If I were voting on a technical ability basis, it would be for Iron Maiden as the best band. (hands over fist).

Iron Maiden

Judas Priest was the band that really brought the more extreme and distinctive electric metal guitar sound and style to the mainstream.

Priest concerts were radical and both dangerous at the same time back in the '80s.

I personally, think they did more to bring metal to the masses and influenced todays modern metal more so than any of the other bands.

*sigh*

Iron Maiden.

iron maiden

Black Sabbath paved a lot of ground for bands like Maiden, and Maiden took the torch and blazed a trail of their own, but for pure wringing every drop out of the technology available at the time musicianship, you could really not do any better than Black Sabbath. Iommi's simple but effective phrasing cut some deep grooves into the fabric of each tune, and combine that with the solid back bone of Ward and Butler, and Ozzy's pleasingly gritty vocals and you have a sculpted sound that painted some hauntingly beautiful pictures during a time when The Partridge Family, and The Osmonds were regurgitating the corporate success model. They had the artistic integrity to create some extremely ground breaking music that would serve as a launching pad for many artists to come down the sonic assembly line. So, since there can only be one, and I do this with a heavy heart... I have to vote off:

Iron Maiden

Well said Plankton.

You forgot to mention the Jackson 5, which were much better than the Partridge Family or the Osmonds were. :D

Elton John fits in there somewhere.

Pantera is the best because they have a lot of good songs

and Southern trend kill was so experimental

once Phill came in they never wrote a bad album 2 bad they were cut short tho but the 5 albums they made were GOLD

I agree that Dime Bag Darrell was one of the major players in metal.

But like Unknown Soldier and I have discussed before.
Pantera seemed to be lacking something in their sound and style that just didn't seem to connect.
The best way I can describe it, is they sounded a little cheesy and corny at certain particular times, concerning their music.

The Sleep, is still one of the better lead solos by Darrell.
Like 3 or 4 other songs by them.

:yikes: I never said that at all and for the first time in the history of MB I totally agree with Norg so that's worthy of another :yikes: