Mercyful Fate Family Tree

September 20, 2023 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

This is a project aimed at making it easy to see who inspired the bands you love or even hate. For this I try not to use any influences that the band don’t claim themselves. There will be a focus on predecessors but successors will be added as they site the band. These trees become more and more interactive as new bands are added, allowing you to click any band that has a tree and jump to it.

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Mercyful Fate is a important metal band that doesn’t get the attention they deserve. Much of the reason being their initial career was relatively short lived. They have been a huge influence on a ton of bands and are far more technical of a band than they are given credit for. They released their first two albums in 1983, and 1984 with the line up consisting of vocalist King Diamond, Hank Shermann and Michael Denner on guitars, Timi Hanson on bass, and Kim Ruzz on drums.
Primarily Writing in the band has been done by Shermann, King Diamond, and Denner. After the first two albums, the band split but reformed in the early 90’s releasing albums through out the 90’s. During that time the band saw some line up changes with only King Diamond and Hank as core members. With the exception of two songs, one by Bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, and another by Guitarist Mike Wead, all other songs were written by King, Shermann, or Denner. Denner was no longer with the band after the fourth album. The influences here will only be that of King Diamond, Shermann, and Denner.

Jimi Hendrix is one of the most influential and revolutionary guitar players. Hank named him as one of his favorite lead players.

Ollie Halsall

Deep Purple are an important and influential hard rock and early heavy metal band. King Diamond named Ian Gillian as an influence. Hank named Ritchie Blackmore as one of his favorite lead players. Michael also named Deep Purple.

Ritchie Blackmore

Led Zeppelin are one of the most influential hard rock bands of all time. King Diamond named Robert Plant as an influence. Michael named Led Zeppelin.

Alice Cooper is often known as the original shock rocker. King Diamond named him as an influence.

Genesis were a influential progressive rock band and later hit more mainstream fame with poppy synth rock stuff. King Diamond named them as an influence both musically but also theatrically.

Black Sabbath are the Fathers of Heavy Metal. Hank named them as an influence and *Sabotage,* and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as favorite albums. King Diamond named Ozzy as an influence. Michael also named Sabbath.

Uriah Heep are influential progressive rockers and metal dabblers. King Diamond name then and singer David Byron as an influence with Byron being his favorite singer. Michael also named them as an influence.

Trapeze were a 70’s hard rock band. Michael named them as an influence.

UFO are an influential Hard Rock band. Hank named Michael Schenker and them as an influence, and named Schenker as one of his favorite lead players. Michael also names Schenker.

Sweet were hard glam rock band. Hank named their stuff between 1973-76 as an early influence, and *Fanny Adams* as a favorite album.

Three Man Army were a hard rock band of the early 70’s. Michael named them as an influence.

Scorpions were one of the earliest adopters of heavy metal. Hank named them and Uli Roth as an early influence, and *Virgin Killer* as a favorite album. He named Uli as one of his favorite lead players, and Michael also named him as an influence.

Captain Beyond was a progressive rock supergroup, however their first album I would classify primarily as Progressive Traditional Heavy Metal. Similar to several other early 70’s progressive rock bands they played with the new heavy metal sound, and even more so than some of their peers. Hank and named their first album as a favorite and the influence. Michael also named them as an influence.

Aerosmith are one of the most classic of Hard Rock bands. Hank named *Rocks* as a favorite album.

Judas Priest are one of the most important heavy metal bands. Hank named their 70’s albums as an early influence and Stain Class, Sin After Sin, and Sad Wings of Destiny as favorite albums. He named Glen Tipton as one of his favorite composers. Michael said he is a huge fan.

Yngwie Malmsteen is known as a virtuoso guitarist in the neo-classical style. Hank said he was impressed when Yngwie first came out.

Van Halen with Eddie on guitar was a new revolution to guitar playing. Hank said he liked his playing on their first album.

Ozzy had an influential career even after already being part of Black Sabbath. King Diamond named him as an influence.

Hank names a favorite band/album that I can not identify, “Warning/2 (The Red Album)”

Hank was previously in a punk band, Brats.

King Diamond in one interview talks about how great Dio’s vocals were, but didn’t directly name him as an influence, perhaps he is though. When talking about his makeup King said he was influenced by Peter Gabriel and Alice Cooper. King talking about concerts he saw when he was young named Sex Pistols back then, the Runaways, Thin Lizzy, Grand Funk Railroad, The Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Geordie, and Budgie. I’m not clear if he meant these as influences, but lean toward he was just reminiscing.

Michael said that Hank picked up guitar influenced by Ace Frehley of Kiss.

Some of Michael’s influences are lacking an original source that is till online. These influences include Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker, and Ollie Halsall. The original sources seem to be from old Mercyful Fate and Denner/Sherman websites that are no longer active, but I believe these second hand sources to be reliable as the same list has been identically copied in multiple places and other indirect comments give evidence of the list.

Bands influenced by Mercyful Fate!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Bay Area Thrash Legends

Thrash Kings

Sources:

https://hankshermann.com/bio/
https://loudwire.com/hank-shermann-early-mercyful-fate-reunion-hopes-guitar-influences/
https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165043/http://www.tartareandesire.com/interviews/kingdiamond.html
https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-diamond-is-honoured-to-have-inspired-metallica
https://www.kerrang.com/king-diamond-if-there-is-a-hell-and-i-go-there-who-cares-ive-already-faced-it
https://steelforbrains.tumblr.com/post/98725284842/king-diamond
https://www.bardomethodology.com/articles/2020/04/15/michael-denner-king-diamond-mercyful-fate-interview/
https://www.saitenkult.de/2019/09/26/michael-denner/
https://www.johndenner.com/michael-denner/

Twisted Sister Family Tree

August 04, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Twisted Sister despite their looks were has heavy metal as any. They predate the glam metal bands that followed in the later 80’s. In fact they originate from the early 70’s with guitarist Jay Jay French being the only original member. The core line up of the band would trickle in with guitarist Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, singer Dee Snider, bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, and lastly A. J. Pero. With the exception of one album that Pero didn’t play on, all studio albums maintained that line up. Writing credits however are consistently Dee Snider as the sole writer. With that being the case, this family tree will be focusing on the influences named by him.

Paul Revere and the Raiders started as an instrumental rock band in the early 60’s before following the the pop/rock format of the British invasion. Dee named them as an early influence.

The Rolling Stones were the grittier sounding alternative the more poppy Beatles. Dee named them as an early influence.

The Monkees were a pop rock band put to gather for TV. Dee named them as an early influence.

Grand Funk Railroad were an influential American hard rock band. Dee named them as an influence.

Led Zeppelin are one of the biggest and most influential bands. Dee named them as an influence.

Alice Cooper is one of the original shock rockers. Dee named him as his biggest influence.

Slade were a hard glam rock band. Dee named them as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. Dee named them as an influence.

Judas Priest are one of the most quintessential heavy metal bands. Dee named them as an influence.

AC/DC are no doubt the quintessential hard rock band. Dee named them as an influence.

Dee sung in the church choir till he was 19.

According to Dee, the earlier line ups come from a more glam rock root with influences from David Bowie. The more heavy metal influence was brought to the band by him.

Bands influenced by Twisted Sister!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Sources:

https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/10-questions-with-dee-snider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkSf1LjQauo
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/twisted-sisters-dee-snider-on-the-connection-between-rock-and-politics

Yngwie Malmsteen Family Tree

July 28, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Yngwie Malmsteen is on of the most influential guitar virtuosos. Although he is not the first rock or metal guitarist to bring a classical influence to the genre, he is certainly the first wholly embrace it and can be seen as the primary person behind neo-classical metal and shred. He had a brief time in Steeler and Alcatraz before going solo. His solo career has had tons of musicians fill out his band, but 99.9% of everything has been written by him.

Antonio Vivaldi

Johann Sebastian Bach

Niccolò Paganini

Ludwig van Beethoven

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Carl Orff

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers was a blues / blues rock band. Yngwie said as a kid John Mayall and the Blues Breaker’s style, with Eric Clapton, was one of the first things he was playing. How ever he said that they are not a main influence despite them being one of the first things he was playing on guitar. — John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers was a blues / blues rock band. **Yngwie** said as a kid John Mayall and the Blues Breaker’s style, with Eric Clapton, was one of the first things he was playing. How ever he said that they are not a main influence despite them being one of the first things he was playing on guitar.

Deep Purple are a important hard rock and early heavy metal band. Yngwie has said he is only influenced by classical players, but counter to that has mentioned he is a big fan of Deep Purple and Ritchie Blackmore. They are one of the earliest band… — Deep Purple are a important hard rock and early heavy metal band. Yngwie has said he is only influenced by classical players, but counter to that has mentioned he is a big fan of Deep Purple and Ritchie Blackmore. They are one of the earliest bands that had a impact on him and the reason he loves using double bass drumming in his songs.

Genesis were an influential progressive rock band. He said he first heard classical stylings in rock from Genesis’s Selling England For The Pound. This lead him to diving deep into classical and baroque music which became is primary influences. — Genesis were an influential progressive rock band. He said he first heard classical stylings in rock from Genesis’s *Selling England For The Pound*. This lead him to diving deep into classical and baroque music which became is primary influences.

Yngwie said he was inspired to play guitar after seeing about Jimi Hendrix’s death on TV, but not musically. Despite saying that he’s done covers of Hendrix several times. He says he’s a pure classical fan and dislikes jazz, although at a different time he said he had jazz influences as a young kid.

On other guitar player, Yngwie says there are good players, but his influences come from classical. He said Ritchie Blackmore is very good. He’s a big fan of Angus Young and AC/DC, and named them as one of his favorite bands. He said he was impressed by Queen as a kid. Despite him saying he’s not a fan of jazz he said he was blown away by Allan Holdsworth. He named UK’s self titled album with Allan as an album that had an impact on him. He also is a big fan of Van Halen. He said he is also a Beatles fan although he would never put chords together the way they have.

Bands influenced by Yngwie Malmsteen!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Known as one of the fastest and aggressive early thrash bands.

Later members of Dio would name Yngwie as an influence.

Easily the most important for symphonic metal

Sources:

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/yngwie-malmsteen-discusses-his-roots-his-rep-and-his-latest-album-1986-guitar-world-interview
https://www.musicradar.com/news/yngwie-malmsteen-the-10-guitarists-who-impressed-me-most
https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/yngwie-malmsteen-dishes-on-how-he-went-back-to-his-roots-on-blue-lightning
https://guitar.com/features/interviews/yngwie-malmsteen-has-finally-embraced-the-blues/
https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/yngwie-malmsteen-the-music-that-changed-my-life
https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/musicians/yngwie-malmsteen-interview-guitar-virtuoso-talks-parabellum-sets-record-straight-on-alcatrazz-departure

Accept Family Tree

February 02, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

Metal Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Accept are one of the most important German heavy metal bands. When the NWOBHM spring up, Accept was representing the same generation of metal heads in Germany. At the heart of the band has always been guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and except for the most recent of years bassist Peter Baltes. The classic lineup also consisted of vocalist Udo Dirkschneider and drummer Stefan Kaufmann who replaced Frank Friedrich who played on the first album. Rhythm guitarists during that time were Jörg Fischer who appeared on most albums and Herman Frank who played on a couple albums. Eat The Heart featured vocalist David Reece. The modern line up of Accept is fronted by vocalist, Mark Tornillo. It also features a new guitarist and drummer but there are no writing credits that indicate they have contributed.

Buddy Rich

The Rolling Stones are among the most influential and well known rock bands to come out of the 60’s. Udo named them as an influence.

Jimi Hendrix is legend, inspiring a generation of music and beyond. Udo named him as an influence.

Deep Purple are a very influential hard rock / early heavy metal band. Wolf named Ritchie Blackmore as probably his biggest influence. Udo, Stefan, and Peter also named Deep Purple as an influence.

Led Zeppelin may easily be the most influential hard rock band. Stefan named them as an influence.

Uriah Heep were an influential progressive rock band who dabbled in early heavy metal. Udo named them as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of heavy metal. Udo named them as an influence.

Sweet were a hard rock / glam rock band. Udo named them as an influence. Stefan named Sweet and Mick Tucker as an influence.

Scorpions are the original German metal / hard rock band. Wolf named Uli Jon Roth as a big influence.

Judas Priest are probably the most quintessential heavy metal band. Wolf said both Glenn and KK have been a huge influence on him. Peter also named them as an influence on the band. Stefan said he was a fan.

Rainbow brought Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio together for something amazing. Ritchie is one of Wolf’s biggest influences. Stefan also named Rainbow and Cozy Powell as an influence.

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. Wolf named Angus Young as a big influence. Peter also said they were an influence.

Wolf said he is a big fan of blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa and classical.

Wolf’s wife contributed to lyrics at times, she is credited as Deaffy.

I was un able to find the influences of Jörg Fischer who was on second guitar and wrote on most of the 80’s albums.

Frank Friedrich only drummed on the first album. I’m unsure of his influences.

Herman Frank is given credit for writing on Balls to the Wall and one co-writing credit on Blood of the Nations. He said he was not allowed to write in Accept. I’m not clear on his influence but he has mentioned Ritchie Blackmore and Gary Moore. He mentions Deep Purple and Iron Maiden being favorites of his.

David Reece was the vocalist for Eat the Heart. Although the entire band is given credit for writing, He said he didn’t write any vocal melodies. I’m unsure of his influences.

Mark was a fan of Accept as far back as the early days. In his former band TT Quick, they covered Accept songs. He played classical piano and tuba as a kid. He plays guitar, bass, drums, but always says he ends up singing in every band he’s in. I’m not sure of his influences.

Bands influenced by Accept!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Sources:

https://www.loudersound.com/features/accepts-wolf-hoffman-my-5-favourite-guitarists
https://metalshockfinland.com/2014/06/03/wolf-hoffmann-ive-always-been-a-huge-fan-of-ritchie-blackmore/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymtUpsLpoq8&feature=emb_logo
https://bravewords.com/news/u-d-o-s-udo-dirkschneider-talks-new-album-influences-and-more-audio-interview-streaming
https://myglobalmind.com/2015/06/26/interview-with-accept-bassist-and-back-vocalist-peter-baltes/
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-with-stefan-kaufmann.html
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/guitarist-herman-frank-says-its-a-shame-he-wasnt-allowed-to-write-any-music-for-accept/
https://myglobalmind.com/2017/09/20/love-guitarist-iron-maiden-herman-franks-career-aspirations/
https://www.metal-rules.com/2019/04/14/david-reece/
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mark-tornillo-says-he-was-extremely-nervous-replacing-udo-dirkschneider-in-accept/
https://rotrradio.rocks/%23rotrarmy-blog%2Freviews/f/the-rise-of-accepts-mark-tornillo

Diamond Head Family Tree

November 30, 2020 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

Metal Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Diamond Head are a new wave of British heavy metal band. At the heart of the band has always been guitarist and primary song writer Brian Tatler. Original vocalist/guitarist Sean Harris and his replacement vocalist Nick Tart have both wrote collaboratively with Brian. In more recent years writing has been more collaborative with drummer Karl Wilcox also contributing to the writing process.

Pink Floyd may be the most influential and well known progressive rock band. Brian named Dark Side of the Moon as his second favorite album and said he learned the entire thing. — Pink Floyd may be the most influential and well known progressive rock band. Brian named *Dark Side of the Moon* as his second favorite album and said he learned the entire thing.

Deep Purple were a very influential hard rock / early heavy metal band. Brian named Ritchie as a big influence and the reason he wanted to play lead. Sean and Karl also named them as an influence.

Led Zeppelin are among the first and most imporant hard rock bands. Brian named them as his favorite band. Led Zeppelin II was the first album he got and it had a big impact on him. He named Physical Graffiti as his favorite album and “Kashmir” a… — Led Zeppelin are among the first and most imporant hard rock bands. Brian named them as his favorite band. *Led Zeppelin II* was the first album he got and it had a big impact on him. He named *Physical Graffiti* as his favorite album and “Kashmir” as his favorite song. Sean and Karl also named them as an influence.

Genesis are an influential progressive rock band. Brian was a fan and said they were influential on the NWOBHM scene.

Free are another influential progressive rock band. Brain also said they were an influence on the NWOBHM scene. Sean also named them as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. Brian named them as a big influence on Diamond Head. Sean and Karl also named them.

Gentle Giant were a progressive rock band. Brian has listed them as one of his influences.

UFO are a very influential hard rock band. Brain said they were influential on the NWOBHM scene. Karl also named them as an influence.

Thin Lizzy are a very influential rock / hard rock band known for their guitar harmonies. Brian said they was influential on the NWOBHM scene.

Queen are a widely popular rock band. Brian said they were an influence on the NWOBHM scene.

Judas Priest are possibly the most quintessential heavy metal band. Brian named them as a big influence. He said that they would occasionally try to write songs with the dynamics of “Victim of Changes” and said his favorite riff was from “Island of Domination”. Sean also named them.

Rush are one of the most influential progressive hard rock bands. Brian is a big fan and said they always strived to get Geddy’s bass sound in Diamond Head.

Rainbow combined the legendary Ritchie Blackmore with Ronnie James Dio. Brian didn’t directly name them as an influence but did name Ritchie and also motioned being a big fan of epic songs like “Stargazer”

AC/DC are probably the most quintessential hard rock band. Brian is a huge fan and particularly notes the energy they have. Karl named them as an influence.

Van Halen had a huge impact on the world of guitar with Eddie being revolutionary on the instrument. Brain named them as an influence saying that Eddie set a new bar for lead guitar players.

Brian says he wasn’t inspired to play punk music, but was inspired by punk bans in the sense that he didn’t have to be the greatest guitar player to just get out there and play. He said he liked bands like The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Adverts, and the Ramones. He says some progressive rock bands can be pretentious but mentions being a fan of Genesis.

Original drummer Duncan Scott was on the first three albums and only has one co-writing credit that is on an album after he was no longer in the band. I didn’t find his influences.

Nick Wilcox joined as drummer in 1991. He shares in writing credits on many songs since that time . He played trumpet when he was young. His early drum influences were jazz drummers like Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and his dad who was a big band drummer, as well as glam band Slade. He also mentions Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, Keith Moon, Terry Bozzio, and Neil Peart.

Nick was on vocals for two albums and contributed to writing but I’m unsure of his influences.

Bands influenced by Diamond Head!

As this project advances, bands will be added here!

Sources:

https://www.loudersound.com/features/diamond-heads-brian-tatler-10-records-that-changed-my-life
https://search.blabbermouth.net/news/brian-tatler-doesnt-know-why-original-diamond-head-singer-sean-harris-hasnt-released-any-new-music-in-nearly-30-years/
https://yourlastrites.com/2016/05/09/are-we-evil-yes-please-interview-with-brian-tatler-of-diamond-head/
http://www.noizzeater.net/int/diamond-head-interview-brian-tatler-2017.php
https://www.diamondheadofficial.com/copy-of-profile-rasmus
https://www.ballbustermusic.com/2002/06/05/ready-to-strike-interview-with-diamond-head-vocalist-sean-harris/
http://musipediaofmetal.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-spotlight-interview-with-karl.html
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/02/nwobhm-wednesday-interview-with-diamon_20.html

Armored Saint Family Tree

October 25, 2020 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

Metal Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Armored Saint were playing heavy metal in a time when most bands were either playing thrash or glam. There were some still delivering a more traditional style and among them Armored Saint must be mentioned. The classic line up for the first three albums consisted of Joh Bush on vocals, guitarists Dave Prichard and Phil Sandoval, bassists Joey Vera, and drummer Gonzo Sandoval. The only line up change in Armored Saint was after the death of Dave in 1990 who’s positions was filled by Jeff Duncan. Phil was not with the band for the second and third albums but was there for all others. All members have contributed to writing over the years.

Louie Bellson was a big band / swing drummer. Gonzo named him as an inspiration.

Buddy Rich

Marvin Gaye

Four Tops

Stevie Wonder

Led Zeppelin are probably the most important hard rock band and inspired nearly everything after them and even bands who had formed before them. John names Robert Plant as an influence and Zeppelin as his favorite band. Phil said they are the main b… — Led Zeppelin are probably the most important hard rock band and inspired nearly everything after them and even bands who had formed before them. John names Robert Plant as an influence and Zeppelin as his favorite band. Phil said they are the main band he was into when he was young and Jimmy Page was his first big influence. Joey named John Paul Jones as an influence. Gonzo named Bonham as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. John named Ozzy as an influence loving his bluesy sound in the early days. He also names Dio as an influence. Phil also named Black Sabbath as an influence. Jeff said Tony Iommi was the first big influence on … — Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. John named Ozzy as an influence loving his bluesy sound in the early days. He also names Dio as an influence. Phil also named Black Sabbath as an influence. Jeff said Tony Iommi was the first big influence on him. Joey named Geezer as an influence.

UFO was a hugely influential band with Michael Schenker on guitar. John said they helped inspire some of the more ballady songs. Phil and Jeff named Schenker as an influence.

Thin Lizzy were an influential rock / hard rock band known for their harmonies. John names Phil Lynnot as a influence.

Earth, Wind & Fire wrote in the style of multiple popular genres. John named them as the greatest R&B band and named singers Maurice White & Phillip Bailey as influences. He said they had a big impact on him as a kid. Joey also named Ve… — Earth, Wind & Fire wrote in the style of multiple popular genres. John named them as the greatest R&B band and named singers Maurice White & Phillip Bailey as influences. He said they had a big impact on him as a kid. Joey also named Verdine White as an influence.

Aerosmith are a huge American blues based hard rock band. John names Steven Tyler as one of his biggest influences, which should be a surprise given how much he sounds like him.

Queen need no introduction being one of the biggest and most diverse rock bands. John named Freddie Mercury as an influence. Joey named John Deacon as a an influence.

Chaka Khan

Steve Gadd

Jeff Poccaro

Judas Priest are the metal gods. John named Halford as an influence. Phil said that Judas Priest was a huge influence on Armored Saint.

Gary Moore was a blues player. Jeff named him as an influence.

Jaco Pastorius was an influential bassist who has played with a number of bands and solo, maybe best known for Weather Report. Joey named him as an influence.

Rush are an important progressive hard rock band. Gonzo named Niel Peart as a favorite.

Blackfoot was a hard / southern rock band. John names Rickey Medlocke as an influence and names Marauder as one of his favorite rock albums. — Blackfoot was a hard / southern rock band. John names Rickey Medlocke as an influence and names *Marauder* as one of his favorite rock albums.

Steve Smith

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. John names Bon Scott as his biggest influence. Gonzo named Phil Rudd as an influence.

Al Di Meola

Y&T ore Yesterday and Today as they were known in their early days were a hard rock / glam/ heavy metal band. Phil said they played local clubs and were an influence on them.

Simmon Phillips

Randy Rhoads

Van Halen are a hard rock band that had one of the biggest influences when they came out. Phil and Jeff named Eddie as a big influence.

The biggest of the NWOBHM scene and one of the most influential bands of all time. Phil named them as an influence.

U2 were a post punk rock band. John names Bono as an influence despite his political insertions. He says that Joshua Tree is one of the best rock albums. — U2 were a post punk rock band. John names Bono as an influence despite his political insertions. He says that *Joshua Tree* is one of the best rock albums.

Louis Johnson

David Weckl

Ronnie James Dio was an icon and legend in Rainbow and Black Sabbath before starting his band Dio. John names him as an influence.

Jake E. Lee

Ratt were a heavy metal / Glam band. Jeff named guitarist Warren DeMartini as an influence.

Faith No More have a diverse sound but are often considered an early alternative metal band. John named Mike Patton as an influence.

Soundgarden were pioneers of grunge. John names Chris Cornell as an influence.

Radiohead were an English alt rock band. John is a big fan of singer Thom Yorke.

On John’s list of 20 biggest influences he names James Hetfield but calls him a peer and also says he put him on the list because James had put him on a list and he was returning the favor.

Dave was the main guitarist for the first three albums before his death from leukemia. I unfortunately have not been able to find his influences.

Bands influenced by Armored Saint!

As this project advances, bands will be added here.

More Family Trees

We have Merch

Sources:

https://www.ranker.com/list/john-bush-of-anthrax-and-armored-saint_s-top-20-vocal-influences/celebrity-lists
http://vitriolinc.com/interview-with-phil-sandoval-armored-saint-09-18-2017/
https://allthatshreds.com/jeff-duncan-keeping-busy-armored-saint-upcoming-dc4-album/
http://fateswarning.com/2017/10/21/interview-with-joey-vera-by-bass-my-fever-10-21-2017/
https://alternative-zine.com/interviews/en/128

Motorhead Family Tree

October 11, 2020 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

Metal Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Motörhead brought forth a raw sound and speed that changed the musical world. Lemmy very often rejected the metal label and said they were a hard rock or rock ‘n’ roll band. Either way, metal music wouldn’t be the same today with out the huge impact that Motörhead had on the next generation of musicians. The classic Motörhead line up was made up of Lemmy, guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. Brian "Robbo" Robertson would be on guitar for one album. Phil "Zööm/Wizzö" Campbell and Michael "Würzel" Burston would be on guitar during the time Motörhead had two guitar players and then Campbell would be the sole guitar player after Würzel was no longer in the band. Drummer Pete Gill would be in the band for a short time before Mikkey Dee who would continue on for the rest of the time. All these members of Motorhead shared in writing credits.

Motörhead can be seen as a multi-generation band with the later line ups consisting of younger musicians with newer influences. Because of this, influences will be separated by phases

Phase One

Phase One consists of the influences of the original core line up with Eddie on guitar and ends in 1982 with the first significant line up change. Influences shared between earlier and later members will still be noted here.

Little Richard is one of the original rock ‘n’ roll icons. Lemmy has mentioned him in numerous interviews. He often talks about hearing Little Richard around 11 or 12 and it really having a big impact on him.

Buddy Rich

Eddie Cochran

Chuck Berry

The Everly Brothers where a rock ‘n’ roll and country duo. Lemmy named them as an influence.

The Yardbirds at different times featured Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Eddie named them as an influence with Clapton and said it was the first time he was drawn to lead guitar.

The Who were one of the first real Hard Rock bands and John Entwistle was a big influence on Lemmy. Phil Taylor was a fan of Keith Moon.

Joe Walsh

MC5 are some of the first hard rockers. Lemmy said he basically wanted to be MC5 when starting Motorhead.

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton on guitar was named as an influence by Eddie.

Jimi Hendrix has been on of the most influential guitar players. Eddie said he was more of a Clapton guy but was also influenced by Hendrix. Campbell said Hendrix was the reason he wanted to play guitar. Phil Taylor was a fan of Mitch Mitchell. (O… — Jimi Hendrix has been on of the most influential guitar players. Eddie said he was more of a Clapton guy but was also influenced by Hendrix. Campbell said Hendrix was the reason he wanted to play guitar. Phil Taylor was a fan of Mitch Mitchell. (On a side note, when Lemmy was a roadie for Jimi he was told by him he’d never be good at guitar.)

Heavy and psychedelic, Cream was another influential band featuring Eric Clapton. Once again, an influence on Eddie.

Jeff Beck has been a big influence to many guitar players. Eddie said he was a big fan of the Truth album. — Jeff Beck has been a big influence to many guitar players. Eddie said he was a big fan of the *Truth* album.

Deep Purple were hugely influential for many bands. Eddie named them as an influence. Phil Taylor named Ian Paice as one of his favorite drummers. Mikkey Dee also named him as his favorite.

Originally featuring Peter Frampton on guitar, Eddie was a fan of the band and Peter.

Santana, as in Carlos Santana, were a Latin, jazz, psychedelic rock band. Eddie was a fan of the first two albums.

Led Zeppelin are one of the most influential bands. Phil Taylor named Bonham as an influence. Campbell named Jimmy Page as an influence.

Wishbone Ash were a progressive rock band. Phil Taylor said he use to like drummer Steve Upton.

The Police were sorta part of the new wave punk movement. Phil Taylor is a big fan of them and drummer Stewart Copeland.

Phase Two and Beyond

This Phase begins after Eddie Clark is replaced and covers influences from newer members that are not shared with older members.

B. B. King is an important blues guitarist. Brian named him as a guitarist he admires.

Todd Rundgren

Rory Gallagher was a blues rock player. Würzel was said to be a huge fan.

Black Sabbath, the fathers of heavy metal were named as an influence by Campbell and Mikkey Dee.

Focus were a progressive rock band. Campbell named Jan Akkerman of Focus as an influence.

UFO, rock/hard rock/ even a few metal songs, with Michael Schenker on guitar they was a very influential band. Campbell named UFO/Schenker as an influence.

ZZ Top are an important blues rock band. Brian said he was a fan after discovering them.

Thin Lizzy were a very influential rock/hard rock band known for their guitar harmonies. Mikkey Dee named drummer Brian Downey as an influence.

Rush were a hugely influential progressive hard rock. Mikkey Dee named Neil Peart as an influence.

Rainbow was legendary with Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio. Mikkey Dee named them as an influence.

Journey were a huge arena rock band. Mikkey Dee named one time drummer Steve Smith as an influence

Blue Oyster Cult were named as an influence by Mikkey Dee.

Lemmy has said he most often writes songs on acoustic guitar and only occasionally writes on bass. He originally played guitar but switched to bass for the first time when the bassist didn’t show up for a Hawkwind gig. Phil Taylor said Motorhead doesn’t have a bass player, that Lemmy is a guitar player playing bass.

Lemmy mentions Duane Eddy was an influence in his sound but not his playing.

Larry Wallis was the original guitar player with Motorhead but never recorded with them. He does have one writing credit on the first album though.

Phil Taylor started playing drums when his dad told him to in order to keep him out of trouble. He first took lessons learning only on the snare drum from an old WWI military drummer. He says he dad was into jazz so he heard drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich and a few other jazz drummers, but didn’t really consider that his thing. He names Bernard Purdie as an influence saying he was a session player who did a lot of Mowtown records. Purdie was a session player but not for Mowtown that I’m aware of.

Another Perfect Day had Brian Robertson co-writing and playing guitar. Brian Robertson first began as a classically trained pianist for eight years before picking up guitar. He says he’s not a fan of flashy players like Hendrix. He mentions being a fan of ZZ Top, after discovering on tour in through Texas. He said he admires guys like B. B. King. I have seen other blues guitarists as his influences, but have not been able to corroborate them. (sources for Brian are noted in the Thin Lizzy Family Tree)

Phil Campbell was the member in Motorhead the longest other than Lemmy, from 1984 onward. In his down time some other music he listens to includes: Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Madonna, Focus, Satriani, Vai. He mentions being honored to be named as one of Lemmy’s favorite guitar players along side Hendrix and Beck.

Michael "Würzel" Burston played along side Phil Campbell from 1983-1995 marking the period that Motorhead had two guitar players. I couldn’t find any interviews with him but according to a member of another band he was in, Wurzel was a huge Rory Gallagher fan.

Former Saxon drummer, Pete Gill drummed with Motorhead from 1984-1987. He said he grew up listening to The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. In an interview he said he got a kick out of playing military and Latin style drums. I haven’t been able to find much on any influence for him.

Mikkey Dee (formerly of King Diamond) joined Motorhead in 1992 and was there till the end. He said his biggest inspiration for drumming came from his Uncle and cousins who were drummers and played in several Swedish bands.

Bands influenced by Motörhead!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

German Thrash and first wave black metal.

Taking Black Metal in a progressive direction.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rnZriMDlx4
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/lemmy-the-final-interview-i-was-born-to-play-the-bass
https://myglobalmind.com/2016/12/27/rock-vault-lemmy-kilmister-motorhead-will-never-give/
http://bravewords.com/news/motorheads-lemmy-kilmister-talks-little-richard-hawkwind-being-best-worst-band-in-the-world
https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/fast-eddie-clarke-reveals-10-albums-changed-life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgbHv-VQkTs
http://www.metalliville.co.uk/bankup/INTERVIEWS%20Folder/Phil%20Taylor.htm
https://www.vintageguitar.com/2919/philip-campbell/
http://www.mf-b.ru/articles/m_press14-eng.htm
http://getreadytorock.me.uk/blog/2018/09/interview-tim-atkinson-leader-of-down/
http://www.perun.hr/pete-gill-motorhead-it-was-guitarist-phil-campbell-who-got-me-into-motorhead
https://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/WeAreMotorhead.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfClM8Qzu7s

Raven Family Tree

September 24, 2020 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

Metal Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Let people know you listen to the lesser known bands and proclaim your elitism proudly.

Raven comes out of the NWOBHM movement. Formed by brothers bassists/vocalist John and guitarist/backing vocals Mark Gallagher, they are the heart of Raven. Since their first album Drummers have been fairly consistent as well with the band only having three: Rob Hunter (80’s), Joe Hasselvander (87-2017), and currently Mike Heller since 2017. Raven has been a three piece since their first album although they did have a two guitar line up with two different guitar players early on. They also went through a few drummers prior to their first album as well. The writing has always been done by the three members at that time.

David Bowie is the original glam rocker. John named him as one of their influences they watched on TV.

Ronnie Lane

The Who at times had a harder sound then many of the rock bands of the 60’s. John named John Entwistle as an influence.

T.Rex were glam rockers. John named them as an influence.

Deep Purple were a hugely influential band. John named them along with bassist Roger Glover as an influence as well as singers Ian Gillan, and Glenn Hughes. John said that Ritchie was one of Mark’s early influences.

Status Quo were a hard rock / rock n roll band. John named them as one of the main reasons he wanted to start Raven. He said that they were one of Mark’s big influences for rhythm.

Slade were a rock/hard rock band with a lot of rock ‘n’ roll still in them. John said they were the band that really got him obsessed with music and named Jimmy Lea as his main influence.

Mott the Hoople was a glam rock band and one named by John as a band they watched on TV.

Led Zeppelin are easily one of the most influential bands. John named them and bassist John Paul Jones as a big influence.

Rory Gallagher was a blues rock player. John named him as an influence.

Free were a progressive rock band. John named bassist Andy Fraser and singer Paul Rodgers as an influence.

Yes were another influential progressive rock band. John named them and bassist Chris Squire as an influence.

Genesis were a progressive rock band that later became more poppy. John named them as an influence.

King Chrimson were an important Progressive Rock band. John named bassist John Wetton as an influence.

Emerson Lake & Palmer were a progressive rock band. John named them as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of heavy metal and named as a influence by John

Budgie although often considered a early heavy metal band were really more of a hard rock band who did some heavy metal songs. John named bassist Burke Shelly as an influence.

Nazareth were an Scottish Hard Rock band. John named them as an influence.

Uriah Heep were hard/progressive rock with some borderline heavy metal songs. John named bassists Gary Thain, Trevor Bolder, and John Wetton as an influence and Uriah Heep as one of his favorite bands. He also named singer David Byron as an influen… — Uriah Heep were hard/progressive rock with some borderline heavy metal songs. John named bassists Gary Thain, Trevor Bolder, and John Wetton as an influence and Uriah Heep as one of his favorite bands. He also named singer David Byron as an influence.

Gary Glitter was a glam rock / pop star and later a convicted pedo. John named him as one of the glam influences from TV.

Mud were a pop / glam rock band. John named them as an influence.

Rush was a band full of incredible musicians as most progressive bands are. John named Geddy as an influence.

Bad Company was a rock band with Paul Rodgers singing. John named them and Paul as an influence.

Jaco Pastorius is jazz fusion bassist with Weather Report being one of the most notable bands he was with. John named him as an influence.

The Metal Gods, Judas Priest. John named Halford as a vocal influence.

The Pat Travers band was a hard/blues rock band. John named them as an influence.

Jeff Berlin

Cheap Trick were a hard rock / power pop band. John named them and bassist Tom Petersson as an influence.

Pino Palladino

John said their first influences came from the glam rock that they saw on TV.

At the time the NWOBHM was taking off, Punk was the big thing. John said most of it was crap.

Rob "Wacko" Hunter played drums on the first 6 albums but I haven’t been able to find his influences.

Joe Hasselvander was the drummer of the following seven albums but I haven’t been able to find his influences.

Bands influenced by Raven!

As this project advances, bands will be added here.

Sources:

http://bravewords.com/news/raven-john-gallaghers-top-9-musical-influences-detailed
https://130db.nl/raven-interview-with-john-gallagher/
https://bassmyfever.weebly.com/interview-with-john-gallagher-from-raven.html
http://kkdowning.net/steelmill/Interviews/raven-steel-mill-interview/
http://www.truemetalfan.org/raven.htm
https://garyalikivi.com/2017/05/03/staring-into-the-fire/

Iron Maiden Family Tree

May 26, 2020 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

One of the most influential bands in all metal, let’s take a look at their influences.