hey there folks. I thought I'd share a few bands that time forgot with you. Now before everyone looks up these bands and starts screaming at me about how "Not metal they are" try to keep in mind that most of these bands were playing before the term heavy metal was a popular term so they may or may not fit into your personal definition of the word. Regardless I love them and I hope you will too.
Buffalo
Epitaph
Armageddon
Bloodrock
Bang
JPT Scare Band
Leaf Hound
The Flying Hat Band (Glenn Tipton's first band)
Iron Claw
Flower Travellin' Band
Necromandus
Pentagram

stay tuned more to come.

Rather than simply spamming a list, why not comment in-depth on some or all of the bands? What do they sound like? Why should they be viewed as founders of metal? Given some of your choices, what justification do you have for deeming them "lost?"

etc. etc. etc.

I've heard Pentagram, and I've been really interested in listening to Bloodrock. I've never heard of any of the others though.

Flower Travellin' Band's Satori, now.

Don't forget Manilla Road... while not technically "lost", they're very underrated.

I wouldn't consider Pentagram "lost" a lot of people listen to them.

True, but they don't get the airplay Sabbath does, when in my opinion they are certainly good enough to.


I'll get on that.

Another one I'd like to throw into the mix is Lucifer's Friend.

On paper Necromandus seem like they would be a great band, album produced by Tony Iommi, cool name and imagery...but then they start playing and it's pretty tame.

Somebody should mention Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum(1968!). Metal before there was metal. Well, at least before Black Sabbath's self titled. I can't believe that I hadn't heard of this band before I found this site.

I remember going to see Mudhoney and Monster Magnet back in the day, and my friend was blasting Blue Cheer's cover of "Summertime Blues" from his car stereo...

How about those first bands Rob Halford played with like Lord Lucifer and Hiroshima? Does anyone know anything about them?
And Bruce Dickinson's first NWOBHM band Samson?

You on crack? They're easily one of the most tossed off bands 'round these parts.

The opinion around "these parts" is not the be all, end all of opinions on metal.

And Vintersemestre, they definitely are lost, in Necropolis that is. (That was really bad, I know)

I remember reading an an article in Terrorizer magazine where the guitarist from The Haunted was quoted as saying that he doesn't quite think Black Sabbath can really be considered heavy metal because they started out as more of a blues/rock band anyhow. I thought it was a rather asinine take considering their influence all those years back.

I think Uriah Heep should be considered the term Heavy Metal because of there dark sound and aura. A little Sabbathy/Pentagram style riffings are always a nice feature for Uriah Heep.

They existed well after the term "Heavy Metal" was established.

Agreed, big Uriah Heep fan here. Surprised that most metalheads (the ones I know personally, not people on this site) don't know who they are. I hear a big influence on bands like Rhapsody of Fire and other power metal bands.

Not to say lost but this band actually played metal for once and probably laid the blueprint:

The Beatles on the track Helter Skelter.

Seriously go ahead and listen. Very metal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM9KRpEkGfY

http://www.metal-archives.com/board/vie ... sc&start=0

Most of the bands in that thread (as well as the ones mentioned in this one) can be considered the cookie-scented baby breath of metal. No need to rehash the whole thing again.

Dont forget Sir Lord Baltimore.
Kingdom come was the album that invented the phrase heavy metal to apply to music.

Yeah, but Blue Cheer isnt exactly obscuer.

Youll notice cream, steppenwolf, the stooges, and Iron butterfly, who are obvious proto-metal bands, aren't on the list.

Arthur Fucking Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOErZuzZpS8

Holy Crap. I really enjoyed that! Much more enjoyable than the Cathedral version.

I was always trying to remember the name of that Japanese band for a long time now and I can finally check them out.

Do you have something usefull to add? Like the names of some bands more obscure than ones listed by people contributing to the thread?

Yes. i mentioned Sir Lord Baltimore.

Is econd Arthur Brown. great stuff.

Good for you. At least you are contributing.

"I'm the god of hellfire and I bring you - FiRE!" yea, that's the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown. Love those Hammond organs.

which reminds me on the Alice Cooper or King Crimson also comes to my mind.. but here we're talking about the fragments from here'n'there of the HM prototypes or from the tracks that stand-alone of what would later become known as metal, but that's another story.

I wish some metal bands would follow his example and use less guitar. It would eb much cooler.

Coven
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gZlgRf4ec1c

Black Widow
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hsd6Fjc9MVs

Iron Maiden (1969 original band. Not the Di'anno, Dickinson band)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GdOCtuXKJ ... re=related

Necromandus
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=joale9WIzr8

Lucifer's Friend
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Bk-SIoUbw

Atomic Rooster
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8yO7l6TmIRI

Flower Travellin' Band
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzVN5HDo-o

Jethro Tull (Their best, most metal track)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrtz8nLFtmU

And Death SS for good measure.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qo6lflm4Fyk

great stuff.

Vincent Crane, the organ player form botht his and most of Arthur Brown's work, is AMAZING.

Arthur Brown deserves a whole seperate thread. he not only influenced metal but virtually every type of rock. the stuff he did with Kingdom Come (no the other one) is still ahead of its time. Some of the best prog ever made. He made a cameo as a priest in Eric Claptons church in Tommy. Also if you guys are into this sort of thing their are two blogs to Check out Chrisgoesrock and Orexis of Death. Even if your anti-downloading they are a great resource for obscure proto-metal and more and provide in depth info about all the bands.

I agree! Fortunately, the're still some bands that uses Hammonds in their music nowadays : j_
Did you know that Satyricon uses Hammond organs on "Rebel Extravaganza" album. They're noticable in the
"Havoc Vulture" track, I think.
Edit: and no, I didn't picked up this info in the reviews, btw.

Link Wray

Not really Metallic, but he was the pioneer of distortion and thus made punk and metal possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUHz0i8_ziA

Its not really mega-distorted, but it was hevay for its time int he late 50's.

Yeah, Manilla Road do a great version of Bloodrock's D.O.A.

As fluff987 said Chrisgoesrock and Orexis of Death have some interesting stuff for people to check out if they are into obscure proto-metal/hard rock.

I agree completely but not just in metal I wish rock bands would bring back the hammond too. Its seems like everytime someone uses a piano its some sappy singer songwriter playing in D minor. Because as Nigel Tufnel once said it makes people weep instantly.

Lucifer's Friend and Iron Claw

edit: why was hard rock topic locked?

Nolan_B, many thanks for those links! I knew that something like Flower Travellin' Band exists but I never listened to them... Now, Satori is chilling me out!