being featured on several "Worst album cover of all time" lists.

Samuel Roy "Sammy" Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and musician. Hagar came to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose. He afterwards launched a successful solo career, scoring an enduring hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed huge commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985, but left the band in 1996. He returned to the band for a 2-year reunion from 2003 to 2005. On March 12, 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. His musical style primarily consists of hard rock and heavy metal.

The Gun was a late 1960s British rock guitar trio who had a single British Top Ten hit, "Race with the Devil" and recorded two albums before disbanding. Two of its founders, brothers Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz, later took the name Three Man Army and recorded three albums.

Grim Reaper are a British heavy metal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era. The band was formed in 1979 in Droitwich, England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott.

Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". The band reached their peak popularity with the album ...Twice Shy in 1989.

Gravestone was a German heavy metal band, formed in 1977 as originally a progressive rock outfit, before going in to the heavy metal genre.

Grave Digger is a German heavy metal band formed in November 1980. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid-1980s.

Grand Funk Railroad (also known as Grand Funk) is an American blues rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s, touring extensively and playing to packed arenas worldwide. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine once said, "You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!" Known for their crowd-pleasing arena rock style, the band was well-regarded by audiences despite a relative lack of critical acclaim. The band's name is a play on words of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a railroad line that ran through the band's home town of Flint, Michigan.

Gordi (Serbian Cyrillic: Горди; trans. The Proud Ones) were a Yugoslav heavy metal band from Belgrade. Their initial works were mostly progressive rock-oriented and only their last two studio albums, Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti were heavy metal-oriented. However, these are the albums for which Gordi are generally most remembered and are considered milestones on the former Yugoslav heavy metal scene.

Girlschool are a British heavy metal band that formed in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 35 years. Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of 'punk-tinged metal' and a few singles, but lost their momentum in the following years.

Girl were an English glam metal band formed in London, UK in 1979, which split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns among others.

Gillan were a rock band formed in 1978 by Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan. Gillan were one of the hard rock bands to make a significant impact and commercial success in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s, with 5 albums in the Top 20.

Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; August 29, 1956) was an American punk rock singer-songwriter, who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. GG Allin was best known for his notorious live performances, which often featured transgressive acts, including coprophagia, self-mutilation, and attacking audience members, for which he was arrested and imprisoned on multiple occasions. AllMusic and G4TV's That's Tough have called him "the most spectacular degenerate in rock & roll history" and the "toughest rock star in the world", respectively.

Geordie (/ˈdʒɔrdi/, JOR-dee) were a British rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, most notably active in the 1970s.

Genesis are an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey in 1967. The most commercially successful line-up includes keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. Other important members were singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett. The band underwent many changes in musical style over its career, from folk music to progressive rock in the 1970s, before moving towards pop at the end of the decade. They have sold 21.5 million RIAA-certified albums in the US and their worldwide sales are estimated to be between 100 million and 130 million.

Gamma was a band formed by guitarist Ronnie Montrose and singer Davey Pattison in San Francisco in 1979. They released four albums: Gamma 1 (1979), Gamma 2 (1980), Gamma 3 (1982) (all on Elektra Records) and Gamma 4 (2000). Some of their best known songs are probably "Fight to the Finish" from their first album, and "Meanstreak" and "Voyager" from the second album.

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Flower Travellin' Band (フラワー・トラベリン・バンド, Furawā Toraberin Bando?) were a rock band from Japan that was formed in 1968. In Japan they often go by the moniker FTB.

Flotsam and Jetsam is a thrash metal band that formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1981.

Fist are an English heavy metal band hailing from South Shields, North East UK. Fist were one of the original bands that were considered to be part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement in the late 1970s and early 1980. The band first formed in April 1978 as Axe, but only recorded one song ("S.S. Giro") under that name. The group reformed in late 1979 under the new name of Fist, soon signing with Neat Records and releasing their first single, "Name, Rank and Serial Number" in April 1980. This single did good business with heavy radio rotation and good sales. The single was praised in the pages of Sounds, and bigger things were anticipated for the band as they signed with MCA, releasing a second single and preparing a full-length record for the end of the year. Turn the Hell On was released and the band toured with the likes of UFO, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Unfortunately, the LP suffered from a poor mix and MCA didn't have any real experience of dealing with metal bands and promoted the band poorly. Turn the Hell On inevitably failed to satisfy the label saleswise and Fist were dropped by MCA in early 1981.

Fallout was a heavy metal band formed in 1979 based out of Brooklyn, New York, USA. The band contained future Type O Negative members Peter Steele (then billed under his birth name, Peter Ratajczyk) on bass and vocals and Josh Silver on keyboards, as well as John Campos on guitars and Agnostic Front drummer Louie Beateaux (then billed as Lou Beato) on drums. Fallout released only one record before the band's demise in 1982, the "Rock Hard" 7" single, released in 1981 on Silver Records and limited to 500 copies. This record was produced by Richard Termini and William Wittman.

Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on their current moniker in 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest remaining members of the band, having been involved with Faith No More since its inception. The band underwent several lineup changes early in their career, along with some major changes later on. The current lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bottum, Bordin, guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist Mike Patton.

Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of 36 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Steve Souza, guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson and drummer Tom Hunting. Hunting is one of the original members, and departed from Exodus twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Holt joined the band shortly after its formation, and is the only member of Exodus to appear on all their releases.

Exciter is a Canadian speed metal band from Ottawa, Ontario. They are widely considered to be one of the first speed metal bands and a seminal influence of the thrash metal genre. Exciter have sold nearly 300,000 units in the USA and a total sales close to 500,000 units worldwide. Despite many changes in personnel, the band has managed to keep a small but dedicated following for over 30 years.

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Ethel the Frog was a heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Hull, England. They are notable for being a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The band's unusual name was taken from a Monty Python sketch about the "Piranha Brothers".

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The group consisted of keyboardist Keith Emerson, singer, guitarist, and producer Greg Lake, and drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer. They were one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands in the 1970s.

Elf was a rock band founded in 1967 by singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein (Dio's cousin). The band was originally called The Electric Elves, but was shortened to The Elves in 1968 and finally Elf in 1972. Elf disbanded in 1975 after recording three albums and after most of the lineup had been absorbed into Ritchie Blackmore's new group, Rainbow.

Electric Sun was a music group formed by Uli Jon Roth after his departure from the Scorpions in 1978. They recorded three albums between 1979 and 1985.

E.F. Band was a Swedish band that sometimes were mixed up with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement, even though they were Swedish. The band formed in 1979 by Pär Ericsson and Bengt Fischer, two former members of the progressive rock band Epizootic. The "E.F." portion of the band's name was derived from the first letter of Ericsson and Fischer's last names. The band hired drummer Dave Dufort, who had played with Mike Oldfield and Screaming Lord Sutch and thus completed the trio. Dufort left the band before the release of their first full-length album and was replaced by drummer Dag Eliason, thereby making the band an entirely-Swedish trio. John Rich joined as lead vocalist in 1982 and featured on the second album Deep Cut. London-based Roger Marsden (ex Deep Machine, Angel Witch) replaced Rich in 1983 and sang on the band's third album One Night Stand. E.F. Band broke up in 1986.

Easy Action is a Swedish band from Stockholm that was first formed in 1981 by Pelle Almgren, 2 meter, Bosse Belsen and Björne Fröberg. Bosse and Björne quit and were replaced by Skox and Ubbe. Stranded Records became interested and released the single Honcho Bongo. It didn't sell well and when the second single, Om jag vore kung, also failed the band split up. Skox and 2 meter formed Psyhedelic Mongo and Pelle Almgren started writing songs instead. Easy Action was reformed as a glam metal band in 1982 by Kee Marcello and Alex Tyrone (aka Peo Thyrén). The two played together in the Swedish glam act Noice when they decided to start the ultimate glam rock band, mixing their influences of 70's glam with a punk/metal attitude. They met the original singer Bosse Belsen, now named Zinny J. Zan, at the Stockholm rock club Ritz and recorded his vocals on the first demos the very same night. Later the Noice drummer Fredrik Von Gerber and the guitar player Danny Wilde joined the band. In 1983 they got signed to the US major label Sire and became the first Swedish band ever to sign a world wide record deal. After releasing two albums; "Easy Action" in 1983, and "That Makes One in 1986, the band split up when their guitarist and band leader Kee Marcello quit the band to join Europe, and went on to world wide success with the band, selling over 30 million albums.

Earthshaker (アースシェイカー, a-susheikā?) is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed in 1978 in Osaka. Their earlier music was very similar in style to countrymen Loudness and Anthem, but the band steered toward a poppier sound on later albums and dropped from worldwide view, preferring to record and tour in their home country. After a successful run, they broke up in 1994, but returned five years later and are still going strong today.

Dust was an American hard rock band active in the early 1970s.

Dokken is an American metal band formed in 1979. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The band was nominated for a Grammy in 1989.

Divlje Jagode (trans. "Wild Strawberries") is an ex-Yugoslav and Bosnian heavy metal band formed in 1977. The band is widely considered to be regional pioneers of the heavy metal genre and one of the most popular enduring icons of rock music in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. In almost 40 years since its founding, the band has released 12 studio albums, the latest being 2013 release Biodinamička ljubav, several singles and compilation albums.

Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is acknowledged by thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.

The Deviants (formerly The Social Deviants) were an English rock group originally active in the late 1960s, but until his death in 2013, used as a vehicle for the musical work of writer Mick Farren.

Demon is an English rock/metal group, formed in 1979 by vocalist Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner, both hailing from Leek, Staffordshire. They are considered an important band in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Savage (bassist, backing vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), and Vivian Campbell (guitar, backing vocals). This is the band's longest-standing line-up.

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical approach changed over the years. Originally formed as a progressive rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-Seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

Deep Machine were a heavy metal group from the east end of London that first came into existence in 1979. Throughout the 1980s they were part of the NWOBHM. Founded by lead guitarist Bob Hooker, the band’s music was influenced by other NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden and in particular, Judas Priest. Various early line-ups existed but eventually Hooker recruited John Wiggins on guitar, Dave Orton bass, Rick Bruce drums, and Roger Marsden vocals. This line-up recorded some now much sought-after demo tapes including songs such as Demon Preacher, Asylum, Witchild and Deep Machine. Dave Orton then left and was replaced by Andy Wrighton on bass.

Dedringer were a British hard rock band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They were formed in 1977 in Leeds, United Kingdom, and released two albums (through Dindisc and Neat Records respectively) before finally quitting in 1985.

Death SS (later also intended as a contraction of In Death of Steve Sylvester) is an Italian heavy metal band.

Dark Angel is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Their over-the-top style (extremely fast, heavy and lengthy songs with lots of tempo changes, lyrics and extended instrumental parts) earned them the nickname "the L.A. Caffeine Machine". Although Dark Angel had not achieved a mainstream breakthrough in their initial career, their 1986 album Darkness Descends is widely regarded as a landmark in the thrash metal genre.

Crushed Butler were a British protopunk/hard rock band that existed between 1969 and 1971. According to 2008's Pretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk, the band "was, in many ways, Britain's first proto-punk band." Band members went on to form Darryl Read's Beat Existentialists, The Gorillas and to pursue solo careers.

Crimson Glory is an American progressive metal band that formed in 1979 under the name Pierced Arrow (later changed to 'Beowulf'). Their current line-up features long-time guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson, bassist Jeff Lords, and drummer Dana Burnell. The band formed in Sarasota, Florida. As a pioneer of the American progressive metal movement, Crimson Glory rose to international fame in the 1980s and was ranked as one of the early "flagship bands of progressive metal" along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, who were responsible for creating and developing that genre. Crimson Glory has released four studio albums and one EP. They broke up in 1992, but decided to reform six years later.

Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their unique sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia themes, Clapton's blues guitar playing, Bruce's powerful, versatile vocals and prominent bass playing, Baker's pulsating, jazz-influenced drumming and Pete Brown's poetry-inspired lyrics. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. The band is widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup. In their career, they sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. Their music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad".

Coven is an American psychedelic rock band formed in the late 1960s. They had a top 40 hit in 1971 with the song "One Tin Soldier", the theme song of the movie Billy Jack.

Cloven Hoof are a heavy metal band from Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, that was active from 1979 to 1990, and again from around 2000 onwards. The band was associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, alongside bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon and Diamond Head. Enduring many line-up changes, only founding bassist Lee Payne has remained present throughout the band's career.

Cirith Ungol was a Californian heavy metal band who formed in 1972 and split up in May 1992.

Chateaux were a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band formed in 1981 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. They released three albums during the 1980s through Ebony Records, then home to the likes of Grim Reaper and Savage. The band is notable for launching the career of Steve Grimmett, later of Grim Reaper and Onslaught.

Captain Beyond is an American/British rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971.

Cactus is an American hard rock band, formed in 1969.

Bulldozer is an extreme metal band from Milan, Italy, that was active from 1980 until 1990. They had reunited as of 2008.

Buffalo were an Australian rock band formed in August 1971 by founding mainstay Dave Tice on lead vocals (ex-Head). Fellow founders, also from Head, were Paul Balbi on drums, John Baxter on guitar, and Peter Wells on bass guitar; together with Alan Milano on lead vocals (ex-Mandala). Milano left after their debut album, Dead Forever... (June 1972), and Balbi was replaced on drums by Jimmy Economou. Their next two albums, Volcanic Rock (July 1973) and Only Want You For Your Body (June 1974), were also issued by Vertigo Records. After 1975 line-up changes resulted in a more commercial sound and the group disbanded in March 1977. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, noted that there was "nothing subtle about Buffalo's primal, heavyweight sound, but it was delivered with a great deal of conviction ... combining the dense, occult riffing ... with the progressive blues chops ... the band certainly captured the arrogant disposition of the times in a bold and thunderous fashion". Alongside Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Blackfeather, Buffalo pioneered Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. Peter Wells died on 27 March 2006, aged 58.

Budgie are a Welsh hard rock band from Cardiff. They are described by author Garry Sharpe-Young as one of the earliest heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts of that scene, with fast, heavy rock (an influence on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and acts such as Metallica) being played as early as 1971. The band has been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day".

The Edgar Broughton Band, founded in 1968 in Warwick, England, was an English psychedelic rock group.

Bronz are an English hard rock band, formed in Bath in the mid-1970s. The band played mainly around the UK and at the 'free festivals' of the time. These included at Stonehenge in both 1977 and 1978, following an appearance at Glastonbury in 1976.

Bow Wow is an influential hard rock/heavy metal band formed in Japan in 1975. They renamed themselves to Vow Wow in 1984, before moving to England in 1987 and disbanding in 1990. Guitarist and vocalist Kyoji Yamamoto reformed Bow Wow in 1995 with all new members, before original members Mitsuhiro Saito and Toshihiro Niimi rejoined him three years later.

Boss were a hard rock-heavy metal band from Sydney, Australia.

Bodine was a Dutch heavy metal band which was active from 1978 until 1984.

Blue Öyster Cult (often abbreviated BÖC) is an American rock band from Long Island, New York, whose most successful work includes the hard rock and heavy metal songs "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla" and "Burnin' for You". Since the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, the band has sold over 24 million albums worldwide, including 7 million in the United States alone. The band's music videos, especially "Burnin' for You", received heavy rotation on MTV when the music television network premiered in 1981, cementing the band's contribution to the development and success of the music video in modern pop culture.

Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues-rock style, and are also credited as being some of the earliest pioneers of heavy metal, with their cover of "Summertime Blues" sometimes cited as the first in the genre. They have also been noted as influential in the development of genres as disparate as punk rock, stoner rock, doom metal, experimental rock, and grunge.

Bloodrock was an American hard rock band, based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had considerable success in the 1970s, and was one of the earliest of a number of significant bands to emerge from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid-1970s.

Blitzkrieg are a heavy metal band initially from Leicester formed in 1980. The current line-up is Brian Ross (vocals), Ken Johnson (guitar), Alan Ross (guitar), Bill Baxter (bass) and Matt Graham (drums). Brian Ross is the only remaining member from the band's founding.

Black Widow were a rock band that formed in Leicester, England in September 1969. The band were mostly known for its early use of satanic and occult imagery in their music and stage act. The band were often compared with the better-known Heavy metal band Black Sabbath, but the bands were only superficially similar.

Black Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968, by guitarist and main songwriter Tony Iommi, bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne, and drummer Bill Ward. The band have since experienced multiple line-up changes, with guitarist Iommi being the only constant presence in the band through the years. Originally formed in 1968 as a blues rock band, the group soon adopted the Black Sabbath moniker and began incorporating occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and tuned-down guitars. Despite an association with these two themes, Black Sabbath also composed songs dealing with social instability, political corruption, the dangers of drug abuse and apocalyptic prophecies of the horrors of war.

Black Rose are an English heavy metal band from Teesside in the north east of England. They formed in 1976 under the name ICE but changed it to Black Rose in 1980 and were one of many British bands considered part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The original line up was Steve Bardsley (lead vocals/guitar), Kenny Nicholson (guitar), Marty Rajn (bass) and Mark Eason (drums). Over the next nine years the band went through various line up changes and released quite a few records including two albums: Boys Will Be Boys (1984) and Walk It How You Talk It (1986) before splitting up in 1989. The band then reformed in 2006 and released their newest album Cure for Your Disease in 2010.

Black 'N Blue is a glam metal band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are singer Jaime St. James, bassist Patrick Young, drummer Pete Holmes, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, and guitarist Brandon Cook.

Black Death are an American band who have been noted as the "first all-African-American heavy metal band." The group were also mentioned in Ian Christe's book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal., and mentioned Rock 'n' roll and the Cleveland connection by Deanna R. Adams as "one of the only, if not the only, all-black metal bands in the country" in 1987.

Bitch is a female-fronted American heavy metal band, formed in Los Angeles in December 1980. They gained notoriety as a result of their theatrical live performances inspired by Alice Cooper, which featured sadomasochistic themes. Bitch was the first artist ever signed to Metal Blade Records.

Beowülf is a crossover thrash metal band formed Venice Beach, California in 1981 by Michael Alvarado, Dale Henderson, Mike Jensen and Paul Yamada. The group never gained a large mainstream success, but is considered one of the first bands that defined the "Venice Scene" in the 1980s, along with Suicidal Tendencies, Los Cycos, Neighborhood Watch, No Mercy, Excel and Uncle Slam, who all played a mix of skate punk, hardcore, heavy metal and thrash.

Australian heavy metal music has its roots in both the Australian hard rock and pub rock tradition of the 1970s and the American and British heavy metal scenes. Since the mid-80s, Australian heavy metal has been particularly influenced by foreign bands, particularly Swedish death metal, American thrash metal and black metal from Norway. Within Australia heavy metal has always remained part of the underground but since the mid-1990s many Australian metal acts have found widespread acceptance in overseas markets, particularly in Europe.

Battleaxe is a heavy metal band from Sunderland, England. As one of the notable bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they started out with the name Warrior and morphed into Battleaxe sometime in early 1980. The band consisted of Dave King (vocals), Brian Smith (bass), Steve Hardy (guitar), and Ian Thompson (drums). After playing around the area and honing their chops, they entered the studio to make a demo called "Burn This Town". In doing so, they garnered the attention of Roadrunner Records and the result was their first album, Burn This Town.

Barón Rojo (Spanish pronunciation: ) are a Spanish heavy metal band, who reached some international success in the 1980s. The band is led by siblings Carlos and Armando de Castro, previously from the band Coz, and it is considered one of the most important representatives of Spanish hard rock bands. "Barón Rojo" in Spanish is "Red Baron", the name of the band is an homage to Manfred von Richthofen, and the eponymous song "Barón Rojo" is about him.

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Bang is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, active briefly in the early 1970s. The group released three albums on Capitol Records, and had one minor hit single with "Questions", which reached #90 on the Billboard Hot 100. They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath, and are considered forerunners to the doom metal genre. The group briefly reformed in the early 2000s and recorded 2 more CDs worth of music. In 2004 the concept album "Death Of A Country" was released on CD and LP. This album was recorded in 1971 and was intended to be released as the band's first record, but was shelved by Capitol Records because they did not feel that putting out a "heavy concept album" as the band's debut would be commercially viable. Later that year, their self-titled sophomore record was released and became their official debut instead.

Babe Ruth are a rock music group, primarily active through the 1970s, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Their characteristically 'heavy' sound is marked by powerful vocals from Janita (Jenny) Haan and full arrangements by Alan Shacklock. They are acknowledged as having more commercial success in North America than in their home country.

Axe is a hard rock band from Texas, USA, formed in 1979.

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Atomkraft are an English heavy/speed metal band who were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They formed in 1979 and disbanded 1988. Their "Total Metal" approach is somewhere between fellow NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead and Venom, punk rock bands such as The Dickies, and early Exodus or Slayer. The band subsequently reformed in 2005.

Atomic Rooster were an English rock band, originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member, and wrote the majority of their material. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band went through radical style changes, however they are best known for the hard, progressive rock sound of their hit singles, "Tomorrow Night" (UK No. 11) and "The Devil's Answer" (UK No. 4), both in 1971.

Armageddon were an English hard rock band formed in 1974. Their self-titled debut, Armageddon, was recorded in England and released in the United States on A&M Records. The albums' original liner notes use the term "supergroup", as their personnel were drummer Bobby Caldwell (previously a member of Captain Beyond), singer Keith Relf (who had fronted the enormously influential Yardbirds as well as having been a co-founder of Renaissance), guitarist Martin Pugh (from Steamhammer), and bassist Louis Cennamo (also formerly of Renaissance and Steamhammer).

April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. Originally based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the band enjoyed international success in the 1970s and 1980s, releasing more than 20 albums since 1971.

Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar), Robb Reiner (drums) and Chris Robertson (bass). To date, the band has released fifteen studio albums, and has been cited as having influenced many notable heavy metal groups, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.

Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group was considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene during the 1980s. Of the "Big Four" thrash metal bands (the others being Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer), Anthrax were the only band from the East Coast. As of 2014, the band has released ten studio albums, a number of singles and an EP with American hip hop group Public Enemy. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Anthrax sold 2.5 million records in the United States from 1991 to 2004, with worldwide sales of 10 million.

Anthem (アンセム, Ansemu?) is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed during the early 1980s in Tokyo. They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside Loudness and Earthshaker.

Angel Witch are a British heavy metal band which formed in London, England in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Despite critical acclaim in the music press, their only UK chart action consisted of a single week at No.75 (the lowest position in the charts) in 1980.

The Angels are an Australian rock band that formed in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1974. The band later relocated to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success, clocking up hit singles across four decades, including "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", "Take a Long Line", "Marseilles", "Shadow Boxer", "No Secrets", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", "Let The Night Roll On", and "Dogs Are Talking".

Angeles Del Infierno (Spanish for Angels from Hell or Hell Angels) is a heavy metal band from Basque Country, Spain, formed in 1980. Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1984, they achieved success in their home country and Latin America during the 1980s and the early 1990s. In 2003, the band reformed and signed back onto Warner Bros. Records, releasing Todos Somos Angeles later that year.

Angel is an American glam and hard rock band from Washington, D.C., United States, formed in the mid-1970s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans five decades. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, boa constrictors, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers alike to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock"; he has drawn equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre, theatrical brand of rock designed to shock people. Cooper is also known for his distinctive raspy voice.

Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with vocalist/pianist/harmonicist Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston.

Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s. The band played an important role in the development of speed and thrash metal, being part of the German heavy metal scene, which emerged in the early to mid-1980s. Accept achieved commercial success with their fifth studio album Balls to the Wall (1983), which remains the band's only album to be certified gold in the United States and Canada, and spawned their well-known hit "Balls to the Wall".

AC/DC are an Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band, they are also considered pioneers of heavy metal and are sometimes classified as such, though they have always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll".

A II Z were a heavy metal band founded in 1979 in Manchester, England by guitarist Gary Owens. The original lineup consisted of David Owens (vocals), Gary Owens (guitar), Cam Campbell (bass), Karl Reti (drums). For a short time they were one of the forerunners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They disabanded in 1982.

220 Volt is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed in 1979 by guitar players Thomas Drevin and Mats Karlsson. The band released albums on the CBS Records and Epic Records labels.

44 Magnum (stylized as 44MAGNUM) is a heavy metal band from Japan, originally formed in mid 1977.