Really its a very tough question and i think most of us would stumble answering it. The true fact is there cant be a world greatest metal band, if one band is great on somebody's opinion, the other guy might say "thats a shitty band, they only sale records and musically not so good." So everyone has their own opinion, i think when it comes to deciding worlds greatest metal band and also sale records doesnt really reflects if that band is greatest because people dont need to buy records anymore they can simple download it( I am against PIRACY having said that). So we can't also really track the download amount of a certain band. So I would say its almost impossible to answer the question but if you ask my opinion i would say METALLICA

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.05.2011 at 11:47

Written by Yojimbo on 28.05.2011 at 08:57

I have to say Iron Maiden.
,...and they were never really a band that got airplay,...

Yes they were, they got loads of airplay around Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son

...you're old.

Black Sabbath? Not my favourite band,but they have a song, that in my opinion epitomises metal, that song being Black Sabbath of course.

Yes... dethklok, of course

Written by JÄY on 06.06.2011 at 16:23

Yes... dethklok, of course

DETHKLOK! \m/... Thats br00tal.....

Written by arwestromen on 30.05.2011 at 16:32

Written by Death To Posers on 29.05.2011 at 00:05

Whichever band YOU like the best, is the worlds greatest band. It's different for everyone.

I'm sorry but that sounds so...retarded to say...no....childish to say
"I think this so therefore this is the right answer and everyone else who things otherwise is wrong"
I want realistic sugestions...think outside your own music taste and look at the "facts" that could make a band "the best metal band.....in the world"

I have like four bands that I think could be that band...I m a fan of one of them and the rest is just there because of their influence, music, popularity etc

Iron Maiden, Number of the beast, Run to the Hills, Wasted years etc
Judas Priest, Breaking the Law, Living after midninght, Painkiller etc
Metallica, Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman, Nothing else Matters etc
Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell etc

That actually covers it pretty much, the battle would be between those. But seriously, like you said.. looking at the facts, albums solds, shows, popularity, number of good albums... (AND so on)

It would probly end up being Iron Maiden

Of course there are, and they are still thrashing up. People always seek to stave off the disaster that might surface after answering that question for, perhaps, fear ? I don't know exactly why they do that but in my case I'd be honored to answer your question and bestow high praises on them . We all do realize that there are many great bands out there whose music have made us headbang our brains out for more than a decade but whether we like it or not, there is always a "thing" that stands out above others; timeless and can't be dethroned, it's an absolute truth, and whoever says the contrary is simply not ready yet to acknowledge the piercing truth that lies before his/her eyes.

After almost 30 years in business (read it again please, 30 years in business), they are still running wild, lost a member, fired another pretentious one and replaced a couple of vacant positions. They are literally the founder of the thrash metal mouvement, and even though I don't listen to them anymore, they are to me, and to zillion other metal addicts, by far, the greatest metal band of all-time. I have listened to thousands of metal bands so far, a wide range from jazz/rock to doom, to brutal death metal, some of them are really great but none of them have ever come close to making the sort of impart this band did to me when I first listened to them. Call me a fanboy, call me anything, but at least i have the balls to say it out loud. They are the only thrash metal gods who dared once to incorporate nu metal in their songs, hence, putting their own reputation on the line. They are the most popular metal band in the world, the first to have ever decided back in the 80s to bring something new to the table and ohhh, they surely did. I'll forever respect this band, even if they released a flower metal album or called Britney Spears to perform at their concerts , I'd still respect them. They are the four hoursemen, the mighty Metallica. Any Questions?


Did I just say this...? Ohh boy I'm screwed lol.

Written by Mindheist on 06.06.2011 at 19:21

Of course there are, and they are still thrashing up. People always seek to stave off the disaster that might surface after answering that question for, perhaps, fear ? I don't know exactly why they do that but in my case I'd be honored to answer your question and bestow high praises on them . We all do realize that there are many great bands out there whose music have made us headbang our brains out for more than a decade but whether we like it or not, there is always a "thing" that stands out above others; timeless and can't be dethroned, it's an absolute truth, and whoever says the contrary is simply not ready yet to acknowledge the piercing truth that lies before his/her eyes.

After almost 30 years in business (read it again please, 30 years in business), they are still running wild, lost a member, fired another pretentious one and replaced a couple of vacant positions. They are literally the founder of the thrash metal mouvement, and even though I don't listen to them anymore, they are to me, and to zillion other metal addicts, by far, the greatest metal band of all-time. I have listened to thousands of metal bands so far, a wide range from jazz/rock to doom, to brutal death metal, some of them are really great but none of them have ever come close to making the sort of impart this band did to me when I first listened to them. Call me a fanboy, call me anything, but at least i have the balls to say it out loud. They are the only thrash metal gods who dared once to incorporate nu metal in their songs, hence, putting their own reputation on the line. They are the most popular metal band in the world, the first to have ever decided back in the 80s to bring something new to the table and ohhh, they surely did. I'll forever respect this band, even if they released a flower metal album or called Britney Spears to perform at their concerts , I'd still respect them. They are the four hoursemen, the mighty Metallica. Any Questions?


Did I just say this...? Ohh boy I'm screwed lol.

You my friend know how to answer a question

Written by arwestromen on 06.06.2011 at 22:16

Written by Mindheist on 06.06.2011 at 19:21

Of course there are, and they are still thrashing up. People always seek to stave off the disaster that might surface after answering that question for, perhaps, fear ? I don't know exactly why they do that but in my case I'd be honored to answer your question and bestow high praises on them . We all do realize that there are many great bands out there whose music have made us headbang our brains out for more than a decade but whether we like it or not, there is always a "thing" that stands out above others; timeless and can't be dethroned, it's an absolute truth, and whoever says the contrary is simply not ready yet to acknowledge the piercing truth that lies before his/her eyes.

After almost 30 years in business (read it again please, 30 years in business), they are still running wild, lost a member, fired another pretentious one and replaced a couple of vacant positions. They are literally the founder of the thrash metal mouvement, and even though I don't listen to them anymore, they are to me, and to zillion other metal addicts, by far, the greatest metal band of all-time. I have listened to thousands of metal bands so far, a wide range from jazz/rock to doom, to brutal death metal, some of them are really great but none of them have ever come close to making the sort of impart this band did to me when I first listened to them. Call me a fanboy, call me anything, but at least i have the balls to say it out loud. They are the only thrash metal gods who dared once to incorporate nu metal in their songs, hence, putting their own reputation on the line. They are the most popular metal band in the world, the first to have ever decided back in the 80s to bring something new to the table and ohhh, they surely did. I'll forever respect this band, even if they released a flower metal album or called Britney Spears to perform at their concerts , I'd still respect them. They are the four hoursemen, the mighty Metallica. Any Questions?


Did I just say this...? Ohh boy I'm screwed lol.

You my friend know how to answer a question

Haha, thanks man .

Altaïr - Not only do you know how to answer a question. You also know how to answer it correctly.
No band has had such tremendous impact on me as when I started listening to Metallica.

Wow wow... Could actually throw such a paragraph on Iron Maiden, and Im pretty sure the fanbase is even greater than Metallica.

Written by Dööm on 07.06.2011 at 00:44

Altaïr - Not only do you know how to answer a question. You also know how to answer it correctly.
No band has had such tremendous impact on me as when I started listening to Metallica.

Thanks man . I couldn't agree more about how soul-stirring these guys can be on the first listen. I think no man we'll ever be able to top James' countless mind-bending vocal performances, nor will there ever be another Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning. Thrash metal was born with them and shall die with them.

I think one of the beautiful things about metal is that there is not way you could name one band to represent metal in its entirety. There are as many favourites as there are bands, and tastes often change as the individual metal-head does.
So in short no band can represent metal as a whole... Its far bigger than that, and there is more variety then most if not all other genre's.

Metal has a lot of sub-genres. Some are light, others are very hard. There cannot be a 'greatest metal band'. There can be a 'greatest brutal death metal band' or 'greatest symphonic power metal band', etc., and even that is a matter of personal taste.

Written by Vivi' on 27.07.2011 at 12:46

Metal has a lot of sub-genres. Some are light, others are very hard. There cannot be a 'greatest metal band'. There can be a 'greatest brutal death metal band' or 'greatest symphonic power metal band', etc., and even that is a matter of personal taste.

I don't think you can have even that. I mean its subjective right?

Written by Spirit Molecule on 27.07.2011 at 13:28

Written by Vivi' on 27.07.2011 at 12:46

Metal has a lot of sub-genres. Some are light, others are very hard. There cannot be a 'greatest metal band'. There can be a 'greatest brutal death metal band' or 'greatest symphonic power metal band', etc., and even that is a matter of personal taste.

I don't think you can have even that. I mean its subjective right?

Yes I think i agree, of course there are bands that represent a genre though which begs the question:

Just because a band represents a genre to the "Noob" of metal does that mean they can rightly call themselves 'the greatest (whatever genre) band'... I don't think so.

I would have to say a tie between Iron Maiden and Metallica. Maiden has this incredible worldwide popularity and Metallica even though they suck now broke down every barrier there was.

There is no such thing as "world greatest metal band".
We could say that Metallica is the "world biggest metal band" but that doesn't mean it's the greatest.
Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Written by RavenKing on 28.07.2011 at 04:57


Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Well said dude, I agree 100%

Quote:
Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Then your argument is pointless.
If you put it like that then you have to bring each persons feelings about a band into it. To each person they have a greatest. So for each person there is a worlds Greatest band. So there is a worlds Greatest band for each individual. If you take popularity out of the equation then it is down to each person. Myself I think Testament is the worlds greatest band. To me Greatest would mean most popular. What else could it mean. If you take that away then you have nothing left really. The worlds most talented musicians? Impossible to discern that as to there a a lot of very talented individuals in bands but that does not make a whole band. You people over think shit.

Written by Steelreaper on 28.07.2011 at 17:50

Quote:
Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Then your argument is pointless.
If you put it like that then you have to bring each persons feelings about a band into it. To each person they have a greatest. So for each person there is a worlds Greatest band. So there is a worlds Greatest band for each individual. If you take popularity out of the equation then it is down to each person. Myself I think Testament is the worlds greatest band. To me Greatest would mean most popular. What else could it mean. If you take that away then you have nothing left really. The worlds most talented musicians? Impossible to discern that as to there a a lot of very talented individuals in bands but that does not make a whole band. You people over think shit.

exactly my thought... so Maiden wins again lol

Written by Steelreaper on 28.07.2011 at 17:50

Quote:
Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Then your argument is pointless.
If you put it like that then you have to bring each persons feelings about a band into it. To each person they have a greatest. So for each person there is a worlds Greatest band. So there is a worlds Greatest band for each individual. If you take popularity out of the equation then it is down to each person. Myself I think Testament is the worlds greatest band. To me Greatest would mean most popular. What else could it mean. If you take that away then you have nothing left really. The worlds most talented musicians? Impossible to discern that as to there a a lot of very talented individuals in bands but that does not make a whole band. You people over think shit.

This entire thread is pointless because "greatest" is subjective. So that's exactly what happens: each person has its own personal idea of a "greatest" band. It's because "greatest" is a matter of tastes. It is impossible to state that "this band is the greatest" in an entirely objective way.

My point was that there is no band that is objectively "the greatest", thus rendering this thread pointless.
What is great for you can suck for someone else and vice-versa.
Popularity has to do with the "biggest" band. It has nothing to do with the "greatest".

Written by RavenKing on 29.07.2011 at 03:37

Written by Steelreaper on 28.07.2011 at 17:50

Quote:
Lots of people confuse greatest and biggest and, while "biggest" is not subjective, "greatest" is.

Then your argument is pointless.
If you put it like that then you have to bring each persons feelings about a band into it. To each person they have a greatest. So for each person there is a worlds Greatest band. So there is a worlds Greatest band for each individual. If you take popularity out of the equation then it is down to each person. Myself I think Testament is the worlds greatest band. To me Greatest would mean most popular. What else could it mean. If you take that away then you have nothing left really. The worlds most talented musicians? Impossible to discern that as to there a a lot of very talented individuals in bands but that does not make a whole band. You people over think shit.

This entire thread is pointless because "greatest" is subjective. So that's exactly what happens: each person has its own personal idea of a "greatest" band. It's because "greatest" is a matter of tastes. It is impossible to state that "this band is the greatest" in an entirely objective way.

My point was that there is no band that is objectively "the greatest", thus rendering this thread pointless.
What is great for you can suck for someone else and vice-versa.
Popularity has to do with the "biggest" band. It has nothing to do with the "greatest".

Exactly! If Gene Hoglan, Chuck Billy and Dino Cazares started a band, that would be the biggest!

Black Sabbath umm nah Metallica nah umm Iron Maiden...Black Sabbath....Metallica....Iron Maiden.....phew! its "Slayer"!!

Written by Mindheist on 06.06.2011 at 19:21

Of course there are, and they are still thrashing up. People always seek to stave off the disaster that might surface after answering that question for, perhaps, fear ? I don't know exactly why they do that but in my case I'd be honored to answer your question and bestow high praises on them . We all do realize that there are many great bands out there whose music have made us headbang our brains out for more than a decade but whether we like it or not, there is always a "thing" that stands out above others; timeless and can't be dethroned, it's an absolute truth, and whoever says the contrary is simply not ready yet to acknowledge the piercing truth that lies before his/her eyes.

After almost 30 years in business (read it again please, 30 years in business), they are still running wild, lost a member, fired another pretentious one and replaced a couple of vacant positions. They are literally the founder of the thrash metal mouvement, and even though I don't listen to them anymore, they are to me, and to zillion other metal addicts, by far, the greatest metal band of all-time. I have listened to thousands of metal bands so far, a wide range from jazz/rock to doom, to brutal death metal, some of them are really great but none of them have ever come close to making the sort of impart this band did to me when I first listened to them. Call me a fanboy, call me anything, but at least i have the balls to say it out loud. They are the only thrash metal gods who dared once to incorporate nu metal in their songs, hence, putting their own reputation on the line. They are the most popular metal band in the world, the first to have ever decided back in the 80s to bring something new to the table and ohhh, they surely did. I'll forever respect this band, even if they released a flower metal album or called Britney Spears to perform at their concerts , I'd still respect them. They are the four hoursemen, the mighty Metallica. Any Questions?


Did I just say this...? Ohh boy I'm screwed lol.

No, they're not the only thrash band to incorporate nu metal elements, Destruction did it several years before Metallica, as did Sepultura. And of course it's ridiculous to respect a band for conforming to the trends of the time.

Written by Author on 01.08.2011 at 04:40

Written by Mindheist on 06.06.2011 at 19:21

Of course there are, and they are still thrashing up. People always seek to stave off the disaster that might surface after answering that question for, perhaps, fear ? I don't know exactly why they do that but in my case I'd be honored to answer your question and bestow high praises on them . We all do realize that there are many great bands out there whose music have made us headbang our brains out for more than a decade but whether we like it or not, there is always a "thing" that stands out above others; timeless and can't be dethroned, it's an absolute truth, and whoever says the contrary is simply not ready yet to acknowledge the piercing truth that lies before his/her eyes.

After almost 30 years in business (read it again please, 30 years in business), they are still running wild, lost a member, fired another pretentious one and replaced a couple of vacant positions. They are literally the founder of the thrash metal mouvement, and even though I don't listen to them anymore, they are to me, and to zillion other metal addicts, by far, the greatest metal band of all-time. I have listened to thousands of metal bands so far, a wide range from jazz/rock to doom, to brutal death metal, some of them are really great but none of them have ever come close to making the sort of impart this band did to me when I first listened to them. Call me a fanboy, call me anything, but at least i have the balls to say it out loud. They are the only thrash metal gods who dared once to incorporate nu metal in their songs, hence, putting their own reputation on the line. They are the most popular metal band in the world, the first to have ever decided back in the 80s to bring something new to the table and ohhh, they surely did. I'll forever respect this band, even if they released a flower metal album or called Britney Spears to perform at their concerts , I'd still respect them. They are the four hoursemen, the mighty Metallica. Any Questions?


Did I just say this...? Ohh boy I'm screwed lol.

No, they're not the only thrash band to incorporate nu metal elements, Destruction did it several years before Metallica, as did Sepultura. And of course it's ridiculous to respect a band for conforming to the trends of the time.

LOL. U DNT NO ANYTHING ABUT METAL. METTALLICCA AND SEPLTURA ARE NOT NU METAL. SUCH NOOB.

Opeth. Not just the world's greatest metal band, but the greatest band overall. The end.

Written by Author on 01.08.2011 at 18:56

Opeth. Not just the world's greatest metal band, but the greatest band overall. The end.

Didn't you dislike them only a few months ago? Quite a turnaround.

Written by Author on 01.08.2011 at 19:31

Written by Author on 01.08.2011 at 18:56

Opeth. Not just the world's greatest metal band, but the greatest band overall. The end.

Didn't you dislike them only a few months ago? Quite a turnaround.

I haven't disliked Opeth in 8 months. I always respected them as musicians, but I didn't feel anything when listening to them for a long time, which is why I sort of hated their music. That changed around last October. I decided to give Blackwater Park one last chance one day. A few hours later I ordered two of their albums. Opeth is the band that proved to me that such a thing as an acquired taste actually exists. That has never happened to me before and has never happened since. And of course their musicianship, their excellent riffs, poetic lyrics and haunting melodies are the reason why I consider them the greatest band on Earth.

Written by Author on 01.08.2011 at 19:43

I haven't disliked Opeth in 8 months. I always respected them as musicians, but I didn't feel anything when listening to them for a long time, which is why I sort of hated their music. That changed around last October. I decided to give Blackwater Park one last chance one day. A few hours later I ordered two of their albums. Opeth is the band that proved to me that such a thing as an acquired taste actually exists. That has never happened to me before and has never happened since. And of course their musicianship, their excellent riffs, poetic lyrics and haunting melodies are the reason why I consider them the greatest band on Earth.

Well acquired tastes occur in every facet of music: black, death, doom, noise etc. I had to learn to like black metal.

Opeth are a great band but they'll always be subservient to Edge of Sanity's greatest works for me.