Scorpions, Van Halen and Def Leppard, bought the albums because I loved the covers. Liked these bands and others of their ilk in the 1980s and 1990s but always preferred stuff like Led Zeppelin over metal anyway. It wasn't until I discovered Megadeth years and years later that I got into metal properly and started exploring from there. Then one day I came across Sepultura and I became one of the faithful.

I liked Iron Maiden for a while then I had a period where I stopped listening to them. A year later I discovered Black Sabbath and rediscovered Iron Maiden.

Black Sabbath is it for me. I'm getting into the metal game really late, but Ozzy Sabbath I really, really enjoy.

Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are two I plan on delving into. Any suggestions on where to start?

Black Sabbath:
Start with Paranoid and Master of Reality, then listen to their debut & everything up to Sabotage. I haven't really listened to much Dio-Sabbath, but from what I hear, Heaven & Hell is really good.
If you like Sabbath's doomier stuff, listen to Saint Vitus.

Judas Priest:
Screaming for Vengeance is their best album, although you should also check out Sad Wings of Destiny and Stained Class. If you're into speed metal, Painkiller is pretty good.

Listening to now, "The Hellion", I know that song! Didn't realize it was Priest.

"Electric Eye" - I'm digging it. So far, so good.

For Maiden, I'd go for "Number of the Beast" followed by "Piece of mind" then "Powerslave" and "Somewhere in time". Skip then to "Brave new world" and on from there. If you like it slightly punkier, go for the first two albums, "Killers" and the self-titled.

Oh, and every Maiden fan says you should listen to "Live after death"...

Number of the Beast is good but I prefer Powerslave.

Both are great albums. I just have a soft spot for NotB as it was not only my first Maiden album, but my first metal album. And thus a legend was not quite born, but it was fun...

I'd say Slayer,Motorhead,and Metallica all got me listening to Metal. I only listen to Rock/Metal. I can't stand any other genre.

I would have to say Black Sabbath AND Iron Maiden both got me started into the metal genre.