The Most Universally Respected Bands (among metalheads)

That's true, but I meant that not all MetalHeads will be familiar with their actual music. They should have at least heard of them. I'm mainly referring to Bathory here though. The other two bands seem to be more popular.
 
All I wanna know is... who are the most well-respected metal bands? Metalheads are usually into a ton of more obscure bands, but are there still ones that most people will agree on as being great?
Death?
Black Sabbath?
Slayer?
Bathory? Judas Priest? Ozzy? Venom?

Judas Priest, old Slayer, Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Suffocation, old Metallica.
 
I'd say both TBH.

People may hate Bruce Dickinsons high voice, or the original blokes more punk-ish approach, but you can't not respect the at-the-time innovative, sometimes slightly self-indulgent, sound.

You cold say (nearly) the same thing about Judas Priest, and I think they're up there with Maiden, but I think Sabbath are more respected than both because they are pioneers of the genre, and their early stuff is a lot more listenable to a greater variety of metal fans.
 
The only bands that really have a serious hold on this claim are Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Even Motorhead is much maligned by some as being too simplistic or whatever reasons they have. Frankly, if your answer isn't one of these three bands, then you're just wrong. There's far too many people who don't like extreme metal at all to include any black or death metal band.
 
The only bands that really have a serious hold on this claim are Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Even Motorhead is much maligned by some as being too simplistic or whatever reasons they have. Frankly, if your answer isn't one of these three bands, then you're just wrong. There's far too many people who don't like extreme metal at all to include any black or death metal band.

Yup... I would include old Metallica and Slayer as being the next bands after these three.
 
The only bands that really have a serious hold on this claim are Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.

There you go. I would say that makes perfect sense, although it has been said over & over in this thread I think. I never got too big into any of them, but I was more into Maiden than any of them & I did a bit of experimenting with Sabbath as a kid.

Like you said, there are still a lot of people who don't like extreme style out there.
 
I disagree with this, since not everybody including me likes Helloween, or Dream Theater.
This has to do with respecting though not necessarily liking it, and not respecting early Helloween is gay as fuck. I'm with you on Dream Theater though. :)
 
The only bands that really have a serious hold on this claim are Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Even Motorhead is much maligned by some as being too simplistic or whatever reasons they have. Frankly, if your answer isn't one of these three bands, then you're just wrong. There's far too many people who don't like extreme metal at all to include any black or death metal band.

Pretty much. The other thing to consider is the multitude of scales and niches of the metal scene, from the big picture that encompasses all metalheads down to the smallest subgenre niches. If there are any bands whose appeal and respect traverses all of most of such divides, it's those three. Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be dissenting opinions, but you're still pretty likely to find many diehard black metal elitists or brutal death metal lovers who also love Maiden, Priest or Sabbath. But it doesn't work both ways: you probably won't find many more "superficial" metalheads who only like 5 or 6 of the biggest names and also like, say, Sargeist or Devourment. Darkthrone, Bathory, Gorguts and others may be widely respected at some smaller scale, but that would, by definition, discount them as having the most universal respect.
 
I am obviously not a metal head... ah well

Would say Black Sabbath is acctually the only one that qualifys, possibly Maiden and Priest but both of those have huge amount of people that really hate their music. Sabbath of course also has some problems due to Ozzy's voice, "Born Again" etc.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus and all the other huge Thrash metal bands can be writen off at once, Slayer because they are downright boring most of the time, Metallica because either they are too hard or too soft ;) although they have some songs that are more or less universaly liked. Megadeth is off due to the vocals, personly i love 'em. Anthrax (by far my fav of these) is shuned by many due to the public enemy cover, and unheard of by many. Exodus and Testament is both somewhat unknow outside their genre.

Helloween, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall, Gamma Ray etc. is off becuase Power metal ist GAY! (i still like it though)

Windir is not an option, one its to unheard of, two its not that good, three they are becomming a "trend" band ;)

Bathory, Venom, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost etc.

Too unknown. Bathory i have acctually never heard anything of, Venom is decent in a punkish way, Darkthrone is morons, CF is decent.

Immortal, Emporor, Mayhem.

NO!NO!NO! I dislike Gayhem, dont give a shit about Emporor and find Immortal at best amusing.

Gorgoroth is an option but they fail due to the fact that they are too extream.

What is peoples thougths on WASP?