Judas Priest itself, with Rob Halfod (middle), and K.K. Downing (left (not far left)).
If there were any particular groups, artists, or any musicians that inspired to get involved with a entire genre filled with ravaging riffs, blazing basses, terrific drum-work and a vocalist that will scream his ever-living nads off, it would perhaps be the band that got me into the Metal genre to begin with, who re known as the legendary Judas Priest. The band has been known for cranking out classic albums like Screaming for Vengeance, Defenders of the Faith, underrated gems like the power metal concept album Nostradamus, and perhaps my favorite album of all time, Painkiller. The reason why I love their music so much is because of how truly phenomenal and fantastic their music is. You have Scott Travis on drums, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton at guitars, and the majestic metal god himself, Rob Halford, the main frontman of the band. This was a band that not only got my into the band, but got into an entire genre and made me get involved with other bands like Accept, Dokken, Motorhead, Eclipse and other bands of the genre. Without Judas Priest, I would be missing out on a whole lot of good music that happened back then. Thank the metal gods indeed!