5 Heavy Metal Bands That Will Get You Pumped

Looking for some new heavy metal music to help you get through your day? Check out our list of 5 bands that are sure to get you pumped up!

Metallica

Metallica is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The group’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine (who went on to form Megadeth) was a member of the band from 1981 until 2002.

Metallica achieved substantial commercial success with their eponymous fifth album (also known as The Black Album), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience. The album was their first to be certified diamond in the United States for sales exceeding ten million copies. In 2000, Metallica was among a number of artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band’s copyrighted material without permission. A settlement was reached and Napster became a pay-to-use service in 2003.

The band returned to its roots with the release of Death Magnetic (2008), which drew influence from early thrash metal bands such as Exodus, Motorhead, Venom, and Diamond Head. Metallica has been credited as one of the pioneers of the new wave of American heavy metal dating back to 1981.

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, following Mustaine’s expulsion from Metallica. A pioneer of the American thrash metal scene, the band is credited as one of the genre’s “big four” with Anthrax, Metallica and Slayer. Megadeth has sold 50 million records worldwide, earning platinum certification for five of its fifteen studio albums. Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song “Dystopia” in the Best Metal Performance category.

Slayer

Formed in 1981 by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Slayer was one of the seminal bands in the early days of the Los Angeles metal scene. Hanneman tragically passed away in 2013, but King and fellow founding member Tom Araya have continued to tour and release new music with the band, most recently 2016’s Repentless. If you’re looking to get pumped up with some thrash metal, Slayer is still one of the best bands around.

Anthrax

Formed in New York in 1981, Anthrax is one of the original big four thrash metal bands, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band has released 11 studio albums, and several of their singles, like “I’m the Man” and “Bring the Noise,” have become metal classics. Anthrax is currently touring with Slipknot and Marilyn Manson.

Testament

Formed in Berkeley, California in 1983, Testament is one of the most popular and enduring bands in the thrash metal genre. With a sound that is both aggressive and melodic, the band has released a string of successful albums over the past three decades, including “Practice What You Preach” (1989), “The Ritual” (1992) and “The Gathering” (1999). In recent years, the band has continued to tour extensively and release new music, including the well-received album “Brotherhood of the Snake” (2016).