Metal's Sacred Cows

Are there metal bands who are beyond criticism? No, of course not. However there are some groups who went through a period where criticism is fairly difficult, not impossible because music junkies in general can be very elitist and dislike anything that is popular. This is also true of metal. That being said, here are some bands who went through a period of time that is almost universally praised.

1. BLACK SABBATH
Duh. The band who started it all. Without Black Sabbath, we would not have metal. That reason alone is enough for metal fans to praise their work. Another reason is that their material has withstood the test of time. It sounds just as good now as it did when it came out.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Self titled album through Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. After that they got too proggy and drifted away from metal. They came back strong when Ronnie James Dio took over for Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.
BAD ALBUMS: Forbidden, Technical Ecstacy, Never Say Die, Born Again, Seventh Star.

2. JUDAS PRIEST
Almost on par with Black Sabbath in terms of respect from metal heads. Judas Priest took the Black Sabbath sound and perfected it. Judas Priest was also one of the first bands to truly embrace the tag of "Heavy Metal." Priest also gave metal a look.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: 2nd album through Defenders of the Faith with one exception. They also came back strong with Painkiller later on, one of the quintessential speed metal albums. Then Rob Halford left for a few years. When he came back, the band was rejuvenated.
BAD ALBUMS: Point of Entry, Turbo, Demolition, Nostradamus.

3. IRON MAIDEN
Iron Maiden is the principal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and one of the few such bands that is still active. Maiden is one of the biggest metal bands in the world. They didn't start out that way though, it was not until classically-trained vocalist Bruce Dickinson joined the band that they really took off. Still able to headline world tours.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Dickinson's first album, The Number of the Beast through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Iron Maiden seemed to lose steam in the late 1980's. Bruce Dickinson left the band for a few years. Yet again, when he came back, so too did the band.
BAD ALBUMS: No Prayer for the Dying, Virtual XI, Dance of Death.

4. METALLICA
Surprised? You shouldn't be, Metallica was hugely important in metal. One of the founding fathers of the thrash metal movement and still one of the best such groups. Metallica achieved popularity that was once thought impossible for a metal band.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Debut Kill 'Em All through ...And Justice For All. The first four albums by Metallica are on par with anyone else's first four albums and quite possibly better than anyone else's first four albums with the only exception of possibly Black Sabbath.
BAD ALBUMS: Load, Reload, St. Anger.

That's pretty much it for unimpeachable metal bands. I'm sure I may be forgetting some, but these groups during these periods are so important to metal, that very little else comes close.