Marilyn Manson - because I was a fanboy up til about four years ago. I have to credit him with making me want to find out about Satanism, I probably would still think of it in Dennis Wheatley terms if it weren't for old Maz.
Black Sabbath - I still have fond memories of sitting up till the small hours with all three "Ozzy Osbourne Years" discs in the multichanger, listening to them in random order. No band has ever quite given me the feeling that Sabbath did then.
Sunn 0))) - I was inspired to start Electrovomit by a Sunn 0))) review in Terrorizer. Without them, I may never have even issued a demo in my life. Scary thought. Not that Electrovomit sounds anything like Sunn 0))), but the first song was conceived along the lines of "I wonder if I could do something electronic that would inspire a review like this"? The answer, of course, was "No", but four demos later I have to say I've had fun anyway.
Jimi Hendrix - though he only changed my life by proxy. The guitarist in one of my bands was an Oasis freak, only interested in tired old chordplay, then he checked out Jimi Hendrix and changed overnight. Now he even likes Sabbath and Saxon.
Iron Maiden haven't so much changed my life, as always been part of it. I'm 21 years old, and I've been a Maiden fan for about 17 years.
Ralph McTell - It was when I heard "Streets Of London" that I realised folk music was worth checking out.
Atari Teenage Riot - The first "extreme electronics" band I checked out. Till that point, my conception of electronics started with the Human League and ended with Fatboy Slim.
Vinnie Vincent - Not so much a life changing band as a powerful memory. The song Love Kills was playing the first time I ever got dumped by a girl. You don't forget synchronicity like that.