List of heavy metal bands
===Early heavy metal=== (Except for Black Sabbath, none of these bands are truly heavy metal.)
- Aerosmith
- Black Sabbath
- Blue Cheer
- Blue Oyster Cult
- Led Zeppelin
- The Misfits
- The Stooges
- The Velvet Underground
- Deep Purple
New Wave of British Heavy Metal(NWOBHM)
- Angel Witch
- Def Leppard
- Diamond Head
- Iron Maiden
- Judas Priest
- Motorhead
- Praying Mantis
- Raven
- Samson
- Saxon
- Anthrax
- Cacophony
- Celtic Frost
- Corrosion of Conformity
- King Diamond
- Kreator
- Megadeth
- Mercyful Fate
- Metallica
- Napalm Death
- Overkill
- Pantera
- Rollins Band
- Sepultura
- Slayer
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Accept
- Blind Guardian
- Demons & Wizards
- Gamma Ray
- Hammerfall
- Helloween
- Iced Earth
- Iron Maiden
- Jag Panzer
- Judas Priest
- Nevermore
- Rhapsody
- Stratovarius
- At the Gates
- Arch Enemy
- Atheist
- Benediction
- Bolt Thrower
- Cannibal Corpse
- Carcass
- Cynic
- Dark Tranquility
- Death
- Deicide
- Entombed
- Hypocrisy
- In Flames
- Morbid Angel
- Mortification
- Napalm Death
- Obituary
- Opeth
- Pestilence
- Rotting Christ
- Tiamat
- Venom
- Burzum
- Cradle of Filth
- Borknagar
- Dimmu Borgir
- Emperor
- Finntroll
- Mayhem
- Old Man's Child
- Sacramentum
- Samael
- Thorns
- Ulver
- Coal Chamber
- Drowning Pool
- Fear Factory
- Korn
- Limp Bizkit
- Linkin Park
- Papa Roach
- Staind
- System of a Down
- Tool
- Anathema
- Candlemass
- Cathedral
- Cemetary
- Crowbar
- Danzig
- Opeth
- Lake of Tears
- My Dying Bride
- Paradise Lost
- Saint Vitus
- Samhain
- Trouble