@admitsWrongIfProven
From that era, some Judas Priest maybe… I do like early Tiamat, I like heavier prog stuff: third incarnation of King Crimson (circa 2000s), Tool and all that, I do like stoner, sludge… Neurosis — again, that would be post- probably.
But I won't call myself a metalhead per se, I like some heavier stuff in my "diet", but I like it diverse — not limiting myself to it.
@admitsWrongIfProven
This is one of the bands that I enjoy immensely for the past 2-3 years: https://elephanttreeband.bandcamp.com/album/elephant-tree
They have lots of classic heavier rock vibes, but sound modern at the same time.
Again, probably no the stuff "proper" metalhead would enjoy, but these guys are cool too: https://re-stoned.bandcamp.com/album/orange-session
I've had a couple of records of theirs, but I was still very much surprised to learn that they are in fact a Russian band — I have to see them live, I think they are amazing!
@admitsWrongIfProven
I mean, yeah… I enjoy heavy guitars — who doesn't, right? But I like it with a little bit of psychedelia and "progginess" thrown in. Speaking of Tiamat: Clouds is an amazing album, but Edlund's experimentations took it even further, Wildhoney is top-notch stuff. His later output is so-so though.