TheNotrap: What Is The Most Influential Heavy Metal Musician?

TheNotrap 10.29.11	Honourable mentions: Deep Purple: Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Gillan and Ian Paice Alice Cooper Thin Lizzy: Phil Lynott Scorpions: Klaus Meine, Ulrich Roth and Rudolf Schenker Kiss: Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons Whitesnake: David Coverdale Diamond Head: Sean Harris and Brian Tatler Mercyful Fate: King Diamond Anthrax: Scott Ian and Charlie Benante Celtic Frost: Tom Gabriel Fischer Possessed: Jeff Becerra, Larry LaLonde and Mike Torrao Pantera: Dimebag Darrell and Phil Anselmo ps: I’ve decided to exclude Led Zeppelin
xenocide. 10.29.11	Your choices are pretty spot on. There are some more influential musicians, but their influence is usually limited to one or two subgenres. Don't forget that metal nowadays isn't the same as it was in the '70's or even '80's; even the greatest artist have no longer impact on the whole genre.
Valerius 10.29.11	Great list, man.
Valerius 10.29.11	Maybe Eddie Van Halen. I'm no guitarist but did he not influence a lot of guitarists?
jefflebowski 10.29.11	what about the proto-metal bands like the Mc5 and Iron Butterfly?
Acrosstheshield13 10.29.11	of all the Slayer albums...you pick the worst one as the most influential?
TheNotrap 10.29.11	@Valerius Thanks man. What a coincidence. After publishing this list I thought "Damn!! I forgot Eddie, Diamond Dave and Randy Rhoads". Eddie Van Halen was definitely a huge influence to an entire generation of guitar players (like Randy). Bands like Dokken, Motley Crue were extreme influenced by Eddie and Van Halen. I should have mentioned Eddie, Dave Lee Roth, Randy Rhoads, Malmsteen and even Bon Scott and Angus Young (not Heavy Metal but close enough..) on my first comment.
Valerius 10.29.11	lol. Acrosstheshield13, Show No Mercy destroys man. It also is a 1983 album that came out right after Kill Em All. Show No Mercy is probably the best album from 1983.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	@jefflebowski I excluded the "proto" stuff like the bands you mentioned or Led Zeppelin @Acrosstheshield13 Show No Mercy in my opinion is their most INFLUENTIAL album. This record had a huge impact back in 83, a huge influence to all extreme scene. Bands like Possessed, Napalm Death, Death (Chuck Schuldiner), Testament all mention Show No Mercy has a huge influence.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	"Show No Mercy destroys man" I totally agree Valerius m/
Valerius 10.29.11	Van Halen is close enough. They are more metal than Judas Priest, imo. Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen. Has there been another guitar player that pioneered any techniques after that?
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Malmsteen definitely. His neo-classic style influenced thousands of guitar players
Valerius 10.29.11	Gonna have to jam Show No Mercy for him disrespecting it like that
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Hahhaha Show No Mercy rules damn hard m/ Still remains one of my fav Slayer
TheNotrap 10.29.11	"even the greatest artist have no longer impact on the whole genre" I believe I understand your point xenocide. But tell me something...Don't you still hear Iommi's minor scale on Nile or Behemoth? or Halford's influence on 90% of the power metal bands out there? These are just some examples....Metal didn't change that much IMO.
Valerius 10.29.11	lol. I mean hell Show No Mercy is the best album in this list to me.
Crysis 10.29.11	my vote goes to quorthon although that's very subjective
JamieTwort 10.29.11	My vote goes to Tony Iommi.
Aids 10.29.11	weird al
TheNotrap 10.29.11	@Valerius Show No Mercy is a 5/5 album in my book. Evil Has No Boundaries, The Antichrist, Die by the Sword, Show No Mercy, Crionics and specially Black Magic are all absolute thrash classics. @Crysis Quorthon was and still is a huge influence to all black metal scene. No doubt. His first 4 albums are BM classics. His later stuff (Hammerheart or Twilight of the Gods) is also influential stuff.
Piglet 10.29.11	you pretty much nailed this one
TheNotrap 10.29.11	"My vote goes to Tony Iommi" You're probably right JT. Iommi is probably the most influential Heavy Metal musician. My top 3: Tony Iommi Rob Halford Steve Harris
Valerius 10.29.11	You must be young Acrosstheshield. I noticed you ranked Hell Awaits 2, and Slayer's new stuff high, and you didn't even rank Show No Mercy. Bro. Show No Mercy KILLS, absolutely KILLS. And Hell Awaits is a fucking classic too, man. NO APPARENT MOTIVE JUST KILL AND KILL AGAIN. lol, fuck man. Please go spin those records again.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Sorry Baseline I don't understand your point
Aids 10.29.11	she doesn't have a point. she's just trolling/retarded
geng 10.29.11	Sabbath. End of.
Jethro42 10.29.11	what Aids said. Also Iommi. Did you know that the man have played for Jethro Tull for a very short while?
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Yes I knew it Jethro. If I'm not mistaken it was just before Sabbath released their epic debut self-titled
JamieTwort 10.29.11	Came across this video about his time in Tull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Ie1vRwqo0
TheNotrap 10.29.11	And did you know that Iommi don't have the tips of the middle and ring finger of his right hand?
Jethro42 10.29.11	Possibly. It happened in late 60's, when Jethro Tull were looking for a replacement for their founder guitarist Mick Abraham. Finally Martin Barre had the gig and is still there today.
JamieTwort 10.29.11	Yeah he lost them in an accident working in factory or something didn't he?
JamieTwort 10.29.11	Martin Barre is an extremely underrated guitarist IMO.
Jethro42 10.29.11	Yes Notrap.
Jethro42 10.29.11	Yes Jamie, you're right. Extremely underrated guitarist, that Martin.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Indeed. The lack of his finger tips is one of the reasons why he sounds so "heavy". I saw the video JT. Rehearsals at 9.00 AM!!!!
Jethro42 10.29.11	Short video is short =P Cool though
JamieTwort 10.29.11	Yes it's a shame it's not more in depth.
Jethro42 10.29.11	I know that Iommi once stated in an interview that he pretty much disliked the music of Jethro Tull back then. Bummer.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Iommi started as a blues/jazz musician. Basically he and his mates covered jazz and blues.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	and then he created Black Sabbath's riff...Boommm Heavy Metal just started
Crysis 10.29.11	"Quorthon was and still is a huge influence to all black metal scene. No doubt. His first 4 albums are BM classics. His later stuff (Hammerheart or Twilight of the Gods) is also influential stuff." Yeah for sure. The reason I said it was very subjective was because of the fact that Quorthon was influenced by many others, so it could easily be said that those who influenced him were more influential.
Ire 10.29.11	dani filth
TheNotrap 10.29.11	@Crysis Well I believe Quorthon's main influences was Venom (He always denied it but....c'mon it's so evident..) and Motorhead. It's always subjective to say what band or musician is/was more influential. I believe my criteria was the timing (when it was released), the innovation and how many people these artists influenced. In my opinion all musicians in this list were extreme influential at some point.
whywontyoudie 10.29.11	I'd say either Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	? Again?
Jethro42 10.29.11	He's prolly referring to an existing list similar to this one. Who knows.
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Yep...but few people try to answer my first question...The dudes need to speak more about music... C'MON GUYS WHAT'S THE MOST INFLUENTIAL HM MUSICIAN?
wabbit 10.29.11	probs like lou reed from Velvet underground...not even joking a little.
wabbit 10.29.11	unless it has to be someone from a heavy metal band then I dunno probs sabbath cause ya
TheNotrap 10.29.11	Guys Steve Harris, Halford, Iommi, Lemmy...Old school true metal...Don't give me dudes from 90 or 00
Trebor. 10.29.11	Opeth
Jethro42 10.29.11	Notrap is gonna growl
Trebor. 10.29.11	Bach invented metal
DoubtGin 10.29.11	Sir Lord Baltimore
DeafMetal 10.30.11	INTO THE CRYPTS OF RAYS!
patroneyes 10.30.11	technically 1 isn't a musician (singular)...
ShadowRemains 10.30.11	EUGH!
qwe3 10.30.11	tommy iommi ritchie blackmore
TheNotrap 10.30.11	@qwe3 Indeed, Ritchie was extreme influential. His neo-classic scales and memorable riffs are legendary. Just ask Malmsteen.
Jethro42 10.30.11	Malmsteen was the name I was searching for. Isn't he influential himself? Also, too bad Balckmore keeps on doing crappy celtic music with his wife since too long (Blackmore's Night, yeah)
TheNotrap 10.30.11	Definitely. Malmsteen's neo-classic style with his famous high speed arpeggios influenced thousands of guitar players and bands like Europe, Vinnie Moore, Tony Macalpine, Chris Impellitteri, TNT,... yep...Ritchie has a serious lack of creativity nowadays...shame
JamieTwort 10.30.11	Yeah it's a shame he went off in that direction, Blackmore is definitely one of my all time favourite guitarists.
drasticaction74 10.30.11	Chuck
zxlkho 10.30.11	Definitely Chuck.
zxlkho 10.30.11	RIP Fuck you cancer.
Detritivore 10.30.11	Without Uli Jon Roth there is no Malsteem
TheNotrap 10.30.11	yes Uli Jon Roth influenced Malmsteen but his major reference remains Ritchie Blackmore
pedro70512 10.30.11	I'd say Blackmore is the most influential guitarist -- he also started the Bach-worship that a whole lot of neo-classical and "technical" guitarists seem to aspire to. Stylistically, Halford and company popularized the "heavy metal" look.
Hyperion1001 10.30.11	who would win in a wrestling match lemmy or god?
TheNotrap 10.30.11	Lemmy of course
ZombicidalMan 10.30.11	I thought Lemmy was God... also, I would not include Lars on this list. His "high speed performance" never sounded that high speed, Cliff would've made more sense to me for Metallica.
TheNotrap 10.30.11	I believe I understand your point but in my opinion Lars deserves to be mentioned here. Don't forget he's (with James) the main song writer and Metallica's boss. Indeed Cliff rules.
aok 10.30.11	whoa that's cool i actually like a lot of these =)
Jethro42 10.31.11	Cool, you got your list featured, bro!
TheNotrap 10.31.11	? I didn't noticed :-) Well thank you so much sputnik. I'm honored. m/
BigHans 10.31.11	as much as I really want to say James I gotta go with Iommi
theacademy 10.31.11	why is james even on here i get that people like him but who the fuck did he influence lol
theacademy 10.31.11	answer is a push between 1 and 3.
Emim 10.31.11	oli sykes
theacademy 10.31.11	aka sir oliver
BigHans 10.31.11	why is james even on here ^ Probs because he wrote the two best albums in metal history
theacademy 10.31.11	contributions derived from MoP and RtL: 1. neck tattoos 2. domestic abuse 3. latent homoeroticism 4. exactly nothing, musically
Valerius 10.31.11	Metallica's first 4 albums slay, and the self-titled has its moments. I have no idea wtf you haters are smoking, but I'm here to inform you it's some really bad shit.
theacademy 10.31.11	right i forgot metallica fanboys only smoke cocks
Valerius 10.31.11	Did you come up with that yourself or did your baby sister help you with it?
TheNotrap 10.31.11	C'mon theacademy...James influenced many bands back in the 80's, like the Bay Area thrash scene. Be fair dude
theacademy 10.31.11	im only half kidding i get why he's here and i obviously know he's influential however: i don't see how he's even in the same discussion as tommy, ozzy, rob, and lemmy
theacademy 10.31.11	i wouldn't even put mustaine in the same discussion and mustaine is basically responsible for everything you wrote up there about the style of kill em all.
theacademy 10.31.11	and c'mon where's Dime
BigHans 10.31.11	RIP Dime
theacademy 10.31.11	RIP him so hard right now.
TheNotrap 10.31.11	Indeed. Mustaine's contribution on Kill 'Em All was precious. He definitely helped to create the speed/thrash genre. But James was also very important in my opinion.
TheNotrap 10.31.11	I mentioned Dime on my first comment RIP m/
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	When it comes to Black Sabbath everyone else pales in comparison.
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	"Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne. Tony Iommi's opening riff and Ozzy's insane vocals..." Nah, i would say Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. Tony Iommi's opening riff and Butler's awesome revolutionizing bass lines.
TheNotrap 11.03.11	You've got a point there. Gezzer was also extreme influential, no doubt. But c'mon...Ozzy's vocals and stage performance inspired an all generation, don't you agree?
Valerius 11.03.11	This topic is one I've been interested in as of lately. I absolutely love OSDM, so I've been trying to trace its heritage back. Black Sabbath I consider the first metal, but what confuses me is why that style didn't catch on. Did people at that time not dig that, or think it was too weird or something? It's like metal wouldn't catch on until another 10 years later with Venom, Iron Maiden, and the beginning of the thrash movement. Or am I wrong in this?
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	Of course he was an ispirational figure but he wasn't/isn't talented. His only contribution in Sabbath was his vocal performances. He never wrote any lyrics and he couldn't write music. In addition he couldn't play an instrument. He played a harmonica solo for once in "The Wizard" and even that little piece wasn't written by him. Sabbath's contribution and influence is their music and NOT ozzy's vocals.
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	"Black Sabbath I consider the first metal, but what confuses me is why that style didn't catch on. Did people at that time not dig that, or think it was too weird or something?" It was sth completely new. And it wasn't mainstream. But that happened only in the first 2 years. Sabbath were embraced by the audience after the release of Paranoid.
Valerius 11.03.11	I see. Most of the older people(age 50-60) I talk to don't care for Sabbath. It was the next generation it seems that really liked it. Maybe that's why it took several years for those guys to grow up and expand upon it?
Valerius 11.03.11	Not saying Sabbath didn't have an audience at their time. It just seems like they were one of the few people doing it for quite a while.
TheNotrap 11.03.11	Well, if you analyse death metal's minor scales they're not far from Iommi's riffs. Just listen to Black Sabbath's self titled. Put some NWOBHM on top and more distortion and you will find Chuck Schuldiner's death metal sound. Black Sabbath, in my opinion, started it all. Priest and Maiden shaped, and Metallica/Slayer gave the next step. The rest I believe you know well.
Valerius 11.03.11	How important do you consider Venom? Was Venom a main influence on Slayer/Metallica and the beginning of the thrash movement, or was thrash inevitable?
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	All that Sabbath did was playing blues music with a lot distortion. What they also did was using the bass as a second guitar. Iommi has stated that they wanted a second guitar player, but since Ozzy couldn't play an instrument they decided to accumulate and amplify the bass on their records.
TheNotrap 11.03.11	"Of course he was an ispirational figure but he wasn't/isn't talented"........" I understand you Rock but Heavy Metal is also attitude. His "insane" character inspired the genre. Just ask Halford, Steve Harris, Lemmy or Bruce Dickinson. Metal is much more than music.
rockandmetaljunkie 11.03.11	"How important do you consider Venom? Was Venom a main influence on Slayer/Metallica and the beginning of the thrash movement, or was thrash inevitable?" Thrash was inevitable, BUT without Venom it would be different.
TheNotrap 11.03.11	"How important do you consider Venom?" Extreme influential dude. Those guys inspired the thrash and black metal movements. But yes, thrash was inevitable. Maiden, Priest and Motorhead all have "proto-speed/thrash" songs.
Valerius 11.03.11	Thanks
TheNotrap 11.03.11	you're welcome Valerius. In my opinion these kind of "What Is The Most..." lists are made for a good chat. We all learn from each other m/
bladerunner53331 11.03.11	loool we have same taste indeed....rock hard friend!!!
Valerius 11.04.11	About Death and Possessed, I'm wondering if death metal came about independently on east and west coast, or whether there was some type of communication going on, or exchanging of demos at the time. Both Death and Possessed seem to have demos out in 1984, so I'm not sure who to call the godfathers of death metal.
TheNotrap 11.04.11	Well...all extreme metal genres (like death metal) in the early/mid 80's didn't have label support, so exchanging demos in the underground circuit was vital to "spread the word". The early death metal was born mainly in the west cost, however bands like Necrophagia (from Ohio - Midwest) were also DM pioneers and, yes I believe this guys exchanged demos within the underground. Possessed and Death/Mantas released demos in 84, but Possessed's demo come first and had a huge impact on Chuck's songwriting. Even if many people find Possessed's debut a missing link between thrash and death metal (proto-death metal), Seven Churches is in my opinion the first death metal album ever released. Who to call the godfathers of death metal? In my opinion Possessed, however like I said Chuck Schuldiner helped to shape the genre. His debut and Leprosy were crucial to move DM away from thrash and black metal (1 wave).
MO 11.04.11	This list/information is awesome. Good on ya.
TheNotrap 11.04.11	Thanks MetallicOpeth
seedofnothing 11.04.11	list and comments are very informative and for the most part spot on, i know the list is comprised of most influential heavy metal musicians. however, going further back a lot of them were inspired by the classical greats and early blues and jazz artist, such as wes montgomery[but im sure thats a diff list, thought id mention it]
TheNotrap 11.04.11	blues, jazz, classical, folk,...etc etc...directly or indirectly influenced heavy metal. Everything's connected seedofnothing.
seedofnothing 11.04.11	true dat
Cells 11.04.11	Ill bet someones already said it in this list but BS started metal
AngelofDeath 11.04.11	It's nearly impossible to say who specifically who the most influential heavy metal musician is. Wouldn't give it to anyone in Priest, though, since operatic vocals and twin guitar leads were by Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash.
BigHans 11.04.11	Guys, its Iommi Sabbath influenced almost every type of metal there is in some way, and it was his brain child and baby.
BigHans 11.04.11	plus the guy could riff like a beast and looks like the kind of dude that could beat the fuck out of 99% of the populatoin with ease.
TheNotrap 11.04.11	"It's nearly impossible to say who specifically who the most influential heavy metal musician is." Agreed Angel. But if I had to pick 3 I will choose: Tony Iommi Rob Halford Steve Harris
TheNotrap 11.04.11	"Guys, its Iommi Sabbath influenced almost every type of metal there is in some way, and it was his brain child and baby....plus the guy could riff like a beast and looks like the kind of dude that could beat the fuck out of 99% of the populatoin with ease." Indeed Hans
AngelofDeath 11.04.11	Meant to say "pioneered" in my last comment. Rob Halford got his initial style of singing from David Byron. For me, it's probably either Iommi or Quorthon.
TheNotrap 11.04.11	yes Quorthon was EXTREME influential. No doubt.
TheNotrap 11.04.11	Plant was also a huge influence to Rob Halford