315: BLACK SABBATH

On any given day, the heavy metal genre might as well be subtitled 'Music Derivative of Black Sabbath'.Lars Ulrich Today’s band, our final Icon, was always going to be Black Sabbath. I’ve known since January. Because today, ten years ago (11/11/11), Black Sabbath reunited, and it was the biggest metal news in years. That’s just …

314: THE BEATLES

When it comes to The Beatles, it is simply impossible to overstate the impact they have made on musical culture. Within a period of just ten years, they made a bigger influence on rock and pop music than any other group in recorded history. While they started as a 50s rock and roll band, the …

312: JUDAS PRIEST

I’m not sure I could better express Judas Priest’s importance than Sam Dunn did, son I’m going to start by sharing that… Black Sabbath's audience was left to scavenge for sounds with similar impact. By the mid-1970s, heavy metal aesthetic could be spotted, like a mythical beast, in the moody bass and complex dual guitars …

309: DEEP PURPLE

Deep Purple’s first major lineup change and subsequent shift from psychedelic prog rock to a hard rock sound would, along with a few other events, would be the catalyst for what we now consider the birth of heavy metal. Alongside Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple helped determine the direction for hard rock and …

307: SPINAL TAP

At what point can we admit Spinal Tap are not a fictional band? Sure, they were the focus of a mockumentary detailing the fictional exploits of a fictional band, played by actors, but… once you’re releasing successful albums and playing bonafide concerts to huge crowds, what more is required to signify this is a real …

305: LED ZEPPELIN

Where do you even start with one of the greatest rock bands of all time? The quintessential stadium rock act. The most in-demand reunion. The mighty Zep. By the time I first heard their name, Led Zeppelin had already reached a mythical status - a band spoken of with eternal reverence with an unapproachable prestige …