The best new artists, albums, and hits for your 2023 playlists, ranked by over 1 million votes. Click to make your opinion heard.

You Gotta Hear This

2023 Music

From trailblazing German supergroups Rammstein and Scorpions to the legendary metal-heads Lamb of God and Megadeth, 2023's top heavy metal bands are back (and here to stay) with electrifying new music across every metal sub-genre (including nu metal, metalcore, avant-garde metal, doom metal, gothic metal, power metal, Celtic metal, and melodic death metal). Porcupine Tree triumphantly returns to the forefront of the progressive metal scene after their decade-long hiatus, riding high since the release of their powerful eleventh studio album Closure/Continuation; and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne maintains both his “Prince of Darkness” nickname and GOAT status in his mid-70s. Zeal &amp; Ardor continue to disrupt the avant-garde metal world while defying industry stereotypes through their innovative fusion of black metal with African-American spirituals; and English hard rock duo the Nova Twins fearlessly shatter glass ceilings as a black female-led metal duo, fiercely fighting for social justice across their latest projects.&nbsp;Which trending heavy metal groups are you most excited to see live, and whose records are you currently listening to?&nbsp;Vote below for the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best heavy metal bands</a>&nbsp;of 2023, and be sure to also check out this year's&nbsp;top&nbsp;new <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-80s-metal-songs/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">heavy metal songs</a> afterwards.

The Best Heavy Metal Bands Of 2023

Band/Musician

Jared Baly

Lists that rank the greatest bands and artists in every metal genre.

Hard Rock & Heavy Metal

Metal

Known for&nbsp;fast tempos, shrieking vocals, distorted guitars and lo-fi recordings, black metal has emerged as one of the top heavy metal genres of all time. Similarly to <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/avant-garde-metal-bands-and-musicians/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">avant garde metal</a> bands, black metal singers and groups&nbsp;also feature unconventional song structures and lyrical emphasis on atmosphere. What also makes&nbsp;black metal bands different than every other heavy metal band is that such&nbsp;bands&nbsp;will often appear in corpse paint that looks like blood. A lot of the best black metal bands emerged during&nbsp;the first wave of black metal bands in the 1980s;&nbsp;and, in fact, these artists&nbsp;are still among the most beloved and&nbsp;popular black metal groups ever with massive fan bases and cult followings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

So, what are the best black metal bands? For starters, any black metal bands list has to include the names&nbsp;Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Marduk and Deafheaven. Mixing both older and newer black metal musicians, this list includes every great black metal band to have ever played, and are widely considered some of the top black metal bands.&nbsp;

That said, it&#39;s up to you to decide which ones are the best black metal bands.&nbsp;This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best black metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest black metal musician ever?&quot;&nbsp;If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band&#39;s music (albums and songs) instead of just voting for the most popular black metal bands that you might&#39;ve heard of.

Carpathian Forest

The Greatest Black Metal Bands

The 200+ Best Black Metal Bands, Ranked

Coley Reed

Lists that rank the best metal songs about everything from the Dark Lord to a broken heart.

Metal Songs About Everything

Metal songs about revenge are plentiful, but which is the best one? That’s what this list is about: Pure feelings of anger, hate, and the need to get revenge on the person who slighted you in some way. How far that revenge goes…well, depending on the specific revenge metal songs, it can go very far. “Homicidal rage” is a&nbsp;phrase that comes to mind with some of these tracks.What is the first metal vengeance song you think of? For many, it’s “Payback” by Slayer. Others might cite “Seek &amp; Destroy” by Metallica or “The Sentinel” by Judas Priest. All of these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/metal-songs-about-war/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">hard rock songs</a> about revenge qualify. Some of the songs on this list of metal songs about getting even involve getting revenge on specific people – a personal enemy, or an ex who ripped out your heart and set it on fire. Other song themes here involve revenge on a larger entity – including a corrupt government, or a specific group of wrongdoers.Pick your poison: These metal revenge songs all carry the overall theme in the title or in the lyrics (or both), but they present vengeance in vastly different ways. Whether you’re a perpetually vengeful person looking to expand a playlist or someone dealing with a recent betrayal, chances are, you’ll find something on this list that suits your need for vengeance – at least in song.

The Sentinel

The 45 Best Metal And Rock Songs About Revenge

Song

The 45 Best Metal Songs About Revenge, Ranked By Fans

Ranker Music

Heartbreak: Everyone’s been there. All genres of music have tackled the pain of a broken heart, even heavy metal. Don’t let the massive sound of metal fool you; beneath the rage lies a tender side. Okay, maybe not tender, but many metal songs about heartbreak are quite moving and powerful.There are a lot of excellent, heartbreaking metal songs about breakups or the death of a loved one. And let’s face it, after any difficult split, listening to metal songs about breaking up is essential for hard rock fans. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/metal-songs-about-breaking-up/ranker-metal?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Metal breakup songs</a> may actually help soothe an&nbsp;aching&nbsp;heart;&nbsp;or, at least provide enough balm to start the&nbsp;healing process.Whether you want to wallow in misery or need a reminder that yes, at times, love totally sucks, crank up these metal songs about breakups and rock on. Deal with your heartache the metal way,&nbsp;by blasting these tunes as loud as you can&nbsp;in your car, at your house, or anywhere else you need some quick music therapy. &nbsp;&nbsp;Are you looking for some hard rock breakup songs? Look no further. You’ll find plenty of them on this list. Be sure to vote for all of your favorites – and you can rerank your own list in any order you choose.

In My Darkest Hour

The Best Metal Songs About Heartbreak

Metal Songs About Heartbreak | Best Hard Rocks Songs About Breaking Up

This list of the best&nbsp;nu metal bands in the world&nbsp;features the&nbsp;most famous nu metal groups of all time, with the order decided by actual fans of the genre. The top artists below range from Rage Against the Machine and&nbsp;Linkin Park to&nbsp;Korn and&nbsp;Volbeat.&nbsp;

This compilation of musicians serves as an accurate roster&nbsp;of the best examples of nu metal (both newer and older), as well as a good place to start if you&#39;re asking yourself, or friends, exactly how to get into nu metal music; especially since the bands at the top of the list will at the very least be the best choices if you&#39;re looking for a list of good nu metal bands with which to start out. No point in listening to them if they aren&#39;t actually good or even half-way decent nu metal bands.

This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best nu metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest nu metal musician ever?&quot;

If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the bands&#39; music (albums and songs)&nbsp;instead of just voting for the most popular nu metal singers and hard core rockers&nbsp;whom you might&#39;ve heard of, but not really listened to closely enough to cast an informed vote.

Ill Niño

The Best Nu Metal Bands

The 200+ Best Nu Metal Artists and Groups, Ranked

2023

Grab your leather boots, chains, and vest with way too many patches, put your devil horns in the air and prepare to bang your head and mosh harder than you ever have in your life because the best heavy metal songs of 2023 are coming into the new year with a vengeance and are going harder than ever. Showcasing some of the most aggressive, intense, passionate, and hardcore songs the genre has ever seen heavy metal has entered its experimental phase and it is ready to blow the minds of metalheads across the globe.From one of the most acclaimed and revered heavy metal outfits of all time in Metallica providing fans with one of their best songs in decades with “Screaming Suicide” to rising stars in the metal universe in Primitive Man &amp; Full of Hell melting minds with their hit song “Rubble Home," the metal scene is thriving, with both legends of the past and newcomers showing that angst and edge are alive and well. With so many albums and singles still on the way, things are only going to get better and better as the year goes on.Vote up the best heavy metal songs of 2023, and be sure to check back every week as we are constantly adding the best and brightest new songs to bang your head to.

The Best Heavy Metal Songs Of 2023

David De La Riva

Metal songs often express feelings of loneliness and melancholia. These types of songs can be quite powerful, making for an excellent listen if you’re feeling&nbsp;lost or alone.&nbsp;Whether you need a good cry or just need to find a metal song that perfectly sums up your&nbsp;feelings of loneliness&nbsp;or isolation, these lonely hard rock songs will fit the bill. &nbsp;What makes for great hard rock songs about being lonely? Aside from the pounding guitar riffs, a lot of the great metal songs about being alone can help you reflect on your own feelings about social isolation, relying on powerful, heartfelt lyrics that cut to the core.Everyone feels lonely at one time or another, even when surrounded by other people. Yes, being alone can be incredibly painful, but it can also be cathartic. Take time to listen to these hard rock songs about loneliness, and hopefully you can connect with the music in some way. Some of these songs are about people enduring great pain, but others encourage endurance in life, and the ability to overcome that pain.Do you have a particular loneliness metal song that isn’t listed here? Feel free to add it to the list, and by all means, rerank your own list, too.

Lonely Day

The Best Metal Songs About Loneliness

Metal Songs About Loneliness | Best Hard Rocks Songs About Being Lonely

An offshoot of the New Wave of British Metal, speed metal emerged at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s. The genre can be described as extremely fast (speed metal isn&#39;t just a clever name), melodic, heavy/hardcore, and aggressive. Furthermore, speed metal showcases both solos and a technical precision that demonstrates how truly talented the best speed metal bands are. The increased tempo, power chords, and more authoritative sound helped define speed metal to its legions of fans.

So, what are the best speed metal groups of all time? If you&#39;re going to talk about speed metal bands, you have to include the names Motorhead, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Metallica (during those early years) and Helloween. All of these speed metal rockers played an important role in shaping the genre, and its popularity remains strong today. The best speed metal artists have been able to play some of the biggest arenas (and even stadiums)&nbsp;in the world, which is a testament not only to their popularity, but also their skill as musicians.

That said, it&#39;s up to you to determine which&nbsp;speed metal bands are the best. This list answers the questions &quot;what&nbsp;are the top&nbsp;speed metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest speed metal musician ever?&quot;&nbsp;If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the bands&#39; music (albums and songs) instead of just voting for the most popular, newer/modern, or&nbsp;famous speed metal bands that you might&#39;ve heard of.&nbsp;

Rage

The Best Speed Metal Bands

The 100+ Best Speed Metal Bands, Ranked

1980s

What are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-heavy-metal-songs-2020/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best metal songs</a> from the decade that brought the genre from the fringe it enjoyed in the 1970s to the mainstream in the &#39;80s? To answer that question, let&#39;s rank the best &#39;80s metal songs that truly defined the decade and inspired all of the metal acts that followed in the &#39;90s and beyond.

The 1980s is one of the best decades to feature metal music thanks to the growing popularity of the genre. These were the years that Ozzy Osbourne killed it with solo hits like &quot;Crazy Train&quot; and Iron Maiden hit the airwaves with &quot;Wrathchild.&quot; Slayer&#39;s &quot;Angel of Death&quot; kicked off the band&#39;s opening track of their&nbsp;1986 album&nbsp;Reign in Blood with an analysis of Dr. Joseph Mengele and his actions during WWII. That level of depth was especially common in &#39;80s&nbsp;metal, which is one of the reasons the genre solidified itself during the decade. Some other incredible tracks from the age of hair bands include Dio&#39;s &quot;Holy Diver,&quot; Exodus&#39; &quot;Strike of the Beast,&quot; and Motorhead&#39;s &quot;Ace of Spades.&quot;

Vote up your favorite &#39;80s metal songs&nbsp;on this ranked list, and add any tracks that aren&#39;t here already.

The Best '80s Metal Songs

The Best '80s Metal Songs That Still Shred Today

When heavy metal first emerged at the beginning of the 1970s, naysayers would have never suspected that the bands from those early years would be considered some of the most classic metal groups. These old school acts are widely considered among the top <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">heavy metal bands</a> of all time, with original styles and some of the greatest studio albums and songs&nbsp;in metal history.&nbsp;

So, what&nbsp;are the best classic heavy metal bands? Every list&nbsp;must feature&nbsp;Black Sabbath at or&nbsp;near the top. The UK natives pretty much invented the genre, and all of heavy metal. Between Ozzy Osbourne&#39;s vocals and Tony Iommi&#39;s guitar, the entire foundation for all heavy metal bands was laid. If not for Sabbath, bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or Metallica may not have existed. Even the best traditional&nbsp;metal artists owe a debt of gratitude to Black Sabbath. No matter which edition of Black Sabbath you like - Ozzy or Dio edition - they are easily the most influential classic metal band.&nbsp;

If you&#39;re a heavy metal fan and know everything there is to know about the top classic metal bands, then make sure that your voice is&nbsp;heard.&nbsp;This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best classic metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest classic metal musician ever?&quot;

Warlock

The Best Classic Metal Bands

The 75+ Best Classic Metal Bands, Ranked

Known as a wildly popular subgenre of heavy metal, power metal mixes elements of traditional metal with speed metal and&nbsp;symphonic metal. Other metal subgenres may focus on doom and gloom, but power metal bands write relatively catchy, anthemic songs where the lyrical content focuses on the theatrical, and even fantasy-based. But above all, power metal bands are very melodic and some of the most memorable bands in metal.

So, what are the best power metal bands? You&#39;d be foolish to leave the names&nbsp;of Rainbow, Symphony X, Helloween, Queensr&yuml;che and Rhapsody of Fire off of this list. Power metal bands have followings across the globe, which have&nbsp;led to different types of power metal in the U.S. and Europe. But no matter how you cut it, power metal artists, at least the best power metal bands, have the ability to unite the different fans who will sing along to their catchy songs and headbang to their crunchy solos.

That said, it&#39;s up to you to determine what&nbsp;the best power metal groups&nbsp;are. This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best power metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest power metal musician ever?&quot;&nbsp;If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band&#39;s music (albums and songs) instead of just voting for the most popular power metal bands that you might&#39;ve heard of.

Savatage

The Best Power Metal Bands

The 200+ Best Power Metal Bands, Ranked

With its origins beginning in the 1970s, darkwave&nbsp;fused&nbsp;post-punk with gothic rock and New Wave while adding&nbsp;dark introspective lyrics, differentiating itself&nbsp;from other genres. Darkwave bands (whose fans were known as wavers and dark wavers)&nbsp;took off in the 1980s. Darkwave music first gained major traction&nbsp;in Europe and got bigger across that decade. This type of music ultimately&nbsp;spawned&nbsp;several other subgenres. However, darkwave bands managed to maintain their brooding brand of music;&nbsp;and even today, darkwave music remains as relevant as ever.

So what are the best Darkwave bands of all time? Any list of darkwave music has to include the likes of Bauhaus, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, She Wants Revenge and Siouxsie and the Banshees. These artists are widely regarded as the most important and influential darkwave bands.

That said, it&#39;s up to you to determine who&nbsp;the best darkwave bands are. This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best darkwave bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest darkwave musician ever?&quot;&nbsp;If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band&#39;s music (albums and songs)&nbsp;instead of just voting for the most popular darkwave bands that you might&#39;ve heard of.

Project Pitchfork

The Best Darkwave Bands/Artists

The 100+ Best Darkwave Bands, Ranked

Rock

With some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know" target="_blank">greatest heavy metal bands</a>&nbsp;producing new hits, it's hard to pinpoint the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-metal-songs-for-working-out/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best heavy metal songs</a> of 2018. In 2018, metal remains an evocative genre that strives to use bold sounds and lyrics to elicit a powerful reaction from an audience. Which of the new metal songs are truly the best? Help us decide below.&nbsp;Featuring metalcore&nbsp;bands (The Plot in You, For the Fallen Dreams), industrial metal bands (Ministry, Megaherz), and classic metal bands (Judas Priest, Megadeth), this list of 2018 metal songs includes all genres of heavy metal rock music.&nbsp;Which 2018 heavy metal songs had you hooked right away? From popular songs that topped the metal charts to more obscure hits, it's all listed below for you to peruse. Help decide <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-80s-metal-songs/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best metal songs</a> of the year by giving your favorites a thumbs up. Please feel free to add any great tunes that are missing.&nbsp;

The Best Heavy Metal Songs Of 2018

Best Metal Songs of 2018 | Ranking New 2018 Heavy Metal Songs

Thrash Metal

Update:&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0rNY0x983lwPCj0T1SBclQ?si=ty4Lm6jlQrqYZMzhUuRjJg" target="_blank">Follow Ranker&#39;s official New Metal 2020 playlist&nbsp;on Spotify</a>!

Thrash metal artists list, with photos, ranked best to worst by votes. List of good thrash metal bands includes a filter so you can sort by the groups&rsquo;s label and what albums they&#39;ve put out. This list of the top thrash metal bands in the world includes all musicians who have released recordings that have gotten distribution, and is an up-to-date list. Thrash metal groups and artists are shown below along with any additional genres in which their music belongs. If available, you can also see information about where all thrash metal bands on this list got started. These are truly the greatest thrash metal bands of all time, since the most famous thrash metal artists ever are listed, and the order is decided by actual fans of the best thrash metal music.

You can click on the thrash <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">metal band names</a> to see more information about that particular notable thrash metal group. If they&#39;re near the top of the best thrash metal artist list, though, then they should have at least some information available. All the top thrash metal bands named on the list also have discographies on their pages if you click on the thrash metal band names themselves.

The list you&#39;re viewing is made up of many different artists, like Metallica and Judas Priest. Rock the vote by upvoting your favorite artists. If they get enough votes they rise to the top. Are you one of those people that doesn&#39;t like Megadeth or Dave Grohl? Then vote those things down to have your voice heard.

All important, significant and iconic names in thrash metal music history deserve your votes, so make sure to choose wisely. You can only vote once on this list.

The list includes all <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/new-wave-of-thrash-metal-bands-v1/petr_erm_k?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">new thrash metal bands</a>, and if there are any missing on the list, you can always add them yourself. Just make sure they aren&#39;t already on the list and check your spelling, because this is already an accurate compilation of the best examples of thrash metal, as well as a good place to start if you&#39;re asking yourself, or friends, exactly how to get into thrash metal music. Especially since the bands at the top of the list will at the very least be the best choices if you&#39;re looking for a list of good thrash metal bands with which to start out. No point in listening to them if they aren&#39;t actually good or even half-way decent thrash metal bands.

This list answers the questions &quot;who are the best thrash metal bands of all time?&quot; and &quot;who is the greatest thrash metal musician ever?&quot;

If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band&#39;s music instead of just voting for the most popular or famous thrash metal musicians that you might&#39;ve heard of, but not really listened to closely enough to cast an informed vote.

Re-rank the page to fit your opnions then make it votable so you can share it with your friends and get only their input on this whole thing. {#nodes}

D.R.I.

The Best Thrash Metal Bands

Thrash Metal Bands | List of Best Thrash Artists & Groups

Lifestyle

Almost everyone, at one time or another, has been betrayed. If you’re still hurting after pulling that knife out of your back, take heart: There are some outstanding metal songs about betrayal to help you process. Some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hardest-metal-songs-about-soft-things/oliver-pretl-drummond?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best metal songs</a> in general feature themes of betrayal.Many iconic metal bands have written metal songs about being betrayed. Whether it’s a first-person account of someone who’s been deceived by a friend or a scorned lover furious about being jilted, songs like “In My Darkest Hour” by Megadeth, “Your Betrayal” by Bullet for My Valentine or “Snuff” by Slipknot, these songs will likely hit home if you’ve been betrayed.And yes, some of these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-80s-metal-songs/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">heavy metal songs</a> about betrayal are poignant and touching, but others are angry, relentless stories of people&nbsp;who want revenge against those who wronged them. They are songs of pain and loss, without a doubt, but they are also empowering – if for no other reason than by listening to them, you know that you are not the only person to ever be let down and stabbed in the back by someone you trusted.These betrayed metal songs are about lies, secrets and deception. Be sure to vote for your favorites, and add any songs that might be missing from the list.

Liar

The Best Metal Songs About Betrayal

Metal Songs About Betrayal | Best Hard Rocks Songs About Being Betrayed

This list of metal <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-about-the-devil-/aargh?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">songs about</a> cheating is ranked by metal-heads and music lovers everyone, from best to worst. This list ranks the top metal songs about cheating and being cheated on and includes music videos as well. What are the best metal songs about cheating? Cast your votes below!This list features most popular metal songs about cheating, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/signs-you-are-being-cheated-on/don-davis?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">being cheated on</a>, and infidelity in general. Some of the songs that are featured on this list include &quot;You Make Me Sick&quot; by DevilDriver, &quot;Throw Me Away&quot; by Korn, &quot;Die, Die My Darling&quot; by The Misfits, &quot;Dead Memories&quot; by Slipknot and &quot;What Were You Expecting&quot; by Halestorm.Which of these songs about cheating by awesome <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">metal bands</a> are the best? Upvote the top tracks below and be sure to rerank the list as you see fit, with the best metal songs about cheating at the top. Don't see your favorite metal song about being cheated on listed here? Add it so others can vote!

A Little Piece of Heaven

The Best Songs About Cheating

The Best Songs About Cheating, Ranked By Votes

Metal lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of metal lists and rankings

Metal lists on Ranker

Ranking the best guitarists, instruments, and songs to play for everyone, from those who just picked up a guitar to seasoned musicians.

Anyone Can Play Guitar

List of the greatest metal guitarists of all time, with photos. Clearly, the list contains a broad selection of guitarists who can still be classified as "metal," though some of the featured guitarists predate the period in which "heavy metal" was enjoying mainstream, popular success. It also includes guitarists such as Brian May and Jimi Hendrix who are not typically referred to as "metal guitarists" as their primary genre – but their guitar sounds were actually highly influential in early heavy metal music.Who are the best metal guitarists of all time? Which musicians shredded the hardest on their guitars? The list also notably contains memorable duos or guitar groups, as line-ups featuring multiple guitarists who compliment one another is such a fixture of the metal genre. Guitarists who are featured as part of a group (such as Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman or KISS's Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley) should not be listed individually except in rare circumstances where that guitarist had notable success and a specific style while playing solo as well as with a metal group. If you can think of anyone who would be in your personal top 100, then definitely add them to this list.&nbsp;

The Best Metal Guitarists and Guitar Teams

Best Metal Guitarists of All Time

Ranker Community

No more is the guitar a boys only club, and it’s about damn time we celebrate and recognize. From Leah Woodard and Aliases to the always incredible Nita Strauss, this list is all about talent. The frenzy of female fronted bands is a sight to behold and a leap forward from the 80′s and 90′s when metal bands were 95% testosterone. Despite all that, women who play instruments besides their voice are under-utilized and under-recognized. Who else should be on this list? Vote up your favorite female hard rock and metal guitarists, and vote down any you don't think deserve a spot of honor here. Also, feel free to add anyone who's missing. You can also rerank this list any way you want.No list of brilliant female guitar shredders would be complete without the incomparable talents of legendary guitarists like Sarah Longfield, Liz Buckingham, Mia Coldheart and Lita Ford. This list also includes some incredible hard rock and metal guitarists you might not know -- but should. And to be fair, a lot of the women listed here should be on any list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time" target="_blank">greatest guitarists of all time</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-metal-guitarists-and-guitar-teams" target="_blank">best metal guitarists and guitar teams</a> -- not just because they're female. Gender does not matter when it comes to natural musical abilities. Need more proof? Check out this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-female-drummers/rockboy" target="_blank">best female drummers</a> of all time, or just vote on all the famous <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-guitarists/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">female guitar players</a> on this list.

The Best Female Hard Rock/Metal Guitar Shredders

Fascinating things you didn't know about your favorite entertainers, and lists that rank the greatest rock singers and musicians ever to grace the spotlights.

True Rock Stars

Lists that rank the very best musicians most of us have never heard of.

Great Musicians to Know

The best rock bassists of all time serve as the backbones to some of the most influential rock bands, ranging from the Beatles and Cheap Trick to&nbsp;Chicago and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. All of the best bassists in rock are featured below, including John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, Flea, Roger Waters, and Sting.&nbsp;From the hard rockers, to the blues bassists, to the genre-crossing masters of four (or sometimes five) strings, this list contains all of the top bass players in rock.What makes someone the best bass player in rock music? Should the rock bassist with the best stage presence, or the famous bass player with the fastest fingers, or the bass player who's the best singer be considered the 'best rock bassist'? Should the bass player with the craziest hair&nbsp;be given special consideration?&nbsp;Well, that would probably go under the category of bass players with the best stage presence, but still...Who are the best bassists in rock? Who are the best bass guitarists? Who is the top rock bassist ever? The top 10? The top 100? These are some of the questions that this list of the best rock bassists hopes to answer.If you want to hear some of the harmonious music that the greatest bass players take part in, make sure to check out the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-rock-bands-of-all-time">best rock bands of all time</a>. Vote below for your favorite rock bass players, and be sure to vote based on the quality of their music (songs and albums) and overall talent rather than just their fame or overall popularity.

The Best Rock Bassists of All Time

The 100+ Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time, Ranked

Lists that rank the best bands and musicians in every genre.

Ranking Top Bands and Artists

Creating some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-heavy-metal-songs-2020/music-lover" target="_blank">best metal songs of 2020</a>, the greatest heavy metal bands ever include some of the most iconic names in music. Famous bands, like Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, paved the way for many of today's biggest acts. They're bigger than just heavy metal -- they're among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-rock-bands-of-all-time" target="_blank">best rock bands/artists of all time.</a> Which one is the best? That's up to you to decide with your votes. Vote up the good heavy <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-metal-band-fans/charley-ruddell" target="_blank">metal bands you're a huge fan of</a>, and vote down any that you just don't like. If you're looking for something harder than hard rock, these heavy metal bands have got the music for you.&nbsp;Not surprisingly, some incredibly well-known classic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/metal-band-zodiac-signs/jacob-shelton/" target="_blank">heavy metal bands</a> top this list, including American bands Metallica and&nbsp;Pantera as well as '70s English band Iron Maiden and '80s metal band Megadeth. Some <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-new-heavy-metal-bands-2019/ranker-music" target="_blank">newer bands are also included</a>. Tool and Korn, for example, formed in the 1990s. Sadly, some of these bands don't include all of the original members or singers (Alice in Chains, for example), but that doesn't mean they're forgotten, not popular, or not worth including. From old school and the 2000s to the new and current,&nbsp;we're ranking the all-time best heavy metal groups.&nbsp;Which heavy metal band is the best? Be sure to vote and don't forget to rerank this list your way, too.