I Think I Need a Sedative...

I spend a lot of time during the day thinking about future posts: bands I should interview, CDs that need reviewed, personal reflections. Somewhere between work and the glorious place I call my couch, I decided I would write about Iron Maiden today. More specifically, I was going to make the the case that Iron Maiden is probably the greatest Metal band of all time.

Then I saw Metal Sludge.

Somehow, perhaps on purpose, I missed a recent Yahoo! list of the day. Wouldn't you know our friend Rob O'Connor is back at it and just rated the top 25 Heavy Metal bands of all time. Here's the list:


01) Black Sabbath
02) Led Zeppelin
03) AC/DC
04) Van Halen
05) Jimi Hendrix Experience
06) Metallica
07) Judas Priest
08) Aerosmith
09) Motorhead
10) Iron Maiden
11) Slayer
12) Deep Purple
13) Spinal Tap
14) Rush
15) Robin Trower
16) Dio
17) KISS
18) Guns N' Roses
19) Kyuss
20) Thin Lizzy
21) Pantera
22) Uriah Heep
23) Alice in Chains
24) Mercyful Fate
25) Meshuggah

 
Ok, I seriously might need a sedative because I'm pretty sure I'm having a stroke. Seriously? Some of these choices make me shake my head. Aerosmith are my favorite band, but they are not Heavy Metal. Neither is Thin Lizzy, KISS, Rush, Robin Trower, Spinal Tap, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix or Van Halen.  Music historians have referred to Led Zeppelin as the "first Heavy Metal band" but I'd say that is deeply debatable. Yes, they had a very unique sound for their time, but I'm not so sure they were heavy.

I don't know a lot about Meshuggah or Kyuss, so I'll give O'Connor the benefit of the doubt here. I am absolutely amazed at the band placement - let alone selection. How, on Glam's green earth does Iron Maiden land in the tenth spot? Seriously? Like I said, I was about to make a case for them being the best Metal band of all time -- and here they are, tenth. I'll even spot O'Connor for putting Black Sabbath as number one. They truly did invent Metal music in its purest form...but come on. Van Halen's debut is a masterpiece - but I still think it's hard rock.

Now, to the other reason I need a sedative: I actually agree with O'Connor about Alice in Chains. Awhile back I posted an article examining the Glam roots of AIC. I said the band was Metal then and I stand by that now. Alice in Chains are not grunge, they are Metal.

Back to the basics. KISS are not Metal, but they are certainly Glam. AC/DC are awesome, but they are not Metal either. Nope, they are straight-up, working class hard rock. Thin Lizzy? Yes, "The Boys Are Back In Town" is a great song - but not Heavy Metal. In fact, I'd argue it's about as Heavy as anything Jennifer Lopez ever released.

So who is missing? Accept and Megadeth for starters, but there are a lot more. Maybe I'm way off base here, but something tells me there are serious issues with this list. Sure, such lists are opinion - so everyone is going to argue about the choices to an extent - but it just seems like O'Connor thought up some band names, scrambled them, and created his latest top 25. 

I wish I wrote for Yahoo! music.  

Comments

[rob]

yes i seen that list earlier, allyson , why havent you mentioned anything about the new guns n roses songs being leaked today?
[Link removed by Allyson]

Hey Rob,

Saw you posted the link. I don't post torrents on this website, so I greeked it. I hope you understand.

-Allyson

[Randy]

Is it just me, or does Rob O'Conner look like he just stepped out of a Spin Doctors video?
What makes this guy qualified to even mention the names of the bands on his list?
Where was Jethro Tull? They won the first Heavy Metal Grammy? There were other bands on his list that are equally as metal as Jethro Tull.

Little mister nothing but wrong...

[Christian]

*sigh* this guy is a moron.

On the other hand, you said something nice about Accept :-)

[crued]

i have a question? is faith no more metal?

[Joe]

Black Sabbath the #1 metal band of all time???????...I disagree...I have to say milli vanilli should be #1...Ever hear live footage on them? AMAZING!!!!!...They sound just like the album!!!!!!

[Pat]

Thin Lizzy did heavy metal. Thunder & Lightning was a heavy metal album. You'll find a many people who argue long before that Lizzy were one of the first metal bands, based largely on the fact that their guitar sound was imitated by practically the entire NWOBHM movement (not to mention the likes of Megadeth and Metallica..).

Other than that, I agree entirely. I just wish you wouldn't base your judgement of 15 years of music on the strength of one horribly overplayed track.

[Jody Row]

That list is sooo lame. How is Pantera not even in the top ten? These guys, along with Slayer and a few more Metal acts kept Metal alive during the lame ass Grunge period America sufferred!! Top 5 of the list in my opinion: 1-Black Sabbath, 2-Metallica, 3- Iron Maiden, 4-Pantera, 5- Judas Priest

[Damnp78]

Just saw Maiden Wed. NIte and they ARE the BEST METAL BAND EVER !!!!!! Wow they have never lost a step. It was just like watching Live After Death !!! Man alive these guys are legends !!!

[IronMike]

Not knowing much about Meshuggah or Kyuss says a lot.

[Joe]

I know you all know I was joking above..haha!!!..I love Black Sabbath...I agree with all of you..I LOVE IRON MAIDEN...Maiden has always rocked.

[rob]

why was my link for the new g n r taken down? i was just trying to let the people that come here , check out the new songs. so much for freedom of speech.

[Dai Raion]

The best thing about the list was the last sentence about KISS: "I don't even own this paragraph, Gene Simmons does." Hahahaha!

[Aristotle "Shoulders" de Menthe]

Not that I am a fan, but I noticed Anthrax didn't make this list. They were part of the initial Big Three of thrash - Metallica, Slayer, and, uh, them. Again, not a fan, but note that Manowar is missing as well. They pour metal onto their Cheerios in the morning and brush their teeth with it before they go to bed.

[metalman]

that list SUCKS !!!! METALLICA should be #1. led zepplin is not metal and what is spinal tap , doing on that list. they are not even a real band. that guy needs to pull his head out of his ass and listen to real metal bands.

[Rob Rockitt, Hard Rock Hideout]

It is amazing that this clown at Yahoo has a paying job.

[Alex]

This guy doesn't know very much about metal. Led Zeppelin is definetly not metal although their influence on metal is undeniable. Iron Maiden should be in the top
5. And seriously Spinal Tap? I love spinal tap but i would never consider them a "great" metal band

[Jonny Ga$h]

I do agree that Zeppelin wer not heavy metal! i wud say they r a part of the evolution but not heavy metal.

I think i read (so im sorry if sumones read different or knows better) but one of tony iommi's goals wer to sound heavier than Zeppelin. He looked to Zeppelin n thot "yeah that is fuckin ace but u know wat i reckon we could krank jus a little"

so they wer an indirect start of metal in my opinion but they r not the sole creators Sabbath will always claim that title!!


then i wud also say that Metallica took what Sabbath n Motorhead wer doin n perfected it! apalled there is no Megadeth!!!

[Kenny Ozz]

Kyuss and Meshuggah SUCK.... Saw them both live.. They sound just like every other band out there now. LAME.
The list really sucks otherwise as well. I do agree, however, that Sabbath "Ozzy era" should be number 1...

[Inknsleaze]

Motörhead is my #1

[MONGER]

how the fuck can kyuss be on there and not megadeth. spinal tap? rob o'connor is a fuckin moron. aerosmith? they are barely rock anymore.