The Flower Travellin' Band

I was extremely skeptical when I heard that a Japanese band was one of the first metal bands ever. The Flower Travellin' Band is, indeed, an early metal powerhouse from Japan that deserves more attention. They came out after Sabbath, but unlike Sabbath, they were more experimental and esoteric. Much of Sabbath was pop music. I have the Satori album so far, and it's one of the most amazing pieces of early progressive metal I've heard so far.

Get Satori. It's NOT flowery psychedelic stuff. It's dark and progressive, and it's early metal from a shadowy era of experimental bands and new ideas. It's also very bluesy at times, like much early metal.