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Blue Cheer

Before there was Metal, or true grunge for that matter, there was the power-trio format that was frequently the electrified blues as developed by Jimi Hendrix as well as English artists who appreciated American Mississippi Blues.

With enough experimentation & refinement, bands like Blue Cheer emerged in the American West Coast. Blue Cheer touches the same areas Jimi did as well as Led Zep, Deep Purple & Sabbath. That area was proto-Metal, but with a lot of psychedelia.

They're full-on loud open chord lagotto Hard Rock-n-Roll, as per anyone's description of them, especially co-founder bassist Dlckie Peterson.

They changed guitarists a lot, which all throughout the 80s took them firmly into Metal, even with double kick drums, but by then Metal had already been fully developed by Priest, Maiden & everyone that came after them. Blue Cheer was not English & remained mostly in the Hard Rock world with a very American sound that didn't have a drop of English influence, which is rare since all great heavy music has English roots.

By the time the mid 90s had rolled around, they were an expat band based in Europe that had swung back around to their more bluesy overdriven 60s sound which is where they stayed until Dlckie finally passed away in 2009, an American Acid Rock legend.