Who's on you're Mount Rushmore of Metal

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Hiwatts-n-Gibsons

Hiwatts-n-Gibsons

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I was reading an article that was weighing who the Big Four of classic rock were, and it referenced the Big Four of thrash.

The thing I realized was the big four of classic rock could technically be spread across decades and include distinctly different kinds of bands with very diverse sounds. Kinda like the presidents on Mt Rushmore come from a large swath of time, and are all quite different in ideologies and achievements.

Whereas the Big Four of thrash are all from basically the same decade because thrash hit hard and fast, and was a very well defined genre with particular traits vs classic rock.

To me metal lies between the two, and like classic rock has enjoyed a longer life of broad appeal vs thrash. But like thrash there are certain basic common traits in style that are expected by fans for them to consider it "metal".

This made me wonder across all metal all-time from classic metal to '80s metal to the hardcore and thrash years of the '90s who would I put on my Mt Rushmore of Metal? Tbt there are so many I'm at a loss. At least the commitee to choose the heads on Rushmore only had to deal with 30 something at the time presidents. Metal had sooo many greay bands across the decades, and so many amazing individual musicians in those bands, where do you even start? Is Blue Cheer or Sabbath first? But how do you really choose Blue Cheer over Sabbath as numero uno? I sure can't.

So who's heads are carved on your metal Mt. Rushmore?

Bonus if you want it: Just how supporters and admirers of Reagan and Obama sometimes clamor to have their heads added to the mountain, who would be your modern addition from the 2000's to today?
 
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Priest, Iced Earth, Helloween, At The Gates

Because my rushmore is for writing the best, most influential music to other artists, who started bands of their own - i don't care about who sold the most records or has their logo in caskets and condoms
 
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Just Sabbath themselves.

Thulsa Doom, Sabbath’s manager 70-73
“I am the wellspring from which you flow”
 
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Just Sabbath themselves.

Thulsa Doom, Sabbath’s manager 70-73
“I am the wellspring from which you flow”
Not gonna lie, this was my first thought as well.

Right now I'm kinda at

Black Sabbath
Motorhead
Metallica
Pantera

But it's really hard not to put Priest or Maiden on there instead of Motorhead, just like it's hard not to put Entombed, Death, or Sepultura on there instead of Pantera.

And the huge AIC fan in me wants to sneak them on too, but I have a hard time arguing their influence on the evolution or history of metal as a whole is anywhere near as monumental as any of those bands they might be up against for the '90s spot, and that the Melvins meant more to the history of metal in large then AIC did. To be clear Metallica is my '80s entry.
 
To be clear I am kinda thinking bands vs individuals, but feel free to state your choices either way.
 
Good list. I could get behind that even with me not being a fan of Korn or Meshuggah.

Korn arent my favorite band, but that first album is classic and completely changed the direction of metal in a NU way both in sound and in look, and they had huge mainstream success. i remember coming home from school and total request live would be on MTV, and they were always number 1 ahead of britney spears and backstreet boys and whoever and id be like wtf?! Meshuggah is the band since the 00's i think has been ripped off the most from deathcore to bands like periphery, and even mainstream bands now like sleep token and wolfgang.
 
Korn arent my favorite band, but that first album is classic and completely changed the direction of metal in a NU way both in sound and in look, and they had huge mainstream success. i remember coming home from school and total request live would be on MTV, and they were always number 1 ahead of britney spears and backstreet boys and whoever and id be like wtf?! Meshuggah is the band since the 00's i think has been ripped off the most from deathcore to bands like periphery, and even mainstream bands now like sleep token and wolfgang.
Yeah. That's pretty much exactly why I thought your choices were solid. Your choices as a whole also spanned diverse styles and periods, vs focusing on a favorite era or sub genre.
 
Original Rushmore:

Sabbath
Zeppelin
Priest
Maiden
Motorhead

Decendents of Rushmore:

Metallica
Pantera
Slayer
Tool
Alice in Chains

On the modern mountain:

At The Gates
Fear Factory
Machine Head
Children of Bodom
Carcass
 
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