Anvil > all of them. I do love Iron Maiden, though.

I was just comparing the Big Four. Iron Maiden's a different [sub-]genre

Actually, it's Metallica > Megadeth >> Anthrax > Slayer.
If you think you're tough it's Slayer >> Anthrax >>>>Megadeth >>>>>> Metallic.
The PE arrangement holds for the slower more mellow pieces where Mustaine delivers, although I actually DO like Load from Metallica which is full of them.
A Slayer fan is a funny stereotype of a caveman headbanger though, so the band has it's merits.
I also never like the Big Four label, it's like in ATP tennis when the Top 3 is actually Top 3 + also-ran Murray. Anthrax is simply not a big band in any way, be it artistic merit, historical impact, cult following, the ability to incite emotions, anything. Can't say that about the actual Big Four, KPMG, E&Y, PwC and Deloitte.

its hard for me to chose between metallica megadeth and slayer, theyre all so good. my only issue with slayer is that every slayer song sounds the same. Iron maiden is incredible

Pfft, Metallica over Megadeath any day. There is a special place in my heart reserved for Iron Maiden and Man o War.

"The PE arrangement holds for the slower more mellow pieces where Mustaine delivers"

true. that's all I listen to though lol

and big +1 re: Anthrax

Team Slayer?

I'm going to go with Metallica>=Megadeth>Slayer>>Anthrax. All four are mediocre bands in the broader metal picture, though.

I saw Slayer play in Brisbane once. I was walking past Festival Hall with my girlfriend and we got chatting to a young metal head standing outside. Turned out he was the lead singer of the support band so he let us in the through the back door into the concert. Slayer were extremely loud. The other thing I noticed is that the audience was almost entirely young males dressed in a uniform of cut-off army pants and black tee-shirts. It was an interesting experience.

"All four are mediocre bands in the broader metal picture, though."

oh hell no

(oh hell no)^2

Metallica was THE metal band of the 90s, just like Iron Maiden was THE band of the 80s. Such relevance cannot be achieved via mediocrity.

Huh, I thought Metallica was big in the 80s and Iron Maiden in the 70s.

Nah, Iron Maiden was formed in 1975 and released their first full-length album in 1980. Their were somewhat big in London thanks to The Soundhouse Tapes and Neal Kay's relentless promotion but not much more. Metal was still starting in the 70s so no real worldwide crazy back then, although Black Sabbath already went multi-platinum and Judas Priest slowly drifted away from hard rock.

Ah, I wasn't sure because Wikipedia mentions the 80s and Master of Puppets came out in 86.

Well, Metallica definitely released the majority of its strongest material in the 80s (some would say that from then on, they were just mainstream sellouts) but it was The Black Album from 1991 that made them the biggest metal band around.

Up the Irons!