538. Montrose

As one of the few American bands who stood up to the emerging Heavy Metal scene from England, The California based group Montrose was another on this list whose influence certainly outweighed their success. Unfortunately, as soon as Montrose tasted any kind of real stardom, they imploded before they could reach a bigger audience. Despite their short run, Montrose proved to be a vital cog in the American Heavy Metal explosion that was about to arrive.