Ok,

Chatter here at Braingell called Rankinsdragon thinks Black Sabbath started the basic Metal genre, which I disagree with.

I remember many years ago on some BBC mass deabate about this and it was defined that Led Zeppelin actually started it. I think the fact that Ozzy going solo has kept Sabbath alive with the new kiddies who like Metal think Sabbath is so old they must have started it.

Rankinsdragon isnt young but word gets around in the Rock/Metal circle and facts gets distorted via pubs chatrooms and new magazines.
I know allot of people in the Industry who agree with me thank god.

So who do you think? care to research it with some evidence? Here is one link I found from many on the web.
Lez Zeps albums was out before Sabbaths 1970 release! which kinda says it really.
http://www.answers.com/topic/led-zeppelin? cat=entertainment

i dont really know the answer, but the first use of "heavy metal' was from a book called 'The Soft Machine' in 1962:

"With their diseases and orgasm drugs and their sexless parasite life forms - Heavy Metal People of Uranus wrapped in cool blue mist of vaporized bank notes - And the Insect People of Minraud with metal music"

The 1st use of the term in music was in 1968 by Steppenwolf in 'Born to Be Wild'.

In my opinion the first TRUE metal band would be (as much as I loathe them) Black Sabbath. I have never considered Led Zep to be anything more than hard rock. But if you asked me to think of the first true hard rock band that would have to be Iron Butterfly who started in 1967. Hell now that I think about it, I would catagorize some "Sgt. Peppers" shit to be hard rock and that came out in 1967 too I think.

If you wanna talk about what I think was the first band who was metal, that KNEW they were metal, and staked the 1st claims to being metal, I would have to go with Judas Priest with their 'Sad Wings' album which was like 75 or 76 I think.

Quite frankly I dont care who started it because for the most part I cant stand any of the bands mentioned above 'cept for the Beatles and Priest!

Anywho its still a fun topic.. let the banter continue!

EDIT: upon further review, i just discovered that Alice Cooper formed the band "The Spiders" in 1965, so maybe Alice is the guy.... I dunno.

The following bands began before Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath....Take it for what it is

Steppenwolf:
The summer of 1968 saw the rise of the song "Born To Be Wild" that was featured in the movie "Easy Rider"....Steppenwolf was the first band to, inadvertantly, name a new and emerging genre of music.

link: http://www.answers.com/topic/steppenwolf-band? cat=entertainment

Alice Cooper:
Originally called "acid rock", no one can deny the impact that Alice Cooper, the band and the singer, has had on many of today's metal and shock-rock acts....One merely needs to look at the likes of the Misfits, Marilyn Manson, Murderdolls, and many other bands who adopted horror, gore, and shock tactics to their music and stage shows, to see Alice's influence.

link: http://www.answers.com/Alice%20Cooper

Deep Purple:
Through the band's many line-up changes over the years, Deep Purple has spawned many careers in the heavy metal genre....From hair metal to ex(future)-Sabbath members....Once toted as the loudest band on the planet by the Guiness Book Of World Records, Deep Purple brought early metal to an arena level.

link: http://www.answers.com/Deep%20Purple

I started Metal. Everyone bow down before me and suck my cock!!!

Billelzebub wrote:
I started Metal. Everyone bow down before me and suck my cock!!!

You have a cock?

Hobs wrote:
Billelzebub wrote:
I started Metal. Everyone bow down before me and suck my cock!!!

You have a cock?

and balls too

Billelzebub wrote:
Hobs wrote:
Billelzebub wrote:
I started Metal. Everyone bow down before me and suck my cock!!!

You have a cock?

and balls too

Dude,

You need to bring that trident sized cock and beach ball size balls on air.

Who started Metal? Dude, Slayer....strange question...

I would say Black Sabbath but, Van Halen was known as the "loudest" back in the dave day with 50,000+ watts of power per show...They said it was like standing behind a 747 just before take off and i seen them in '80 at riverfront collesium "the 1st show after The Who tragedy" and it was fucking Loud!

SongEmotions wrote:
I would say Black Sabbath but, Van Halen was known as the "loudest" back in the dave day with 50,000+ watts of power per show...They said it was like standing behind a 747 just before take off and i seen them in '80 at riverfront collesium "the 1st show after The Who tragedy" and it was fucking Loud!

lol at 50k watts you obviously never been to a motorhead concert in UK the limit in early 80s was 100k in London if you dont believe me click this link and scroll down, I guess USA loudness is just a fart by UK standards.
http://www.quartzcity.net/2006/01/11/the-grateful- deaf/