Poll: Most influential metal band
 

Who do you think influenced, and continues to influence, heavy metal the most?

If anyone wants other bands added let me know; these are all I could think of off the cuff...

Black Sabbath is the obvious answer. It's widely agreed upon that without their influence on the genre metal wouldn't be what we know it as today.

I voted Sabbath as well, it was unheard of to be that heavy at that time.
Almost voted Deep Purple, because they were pretty damn metallic

I think Black Sabbath can be credited as the most influential metal band ever without much dispute. Their sound was much thicker and heavier than that of Deep Purple, which helped separate them from other bands in the hard rock genre. Also, pretty much everyone agrees that Black Sabbath plays metal, while many people claim that Deep Purple is merely hard rock. As far as I've understood it, Sabbath was pretty much the only true metal band up until 1976, when Judas Priest released Sad Wings of Destiny (Rocka Rolla was more hard rock, in my opinion).

Not even a contest. It's Black Sabbath. With that said, there has always been music that is seen as more abrasive than the other kinds of music. Sabbath just took it to a different level.

It has to be Black Sabbath. The other bands are very influential, but they may not have even formed if it wasn't for Black Sabbath (with the exception of Deep Purple, who were around before Sabbath), so Black Sabbath wins by proxy.

Black Sabbath created /metal. Every band before was Proto Metal, and every band after owes a debt to Black Sabbath.

Agree with everyone so far but I'd put in a vote for Metallica just because they cast such a wide net, I'd say they'd be responsible for getting the most people interested in metal to start with, then from there people go back and discover bands like Sabbath, Maiden etc.

Where's =\ Van Halen /= ? Where's Led Zeppelin?

I am split between three for what band was the most influential. I give credit to Jimmy Page who laid the foundation for production and arrangement, Tony Iommi for riffs, and Eddie Van Halen for lead guitar.

Black Sabbath, easily. They were the first band I would call metal. I understand other bands have been WIDELY influential, IE: Metallica, but Sabbath was the first metal band and therefore have my vote by default.

I suspect that Blue Öyster Cult was very influential too. But I cannot prove it.

I voted Deep Purple, but I did it too quickly because I didn't even see Sabbath, lol. I'd say those 2 are the most influential.

No need to, this is not uni.

Led Zeppelin put the heavy in metal, very influential for only 12 years together.

But as for metal on metal, my vote goes to Judas Priest.

3 people voted Metallica. Who did they influence besides terrible bands

Metallica's Garage Inc. influenced a lot of great bands. Misfits, Black Sabbath, Queen, even Bob Seger covered songs off of that album.

Motorhead is the band that seems out of place to me on the list.
Were they ever really that popular here in the States? At least as popular as they seem to be in the UK anyway.
I never did get what was so important or special about the music and the band Motorhead itself, besides the image of Lemmy being a heavy partier.

Yeah Sabbath for sure.
They not only invented heavy metal, but doom as well. In short they invented an entire genre of music and a sub genre as well. Not many bands can lay claim to that.

This movie does a good job of explaining it, highly recommended:

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV..._SX214_AL_.jpg

Yup, Black Sabbath, hands down. All praise the Iommi.

But Deep Purple is definitely without a doubt the second most influential.

I said black sabbath.

If it was most influential modern metal, I'd say ISIS

I think most influential modern could be nearly impossible to pin down, given the vast popularity and variety of metal subgenres today. Really if we're saying influential as who spawned the most clones, probably Tool. But even then there's other bands of a different unique vein who spawned their own series of experimentation.

Truly.... a tough question.

Out of curiosity I would like to hear the reason for ISIS being the most influential in terms of modern metal. This isn't a knock to the idea, I've really never though about it. Just curious.

Sounds like BS to me. Aside from post metal what have they really influenced? Even then Neurosis would be ahead of them.

That's what I was thinking. ISIS didn't do anything someone else hadn't done before them, and you could try and make the argument they perfected some things other bands done but that's stretching it. I can enjoy ISIS and I've listened to them my fair share; But I've never understood the major hype surrounding them.

Yeah Isis is cool and all but far from influential or pioneering.

If we're talking about individual subgenres I'd have no problem saying Isis is the most influential band since 2000 for sludge metal. I know neurosis spearheaded the whole "atmospheric sludge" thing but they don't really sound that much like Isis imo. It's like comparing Godspeed and tortoise; same genre but different style. I think Isis' more drowning sound has been used by quite a few bands since that would probably cite Isis as a bigger influence than neurosis.

I do think it's pretty futile arguing about the most influential recent metal band as a whole. Maybe splitting it up into subgenres would be easier but still it's pretty early to tell and from my experience influence just means who's older anyway

Black Sabbath easily.
Deep Purple a close second, but their roots were in the blues as were Led Zeppelin's.
The others, Maiden, Priest, etc. came later and so were influenced by the others.

I agree out of place on this list.

have you ever really sat down and listened to everything up to Ace of Spades? Has to be some of the most relentless rock 'n roll out there. Those old albums are just so pure...

Hands down BLACK SABBATH, although I have to say that the term "heavy metal" is unfortunately used interchangeably way too much for it's own good, in my opinion. That said, here are my other choices:

4. Slayer

3. Iron Maiden

2. Judas Priest ( A VERY CLOSE SECOND I MIGHT ADD)!

Honorable mention would go to Deep Purple in fifth place but their overall level of musicianship EXCEEDS the parameters that metal sometimes gets caught up in, sadly. When all is said and done, I like to call it HARD ROCK! :band:

Black Sabbath obviously - We're talking about "influential", not "better"

I had to vote for Black Sabbath because they did lay the foundation for metal that others followed.

Yup. For sure.

I'm sure Metallica is the least influential on this list, but I like their music the most.

Happy to see Sabbath won this by such a landslide vote.

Hearing Ozzy doing Sabbath songs on the Speak Of The Devil album as a kid is what got me into metal, here it is some 30 years later and I was listening to the Never Say Die album earlier today.

Lol @ Metallica votes.


Black Sabbath without a doubt.

Behemoth

I voted Metallica because they have such a wide fanbase and are the only band out of those listed that can still sell out entire stadiums. After 30 years in the business, that's definitely what I would consider influence.

I don't think you understand what the term influence means. It has nothing to do with being able to sell out concerts.

Well wow I'm late on this one, but it's obvs Sabbath.