| There are few musical genres in the world that | | | | Earth" |
| display as much musical intensity and youthful | | | | * Gamma Ray: With their once-guitarist Kai Hansen |
| aggression as heavy metal. The long hair, the leather, | | | | handling vocal duties, Gamma Ray have pushed |
| the swagger and the tattoos combine with harsh | | | | themselves to the top of the metal heap. With their |
| yells, the racing fast guitar riffs and the pounding | | | | powerful vocals and intricate musicianship, Gamma |
| drums. It is at the same time the angriest and one of | | | | Ray are one of the few bands who have made |
| the most sensitive and emotional genres of music. | | | | better albums with time. Album to check out: "Land |
| And one of the best sources for this style of music | | | | of the Free" |
| is Germany. | | | | * Helloween: In the 80s, there were few German |
| This place is almost as well known for its amazing | | | | bands who could compete with Helloween for |
| heavy metal as it is for its beer and its top of the | | | | influence. Many bands all over Europe adopted some |
| line luxury cars. And here are a few of the bands | | | | of the basic Helloween style for their purposes and |
| that have contributed to the charge of the hordes of | | | | heavy metal was never the same since. Album to |
| metal in no particular order of importance: | | | | check out: "Keeper of the Seven Keys" |
| * Blind Guardian: Equally as influenced by Queen, Black | | | | * Kreator: One of the biggest names in thrash metal, |
| Sabbath, Tolkien and Broadway, Blind Guardian is | | | | that has consistently churned out albums of quality |
| known as one of the best speed/power metal bands | | | | would definitely be Kreator. Taking their heavy music |
| in the world. Led by the charimatic Hansi Kursch, Blind | | | | to new heights, they together with their compatriots |
| Guardian have lorded it over for almost two decades | | | | Sodom and Destruction would pioneer the death |
| with their epic music and technical mastery of their | | | | metal genre, by containing a lot of the elements |
| instruments. Album to check out: "Nightfall In Middle | | | | present in modern day death metal. |