“O Canada! The True North strong and free!”

Like Rodney Dangerfield, Canada gets “no respect,” more often than not, generally wallowing in the shadow of the U.S.A.

This troublesome state of affairs unavoidably carries over into the world of music, even though chart-topping, multi-platinum-selling Canadian megastars are plentiful and come in all styles of music, from Drake to Nickelback to Justin Bieber!

Be that as it may, Canada has always sported a very healthy hard rock scene, even way back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, thanks to names like Steppenwolf, the Guess Who, Warpig, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Rush, Moxy, Triumph, Pat Travers, April Wine, and on and on.

Needless to say, this tradition carried on into the ‘80s thanks to thrash metal bands like Exciter, Anvil, Razor, Sacrifice, Voivod, Infernal Majesty, Slaughter (not that Slaughter) and Annihilator, then into the 1990s and beyond with a variety of ensembles like Gorguts, Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Strapping Young Lad, 3 Inches of Blood and Woods of Ypres, to name but a few.

So today, as we stop to consider the Great White North’s very best contributions to heavy metal, we had no shortage of options, just tough decision after tough decision when it came to whittling down decades of history to just ten, deserving candidates, so don’t be too hard on us, ok?

Or, as our Canadian friends might put it: don’t be a hoser, eh? Grab a brew and get ready for the 10 Best Canadian Metal Bands in the gallery above.