Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin

I would suggest the Black Sabbath is the "definitive" heavy metal band, becuase of the influence they had on the genre. Led Zeppelin kind of defies classification. they are at times a folk rock band, at times heavy metal, at time approaching prog, sometimes pure blues, and sometimes pop, and their one song, the one which everyone knows, which (unfortunately) defined them "staiway to heaven" managed to combime all of those elements, AND do it with virtuoso execution. Sabbath really stayed whithin the metal style and THAT is in itself one of the charateristics of a "metal" band.

Yes... that is an excellent choice. Heavy Metal has an attitude all it's own and most other bands and even solo artists like Jimi have other spheres of influence that are too important to their sound... most of which I think fall into the Hard Rock category which would incompass all those other folk, rock, metal, prog, pop categories because Hard Rock... despite it's descriptive title just seems to have so many other facets to the category... but for some reason Heavy Metal demands attention.

Anyway, I can't think of another band who conjured up the dark side of hard rock so well... so they get my vote as well.

Black Sabbath... even the name gets best name for Heavy Metal... very dark and erie ...

I remember as a small boy... it was late into the night and I was looking out my bedroom window straight into my neighbors bedroom window that was directly alligned with mine and I was watching all these freaky long hairs "passing around" and listening to Black Sabbath all night long and I remember thinking they must be vampires or something close to it and it was the end of the world because Ozzy was singing "Oh my God please help me" and that really scared the sht out of me and freaked me out cuz all the long hairs just kept on laughing there assses off like they were having a real good time you know and welcoming the end of the world and I didn't know what to think about that but all I could think about was that's some evil az music man... freaky az sht... and one of them had a guitar and everytime he played it this fine az beautiful looking creature would quietly come over and sit down real close to him with her head on his shoulder as he tried to look cool and play the guitar and I said to myself I've gotta get me one of them...or should I say both... the girl and the guitar.

you always say what i mean better. hows it going page. yes i also have a memory of being about 12 and deciding that EVERYTHING about those guys, the hair, the guitars, the girls, the attitude, was cool and i had to be in with them. That was about 1974 or 75 and i DID become of "them" long long ago, and im an old man now.(i'll leave the part about being cool up to others to decide). i still love sooo much of that mucic tho. Ive watched and listened over the years as heavy metal became more and more narrowly defined by certain keys and time signatures, and a few other elements, until it wasnt the same anymore. Heavy Metal used to be more of an attitude and lfetyle thing. Back then had a lot to do with fasntasy, and sci-fi as well as sex drugs and rock n roll. and 68 camaros and 71 chevelle's i guess too.