For those of you whom do not know, in the genre of thrash metal there is an elite group called the big 4. These are the bands that created the sounds that define the genre and have inspired countless up and coming bands. So head bangers, who regins supreme? ★Slayer ★Anthrax ★Metallica ★Megadeth Although all these bands are great and have contributed in their own ways my vote is for Megadeth!
Slayer. I gotta say because not only do their songs just kick ass, but because the guitarist(I believe it was him) said that Slayer is a parody of metal and he's a good Catholic. When you put that along with songs like Dead Skin Mask and Angel of Death, it makes sense. The songs turn the violence up to 11 and include such quick guitar riffs, something I believe is associated with thrash, but they do everything to such a point that it seems just, ugh. It gives the impression that metal as genre, can have a sense of humor about itself, and for them to start a band on the premise of bumping things up to 11 for parody is just great.
As far as most successful bands of all time, a short list of more commercially successful bands would be: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Queen, The Rolling Stones. If you are talking most successful heavy metal band, different story.
For personal taste, I have to go with Megadeth. Peace Sells, but Who's Buying? is the best metal album of the 80s. Not only is the music excellent with a great band at their best, but the lyrics and theme are intelligent... Sharp, sarcastic and poised. Perfect anthems for disaffected youth who grew up in fear of nuclear war. Influence goes to Metallica. Ride the Lightning changed everything. But also, Metallica was influential in a far more sinister way: they backed their record industry masters against Internet music distribution. In so doing, they were crucial in shaping the modern musical landscape... In my opinion for the worse. But my favorite metal bands are Big Black and Ministry rawr
Oh btw, I'm not trying to troll. I have respect for this thread for actually being a fun and light hearted topic for the community. My option would be Metallica, simply based on influence and sphere of influence. I don't listen to a lot of metal, but their commercial success coupled with influence I think makes them the best. Take it for what it's worth though.
There's so many things to base your choices off of (infulence, sound, hit records, etc etc) That's what makes this thread so fun for me to read. On the basis of live shows I'd say: #1. Slayer- Their show is amazing! When I saw them they opened with "Raining Blood" and the entire venue was overtaken with the high energy right from the first riff. #2. Megadeth- I am obsessed with them. I take vacation days to go see them when they play anywhere within 8-10 hours of me. The live shows are a blast, but I must say their on stage energy has decreased in the last few years. But I still enjoy the music, the friends, and the beer. #3. Anthrax- I've never seen live!!! But I've seen Scotty Ian's band The damned things. It was a great show, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. #4. Metallica- Because I am a die hard Megadeth fan…I do not endorse Metallica XD
Elvis, The RatPack, The InkSpots, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash...? Nah, Metalica definitely influenced the way music was made before them.
I don't think anyone said Metallica influenced how music was made. This is directed towards a very distinct genre in music. If you would like to debate influences on rock music as a whole, you may want to include Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, as well as a few blues guitarists such as BB King. I'd even throw some psychedelic guys like Hendrix and a few punk influences like the Sex Pistols in. But again, I believe, as op stated, he is only referring to influences on thrash metal.