Black Sabbath started Death Metal by playing the devils chord.. even tho I don't consider them metal. Now.. some say that sabbath invented metal because they we're from Birmingham which is an industrial town and they got inspiration for being so dark from their surroundings.

The Zep isn't "metal" in my opinion, however fuckin awesome they are. Their hard rock.

Deep purple isn't either, they're stoner rock m/

Van Halen does not equal metal.. still, Eddie is God

The way I see it, people are always trying to find the roots of metal, which in turn is kinda impossible.
Back in the 60's and 70's everyone called it rock or hard rock, it wasn't till the 80's when metallica, megadeath, iron maiden, slayer and such defined it that way.
Also, bands play what inspires them. Most bands have influences. So, you could trace everyones influences so far back that you could say Les Paul and Mary Ford invented it.
So, if your asking who "invented" metal... Metal Invented You (Dave Mustaine)..

yeah to go further back the Yardbirds kinda started it with jeff beck and jimmy page,even though led zepplin came from this band the yardbirds started it with the rock and blues thats why i think : cream mountain blues rock bands stared metal in a way right i dont know what do u think.

Methinks twas definitely Black Sabbath. While earlier bands may have had separate ideas that are now included in metal, i think that it twas Sabbath that first brought it all together and gave it the metal mentality.

i know sabbath started metal but who did it in the Usa.