List of heavy metal musicians - Definition and Overview

Alternative metal

• Arcturus
• Corrosion Of Conformity
• Dog Fashion Disco
• Faith No More
• Fantômas
• Fear Factory
• Helmet
• Mezzerschmitt
• Mr. Bungle
• Nine Inch Nails
• Primus
• Rage Against The Machine
• Secret Chief 3
• Soundgarden
• The Melvins
• Tomahawk
• Tool
• Vicious Hairy Mary
• White Zombie

Black death metal

• Acheron
• Alastor
• Arkhon infaustus
• Behemoth
• Bloodmoon
• Dawn of dream
• Decayed
• Dimentianon
• Epoch of Unlight
• Equinox
• Funeral Feast
• Hysteria
• In Aeternum
• Incriminated
• Isacaarum
• Manticore
• Mind Eclipse
• Misanthrope
• Mixomatosis
• Nordor
• Nun slaughter
• Obscene Eulogy
• Obsecration
• Portal
• Rotting Flesh
• Sauron
• Saxorior
• Thy Disease
• Tuska
• Vorkreist
• Warkult

Black metal

• Abyssos
• Ancient
• Ajattara
• Alghazanth
• Arckanum
• Averse Sefira
• Azaghal
• Bal-Sagoth
• Barathrum
• Beherit
• Behexen
• Bestia
• Borknagar
• Burzum
• Calvarium
• Carpathian Forest
• Catamenia
• Celtic Frost
• Dark Funeral
• Darkthrone
• Darkwoods My Betrothed
• Dimmu Borgir
• Emperor
• Enslaved
• Finntroll
• Frozen Shadows
• Gorgoroth
• Gotmoor
• Horna
• Immortal
• Impaled Nazarene
• Impiety
• Judas Iscariot
• Kostogher
• Limbonic Art
• Marduk
• Mayhem
• Mercyful Fate
• Mortiis
• Mustan kuun lapset
• Nokturnal Mortum
• Old Man's Child
• Ragnarok
• Sacramentum
• Samael
• Satyricon
• Soulgrind
• Theatres des Vampires
• Thorns
• Thy Serpent
• Troll
• Trollheim's Grott
• Tvangeste
• Uhrilehto
• Ulver
• Venom

Brutal death metal

• Abaddon Incarnate
• Abominant
• Abortion
• Abuse
• Agiel
• Alienation mental
• Androphagous
• Antropofagus
• Askalon
• Azarath
• Beheaded
• Blockheads
• Bodies Lay Broken
• Bound and Gagged
• Burialmound
• Caedere
• Carnal
• Cephalectomy
• Cephalic
• Cerebral hemorrhage
• Chaotic Humanity Choice (C.H.C.)
• Ciribus
• Cirrhosis
• Commit Suicide
• Cripple Bastards
• Crucifixion
• Cryptopsy
• Damnation
• Debauchery
• Demonicon
• Difer Nom Basta
• Disgorge
• Dissenter
• Downthroat
• Embolism
• Engorge
• Entety
• Entorturement
• Failed Humanity
• Flesh Grinder
• Fleshart
• Fleshless
• Fornication
• Funeral Inception
• Genital Grinder
• Gorehog
• Gorelord
• Goretorture
• Goretrade
• Harmony dies
• Homoiratus
• Immemorial
• Impaled
• Imperious
• Incinerate
• Infernal hate
• Ingrowing
• Iniquity
• INRI
• Insision
• Inveracity
• Kabbal
• Kadath
• Kalibas
• Kataplexia
• Lacerate
• Luna Field
• Lykathea Aflame
• Mess age
• Misery Index
• Molested Senses
• Morgue
• Mortician
• Moulded Flesh
• Myopia
• Natron
• Neural Booster
• Pandemia
• Perverse
• Perversity
• Prion
• Prophecy
• Psychrist
• Psycroptic
• Rotting
• Sanatorium
• Saproffago
• Sarcasmo
• Scrambled Defuncts
• Sepsism
• Severe Torture
• Severed Savior
• Sheolgeenna
• Side Effects
• Siksakubur
• Soils of Fate
• Sotajumala
• Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition
• Suffocation
• Tears of Decay
• Terminal Descent
• Terrorist
• The Dead
• The Forensic
• The Monolith Deathcult
• Thorium
• Tomorrow's Victim
• Torn
• Torture Killer
• Veneral Disease
• Wasteform
• Zubrowska

Celtic Battle Metal

• Bran Barr
• Belinus

Celtic Doom Metal

• Beltaine
• Cryptical Realm
• Mael Mórdha

Celtic metal

• Cruachan
• Geasa
• Waylander

Celtic Pagan Metal

• Aisling
• Ogmias
• Primordial

Christian metal

• As I Lay Dying
• Believer
• Bloodgood
• Demon Hunter
• Extol
• Jerusalem
• King's X
• King of King's
• Narnia
• Stryper
• The Crucified
• Whiteheart
• Whitecross

Circus metal

• Darth Vegas
• Dog Fashion Disco
• Headkase
• Mr. Bungle
• Secret Chiefs 3
• Vicious Hairy Mary

Classic metal

• Judas Priest
• Dokken
• Twisted Sister
• Iron Maiden
• The Scorpions
• Quiet Riot
• Saxon
• W.A.S.P.
• Accept

Dark ambiental metal

• In the woods...

Death doom

• Hedon cries
• Hidden
• Poema arcanus
• Psicorragia
• Runemagick

Death metal

• Abscess
• Amon Amarth
• Amorphis
• Anal Bleeding
• Ancient
• Ancient Gods
• Angmar
• Antares
• Arch Enemy
• At the Gates
• Atheist
• Atropos
• ATS
• Aurora Borealis
• Autopsy
• Avenger
• Avulsed
• Benediction
• Bestial Warlust
• Black Dahlia Murder, The
• Bloodbath
• Bloodhammer
• Bloodreaping
• Bluttaufe
• Bolt Thrower
• Brujeria
• Brutus
• Cadaverous Condition
• Cannibal Corpse
• Carcass
• Cattle Decapitation
• Children of Bodom
• Coroner
• Crucifier
• Cynic
• Daemonlord
• Daemusinem
• Dark Tranquility
• Dead Emotions
• Death
• Death reality
• Decapitated
• Deceased
• Decomposing Serenity
• Deflorace
• Deformity
• Deicide
• Depraved
• Deströyer 666
• Dhamer
• Diablo
• Dissection
• Division Alpha
• D.R.I.
• Dying Fetus
• Edge of Sanity
• Emperor
• Entombed
• Fleshcrawl
• Flesh Feast
• Fleshtized
• Germen
• God Dethroned
• Gorguts
• Gospel of the Horns
• Grotesqueuphoria
• Gulu Locus
• Harakiri
• Hell-born
• Hermaphrodit
• Herriot
• Human Mincer
• Hypocrisy
• Immolation
• In Flames
• Incriminated
• Infernal Legion
• Inner War
• Intestinal Disgorge
• Lymphatic Phlegm
• Kataklysm
• Khert-neter
• Krisiun
• Legal Butchery
• Machetazo
• Malevolent Creation
• Meat Shits
• Meatknife
• Merlin (band)
• Microphallus
• Midnight Dream
• Misery Index
• Mistweaver
• Monasterium
• Monstrosity
• Morbid Angel
• Mortal Decay
• Mortal Intention
• Mortem
• Mortician
• Mortification
• Mutala
• Mykorrhiza
• Myrkskog
• Mystifier
• Napalm Death
• Necrophagia
• Netas
• Neuraxis
• Nile
• Nomenmortis
• Norther
• Obituary
• Ominous
• Opeth
• Paganizer
• Painstruck
• Pan.thy.monium
• Paracoccidioidomicosisproctitissarcomucosis
• Pentagram
• Pestilence
• Possessed
• Primitive Symphony
• Pungent Stench
• Purgatory
• Pustulated
• Regurgitate
• Reprobation
• Requiem
• Rotting Christ
• Rupture Christ
• Sacriversum
• Sadistic Blood Massacre
• Salem
• Sargatanas
• Scattered Remnants
• Semen Datura
• Shadow Season
• Sikfuk
• Sinister
• Sinoath
• Slow Agony
• Solar Dawn
• Soul Devourer
• Substance for God
• Suffocation
• Syllogism
• Taetre
• Thalarion
• The Crown
• Therion
• Throneaeon
• Tiamat
• Torsofuck
• Tu Carne
• Ugrakarma
• Vader
• Vehemence
• Velocidad Absurda
• Veneral Disease
• Verminous
• Vii Arcano
• Zeni Geva
• Zombie Vomit

Deathgrind

• Cerebral Turbulency
• Circle of Dead Children
• Corpsefucking Art
• Cumchrist
• Dead Infection
• Decrypt
• Extreme Decay
• Fleshgrind
• Foetopsy
• Gruesome Malady
• Impetigo
• Impure
• Inveracity
• Koldborn
• Mastic Scum
• Mincing Fury and Guttural Clamour of Queer Decay
• Necroterio
• Negligent collateral collapse
• Nuclear Death
• Organ Harvest
• Patologicum
• Reek of Shits
• Repulsion
• Vomit Remnants
• Vomitorial Corpulence

Deathrash

• Arghoslent
• Bloodsick
• Crustacean
• Dazakrate
• Deathchain
• Hatework
• Hypokras
• Invasion
• Katafalk
• Never
• Num skull
• Soulless
• Spawn of Satan
• Unholy archangel

Doom metal

• Aarni
• Anathema
• Candlemass
• Cathedral
• Cemetary
• Corrupted
• Crowbar
• Danzig
• Esoteric
• Evoken
• Eyehategod
• Katatonia
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Lake of Tears
• Memento Mori
• Morgion
• My Dying Bride
• October (band)
• Paradise Lost
• Pentagram
• Reverend Bizarre
• Saattue
• Saint Vitus
• Samhain
• Saturnus
• Shape of Despair
• Solitude Aeturnus
• Substance For God
• Tristitia
• Trouble
• Wasara

Early heavy metal

(Except for Black Sabbath & Alice Cooper, none of these bands are truly heavy metal.)

• Alice Cooper
• Black Sabbath
• Blue Cheer
• Blue Öyster Cult
• Led Zeppelin
• Deep Purple

Epic metal

• Cirith Ungol
• DoomSword
• Medieval Steel
• Omen

Fashioncore

• Eighteen Visions

Folk metal

• Cruachan
• Ensiferum
• Finntroll
• Korpiklaani
• Metsatöll
• Moonsorrow
• Skyclad
• Skyforger
• Turisas
• Valgrind
• Waylander
• XIV Dark Centuries

Glam metal / Hair metal

• Aerosmith
• Bad English
• Bon Jovi
• Bulletboys
• Cinderella
• Alice Cooper
• Damn Yankees
• Danger Danger
• Dangerous Toys
• Def Leppard
• Europe
• Extreme
• Firehouse
• Faster Pussycat
• Great White
• Grim Reaper
• Guns N' Roses
• Hanoi Rocks
• Judas Priest
• KISS
• L.A. Guns
• Lita Ford
• Mötley Crüe
• Mr. Big
• Nelson
• Pantera
• Poison
• Quiet Riot
• Ratt
• Rock City Angels
• Saigon Kick
• Skid Row
• Slaughter
• Steel Heart
• Tesla
• Van Halen
• Vinnie Vincent Invasion
• Vixen
• Warrant
• W.A.S.P.
• White Lion
• Whitecross
• Whitesnake
• Winger

Goregrind

• Abosranie Bogom
• Oxidised razor
• Squash bowels
• Sublime cadaveric decomposition

Gothic metal

• After Forever
• Anathema
• Ashes You Leave
• Beseech
• Entwine
• Haggard
• Killing Miranda
• Korova
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Lacrimosa
• Lacuna Coil
• Lake of Tears
• Leaves' Eyes
• Moonspell
• My Dying Bride
• Nightwish
• Paradise Lost
• Sins of Thy Beloved
• Sirenia
• The 69 Eyes
• The Gathering
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Tristania
• Type O Negative
• Within Temptation
• Xandria

Grindcore

• Amoebic Dysentery
• Animal Foreskin
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• Daughters
• Extreme Noise Terror
• Inferia
• Jogane munno
• Leng Tch'e
• Napalm Death
• Nasum
• Phobia
• Pig Destroyer
• ROT
• Rotten Sound
• Rytmihäiriö

Industrial metal

• Marilyn Manson
• Godflesh
• Samael (band)
• KMFDM
• Malmonde
• Ministry
• Nine Inch Nails
• Rammstein
• Revolting Cocks
• Skinny Puppy
• The Kovenant
• Turmion kätilöt
• Velcra

Mathcore

• Botch
• Creation is Crucifixion
• Norma Jean

Metalcore

• Killswitch Engage
• Poison the Well
• Zao
• Unearth
• Hatebreed
• The Tony Danza Tap-Dance Extravaganza
• Misery Signals
• Throwdown
• Shadows Fall
• Malicious Intent
• Bleeding Through
• Blood Has Been Shed

Mincecore

• Agathocles
• Malignant Tumour

Nazi black metal

• Burzum
• Graveland
• Kataxu
• Thor's Hammer

Neo-classical metal

• Adagio
• Jennifer Batten
• Ritchie Blackmore
• Cacophony
• The Great Kat
• Greg Howe
• Yngwie Malmsteen
• Joe Stump's Reign of Terror
• Randy Rhoads

New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)

• A II Z
• Angel Witch
• Blitzkrieg
• Charlie Ungry
• Def Leppard
• Diamond Head
• GirlSchool
• Grim Reaper
• Holocaust
• Iron Maiden
• Jaguar
• Lionheart
• Praying Mantis
• Raven
• Samson
• Saxon
• Star One
• Sweet Savage
• Tank
• Tygers of Pan Tang
• Vardis
• Venom
• White Spirit
• Witchfinder General

Nu metal

• Coal Chamber
• Deftones
• Drowning Pool
• Evanescence
• Fear Factory
• From Zero
• Fyeld
• Godsmack
• Ill Nino
• Jacks of all trades
• K-ma
• Korn
• Limp Bizkit
• Linkin Park
• Lok
• Lostprophets
• Machine Head
• Mudvayne
• Mushroomhead
• Orgy
• Papa Roach
• Puddle Of Mudd
• Seether
• Sevendust
• Slipknot
• Smile Empty Soul
• Spineshank
• Staind
• System of a Down
• Taproot
• Three Days Grace
• Trapt
• Zeromancer

Oriental metal

• Melechesh
• Orphaned Land
• Salem
• Shadow

Pagan metal

• Acid Bath
• Incubus Succubus
• Rockbitch
• Suidakra
• Tuatha de danann

Power metal

• Accept
• Agora
• Angel Dust
• Angra
• Avantasia
• Black Majesty
• Blind Guardian
• Calvaria
• Concerto Moon
• Dark Moor
• Demons and Wizards
• DragonForce
• Dream Evil
• Edenbridge
• Edguy
• Elvenking
• Freedom Call
• Gamma Ray
• Grave Digger
• Hammerfall
• Heaven's Gate
• Helloween
• Heavenly
• Iced Earth
• Iron Maiden
• Iron Savior
• Ivory Tower
• Jag Panzer
• Kamelot
• Kotipelto
• Labyrinth
• Lost Horizon
• Luca Turilli
• Mägo de Oz
• Manowar
• Masterplan
• Mob Rules
• Nevermore
• Nightwish
• Oratory
• Persuader
• Rage
• Rhapsody
• Running Wild
• S.D.I.
• Shadowkeep
• Sinergy
• Sonata Arctica
• Stratovarius
• Symphony X
• Teräsbetoni
• Thunderstone
• Tierra Santa
• Total Eclipse
• Vardis
• Virgin Steele
• Zandelle
• Zonata

Progressive metal

• Adagio
• Anacrusis
• Angra
• Balance of Power
• Buckethead
• Crimson Glory
• Cynic
• Dream Theater
• Evergrey
• Fates Warning
• The Gathering
• King Crimson
• King's X
• Liquid Tension Experiment
• Look What I Did
• Opeth
• Pagan's Mind
• Pain of Salvation
• Queensrÿche
• Rush
• (Arjen Anthony Lucassen's) Star One
• Symphony X
• Threshold
• Tool
• Vanden Plas
• Voivod

Scandinavian death metal

• Amon Amarth
• Amorphis
• At The Gates
• Children of Bodom
• Dark Tranquillity
• Dimension Zero
• Dismember
• Ebony Tears
• Entombed
• The Everdawn
• Gates of Ishtar
• The Haunted
• Hypocrisy
• In Flames
• Kalmah
• Mors Principium Est
• Norther
• Skyfire
• Sonata Arctica

Speed / Thrash metal

• Annihilator
• Anthrax
• Artillery
• Cacophony
• Celtic Frost
• Coroner
• Corrosion of Conformity
• The Crown
• Dark Angel
• Death Angel
• Destruction
• Exodus
• Flotsam and Jetsam
• Gothic Slam
• Imagika
• King Diamond
• Kreator
• Megadeth
• Mercyful Fate
• Meshuggah
• Metallica
• Metal Church
• Motörhead
• Nuclear Assault
• Overkill
• Pantera
• Rollins Band
• Sabbat
• Sepultura
• Slayer
• Sodom
• Suicidal Tendencies
• Testament

Stoner metal

• Acid King
• The Atomic Bitchwax
• Coalesce
• The Eagles of Death Metal
• Fu Manchu
• Hybrid Children
• Kyuss
• Mannhai
• Masters of Reality
• Monster Magnet
• Nebula
• Orange Goblin
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Sixty Watt Shaman
• Sleep
• Smack
• Spirit Caravan
• The Black League
• Unida
• Xysma

Symphonic / melodic death metal

• Arch Enemy
• As it burns
• At the Gates
• Atrophia Red Sun
• Baal
• Battlesword
• Beyond the Embrace
• Cenotaph
• Children of Bodom
• Compos mentis
• Cromlech
• Dark Tranquillity
• Demons of dirt
• Ebony tears
• Embracing
• Enter my silence
• Hatesphere
• Imperial domain
• In Flames
• Infliction
• Mors principium est
• Mourning caress
• Neotruth
• Norther
• Noumena
• Obscurant
• Opeth
• Shadow
• Sins of omission
• Soilwork
• Votur

Technical death metal

• Admortem
• Atheist
• Buried dreams
• Cynic
• Death
• Dungortheb
• Eternal gray
• Garwall
• Golem
• Luciferion
• Mithras
• Meshuggah
• Soul demise
• Theory in Practice
• Thyrane

Tolkien metal

• Arwen
• Battlelore
• Blind Guardian
• Gandalf
• Isengard
• Rivendell
• Summoning

Unblack metal

• Admonish
• Horde
• Necromanicide
• Parameaecium

Viking metal

• Amon Amarth
• Bathory
• Borknagar
• Einherjer
• Enslaved
• Falkenbach
• Mithotyn
• Månegarm
• Otyg
• Thyrfing
• Týr
• Vintersorg