List of heavy metal bands

This is a list of heavy metal artists from the formative years of the movement (formed between 1963 and 1981). For bands formed after 1981, please consult the lists for each heavy metal subgenre.

In the late 1960s, a number of bands began pushing the limits of blues rock into a new genre which would be called heavy metal.

In 1981, three of the "Big Four" thrash metal bands emerged (Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax), to be joined on the scene in 1983 by Megadeth.