Rock/Metal Bands that are HUGE everywhere but the U.S.?

Saxon tops that list, imo. Some others would be Tigertailz, Mama's Boys, and to a lesser extent W.A.S.P. [still topping Fest bills in Europe]. Loudness also come to mind.

Girlschool

Tons of Canadian bands like Goddo, Trooper, Moxy, April Wine...

Manowar are American, but are way bigger in Europe and Asia than they are in their own country.

Grave Digger

If Tigertailz are huge everywhere but the U.S the U.K must be part of the U.S!! 

Oasis were definitely one that springs to mind, I don't think that the Sex Pistols really took off in the U.S when they were together the first time.

Boris2008 wrote:

Oasis were definitely one that springs to mind,

Didn't Britpop in general not do particularly well in the US? I don't know how well those bands did in other countries, but quite a few were popular in South Africa.

Boris2008 wrote:

If Tigertailz are huge everywhere but the U.S the U.K must be part of the U.S!! 

The World must be USA then.
Also, Mama's Boys are/were big?

TheGreatDuck wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

If Tigertailz are huge everywhere but the U.S the U.K must be part of the U.S!! 

The World must be USA then.
Also, Mama's Boys are/were big?

"Huge" was the wrong word. Bands like Tigertailz that had/have multiple kickass albums but are virtually unknown here. I don't think the Tailz ever toured North America.

Citanul wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

Oasis were definitely one that springs to mind,

Didn't Britpop in general not do particularly well in the US?  I don't know how well those bands did in other countries, but quite a few were popular in South Africa.

Depends on what you term Britpop. Radiohead did great in the states, as did Gorillaz but a lot of the really huge albums from the U.K had a much diluted impact on the U.S scene. Looking at total sales Oasis - What's the Story actually sold 4 million copies in the U.S which is huge but it sold 4.5 million in the U.K alone and 22 million worldwide so comparatively it didn't do so well. I am surprised that it sold so many copies in the U.S because the general consensus was that they spent a long time in the states touring and trying to break through but failed.

Pretty Maids
Magnum

TheGreatDuck wrote:

Also, Mama's Boys are/were big?

I believe were Mama's Boys did okay even in the US during their peak years. I was a little kid, so I don't know first hand but that's the impression I always got.

Slade!! Huge in the UK & virtually hated here in the USA.

Yeah, Saxon never caught on here. I saw them on the Call To Arms tour here in front of 800 fans, They play festivals everywhere else, Right? 1st time I got to see them live, Great show!


What about Kamelot?

Red Kitty wrote:

Pretty Maids
Magnum

I don't know of one person who has even heard of those bands. So they were never big here.

Hammerfall
Jorn
Reckless Love
Crashdiet
Crazy Lixx
U.D.O.
Sister Sin
W.A.S.P.  (used to be big in the states but now not so much)

Quote :

Pretty Maids

Good Call

Iron Maiden.  

Yes, Iron Maiden is very successful in the US, but they are massive in the rest of the world.  Their sales popularity here peaked in about 1986 when they achieved their last Platinum album.  The following three albums went Gold and they haven't achieved Gold status since 1990. In the rest of the world they are huge still.

Also, they've never had any success with hit singles in the US, and have made little impact on radio.  They've had a resurgence in their career here in the States in the last decade plus, but that's essentially limited to touring.  In the US they are a nostalgia act, in the rest of the world they are a vital, popular band.

Just one metric displays this well:

The Number Of The Beast - Worldwide sales = 14 million!  In the US, it's still only Platinum, so somewhere north of 12 million in sales outside the US.

Almost all the Euro metal bands. Helloween, Blind Guardian, Edguy........they're all huge in Japan.

Almost all of the bands worth listening to.

Witchfinder wrote:

Iron Maiden.  

Yes, Iron Maiden is very successful in the US, but they are massive in the rest of the world.  Their sales popularity here peaked in about 1986 when they achieved their last Platinum album.  The following three albums went Gold and they haven't achieved Gold status since 1990. In the rest of the world they are huge still.

Also, they've never had any success with hit singles in the US, and have made little impact on radio.  They've had a resurgence in their career here in the States in the last decade plus, but that's essentially limited to touring.  In the US they are a nostalgia act, in the rest of the world they are a vital, popular band.

Just one metric displays this well:

The Number Of The Beast - Worldwide sales = 14 million!  In the US, it's still only Platinum, so somewhere north of 12 million in sales outside the US.

I was going to say Maiden - Stadium act in most of the world, Shed/Arena act in the US. As far as nostalgia act in US - for probably 1/2 the audience, the other 1/2 seem to be into the newer stuff.

thejokeriv wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Iron Maiden.  

Yes, Iron Maiden is very successful in the US, but they are massive in the rest of the world.  Their sales popularity here peaked in about 1986 when they achieved their last Platinum album.  The following three albums went Gold and they haven't achieved Gold status since 1990. In the rest of the world they are huge still.

Also, they've never had any success with hit singles in the US, and have made little impact on radio.  They've had a resurgence in their career here in the States in the last decade plus, but that's essentially limited to touring.  In the US they are a nostalgia act, in the rest of the world they are a vital, popular band.

Just one metric displays this well:

The Number Of The Beast - Worldwide sales = 14 million!  In the US, it's still only Platinum, so somewhere north of 12 million in sales outside the US.

I was going to say Maiden - Stadium act in most of the world, Shed/Arena act in the US. As far as nostalgia act in US - for probably 1/2 the audience, the other 1/2 seem to be into the newer stuff.

Nostalgia act in that their new albums don't sell here, but they do in the rest of the world.

The Final Frontier debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts, their highest chart showing and sold 63,000 copies in the first week of release alone.  A lot of metal bands would be overjoyed to sell over 60,000 albums in this day and age.  No, still not a huge release, but that completely disproves the "they don't sell here" thing.

S.D. wrote:

The Final Frontier debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts, their highest chart showing and sold 63,000 copies in the first week of release alone.  A lot of metal bands would be overjoyed to sell over 60,000 albums in this day and age.  No, still not a huge release, but that completely disproves the "they don't sell here" thing.

My point was they are not as popular here as in the rest of the world.  That much is clear.  Their sales are minuscule in the US compared to what they garner worldwide.  Their US fanbase is mostly composed of people 35+ as opposed to the rest of the world where their fans run the gamut.  They are a very successful nostalgia act here, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.  I am glad they are still successful.

It's not like I said your precious, latter day, Maiden albums were boring, old man progfests.

I'm going to try to avoid bashing too hard on my homeland, but even Queen technically fits on this list post-1982.

One that definitely deserves mention is Savatage - another US band that seemed to do way better in Europe than here as near as I can tell.

What can I say? We haven't often been kind to genuine talent.

Witchfinder wrote:

S.D. wrote:

The Final Frontier debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts, their highest chart showing and sold 63,000 copies in the first week of release alone.  A lot of metal bands would be overjoyed to sell over 60,000 albums in this day and age.  No, still not a huge release, but that completely disproves the "they don't sell here" thing.

My point was they are not as popular here as in the rest of the world.  That much is clear.  Their sales are minuscule in the US compared to what they garner worldwide.  Their US fanbase is mostly composed of people 35+ as opposed to the rest of the world where their fans run the gamut.  They are a very successful nostalgia act here, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.  I am glad they are still successful.

It's not like I said you precious, latter day, Maiden albums were boring, old man progfests.  

As huge as Deep Purple were here in the States, their post 1991 releases and tours, do way bigger business overseas then here

T. Rex one of the most influential artist of any decade could barely get arrested here, same thing with Slade.