After polling the little demonic beings living within my thick fat hairy skull, an imperfect list of the Top 100 All-Time Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Bands was born. We hope you despise it.

Insincerely Yours,

The Management

P.S. When you are done vomiting blood all over the list, test your metal wits on the Sporcle quiz: “Gears of Rock Top 100”
____________________

  1. Black Sabbath
  2. Metallica
  3. Iron Maiden
  4. Slayer
  5. AC/DC
  6. Judas Priest
  7. Motorhead
  8. Led Zeppelin
  9. Megadeth
  10. Pantera
  11. Ozzy Osbourne
  12. Kiss
  13. Aerosmith
  14. Motley Crue
  15. Anthrax
  16. Guns n’ Roses
  17. Alice Cooper
  18. Scorpions
  19. Queen
  20. Van Halen
  21. Def Leppard
  22. Alice in Chains
  23. Deep Purple
  24. White Zombie
  25. Venom
  26. Dio
  27. Rush
  28. Overkill
  29. Accept
  30. Mercyful Fate
  31. Cream
  32. Marilyn Manson
  33. Diamond Head
  34. Machine Head
  35. Thin Lizzy
  36. The Misfits
  37. W.A.S.P.
  38. Ted Nugent
  39. Ministry
  40. Poison
  41. Exodus
  42. Type-o-Negative
  43. Ratt
  44. Sepultura
  45. The Ramones
  46. Pearl Jam
  47. Journey
  48. Bon Jovi
  49. Dream Theater
  50. Twisted Sister
  51. Danzig
  52. Fear Factory
  53. Tesla
  54. Quiet Riot
  55. Soundgarden
  56. Metal Church
  57. Joe Satriani
  58. Steve Vai
  59. Sammy Hagar
  60. Kreator
  61. Lamb of God
  62. Testament
  63. Faith No More
  64. Cinderella
  65. Tool
  66. Corrosion of Conformity
  67. Saxon
  68. Mastodon
  69. Stone Temple Pilots
  70. Cannibal Corpse
  71. Skid Row
  72. Korn
  73. GWAR
  74. Helloween
  75. Suicidal Tendencies
  76. Hatebreed
  77. Armored Saint
  78. Down
  79. Rage Against The Machine
  80. Primus
  81. Whitesnake
  82. Life of Agony
  83. Vision of Disorder
  84. Slipknot
  85. Biohazard
  86. Warrant
  87. Queensryche
  88. Extreme
  89. Mr. Big
  90. Living Sacrifice
  91. Black Label Society
  92. Deftones
  93. Sick of It All
  94. Living Colour
  95. Sevendust
  96. Foo Fighters
  97. Lita Ford
  98. King’s X
  99. System of a Down
  100. Nirvana

Now that you have studied the list, test your memory with the “Gears of Rock Top 100” game at sporcle.com. And remember this is not the greatest Top 100 list in the world, no, this is just a tribute.

202 thoughts on “Top 100 Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Bands of All-Time”

  1. go over the list again and edit it, some of these bands are not metal bands or heavy, metal has changed too, so some bands are not the same as the new metal bands coming up, they are great bands and some of the best ever, but to classify them against current is unfair in the fact that styles of metal arent even similar anymore.

    1. I AGREE 100 PERCENT!!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE JUST SOME RANDOM LIST SOMEONE HAS SLAPPED TOGETHER, WITHOUT MUCH THOUGHT, IM ASSUMING THIS IS JUST THE OPPINION OF ONE PERSON.

      1. Josh & Misfit Chick, you two definitely make the most since out of all the comments.

      2. Of course the list is subjective. The author of it told you so in the beginning. It’s his list and he admits it’s not THE list for everyone.

        And now, on to my bile spitting and despise-ment as requested by the author of the list. 🙂

        Personally, I’d take Pearl Jam out of it. Only their first album qualifies for this list, but since a bands whole body of work should be taken into account Pearl Jam is off the list.
        Replace their spot with Pearl Jam.

        Kiss just SUCKS. Granted they were heavy for their day, but “Lick it up” shows exactly how much this band SUCKS.
        At best they can take honors for best rock “show” at a concerts, because that’s really the only thing that made them great.
        Their music sucks, because it’s being played by musicians that suck. The masses could care less about musical quality, they just wanted to see a Demon spitting blood and all the pyrotechniques going on. LISTEN to the “music’ closer and you’ll understand. “Beth” was their best song, and it’s clearly NOT a rock tune, barely a rock ballad even. It’s total pop.
        They wouldn’t be on my top 100, 200, or 500.
        Many just an ‘honorable mention’ for great displays of rock show.

        Warrant, Mr. Big, Journey, and Sammy Hagar?
        Are you kidding?! OFF the list.
        I like The Ramones, but I don’t think they belong here either.
        They are a different breed and I’d put them in a general
        “All time Rock bands” top 100.
        This is supposed to be “Hard Rock and Metal”. The Ramones were neither of those.

        For proper assessment of what is “hard rock” or “heavy metal”, listen to these essential bands, and then compare and contrast the bands that came after up to the present.

        Hard Rock:
        Led Zeppelin
        Deep Purple
        Jimi Hendrix
        Cream
        Aerosmith – early pre 80’s.
        UFO
        Van Halen – pre Hagar.
        -There are more, but those bands with give you the idea.

        Metal:
        Black Sabbath
        Judas Priest
        Iron Maiden
        Dio
        Saxon
        Accept
        Metallica – early pre 90’s
        Armored Saint
        – Many more but these will get you there

        For me those are the basics and you can extrapolate from there as to what comes later an into the present.

    2. I agree this list needs to be updated. It is also HIGHLY subjective. I myself would defiantly put Deep Purple in the top 10

  2. Nice list. But where is FASTWAY, DOKKEN, MAMA’S BOYS and KINGDOM COME?? They were certainly better than many on your list. Glad to see Diamond Head in there, but why did you include Journey, among others?? Kiss is also HIGHLY over-rated. They belong near the bottom.

    1. First of all, it is YOUR OPPINION that KISS is overrated. I agree that much of their earlier stuff is Soooo NOT METAL! But the “Big Four” (Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up, Asylum and Animalize) are WAY METAL! Seriously, “War Machine”, “Heaven’s On Fire”, “Not For The Innocent”, “Any Way You Slice It”, “Creatures…”, “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” , almost every song on those four albums is in your face hard driving heavy metal! Gene Simmons is both a monster and a master, so show some respect.

      2. Dude you are so in the minority! Everyone knows the best kiss albums are their 1st 6 and the 2 live ones. Everything after that either sucks of is sub-par. Most people would name the 4 albums that you claim are the “big four” as their 4 worst. Look it up. Google “kiss worst albums” Those 4 will come up.

      3. Respect?
        Sure, I give him respect for being in Kiss and taking band marketing and merchandising to a whole new level.
        But I can’t give him respect for his music, cause I think it sucks.

        Just as you have your opinion on Kiss so does the guy you responded too, and so do I.
        We can decide on our own if Kiss deserves respect or not, and it’s just as valid as your opinion.

        I stand by my opinion that Kiss is way so very over rated, they are NOT metal they are a hard rock band.
        During their long career they have morphed into whatever style of music is popular at the time, and that’s for marketing and money generating purposes. I can’t fault them for that as they are GREAT at it. Still, their music sucks.
        There was an album during the “grunge” years when Kiss also wanted to play in that sandbox, and frankly it wasn’t half bad.
        But Kiss as a whole, no, not on my list at all.

  3. @Josh I agree that metal has changed a great deal over the years. There aren’t too many new acts on here because it takes years of proving it on the road; A band has to feel the power of being on top, hitting a low, a come back, and reconquering the world over again (repeat cycle). I was also thinking of the influential factor. 70’s hard rock bands (which can be easy listening compared to today) make the list because their then-heavy riffs rewrote how hard rock and heavy metal music was done. I also hate classifying the different types of metal. If something rocks hard, then let it rock. No need to create yet another subgenre for it. I think I picked up that wisdom from Ozzy a couple decades ago.

  4. @Powertrip Should I have included Monster Magnet too, lol (if that is what your name referenced)? Good call on the Dokken. Kiss is totally the most overrated band of all-time (perhaps the next Top 100 list?). However, what they brought to hard rock and heavy metal is legendary. The big stage show, blowing stuff up, blood spewing, making an ass out of yourself on stage, exploiting your fans hard-earned cash on ridiculous merchandise, etc. They showed that heavy music can be one giant party.

  5. I love Nirvana…Should they be included on a Metal/Hard Rock list?No.Just no.There’s like 20 bands that aren’t even metal but more like…Hair Metal/Classical lmfao.And where’s Pantera at?Honestly,fail list,and fail musical knowledge.Go learn your genres and come back.

    1. I’m with you on Pantera.

      I do think that Nirvana are a hard rock band though.
      What else can they be?
      Just because they came around during the “alternative” years, that doesn’t make them less hard rock. “Alternative” was a genre created to separate from the very popular, at the time, pop metal everywhere
      That “pop metal” (one moniker I use for it) genre has been given the name “hair metal”.
      The problem with that moniker is that it’s taken too far and includes rock, hard rock, and metal bands during the 80’s.

      Too many bands are clumped in with ‘hair metal’ and they are not.
      Lots of bands had “big hair’ in the 80’s, it was the style in nearly all music genre’s not just hard rock and metal.

      Here is a list of 80’s bands that are NOT “hair metal” but get put in that category just because of their hair styles:
      Skid Row
      Cinderella
      Motely Crue
      Whitesnake – although that’s a tough one, cause they had some hair metal tendencies.
      Tesla
      Extreme
      Racer X
      Great White
      Twisted Sister
      Dokken
      Lynch Mob – Georg Lynch, awesome guitar player, NOT hair metal.
      Quiet Riot
      And more.

      Here is a list of actual Hair Metal bands.
      I used to call them “alumi-rock” or “aluminum rock” as they are a lighter form of metal. 🙂
      Poison
      Warrant
      Winger
      Ratt – early precurser to pop/hair metal
      Danger Danger
      Def Leppard – started as a hard rock band but after the 2nd album they were pop/hair metal.
      Dangerous Toys
      Stryper
      Fire House
      Slaughter
      Europe
      Vixen
      Bullet Boys
      Damn Yankees
      Trixter
      Britney Fox
      Kik Tracee
      Nelson
      And more.

      Alternative and Grunge brought a refreshed sound that was more like 70’s hard rock and metal brought into the modern era, with lyrical material that was more self reflection, and socially aware rather than party party and have a good time cause rock n roll will never die.

  6. @Maiden Hahahahahahaha, I’m very pleased that you enjoyed the list. Pantera is #10 by the way. Seen ’em a bunch back in the day, even have two Dime guitar picks with my blood on ’em. So don’t you dare question my knowledge. Nirvana radically influenced hard rock and heavy metal, and I absolutely hate that fact. In fact Nirvana ruined hard rock, hair, glam, classic, heavy metal, whatever stupid names you want to call it, but I still had to acknowledge that loser. If something rocks, then let it rock. Don’t pull the genre nonsense with me. I’ve even rocked out extremely hard to The Beatles, Stones, Who, and Ramones; you know the true classics that influenced most of the bands on the list, and are therefore considered hard rock bands in this book. Accept that, and thank you for reading the Gears of Rock.

    1. The list is in the strictest sense your own opinion. Every metal fan who makes a list will be different then the next guy or gals. I personally disagree with a few of the ones on your list, but who cares. Its your list, nothing more. Saying all that to say; If you read HIS list and don’t like it, oh frickin’ well. It’s just that, HIS list. Why give negative feedback when uncalled for. HE is entitled to HIS opinion just as you are.

      1. linkin park doesnt belong on a hardrock/metal list, and the who ftw, theres a radio station where i live who plays them all the time!!! and rollings stones are pretty cool too but what about jimi hendrix? hes freaking awesome!!! ( i could go on forever about how he rules, lol)

        1. what wrong with writer this web site
          why you didnt wrote the linkin park ????????
          i agree with you joe louis i hearesd from seroius resource after metalika , the linkin park is popular singer of hard rock and this shit writer didnt write his name even metalika

          1. no linkin park is totally not metal system of a down bareley is metal anymore actually its not it more rock. so linkin park is almost like jazz only its not like that.

          2. ummmmm okay sure linkin park has quite a few soft songs, but they are nowhere NEAR jazz. what kind of a fucking retard are you?! JAZZ?! ummmm NO! linkin park is a nu metal/hard rock/alternative rock band. listen to Qwerty, One Step Closer, or Given Up. If Nirvana (great band, not bashing them) can be up there, Linkin Park most certainly can as well. (btw this is in response to what kaitlyn said, not you. it wouldnt let me directly reply)

        2. where do you live and they play linkin park all the time??!!!!???? omg i love these guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LP F.R.E.

    3. Hahahaha…………
      Metallica, 2nd greatest hard rock/heavy metal artist of all time???
      I must say u’re jokin…. Iron Maiden is more older and more influencing band than that. Only selling more album than Iron Maiden doesn’t make it ahead of Iron Maiden…… In fact, Megadeth is more heavier than Metallica……

  7. you also forgot Avenged Sevenfold …R.I.P the rev. there is no other band as great as avenged sevenfold

    3. I don’t think so. Avenged sevenfold is a good band but they aren’t even remotely one of the greatest metal bands.

      1. So mom avenged sevenfold isn’t one of the greatest metal bands of all time but they are one of the best bands in the modern metal movement. And look at this list. Should avenged sevenfold take the place of FOO FIGHTERS ON A METAL LIST. I love foo fighters and I love avenged sevenfold more than anyone in the world. But foo fighters don’t belong on this list.

    1. yea, i love them , hhuge a7x fan. also they should take slipknot off, they suck.

          2. What is special about A7x?????????????
            Iron Maiden is greater than that so they are in top 3 list.

    2. Idk wtf you dumbasses are sayin about a7x and slipknot sucking!! you must be high or mentslly retared cause those are two of the best bands ever!!

  9. I think the order is off, and some of my faves are not represented, but its a good list. As usual, the “Metallica or Pantera” crowd showed up. Always arguing about who’s the “most metal…” or the “hardest ever…”. At the end of Anthrax’s “I Am The Man”, they claim “…and we’ll remain the hardest ever.” Does that mean they will (or ever were)? No. I means they believe so would like you to, as well. Stop arguing oppinions. Cast your vote and see how it stacks up. You do that by BUYING CD’s and mp3’s – not stealing them. Ratings are calculated by sales, not thefts. When you steal you favorite bands music, you devalue the band and make sure they won’t be around very long by making it so they can’t afford to release another album. Also, labels often drop artists when their sales drop and don’t (or struggle to) recover.
    I’m not sure how this list was compiled (sales, cronology (obviously not), opinion of the writer, random poll, etc.), but if you disagree with it, make your own list. No matter how you try, you aren’t going to change someone’s opinion – and the facts are the facts, the only way to change them is to cast your vote with sales.

    1. I realize no-one is arguing “Metallica or Pantera”, but that argument was once VERY popular amongst “metal-heads”. I’m referring to the “My favorite band is better than your favorite band” people. If it rocks, it rocks, end of discussion.

  10. These F**king people dont know what metal even is!!!! what kind of heavy metal list doesnt have Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir in it wtf. these editors suck!!!

    1. They arent on there because they suck. Which leads me to wonder why hatebreed is on there…

      1. Ok. I’ll even go for Mr Big…Colorado Bulldog pulls their ass from the fire…but come on…Journey? Hard? Heavy? Dude…my mom listens to Journey…

        As for the rest of the list…it’s your tastes dude. I’ll give you that. Just glad y’all got the Motorehead on there.
        And Five Finger Death Punch is missing. I know they ain’t got “years of road” but Journey? Oh yeah I said that allready…

        1. Just stumbled upon this while doing some research. While I don’t agree with a good portion of this list, you all have to remember that some bands like Journey were once considered hard rock, the same way that Zeppelin was considered metal. By today’s standards, neither of the above apply, but they both were an important part of rock history.
          Speaking of Zeppelin, they were such an important part of rock history, i can’t imagine them being any lower then #2, but that’s just my opinion 🙂 I also agree that Kiss is over-rated, but they played an important role in music and therfore deserve to be up there. But Mr. Big? Living Colour? Like them, but come on now.

          1. Cmon. How can you place zeppelin any lower than two? You really think that motorhead and judas priest or AC/DC is better than zeppelin? Other than that the list is nice, but i would place Dio a bit higher.

          2. i agree with mike, led zeppelin rules. dio is pretty cool considering hes from sabbath but i honestly never heard any of his songs before.

        2. @FUCKREALLY AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT AGREES THAT JOURNEY ABSOULUTLY HAS NO PLACE ON THIS LIST AT ALL BECAUSE JOURNEY IS IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM METAL….AFTER READING MORE, AND REALIZING THIS IS JUST THE OPINION OF THE WRITTER, THIS MAKES MORE SENCE, BUT IF YOUR MAKING A METAL LIST, KEEP IT METAL.
          **FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH **VOLBEAT**SOULFLY**KILLSWITCH ENGAGE** GODSMACK**AX7**OPETH** RAMMSTEIN**MUDVEIN**OTEP**MOD**TAPROOT**PRONG**NAPALM DEATH**KITTIE**AUGUST BURNES RED**MUSHROOMHEAD**DEVILDRIVER**

    1. ok… wanna know why breaking benjamin isnt on this list? because they suck dick, they are mainstream unorigional pussys

      1. i gotta disagree with that statement on Breaking Benjamin. I mean seriously, this band is one of three that inspired me to be a musician. And c’mon you gotta give some credit to the fact that they put some good fucking songs out there. Look how far “Diary of Jane” has gotten

        1. I really like breaking benjamin, but they simply aren’t a band that should be on a top 100 list of heavy metal hard rock bands. They may be good, but they aren’t that good, or that influential

  12. lol even lordi isn’t on the list, they won the eurovision songfestival in 2006. and system of a down is surely not on the 99th place

    1. and what did you thought when you putted nirvana on 100. they scored a very great hit with smells like teen spirit. almost everybody knows that song but most of the bands who are on this list i dont even know.

  13. Don’t get me wrong man i love KISS, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Poison, Cinderella, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row, Tesla, Ratt, Warrant, Mr. Big, Lita Ford, W.A.S.P., Motley Crue, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and others like them on the list but being honest its a list called Top 100 Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Bands of All-Time and those acts are Glam, Hair, and Sleaze Metal not Hard Rock or Heavy Metal and don’t belong on a list with Pantera and Metalica. Also Journey hell no and Cream what were you thinking. I despise Nirvana and they are alternative, punk, grunge, 90’s music whatever you wanna call it the killers of metal and don’t belong on this list. Heavy Metal and Hard Rock are pretty far apart to combine in one list to.

    1. Guns N’ Roses is hard rock dumbass, they should be ranked even higher than they are. And as for Aerosmith and Van Halen, they also dont fall under the category of glam, hair, or sleaze metal. Eddie Van Halen invented shredding, he is the god father of metal guitar. You are an idiot.

      1. Know your history. GNR is a hair band. They are way OVERRATED!!! They have a whoppin 3 albums. Get a clue! You are a poser!

  14. Huh. Has anyone heard of Scorpian???? THE BEST!!! WHY ISN”T IT ON THERE?? AC/DC should be number one, then Black Sabbath. and Aerosmith should be higher, along with Whitesnake. Led Zeppelin could be higher…. And Where is Avenged Sevenfold? Other than that, and a few genre mistakes, it’s a cool list. Haven’t heard half of the bands, though.
    Happy music listening!!

  15. I don’t agree with this list at all! I think that some bands are over rated and votes should re-listen to the artists above and delete some and add some bands .People please re-vote and re-listen !

  16. I’ve just gone through the whole list of top metal bands and i was completely appalled by the choices. One list didn’t even include ACDC in the top 100 – what a joke. While i don’t agree 100%, this is fundamentally an outstanding top 100 metal bands of all time. Well done.

        1. nvm i hate black metal, i wont even say 😀 (fine, ghaal from gorgoroth and some satanist dude from mayhem are gay if i remember correctly but i dont really care lol)

  17. I love KoRn why didn’t they put it on the top 10! Thats sucky!

  18. Extreme “heavy metal/hard rock?” Not sure; they’ve always been difficult to classify. All I can say is that their music and sound has always been a preference of mine; and, after all, that’s what all music is to each individual listening …. a matter of preference. Therefore, personaly not pleased to see them low on the list at No. 88. Then again, I’m just glad to see they made somebody’s list at all. If not the best in showmanship, they’re at least one of the best in musicianship.

  19. What??? A7X isnt on the list? And neither is Disturbed? Yet Journey and Bon Jovi are? I thought this was metal!

    1. Definitely true. I like Journey and Bon Jovi, but neither belong here. And of all the recent metal bands to come out, Disturbed and A7x are the biggest and best. I don’t know how Sevendust can make it on there, but those two can’t

      1. Your Kidding, Disturbed aren’t metal? The fact they aren’t on the list just proves how bad the list is, they have had 5/5 of their albums Debut at #1. How many other bands have that kind of track record?

    4. For me Av7x,soad,ozzy,killswitch engage,bleeding through,destruction,Dio,firewind,ac-dc, and sabbath.,they are the best metal band ever. Man! Thnk!
      Wat ’bout gus g(firewind),av7x(best guitarist),soad-nvr heard metal bbnd like soad. I mean korn,mr.big,gns and roses,etc bullsht!!!

      1. Its about time someone added Killswitch Engage lol but i stil wanna know where Trivium ,As I Lay Dying, Bullet For My Valentine,Darkest Hour, Children Of Bodom,and Devil Wears Prada are at

    5. dude you are sooooo right. i cant belive that a7x was in this. whoever made this list needs do redo it

  20. Hundreds of lists of best metal bands/albums on the internet, made by so called metal heads and 1 or 2 of them list one of the most influential metal bands of all times, not including this list. Appearently none of you “Metal Heads” have heard of a Mr. Bobby Leibling, Bedemon 1974. Pentagram from there after, cmon.

  22. The Only band i never heard off on the list is Vision Of Disorder, What about Emperor, Rainbow, Reverend Bizarre, Kyuss, Soulfly, Immortal, Kreator, could go on. But it is each to their own, sometimes it depends on what mood you are in. Best live (headlining) concerts i Ever saw was Metallica Milton Keynes Bowl 1993, Acdc donington 1991, and Carcass Hellfest 2010. Metal/Rock as changed a lot in 20 odd+ years i have been listening, We are missing some new classics bands to emerge though.
    Ps Just seen Slipknot for first time, they did put on a bit of a show, pleasantly surprised. And yes i do know Pentagram very well.

  26. IRON MAIDEN SLAYER MEGA DETH CHILDREN OF BODEM Judas Priest THEY ALL SUCK HAHAHAHAHA

    1. Dude, your dissing my bands. once you say aerosmith and black sabbath suck, i will kill you and your shrine to journey, i want you to can your trap and if you insult anethor metal band, i will tell them to kick your ASS!

      1. I am replying to my own comment, I had screwed up in life very bad, but I have a twisted list of bands on the list I like, there is no order on what is the best
        Black Sabbath
        Metallica
        Iron Maiden
        AC/DC
        Judas Priest
        Led Zeppelin
        Megadeth
        Ozzy Ozborne
        Kiss
        Aerosmith
        Guns N’ Roses
        Queen
        you don’t dare lay a finger on any of the said bands, if you do, I will end you
        i put the bands in order that i saw them on the list, don’t hurt me, anybody, but
        JOURNEY, you might as well put some loser like Justin Bieber on this list
        but still, remove jouney

        2. Guns and Roses and Aerosmith are the Justin Beiber of the hard rock world. Get a clue!

  28. In my years, i listened to rock bands my whole life. i know that JOURNEY SHOULDN’T BE ON THIS LIST AND AVENGED 7X SHOULD

    1. For the same reason Lacuna Coil isn’t. Because they aren’t major metal bands, haven’t really gone anywhere yet, and haven’t influenced anyone

    2. I KNOW RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST HEAVY METAL BAND EVER AND IT DIDNT EVEN MAKE IT TO THE TOP 10 ON HERE!!!

  31. HEY, DONT U GUYS…….. REALISE ONE THING????
    HEY, U ROCK N ROLL FANS………… INSTEAD OF ARGUING AMONG US, WHY DONT GIV A THOUGHT……..??????
    WHERE IS ROCK N ROLL GONE………………..????????????????? WE C ONLY (HIP HOP N POP) MUSIC …………… TELECAST IN TELEVISION… ALL THE TOP MUSIC CHANNELS OF WORLD IS FOCUSIN MORE ON HIP N POP SPECIALLY……
    WAT DO WE DO????????? SURELY THERE MUST ME SOME WAY………………………………………………………………………………..

  32. Bitch, please.
    Metallica number 2????????
    System of a Down in this list??
    Whitesnake # 81??????????
    Slayer????? Who are these guys?
    Deep Purple #23 ??????????

    C’mon, you put new bands high ranked and legendary are on the bottom.
    This list sucks! Only thing I Agree with is Black Sabbath.

    1. metallica isnt ‘new’ and you dont know who slayer is? go listen to metallica’s first 4 albums (Kill em all, Ride the lightning, Master of puppets, And justice for all) and tell me they suck, and go buy Slayers ‘Reign in blood’ album if you want to see who the they are (they suck imo). but yeah, black sabbath are pretty good i’ll agree with you on that 😀 (the top 10 on this list are legends!)

  33. WTF System of a down litteraly DESTROY Foo Fighters and cannibal corpse, and from my opinion Iron Maiden Should be first but Metallica , Sabbath and Maiden are definitively in the top 3

    1. metallica, black sabbath and iron maiden are my fav metal bands too :D, but my favorite band of all time has got to be pink floyd (meddle, dark side of the moon, wish you were here, and the wall are all great albums. they dont really fit the genre to be on this list but they are great, awesome guitar solo’s, good vocals, and synthinizers are freaking AWESOME, plus good song writing!!!)

      1. On my own comment…. Pink Floyd ig Great too. Don’t forget to name Another Brick In the Wall.

  34. WHAT THE FUCK, no disturbed they redefined alot of metal and A7X is deserving a spot, but how the helll is bon jovi and journey and system of a down metal? like wtf give your head a shake

    1. 2 responces,
      1. stop talking about disturbed all the time
      2. nice job saying what isn’t metal

    1. in my opinion, they only partially deserve to be on this list, as they go from a pop-ish tune to releasing the first thrash metal song

      check wikipedia, then kill me

  36. I just want to take a second to thank all of you that have commented on my Top 100 Hard Rock Bands post so far. I love hearing your opinions-even when it is hatred-on hard music, keep it coming.

  38. I find it interesting that many of us who actually grew up and or partied to 80’s Hair Metal seem to forget Stryper: True, they were a “Christian” Hair Band, but they did have some crossover hits such as “Honestly” and “To Hell With The Devil”…remember?

    I remember when I first discovered them. A friend of mine had given me an album to listen to. They really rocked hard and at the time, I suspected that the Christian thing was merely a gimmick for them. Either way, they put out some decent sound.

  39. this is not the first list i have read of best metal artitst but may be worst alot of those bands are not metal! and Lamb of God at 61? I listen to enough liquid metal to tell you that the rest of the metal world agrees. secondly not having pantera in top ten but ac/dc, led zeppilin and judas priest? To many of these bands are not Metal! Learn the genre before posting. aerosmith pearl jam stone temple pilots the misfits plus more arent metal remove or change name of list or you will just remain a joke who knows nothing about music!

    1. Hey everyone, I noticed on my page it says “Top 100 HARD ROCK and heavy metal bands of all time.” Which explains most of them, don’t get me wrong I have no idea why a couple bands are on here especially since a few definitely aren’t hard or metal, but you all have to remember one thing everything is a matter of opinion. If you want a list that fit’s your exact placements of the bands go make your own lists. lol.

  42. Hey, haters who think things aren’t “metall enuff” (sic), or are worried whether 5FDP is better than Journey (which is an apples/oranges thing, no?)

    It’s his list, it’s his blog. Also, he called it a hard rock/metal list, so everything on it is basically correct whether you like it or not.

    You want to have a debate as to what’s best? Use some intelligence. Otherwise you all sound like douchebag Twilight fans arguing over sparklepants vs. wolf-boy.

    2. Edward is da best in Twilight. Why do internet nerds say “hater”? It’s not 1989.

  44. What the hell 52nd list of metal I’ve seen without fuckin RAMMSTEIN on it please half of the list sucks the other half is good but no German metal? I thought we were metal fans not people who listen to the crap like that little jackass making himself rich named Justin Bieber. My god what has the metal nation come to?

    2. this list was probably made to tell what bands influenced it, but really

      FOR PEETS SAKE, TAKE JOURNEY OFF THE LIST

  46. What about Nu metal… Might not be good but it’s still an influential rock/metal subgenre. Surprised not to see disturbed linkin park or mudvayne on here

  47. SOAD and Nirvana are below Slipknot? That’s precarious~! I believe they have more numbers of better songs compared to Slipknot… Apart from that, it’s a pretty fair list…
    The again, you did say it was an IMPERFECT list. =]

    Also, I doubt anyone here has ever heard of Bad4good…

  48. Hands down the worst top 100 i have ever seen in my entire life. You have no idea wtf you are talking about

    1. PoP iS jUsT So AmaZing.YOu Kn0w nuthiNG. Yes, I’m joking. Hip hop can be good though, eg: A Tribe Called Quest… well that’s it. ps. Nirvana shouldn’t be on this list.

    2. if you ‘d understood music ,you wouldn’t have said this.for example you don’t like classic music ,say beethoven ,bach, shobert or even vivaldi represented nothing to the world.just respect.

  51. You’re an idiot, Frank. Adam Jones’ riffs are no where near as metal(or good) as anything on Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Rust in Peace, or Raining Blood. Danny Carey is the only talent in that band. Sure, Megadeth and Metallica’s heydays were in the ’80s, but the aforementioned albums are far more metal than Aenima, Lateralus, or any other Tool album you’d like to mention.

  53. Let me say, ‘Stairway to heaven’ song from Led Zeppelin is said to be heavy metal. But that song sounds like soft rock. I luv that song but i don’t think it is heavy metal song.

  54. if this site has to arrange a list according to these comments they’ve to arrange millions of list here.just respect.who cares which one is top or which one is blow.all you are fool???arguing around the matter that nobody gives a shit about that.only metal is important.IN THE NAME OF HEAVY METAL.ha ha ha…….

      1. i’m so glad you agree with me.and about the last sentence,i mean heavy metal is our favorite genre.this is important.

  55. Whoever says that Linkin Park should belong on any sort of top 100 list should go and stick their faces into a high powered fan while letting the ghost of Micheal Jackson repeatedly kick sparrow-poo at them while listening to ‘Too Shy’ by Kajagoogoo. Good list by the way.

  56. Frank, who is Iron Maidem? Also, there are two ‘P’s in Def Leppard. Yes this is pathetic.

  58. An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I think that you should publish more about this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but usually folks don’t discuss such topics. To the next! Kind regards!!

  59. My name says it all. You seriously put Gwar 73…AFTER Cannibal Corpse…really? And Black Label Society in the high 90s…and for some weird reason Metallica is number two. Well I do agree with Metallica being a number two…lol.

  60. why is Megadeth always on hyperlink? I only bought ONE of their albums.

  63. I am glad to see that you included KoRn, SOAD and many more on the list.

    For those “metalheads” that claim that KoRn, SOAD and Disturbed are not metal, they are completely wrong. If it weren’t for those three bands I would have never gotten addicted to the awesomeness that is metal. I have discovered that a lot of people became interested and addicted to metal by first listening to KoRn, SOAD and Disturbed. I consider them to be “introduction” bands.
    Anyways, not a bad list. By the way, Queen was considered as Metal in their genre. Freddie Mercury didn’t die of AIDS, it was pure awesomeness that overwhelmed him. I am glad to see that Linkin Park isn’t on this list, because they have become so “pop-ish” that it is unbelievable. Also, if you are a true Metalhead you wouldn’t argue with a fellow metalhead over what is true metal. There is no such thing. Metal will always just be metal. I agree that these sub-genres things are stupid. Metal should just be metal. I am suprised to see that Rammstein wasn’t put on the list either. They are truely an influential band that has been around long enough to be considered epic, also, their live performances are eye-gasmic. I have been to one Rammstein concert in my life and it safe to say that they are fantastic.

    R.I.P Deo!

    \m/ “You can’t kill the metal, the metal will always live on” – Jack Black from Tenacious’D

  64. DUde are you for real?!!! AVENGED SEVENFOLD SHOULD HAVE MADE THE TOP 5!!!! And half of the bands you stated im willing to bet half of the people who commented have never heard of them!! ANd wt is korn doing in the 70’s !!!!! you should seriously revise this shit!!!

    1. clearly if you’ve never heard of half of the bands on the list, you’re not a true metal fan.

  66. Where the fuck is cream and blue cheer?! Bands like sabbath and zepplin would cease to exist without them! In my view, 50% are alternative. And come on,mr.big?? Even britney spears has a more ‘rock’ kind of songs than fucking mr.big
    and what about bathory and burzum. Even fucking mayhem! Is black metal not a part of rock?
    Hell! Its one of the most extreme genre of music. And i fucking think at least one of them deserves to be on this fuckingly fucked list!!

  67. where the fuck is AVENGED SEVENFOLD!!! i mean i havent heard if half these bastards and you leave out A7X one of ye best bands out. idk why type of shit you are smoking but edit this list’!!! and nirvana at the bottom. really. you are retarded

  68. Really guys??? this is all you can come up with?? You are so missing out a thing…. Edguy is one of the best metal bands ever existed…

  70. Black sabbath before zeppelin i mean i love sabbath but before zeppelin and cream i mean i know they infulenced a lot of metal bands like metallica. and slayer before cream and zeppelin they should be at the top of the list. and why the fuck do you have guns n roses at 16 they are the last greastest rock band of all TIME

  71. LED ZEPPELIN ISN’T METAL THEY ARE PURE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL metal isn’t the best it has boundries rock does not you can do anything in rock but metal you can’t if a metal try to do a different thing the fans won’t like it i mean how long can a metal band talk about dying, darkens, killing, devil; and soul taking till 68 and have children your never to old to rock and roll but for metal you is and that a fact

  72. Are you fucking kidding me where the fuck is opeth? And yeah list is pretty generic and in many cases plain stupid.

  76. i like the list you have here i know its not in order its just a good list of the gr8 bands

  77. Well, I could argue with this, or that, or even suggest this one isn’t heavy metal, that maybe this or that band should be on the list instead, *cough* Avenged Sevenfold *cough*, or other nit-picky crap, but we… ain’t that close and won’t be, we ain’t like that methinks, but… Hells yeah, excellent shot. If someone wanted a list to dig into the genre I’d send them your way for schooling. Damned kids anyway, always wanting old school from those of us who (thought we had) moved on. *rictus grins*

  78. Ok.. the difference is old school and new school younger generation and older. A lot of the older music at that time is metal or hard rock but the young genre consider it softer that’s why we have subgenres

  80. Ok fucking avenged sevenfold should be on this list, so should maybe oh idk rob zombie. Not that white zombie band. And you should really consider taking foo fighters off this list. They are great ill give you that but in no way are they metal

  81. Ok i havent heard of half of these bands. And as much as i love foo fighters they dont need to be on a metal list. Thats messed up. And you forgot a7x who is right now one of the most popular bands out there. You need to delete this shitty list and re do it with a7x,soad, and slipknot within the top 10 or 15. Preferably top 10.

  82. In no particular order and hard rock/heavy metal, not hair, pop, or any of the crap that’s come out in the last 15 years, except for a few bands(Witchcraft, The Sword, etc.) especially any kind of rap/rock nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, I love rap, but not skinny white guys rapping over synthesizers, bass, guitar, and drums. Give me Public Enemy, N.W.A., BDK, etc. And 100 is too many, that’s why how you end up with Journey and Bon Jovi on the list. Left off my favorite artist (Jimi Hendrix because although In From the Storm, to me, truly set the sound for heavy metal before Black Sabbath, he’s more of a rock/blues artist) I also love Van Halen, Queen, Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, Grand Funk Railroad, and similar bands, and while they have some rocking tunes that can hang with anyone in any genre, they’re not really hard rock or heavy metal…………..to me. Too many ballads. And I hate Megadeth for some reason, so they’re not on here. Too many hair bands on the original list, but to each his own.
    Black Sabbath
    Led Zeppelin
    Deep Purple
    Orange Goblin
    Clutch
    Witchcraft
    Sir Lord Baltimore
    High on Fire
    AC/DC
    Iron Maiden
    Judas Priest
    Dio
    Rainbow
    Fu Manchu
    Guns N Roses
    Blue Oyster Cult
    Kiss
    Motorhead
    Church of Misery
    Asteroid
    The Company Band
    Egypt
    Sleep
    King Diamond
    Mercyful Fate
    Pentagram
    Hawkwind
    The Atomic Bitchwax
    Blue Cheer
    Soundgarden
    Firball Ministry
    YOB
    The Heavy Eyes
    JPT Scare Band
    Kyuss
    Monster Magnet
    Metallica
    Ozzy Osbourne
    The Sword
    Truth & Janey
    Slayer
    Venom

  84. Black Sabbath at number one is all I care about. The rest of the list can be shuffled around however you want it, as long as at the end of the day its Sabbath…Bloody Sabbath. Oh, and for the love of God, how in the hell did Led Zeppelin not make the list? Poison, Journey, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana make the list, but “Led Zeppelin…no Stairway? Denied!”

  86. I am glad to see that Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Van Halen, Guns and Roses, Kiss, Aerosmith, Cream, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Doors, ZZ Top, Bad Company, Boston, Joan Jett, Rolling Stones, Living Colour, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Whitesnake, Foreigner and Quiet Riot made the list. They’ve paid attention to the influencers and entertainers with dozens of hits, but they’ve also included second tier, lesser known groups, and it’s nice to see them get credit, too. Some of my favorite groups didn’t make this list such as David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Badlands, LA Guns, Saliva, Black Label Society, Velvet Revolver, Slash, Chickenfoot, Stryper and Ram Jam, but I can understand why all of these groups did not make it. They clearly didn’t pay any attention to solo careers or spin off groups while instead focusing on the groups that led to the other groups, which was a smart move. Also, they didn’t put too many contemporary rock groups on the list, which was also probably a smart move, since hard rock has not been that good since the 1980s. They didn’t focus on Christian rock, but very few people give them any credit, so I am not surprised that Stryper was left off no matter how influential and controversial they were. Third tier groups were not included, but that’s getting way too obscure, spreading yourself too thin and would inevitably lead to another more deserving group probably being left off the list. My only criticisms are that I don’t think the Doors or Rolling Stones are hard rock so much as blues rock. Hard rock didn’t become really big until the 1970s while the most rocking groups during the 1960s I would classify as blues rock or psychedelic rock. That’s just my opinion, though. Hell, they even included Slayer and Megadeth, so that should be enough to keep the metalheads happy, which is very impressive in itself considering some of those guys always seem to be complaining about something with cuss words in all capital letters.

  87. Again! Guns and Roses is way to high on this list! They are the most OVERRATED band on earth. First off they are a LA hair band. Second, they have 3 albums of orignal material. They took off for like 17 years. They get way too much credit for the lack of product and staying power. In short Guns and Roses had a few hits for a few years and even fewer albums.

  88. Lotta good groups BUT, in my opinion, all metal started with Led Zep. Check the time frames of the groups, Zep started in ’67 / ’68 as I saw them on there first American tour and two others after that point. LED ZEPPELIN STARTED IT, ALL OTHERS FOLLOWED. ‘Nuff said.

  89. My own opnian is :
    1. Black Sabbath (because the first heavy metal band)
    2. Led Zeppelin (because the first Hard Rock band)
    3. Deep Purple
    4. Pink Floyd (Because the first Pysecadelic band)
    5. Rush (Because the first Progressive band)
    6. yes
    7. Metallica
    8. Megadeth
    9. Queen
    10. Dream Theater (because the first Progressive metal band)
    11. Judas Priest
    12. Iron Maiden
    13. Van Halen
    14. Def Leppard
    15. Motley Crew
    16. Pearl Jam
    17. Nirvana
    18. Guns & Roses
    19. Aerosmith
    20. Scorpions
    21. Whitesnakes
    22. Uriah Heep
    23. Slayer
    24. Sepultura
    25. opeth
    26. Tool
    27. Rainbow
    28. Bon Jovi
    29. Skid Row
    30. Kiss
    31. Mr. Big
    32. Tesla
    33. Soundgarden
    34. Quensryce
    35. Alice in Chains
    36. Savatage
    37. Manowar
    38. Accept
    39. Ufo
    40. Twisted Sister
    41. Stryper
    42. White Lion
    43. Testament
    44. Helloween
    45. Overkill
    46. Steave Vai
    47. Joe Satriani
    48. Yngwie malmsteen
    49. Alice Cooper
    50 Ted Nugent
    51. Quiet Riot
    52. Pantera
    53. Anthrax
    54. Marcyful Fate
    55. Ozzy Osboutne
    55. Motorhead
    56. Saxon
    57. Poison
    58. Extreme
    59. Dio
    60. Venom
    61. King’s X
    62. Warrant
    63. Winger
    64. Slaughter
    65. Ratt
    66. Cinderella
    67. Damn Yankees
    68. White Zombie
    69. Machine Head
    70. Bad Company
    71. Nasareth
    72. Cream
    73. Kreator
    74. Lamb Of God
    75. WASP
    76. Suicidal Tendencis
    77. Cannibal Courpse
    78. Black Label Society
    79. The Black Dahlia Murder
    80. Dokken
    81. Asia
    82. Sammy Hagar
    83. Lita Ford
    84. System Of Down
    85. Thin Lizzy
    86. Diamond Head
    87. Exodus
    88. Deftones
    89. Marilyn Mansions
    90. Disturbed
    91. Steelheartl
    92. Blind Guardian
    93. Europe
    94. Metal Chruch
    95. Foo Fighters
    96. Danzig
    97. Rage Againts the machine
    98. Stone Temple Pilots
    99. Mastodon
    100. Living Colour
    92. Hammerfal

    74.

    1. HOWANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS PWARL JAM ISN’T METAL they are grunge there is a huge difference. Where is a7x I mean really?! I haven’t heard of half these bands. Legit they all sound like penis sucking devil worshiping bastards. Take pearl jam and foo fighters off the list. Damn

  90. It’s hard to read through some of the posts on here, as several are childish and poorly written.

    The big distinction many people try to make between heavy metal and hard rock is moot. It’s the same genre. There are many styles within the large metal subgenre, so some bands/styles are not as extreme as others.

    Black Sabbath was not even close to being the first heavy metal band. I don’t give a damn what Sharon tells you. It’s not true. Metal first appeared as part of the British invasion. The Kinks, The Who, The Yardbirds, The Troggs etc. Yes, it’s true.

    Yes, Journey belongs on this list. They’re a pop metal/hard rock band. Just like Foreigner, Boston, etc. These were the bands that paved the way for the huge commerical success of pop metal in the ’80s. Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Poison, etc. owe their success to the path bands like Journey made for them to the top.

    Imo, Zeppelin belongs at number one. Oh, and Kiss rules btw.

  91. Pingback: Top 100 Hard Rock Bands of All Time – Bands That Are Awesome, End of Story | Gears of Rock

  92. Top 5 must be Iron Maiden Metallica AC/DC Led Zeppelin Black Sabath but slayer on 4 place WTF they are so so syupid band i think they must to be in 99 posishion and Mastodon on 100

  93. Hard to give this list any credibility when the Melvins aren’t on it. They should be at least top ten, if not higher. They created grunge/sludge metal 30 years ago and are still one of the most innovative band to this day. They were the singular greatest influence on Nirvana and other Seattle bands, as well as Tool and about a dozen other bands on this list.

    It should be:

    1. Black Sabbath (created Metal)
    2. Motorhead (created speed Metal)
    3. Judas Priest (first band that was ALL metal – no blues)
    4. Melvins (created Grunge and are the number one influence on the few decent hard rock bands today)
    5. Iron Maiden
    6. Slayer
    7. Black Flag
    8. Voivod
    9. Venom
    10. Rush

  94. I had hoped any metal fan would know that you’ll never find anyone who exactly likes the music you like.

  95. Ozzy solo was pretty much Pop!!! So is Kiss!!! Go out to your nearest music store and get 2112,Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres… That would make a great music ” starter kit”!!!!!!!

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