Metallica’s Kirk Hammett names Judas Priest as the first heavy metal band

Every metalhead has his own answer to the question, who created heavy metal. Some might say it was Black Sabbath or Deep Purple, others might mention Led Zeppelin or Metallica.

Recently Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of Metallica, talked about this in a Q&A session at the Metallica: The Black Album in Black & White signing in Munich, Germany.

“We were worshipping at the altar of Judas Priest. Their music means so much to us. And the way Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing played the guitars — I mean, they are architects of what we now know as heavy metal, to put it bluntly. And James and I, we love Priest.”

Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of Metallica

Regardless on who created Heavy Metal in the end, the thing that matters is, that it happened and Metalheads from all over the world are blessed with this music.