10 Perfect Metal Albums Everyone Tried To Copy

Metal may have been around as far back as the early '70s, but none of it seemed to really have a face. Though bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath had their fair share of songs that seemed to be a lot heavier than the likes of the Stones, there was no real X-factor that made them want to identify as a metal act. Metal was more than just music, and Judas Priest were the first ones to turn the whole thing into a lifestyle.

As much as Priest's beginnings may have started a bit more psychedelic than hard rock, British Steel was when we really got a taste for what the classic heavy metal sound was supposed to be. There were definitely bands like Wishbone Ash that came before that had stuff like twin harmonies, but hearing KK Downing and Glenn Tipton trading licks was much more enthralling, with KK being the madman next to Glenn's technical minded leads.

While this was far from the first heavy metal album that Priest released, this was one of the first that introduced their distinctive look to the world as well, with Rob Halford towering like a metal god with his different leather outfits onstage. Metal was still on the fringes at this stage, but every kid who listened to a song like Breaking the Law on MTV were trading their clothes in for a biker jacket the next day.