List of Music Heavy Metal Artists

Metallica

Formed in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, Metallica has become one of the most commercially successful and influential heavy metal bands of all time, selling over 110 million albums worldwide while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band’s 1991 self-titled fifth album, also known as “The Black Album,” is the best-selling album in the history of American music. 2016 marked Metallica’s 35th Anniversary as a band. Metallica is currently working on their next studio album which is expected to be released in late 2017/early 2018.

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, shortly after 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 rhythm sections and complex arrangements. Many of its songs use unconventional time signatures. Megadeth has been nominated for twelve Grammy Awards, winning two. Megadeth has sold over 38 million albums worldwide, making it one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands of all time.

Slayer

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo, who recruited vocalist and bassist Jeff Hanneman and bassist and vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer’s fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Hanneman and King are the only members who have performed on every Slayer album; with Lombardo participating on four albums, having left during 1985–1992 in order to play with Fantômas/Griffith Park and Voodoo Glow Skulls before rejoining a decade later.

The band’s 1986 release Reign in Blood helped to secure their position as one of the top acts of the 1980s metal scene. It has been credited as one of the most influential albums in heavy metal history. In October 1991, Slayer released the EP Decade of Aggression, which compiled songs from throughout their first decade plus two newly recorded tracks.

In 1996, Slayer released Undisputed Attitude, an album that featured cover versions of punk rock classics such as “F**k You”, “Hey Nurse”, “I Hate You” originally performed by Against All Authority among others; it also included a number of re-recorded songs that originally appeared on Hanneman’s side project Pap Smear. In 1998, Lombardo left Slayer temporarily to play drums with Grip Inc., while Paul Bostaph filled his position for a year; Lombardo eventually returned to the band in 2001.

In June 2006, two months after Araya had surgery to remove multiple nodules from his vocal cords,[12] Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis likely caused by a spider bite; he continued to write music but was unable to play guitar due to his partial paralysis until his eventual return in 2011. In January 2011 King stated that he would take an extended break from touring in order to focus on writing a new album whenever Lombardo secured a permanent replacement drummer so Slayer could tour while recording their next studio album. Bostaph left Slayer permanently in 2013 due to scheduling conflicts with Exodus – he was replaced by Jon Dette – but rejoined six months later after Dette’s departure before Exodus’ world tour promoting their 10th studio album Blood In Blood Out (2014). On May 2nd 2019 it was revealed that Jeff Hanneman had died of liver failure at age 49 back in 2013

Anthrax

Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal movement from the 1980s and is part of the “Big Four” of thrash metal bands, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer.

Testament

Testament is an American Thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1986, the group originally featured guitarist Eric Peterson, vocalist Chuck Billy, and bassist Derrick Ramirez. The band has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, and two compilations. Billy and Peterson are the only remaining original members of the band, and have been accompanied by Alex Skolnick, Gene Hoglan, Steve DiGiorgio, Greg Christian, and Louie Clemente throughout Testament’s changing lineup.

Exodus

Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in the Richmond District of San Francisco, California. They have gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Exodus had particular success in the mid-to-late 1980s with their first three albums, Bonded by Blood, Pleasures of the Flesh and Fabulous Disaster (1989). The critical praise given to Fabulous Disaster garnered attention from labels including Capitol Records. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast.

Newer Music Heavy Metal Artists

There are many newer music heavy metal artists that are continuing to keep the metal genre alive. Some of these artists include Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, and Metallica. They have all released new albums within the past few years and have been touring extensively.

Lamb of God

Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, and drummer Chris Adler. The band is considered a significant member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement.

Since their formation, Lamb of God has released eight studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, and three DVDs. The band’s eighth studio album Wrath was released in February 2009. On May 28, 2012 Lamb of God entered the Guinness World Record for most albums sold in 24 hours with their sixth studio album Sacrament. The band has received three Grammy nominations for songs from their ninth studio album Resolution; these nominations were for “In Your Words” for Best Metal Performance in 2013, “Ghost Walking” for Best Metal Performance in 2014, and “Overlord” for Best Metal Performance in 2015.

Mastodon

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Brent Hinds, drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher. All four members also perform vocals on the albums.

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band’s current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

Avenged Sevenfold is known for its diverse musical style, which often features strong thrash metal influences and brings elements of punk rock into their sound. The band’s seventh studio album Hail to the King (2013) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking as the band’s second consecutive album to top the charts in the United States. Hail to the King was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

Music Heavy Metal Festivals

The best way to experience heavy metal is live and in person. There’s nothing like seeing your favorite band headlining a music festival. There are plenty of music festivals around the world that cater to heavy metal fans. In this article, we’ll list some of the biggest and best heavy metal festivals in the world.

Download Festival

Download Festival is a British rock festival, held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, since 2003. It is the most popular British summer rock and heavy metal festival and has hosted some of the genre’s biggest names, including Saxon, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Muse.

The 2015 festival featured massive performances from headliners Slipknot and Muse, plus sets from Judas Priest, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Motorhead, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch and many more.

Hellfest

Hellfest, also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a French music festival specializing in heavy metal, held annually in June in Clisson in Loire-Atlantique. Its high attendance makes it one of the greatest French music festivals. It is also one of the biggest festivals of metal in Europe and the first to exist in France. Although not exclusively devoted to rock music, Hellfest was conceived as a “festival of tolerate everything”.

Several stages are present at Hellfest, including the main stage which is devoted to heavy metal bands and artists, and the second stage which mainly propose groups playing hard rock and punk rock music. There is also an outdoor stage on the festival site’s campsite.

Most bands playing at Hellfest are relatively well-known. In 2017, Metallica headlined the festival. The band attracted more than 130,000 spectators over two days, which resulted in financial difficulties for organizers because of both their fee and production costs for their show.

Graspop Metal Meeting

Graspop Metal Meeting is a Belgian metal festival held in Dessel each year since 1996. It is usually held on the last weekend of June, and since 2005, has attracted some of the biggest names in metal, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Judas Priest. This year’s event will take place from June 28-30.

List of Music Heavy Metal Artists

Music Heavy Metal