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Crank up the volume and prepare to headbang! Join us as we count down our picks for the most successful and influential groups in the history of metal music. From thrash to death metal, groove to progressive, these bands defined what it means to be heavy. Who will claim the throne as the greatest of all time? Let us know your picks in the comments!
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00:00If you like to gamble, I'll tell you I'm your man.
00:03You win some, lose some, you do the same to me.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the most successful and influential groups
00:13in the history of heavy metal.
00:16Run to the hills.
00:22Run for your lives.
00:2720.
00:29Sepultura
00:30Thrash and death metal were still developing in the mid-80s U.S. when they collided in Brazil.
00:42After stumbling across extreme trailblazers Venom, Max and Igor Cavalera infused new levels
00:48of anti-establishment intensity into their band's old-school technical flair.
00:56And Sepultura have been expanding the horizons of heavy music ever since.
01:01Grounding their guttural frenzy with Brazilian rhythmic traditions had a particularly important
01:07impact on groove metal.
01:11Of course, that only scratches the surface of a sonic evolution that was spurred by regular
01:17personnel changes.
01:19The Cavalera brothers themselves are long gone, with the remains of Sepultura planning to call
01:24it quits in 2026.
01:26But their groundbreaking dynamism and popularity will forever hook true metalheads around the
01:32world.
01:39The 90s new metal movement gets a bad rap for an often-contrived mix of heaviness and hip-hop
01:45hooks, coming from the modest realm of Des Moines, Iowa.
01:49Slipknot is the terrifying real deal.
01:58Their brutally groovy nine-piece style and angry lyrics have long resonated with a wide audience.
02:04At the center of the raw racket is vocalist Corey Taylor's unique range from hypnotic melody
02:10to blood-boiling screams.
02:23And on the stage is one of the most nightmarishly-costumed, explosively elaborate live acts in metal.
02:31Slipknot's shocking brand has naturally led to plenty of controversy, especially given its
02:36unlikely popularity.
02:37Meshuggah!
02:39I am a world before I am a man!
02:42In refusing to compromise, however, they bring commercial and cathartic listeners together
02:48on the edge of their seats.
02:50The memories in my eyes!
02:55Number 18.
02:57Meshuggah
02:58It was once believed that the hardest extreme metal and the trickiest prog were totally incompatible.
03:04Then, Meshuggah came roaring out of Sweden into the boldly experimental 90s.
03:09What makes me realize, we like to do a revolution!
03:14Their complex sound was driven by mind-bending polyrhythms, atmosphere, and lyrical content.
03:21At the same time, few groups went as hard as their palm-muted riffs and Jens Kidman's
03:27visceral vocals.
03:28As this style grew more chaotic and more melodic simultaneously, it laid the groundwork for the
03:34controversial subgenre Jens.
03:43Meshuggah rejects the term supposedly coined by Fredrik Thordendahl, as he was experimenting
03:49with alcohol alongside guitar tones.
03:51The fans also preferred to leave the band's sound definable only as an ever-evolving work
03:56of brutal genius.
04:03Number 17.
04:05Cannibal Corpse
04:06Death metal essentially emerged from extreme groups in Tampa, Florida, trying to out-edge
04:12each other in the 1980s.
04:14By the turn of the 90s, Cannibal Corpse had effectively slain the competition.
04:27Their cult following stemmed not only from the grotesque lyrics, vocals, and album covers,
04:32they defined how virtuosic musicianship could be used to further a brutal aesthetic without
04:37pretension.
04:38The total war gets altered by the disease, the brain disabled by the constant pain.
04:43Alex Webster is particularly renowned for helping to revolutionize the role of fingerstyle
04:49bass playing in heavy music.
04:51The whole package, of course, drove the rhythmic vitriol into an extreme popularly known as
04:57brutal death metal.
05:02As alienating as that may be for the mainstream, extreme connoisseurs continue to champion Cannibal
05:09Corpse as the gory gold standard.
05:12The same was one, an abomination!
05:15Number 16.
05:17Mastodon
05:18The very sound of 21st-century metal can be heard in this ensemble from Atlanta, Georgia.
05:31Mastodon have covered the whole spectrum of metal, from aggressive to progressive, with
05:36lyrical content that's as high-concept as it is introspective.
05:47This highly eclectic style, focused through ambitious storytelling and killer musicianship,
05:53has won consistent acclaim, along with a dedicated following from virtually every walk of their
05:58genre.
06:07At the forefront of the Grammy-winning phenomenon was gifted vocalist and guitarist Brent Hines,
06:13until tragedy struck in 2025.
06:17Following his departure from Mastodon after 25 years, Hines died in an auto accident.
06:22At least he leaves behind a towering legacy for his talented comrades to continue.
06:28Even you'll be high, that's my lonesome song.
06:34Number 15.
06:36System of a Down
06:38This California four-piece really shook up the alternative metal scene going into the
06:42new millennium.
06:43No!
06:43What do you own the world?
06:45How do you own this order?
06:47This order!
06:48True to their name, though, System of a Down are more interested in shaking up the powers
06:53that be.
06:54Each member is Armenian-American, intensely yet sophisticatedly blending genres behind cutting
07:01political commentary beyond their two homelands.
07:04Life is a waterfall, we drink from the river, then we turn around and put up our walls.
07:11This earned their bold sound a unique level of critical and commercial success until they
07:16disbanded in 2006.
07:17The charismatic frontman Serge Tankian has since become an industry icon for his musical versatility,
07:24not to mention his activism with Axis of Justice.
07:27I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my down.
07:42System of a Down regularly reunites to play live but barely records new material.
07:48Certainly, their kinetic classics are as artistically and thematically relevant as ever.
07:54I cry for angels deserve to die!
08:03No!
08:0414.
08:05Tool
08:06It was the typical story of aspiring filmmakers and artists crossing paths in Los Angeles.
08:12But there would be nothing typical about the art they made together.
08:21Tool captivated the 1990s with a highly technical form of alternative metal that complemented vivid
08:28musical experiments with elaborate visual designs.
08:31So, too, did the three instrumentalists' massive polyrhythmic virtuosity complement Maynard
08:37James Keenan's fiery topical tirades.
08:40Crippling of communication…
08:49They were at the height of their power in 2007, when a legal dispute and side projects
08:54prevented the release of new music for 12 years.
09:04The heavily accoladed album Fear Inoculum proved to be well worth the wait.
09:09Granted, Tool's incomparable catalogue and influence have ensured their permanent prestige
09:15in the art of metal.
09:16I'm trying to want to start this old way.
09:23No.
09:2313.
09:24Opeth
09:25They with me a while.
09:31While much of Scandinavia was pushing blackened death metal to darker depths in the 90s, Stockholm's
09:37Opeth found beauty in it.
09:39They imported the budding progressive metal genre by way of the bleak intensity, atmosphere,
09:44and songwriting of the local scene.
09:47The 2001 album Blackwater Park would be cited as a landmark in multiple branches of metal.
09:58Many later albums walked back the extreme measures for more traditional prog.
10:04Either way, Opeth have been consistently praised for their elevated musicianship, behind Michael
10:10Aukerfelt's versatile vocals and epic guitar work.
10:13The eyes of the devil!
10:20The band is recognized in Sweden as one of their most important cultural exports.
10:25Certainly, Opeth is one of the most important brokers between extreme and progressive metal
10:40listeners.
10:4212.
10:43Dio
10:44Richie Blackmore's pioneering power metal act, Rainbow, made a star of opera-influenced American
10:50singer Ronnie James Dio.
10:54He ended a stint with Black Sabbath in 1982, with enough clout and connections to form a
10:59namesake band.
11:00Holy diver, you've been out too long in the midnight sea, almost becoming of me.
11:09Dio has since featured many incredible musicians to raise old-school heavy metal to an epic scale.
11:15Dio, guitarist Vivian Campbell, Doug Aldrich, and Rowan Robertson are just some names that
11:21represented their frontman as a kingmaker.
11:23You've been left on your own, like a rainbow, like a rainbow in the dark!
11:32He himself led with powerful vocals and stage presence all the way to his passing in 2010.
11:38Dio's work with many seminal bands is enough to make him an immortal idol.
11:43His own group merely cemented him as an influential force in his own right.
11:49Release yourself, but the only way is now!
11:5411.
11:56Anthrax
11:56Metalheads associate the Big Four with the development of mainstream thrash in the 1980s.
12:02As the only group not based in Los Angeles, Anthrax had an especially unique sound.
12:15New York City's hardcore punk scene directly influenced their high-speed rage and more irreverent
12:21form of social commentary.
12:27They may not have been as technical as their West Coast counterparts, but their skills showed
12:32creativity and dynamic hooks.
12:34And the soaring tenor of Joey Belladonna and other vocalists made for a killer contrast.
12:45The Metal Hall of Famer's so-called crossover thrash would influence punk offshoots all the
12:51way to metalcore.
12:52Anthrax's impact on metal is still even greater for showing how supreme aggression can also be
12:58infectious.
13:0310.
13:04Dream Theater
13:05Virtuosos have long experimented with hardening progressive rock with heavy metal elements.
13:12Leave it to alumni from the Berklee College of Music to perfect the fusion by the 1990s.
13:17Hold me under, hold me under, hold me under my face.
13:26Dream Theater have since gained a dedicated following for their astonishing musicianship
13:31alone.
13:31Nevermind sophisticated high-concept songwriting that celebrates the cerebral grandeur of
13:36Prague with the confrontational intensity of metal.
13:50The polish has admittedly raised the group standing in the former genre over the latter.
13:56That said, Dream Theater has proven invaluable in unifying supposedly opposed camps, while elevating
14:03the prestige of metal overall.
14:11But to this day, a Prague Metal outfit can only dream of measuring up to the skill and success
14:17of the one that started the craze.
14:259.
14:26Death
14:27Chuck Schuldiner's Florida-based band didn't just co-found death metal or appropriate its
14:34name in the 1980s — they set the standard for the gutsy, guttural subgenre.
14:41Death practically perfected the template of philosophy and commentary in brutal lyrics, as well as progressive
14:48virtuosity and high-speed shredding.
14:58Schuldiner's intricate guitar playing and shocking, growled vocal style were particularly groundbreaking.
15:04It was a tough sell to radios, but the underground phenomenon had a lasting impact on the extreme
15:09metal scene.
15:10An excuse to cover up weaknesses that I was in
15:16Sadly, Schuldiner's revolutionary career was cut short by a brain tumor in 2001.
15:22His long-unstable band subsequently broke up, but death's demise could never stop their influence
15:29in turning the heaviest music into an art form.
15:37Number 8.
15:39Motorhead
15:40Bassist and vocalist Lenny Kilmister would open shows with…
15:44We are Motorhead!
15:48We play rock and roll!
15:49But nobody had heard this kind of rock and roll or heavy metal.
15:53Lenny's visceral voice, Eddie Clarke's blistering guitar, and Phil Taylor's relentless drumming
15:59set a massive sound.
16:07The subgenre of speed metal came rushing in on Motorhead's explosive hooks.
16:12And the so-called new wave of British heavy metal soon followed with the 1980s.
16:17This outfit indeed collided classic rock attitude and modern metal fury, with Lemmy being legendary
16:23for surviving a wild lifestyle.
16:32His time ultimately came, just two days after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
16:40Motorhead disbanded without their fearless leader, but the whole package was an unmistakable force.
16:45Then we'll get over it, get back in line!
16:50Number 7.
16:52Pantera
16:52Those who heard Pantera in the 1980s probably couldn't imagine them becoming revolutionaries.
16:59The Texas glam formalists were generally respected for their relatively hard sound, but they didn't
17:06just capitalize on the trash fad for the 1990 album Cowboys From Hell.
17:14They took it to harder heights, as pioneers of groove metal.
17:19Suddenly, heavy listeners everywhere were headbanging to Phil Anselmo's growls and dimebag Daryl
17:24Abbott's either infectiously grimy or screamingly technical guitar.
17:35Pantera shockingly became one of metal's hottest and most innovative until they disbanded in
17:412003.
17:42One year later, Abbott was playing with Damage Plan when he was murdered on stage.
17:47Regardless of this historic tragedy, his, and the now-reunited Pantera's style, has gone
17:55from navigating the metal pantheon to redefining it.
17:59You left me at your feet on and off that the memories still remain.
18:06Number 6.
18:08Megadeth
18:09After getting kicked out of Metallica in 83, Dave Mustaine took his belligerent antics to center stage.
18:21His wailing vocals and guitars led Los Angeles' Megadeth to speed up thrash as both a distinct
18:27style and a cultural phenomenon.
18:29With no loss of complex or confrontational songwriting, they've won huge commercial and critical success
18:35for decades.
18:45Along the way, the band has seen frequent personnel changes, usually because of Mustaine's behavior.
18:51At least that's slowed down since he achieved sobriety during a hiatus in 2002.
19:05Even if Megadeth's mastermind isn't as vindictive as he used to be, the infamous perfectionism
19:11kept the genre giants as relevant as they've been influential to their last bow in 2026.
19:24Number 5.
19:25Slayer
19:26If Los Angeles thrash mostly whispered a dark future for metal in the 1980s, Slayer screamed
19:32it.
19:33To be exact, it was Tom Arias screaming the most taboo lyrics to wake the world up to its horrors.
19:38Close your eyes and forget your name Step outside yourself and let your thoughts stray
19:45As you go insane
19:47Behind him was Jeff Hanneman, and Kerry King's fiery guitar work and Dave Lombardo's thunderous
19:53drumming.
19:53The personnel has since had regular turnover, most notably with Hanneman's tragic passing
19:59in 2013.
20:04The acclaim among proper metalheads has nonetheless been as consistent as controversy from outsiders.
20:16Slayer has had to deny alignment with just about every extreme group that would appropriate
20:22their sound, with the intelligent irony and intense talents.
20:25But they've surely earned the honor of being extreme metal incarnate.
20:32Number 4.
20:34Judas Priest
20:35This Birmingham-born ensemble might have faded into the fad of British hard blues rock at
20:41the turn of the 70s.
20:42Instead, Judas Priest elevated their progressive musicianship and rebellious writing with a dark
20:48twist.
20:49Breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law.
20:54The fusion of K.K.
20:55Downing and Glenn Tipton's twin lead guitar riffs with Rob Halford's operatic tenor was
21:01earth-shattering.
21:12And the rotation of drummers' innovative use of double-kick bass pedals was bone-rattling.
21:18Throughout their prolific and profitable run, the band has won massive acclaim for their
21:23revolutionary music prowess.
21:24Flying high on rapture, stronger, free and brave!
21:29Never mind one of the most dazzling live acts in all of metal.
21:33Judas Priest is not only one of the genre's defining influences, but forever one of its
21:40definitive icons.
21:51Number 3.
21:52Iron Maiden
21:54London-based phenom Steve Harris founded Iron Maiden in 1975 with a more classical approach
21:59to heavy metal.
22:00So when you're waiting for the next attack, you better stand, there's no turning back!
22:06His songwriting emphasizes technical musicianship, progressive structure, and anthemic lyrics
22:11driven by history, mythology, and storytelling.
22:14This crucially inspired the polished subgenre of power metal.
22:18Run to the hills, run for your lives!
22:28Of course, the coinciding influence on speed metal proved no less thrilling to more raw
22:34listeners.
22:35Harris has been his band's only consistent member, with vocalist Bruce Dickinson, guitarists
22:40Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, and drummer Nico McBrain being the most distinct lineup.
22:49Their virtuosity and monumental live shows have enjoyed decades of popularity with no artistic
22:55compromise.
22:56It's safe to say that Iron Maiden have themselves become a legend in their own time.
23:07Number 2.
23:08Black Sabbath
23:09Though rock was rapidly hardening by the 1970s, nothing prepared the world for Black Sabbath
23:15in the north of Birmingham, England.
23:22A factory injury prompted guitar virtuoso Tony Iommi to experiment with the dynamic between
23:29menacing downtuned riffs and flashy leads.
23:33Bill Ward's rapid drumming and Geezer Butler's sophisticated bass work and lyrics muscled up the
23:39bluesy expressionism, and Ozzy Osbourne's vocal range and persona were so shocking as to earn
23:48the moniker The Prince of Darkness.
23:51As unthinkable as his departure was in 79, many stellar vocalists evolved Sabbath sound alongside
23:57the genre they forged.
24:06The original lineup periodically reunited to immense fanfare until Osbourne's passing in
24:122025.
24:14By then, the hard rock subset dubbed Heavy Metal was its own phenomenon, still rarely rivaling
24:20its defining act.
24:21Is this the end of the beginning?
24:28Number 1.
24:30Metallica
24:31It takes some boldness to name a band after a genre.
24:35It took much more boldness for Metallica to distill metal as founding fathers of thrash.
24:39Darkness imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror
24:44Beginning in Los Angeles in 1981, they pushed the extremes of darkly introspective lyrics and
24:50fast, distorted riffs.
24:52Take my hand, rock to Never Never Land
24:58This was intricately contrasted with technical instrumentation, honed by the late bass guitar
25:04god Cliff Burton.
25:05Aside from the powerhouse players who have come after him, Metallica has stayed consistent
25:11with its iconic lineup behind James Hetfield's towering charisma.
25:15The explosive live shows just barely match the band's mighty presence, and no metal band
25:30has remotely matched their commercial success.
25:33With just as much acclaim and influence, Metallica have earned their title as the quintessential
25:39titans of their genre.
25:49What are your all-time favorite metal bands?
25:52Let loose in the comments below!
25:54Let loose in the comments below!
25:55Let loose in the comments below!
25:56We'll be right back down and we'll watch the next video, and see who you next time you can
25:58Let loose in the comments below!
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