The 5 Best Heavy Metal Hardcore Punk Bands

Looking for the best in heavy metal and hardcore punk? Look no further than these five great bands!

Metallica

Formed in 1981 by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, Metallica has gone on to become one of the most influential and commercially successful heavy metal bands of all time. With a sound that is both aggressive and melodic, the band has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and numerous singles and videos. Metallica has also been cited as an influence by many other successful metal bands.

Slayer

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Slayer’s fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Slayer’s current lineup comprises King, lead vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt. Hanneman did not participate in Slayer’s 2015–2016 touring activities due to his failing health; he died on May 2, 2013.

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. Slayer has also played at several music festivals worldwide including Unholy Alliance Tour with Metallica in 2005 and Download Festival as co-headliners in 2006 with Mastodon where Kerry King joined forces with Mastodon’s Brent Hinds to perform “Raining Blood” on stage. In 2013 came news that Holt would be filling in for Hanneman on The necrophiliac Tour with Lamb of God as part of the Big 4 shows with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, following Mustaine’s dismissal 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, responsible for its development and popularization. Megadeth plays in a technical style, featuring fast guitar solos and complex instrumentation. Themes of death, war, politics and religion are prominent in the group’s lyrics.

In 1985, Megadeth released its debut album Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!, which helped to establish the band’s reputation as one of the pioneers of the American death metal scene. In 1986, the band released its major label debut Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, which saw increased popularity thanks to its music videos for two of the album’s singles: “Peace Sells” and “Anarchy in the U.K.”. In 1988, Megadeth released So Far, So Good… So What!, whose title track was a Top 40 single that received heavy rotation on MTV.

The group experienced another line-up change in 1990, when drummer Chuck Behler was replaced by Nick Menza. In 1991, Megadeth released its fourth studio album Countdown to Extinction, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and featured the singles “Symphony of Destruction” and “Foreclosure of a Dream”. The following year, guitarist Marty Friedman replaced Jeff Young in Megadeth’s line-up just before the recording of Countdown to Extinction’s follow-up album Youthanasia; both albums received critical acclaim.

After releasing several more albums throughout the 1990s—Cryptic Writings (1997) and Risk (1999)—Megadeth disbanded in 2002 due to Mustaine suffering from radial nerve damage in his arm that left him unable to play guitar. After a three-year hiatus brought on by his health problems (including paralysis in parts of his arm), Mustaine reformed Megadeth with a new lineup—including Friedman on lead guitar—and released The World Needs a Hero (2001).megadeth has sold over 38 million records worldwide across all their albums

Anthrax

One of the “Big Four” of thrash metal, Anthrax was formed in New York in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. They were soon joined by drummer Charlie Benante and singer Joey Belladonna. The band’s debut album, Fistful of Metal, was released in 1984 and was followed by Spreading the Disease in 1985.Their next two albums, Among the Living (1987) and State of Euphoria (1988), were both huge commercial and critical successes, cementing Anthrax’s reputation as one of the leading bands in heavy metal.

Anthrax continued to tour and release albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with Benante, Ian, and Belladonna being the only constant members. In 2016, the band released their eleventh studio album, For All Kings.

Pantera

Formed in 1981, Pantera is a heavy metal band from Texas that is considered one of the most influential bands in the genre. They released their debut album, Cowboys from Hell, in 1990 and became one of the most popular bands of the early ’90s. Their follow-up album, Vulgar Display of Power, is considered a classic of the genre. Pantera was incredibly successful in the early ’90s, but tensions within the band led to their eventual breakup in 2003.