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This is the first part of a list of my favourite bands and why I love them. There will be 4 or 5 parts all together.


Judas Priest
Genre (s): heavy metal, speed metal, classic metal

My all time favourite band, and one of the originators of the Heavy Metal genre. The Judas Priest we know today was first formed in 1969 as the Freight, but changed name in 1970 to Judas Priest, because Al Atkins (now ex-vocalist) had a band before named the same and he had the rights to the name. Known for their energic sound, the hard and wild riffing of Kenneth Downing and Glenn Tipton and the powerful, high-pitched vocals of legend Rob Halford.
The reason why they are my favourite band of all time is because this band is absolutely perfect. Almost all their songs are great. The vocals are the best on the planet, the riffing is perfect, the sound is brilliant, and their experementing with the genre over the years is fantastic. The lyrics are great. Both intelligent and deep lyrics from the 70's and the 00's and the more cheesy anthems from the 80's. They also have excellent ballads!
I discovered Judas Priest in 1999 and became a fanatic fan in 2004.

Recommended records for a starter: Stained Class (1978), Screaming for Vengeance (1982), Angel Of Retribution (2005)


Symphony X
Genre (s): progressive metal, symphonic metal, neo-classical metal

Symphony X is a band who developed in the 90's and has gained much respect in the Progressive Metal-community over the years, opening for artists like Dream Theater and Queensrÿche, and now they are one of the biggest progressive metal bands in the world. They have a unique sound, a blend between progressive rock signatures, symphonic power metal anthemic choruses, neo-classical structures and a powerful punch with kickass riffing.
Insane skills, beautiful melodies, enormous vocals with a lot of variations between half-harsh, clean and highpitched, stunning solos and huge orchestration-parts. This band is pure excellence and beauty!
I discovered Symphony X in 2006 and became a true fan in 2007.

Recommended records for a starter: The Divine Wings Of Tragedy (1997), Twilight In Olympus (1998), The Odyssey (2002)


Rush
Genre (s): Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

Rush started out with a blues-laden heavy metal sound in the early-mid 70's, but with the record Caress of Steel they adopted a more progressive sound and started using time signatures in their music, which helped them gain a breakthrough. They have always kept their hard rock sound intact, but they have experimented with it and added elements from genres such as folk music, reggae, new wave, synth rock, ambient and blues. They had a very synth-dominated period between 1982 and 1988, but returned to their prog rock roots in the late 80's.
Rush is an amazing and variated band with really nice lyrics, both calm and intense vocals, extraordinary melodies and a drummer who can be considered as the best in history. There's hard to believe that they are just three members, and they make music with so much.. music in it! Impressive and fantastic!
I discovered Rush in 2005 and became a true fan in 2009.

Recommended records for a starter: 2112 (1976), Moving Pictures (1981), Snakes And Arrows (2007)


Dream Theater
Genre (s): progressive metal, metal fusion

Perhaps the most famous band in its genre. Dream Theater plays a very unique type of progressive metal, and they are also one of the first. But where Fates Warning and Queensrÿche just blended progressive rock with heavy metal, Dream Theater added influences from jazz fusion and funk to their heavy prog metal sound.
To all of you who say they are show-offs and that they can't make good music: You have never heard Dream Theater before. Dream Theaters music is simply beautiful. They write great lyrics, great melodies, good songs and they have magnificent skills. They just play what they are good for, and the music is also so full of feelings and soul and if you really gets into them you feel what they felt when they made the music. They really put all their spirit into this wonderful, perfect music, and they will forever be one of my all time favourite bands!
I discovered Dream Theater in 1995 and became a true fan immediatly.

Recommended records for a starter: Images and Words (1992), Scenes From a Memory (1999), Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)


Iron Maiden
Genre (s): heavy metal, nwobhm

Iron Maiden was the leading act from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the early 80's and they were also one of few bands who gained success after this wave. Starting out with a raw, proggy metal sound on the first two records with vocalist Paul Dianno and later gaining a more melodic, riff-based heavy metal sound with Bruce Dickinson on the mic, they rose to achieve the status as the most successfull heavy metal band of our time.
Maiden's got it all. Very tasteful and melodic, yet hard-edged heavy metal with stunning operatic vocals, epic and deep lyrics, harmonic guitars, punching solos and insane bass-lines. A classic metal band who really has it all!
I discovered Iron Maiden in 1997 and became a true fan in 1999.

Recommended records for a starter: The Number of the Beast (1982), Powerslave (1984), Fear of the Dark (1992)


Scorpions
Genre (s): heavy metal, hard rock, classic metal

These german heavy metal rockers were the first of their kind in Germany. Inspired by the german kraut-rock scene, british rockers Beatles and hard rock acts as Budgie, Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix and Cream they started getting a psychedelic heavy metal sound in the early 70's, and reachind a halfway neo-classical metal sound in the mid-seventies because of then lead-guitarist Uli Jon Roth. In the late 70's and early 80's they gained a more riff-based heavy metal sound similar to Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, and in the mid 80's they adopted a more commercial anthemic hard rock sound to their music.
Scorpions is a band with a very loyal fan base, and not without reason. Their main purpose is peace, love and rock'n roll, and their music is fantastic, with the exeption of the experimental pop they did in the mid 90's. Their great mix between rocking heavy metal songs and calm, soft ballads is unique. Scorpions is almost 50 % ballads, and that's a great thing. Fantastic music in every way!
I discovered Scorpions in 1998 and became a true fan in 2005

Recommened records for a starter: Taken By Force (1977), Lovedrive (1979), Love At First Sting (1984)


Dire Straits
Genre (s): pub rock(early), progressive rock, melodic rock


Dire Straits started out as a pub rock band who gained success without having commercial success as their goal at all. Suddenly the world changed for this young band from England, and they sold albums to multi-platinum all over the world. Their music is based on roots rock and pub rock, but they evolved more into a melodic, progressive and a bit more intense rock band over the years.
With the leadership of the ultimate guitar genius Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits remains one of the bands that mean the most to me. The music is so deep. The lyrics are either funny, sorrowful, melancholic or tells a great story. And the awesome guitar-parts from Knopfler doesn't even need to be mentioned!
I discovered Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler in 1994 and became a true fan instantly.

Recommended albums for a starter: Dire Straits (1978), Love Over Gold (1982), Brothers in Arms (1985)


Opeth
Genre (s): progressive metal, death metal, progressive rock, atmospheric death metal

The unique combination between brutal death metal riffs and calm, progressive and melancholic rock makes Opeth one of the finest musical acts in modern metal scene. The music is unpredictable, varied, dark, beautiful and very charismatic. The way Mikael Åkerfeldt can change between clean vocals and death growls in short time is far beyond greatness, and the fantastic music is atmospheric, dark, energy-laden and very very deep. It's amazing and fantastic in every way possible!
I discovered Opeth in 2004 and became a true fan in 2007.

Recommended albums for a starter: Blackwater Park (2001), Deliverance (2002), Damnation (2003)


adrenaline kings
Genre(s): hard rock, heavy metal

Adrenaline Kings is a hard rock band from modern times but with a sound similar to the hard rock and heavy metal acts of the 1980's. The play a brand of melodic heavy metal with anthem choruses and classic rock'n roll structures. The sound is not unique, but it's retro, and the lyrics are great. The music is very nice and rocks like hell, and the ballads are beautiful and sometimes sorrowful. They are a very underrated band, and though they have not had a breakthrough yet, they really deserve one now.
I discovered Adrenaline Kings in 2009 and became a fan instantly!

They have two albums, Adrenaline Kings and Last Days Of Ancient Rome from 2002 and 2006.


Dio(1982-2010)/Black Sabbath(1979-82)/Heaven & Hell(2006-2010)/Rainbow (1975-79)
Basically everything that involves the great Ronnie James Dio.
Genre (s): heavy metal, speed metal, doom metal, hard rock, classic metal

Ronnie James Dio was one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists on earth, and he is now a legend, perhaps still playing in metal heaven. It was a sad day when he left this world because of his cancer, and many people still lives in sorrow from that day. But his music lives on. His fantastic, fenomenal voice is still amazing, and will never be forgotten. His work with Rainbow was a catchy, melodic hard rock type, then he came to Black Sabbath and saved them from a catastrophy, giving them a new, more straightforward heavy metal sound, and after leaving Sabbath he started Dio as his own project, which leaned towards melodic speed metal and initially laid down the groundworks for power metal and epic metal. He rejoined Sabbath in 1991-92 and finally in 2006 under the bane Heaven and Hell, which became his last project before he died. He made rock'n roll and metal music for over 5 decades, and he was the oldest active heavy metal musician. He also gave heavy metal an own greeting sign, the Moloik, which he had learned from his grandmother. All hail Ronnie James Dio. May you rest in peace and may your voice live forever!
I discovered Ronnie James Dio in 1997 and became a fan in 1998.

Recommended albums for starters:
Rainbow: Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)
Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell (1980)
Dio: Holy Diver (1983), Sacred Heart (1985)
Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know (2006)