[ka-st]

The first metal band is generally regarded to be Black Sabbath, who released their debut self-titled album in 1970. The term “heavy metal” was not coined until 1971 by music critic Lester Bangs, so this is often considered the year of the genre’s inception. Although Black Sabbath is the first to be labeled “heavy metal”, there were precursor bands, most notably Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, who released their first albums in 1969, that helped shape the sound and direction of the genre.