10 Bands That Invented Their Own Genre

10. Metallica

At the start of the '80s, the metal scene was still known as a relatively new genre. Though we had bands like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin leading the charge for what was constituted as being heavy, the first real wave didn't hit until years later when Iron Maiden and Diamond Head started to rear their heads in the hard rock spotlight. Then again, it was only a matter of time before America got in on the action.

Though there were plenty of bands combining the elements of what would become thrash, the core of the genre really comes down to Metallica's debut release on Kill Em All. Across its 10 tracks, this album is pretty much the blueprint for all things thrash metal, down to the crunchy riffs and growling vocals from James Hetfield. Never before had metal congealed with punk this easily, with songs that sounded like they were indebted as much to Motorhead as the Ramones.

Also, it doesn't hurt that we ended up getting another legendary thrash band out of the deal when Megadeth launched their debut just a few years later to out-do Metallica at their own game. As it stands though, everyone from Anthrax to Exodus to Testament probably wouldn't be where they are today if not for Metallica blazing the trail first. While there had been some crude music before, this is where things got a lot faster, meaner, and a hell of a lot more fun.