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confused Do they let anyone in here now or something, lawl razz

Well, Slipkunt, Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Zeppelin, and Bullet for my Valentine are not metal. So theres the beginnings of your problems. Try reading through the nu-metal band's list which happens to be stickied.

I would say the god's are people more than the bands, although minus the few god exceptions, bands are a whole and everyone contributes to its amazingness. But here is my list, ft. band and noteworthy artists:

Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi on guitar
Bathory which is mostly all done by Quorothon
pre-Black Album Metallica must be mentioned, seeing as they jump started thrash.
But not without the help of SLAYER (w00t)

*EDIT* Opps forgot about NWOBHM sweatdrop

Judas Priest and Iron Maiden weren't the first, but were the most influential and successful or the NWOBHM bands, and Iron Maiden introduced the now synonymous twin guitar riffs which is a main element of NWOBHM.

Then we get Mayhem and almost everyone ever in that band helped contribute to Norwegian Black Metal.
Morbid Angel and Deicide need to be mentioned (regardless or Deicide's simple lyrical content and song structure in later albums, they are a major force in DM)
As for Doom I would say Cathedral and Candlemass took it a step farther than Sabbath had left it.
Grind and Tech Death we can thank Naplam Death and the like.
Folk I would just say after Bathory stopped it with epic "Viking Metal" songs, Finntroll (probably an earlier band I do not know about came before them and influenced Folk more than Finntroll had but i dont know really)
Power metal is easily Helloween and i like to throw Running Wild in there because they started "Pirate Metal", essentially power/thrash with Pirate lyrical themes; Overall the same as Viking but with Pirates smile sweatdrop

Agreed, though I did like Ices Earth's cover of Number of the Beast

You never answered, Clasi. Was I right?