<P> In 1968, the sound that would become known as heavy metal began to coalesce . That January, the San Francisco band Blue Cheer released a cover of Eddie Cochran's classic "Summertime Blues", from their debut album Vincebus Eruptum, that many consider the first true heavy metal recording . The same month, Steppenwolf released its self - titled debut album, including "Born to Be Wild", which refers to "heavy metal thunder" in describing a motorcycle . In July, the Jeff Beck Group, whose leader had preceded Page as The Yardbirds' guitarist, released its debut record: Truth featured some of the "most molten, barbed, downright funny noises of all time," breaking ground for generations of metal ax - slingers . In September, Page's new band, Led Zeppelin, made its live debut in Denmark (billed as The New Yardbirds). The Beatles' White Album, released the following month, included "Helter Skelter", then one of the heaviest - sounding songs ever released by a major band . The Pretty Things' rock opera S.F. Sorrow, released in December, featured "proto heavy metal" songs such as "Old Man Going" and "I See You". Iron Butterfly's 1968 song "In - A-Gadda - Da - Vida" is sometimes described as an example of the transition between acid rock and heavy metal or the turning point in which acid rock became "heavy metal", and both Iron Butterfly's 1968 album In - A-Gadda - Da - Vida and Blue Cheer's 1968 album Vincebus Eruptum have been described as laying the foundation of heavy metal and greatly influential in the transformation of acid rock into heavy metal . </P> <P> In this counterculture period MC5, who began as part of the Detroit garage rock scene, developed a raw distorted style that has been seen as a major influence on the future sound of both heavy metal and later punk music . The Stooges also began to establish and influence a heavy metal and later punk sound, with songs such as "I Wanna Be Your Dog", featuring pounding and distorted heavy guitar power chord riffs . Pink Floyd released two of their heaviest and loudest songs to date; "Ibiza Bar" and "The Nile Song", which was regarded as "one of the heaviest songs the band recorded". King Crimson's debut album started with "21st Century Schizoid Man," which was considered heavy metal by several critics . </P> <P> In January 1969, Led Zeppelin's self - titled debut album was released and reached number 10 on the Billboard album chart . In July, Zeppelin and a power trio with a Cream - inspired, but cruder sound, Grand Funk Railroad, played the Atlanta Pop Festival . That same month, another Cream - rooted trio led by Leslie West released Mountain, an album filled with heavy blues rock guitar and roaring vocals . In August, the group--now itself dubbed Mountain--played an hour - long set at the Woodstock Festival, exposing the crowd of 300,000 people to the emerging sound of heavy metal . Mountain's proto - metal or early heavy metal hit song "Mississippi Queen" from the album Climbing! is especially credited with paving the way for heavy metal and was one of the first heavy guitar songs to receive regular play on radio . In September 1969, the Beatles released the album Abbey Road containing the track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" which has been credited as an early example of or influence on heavy metal or doom metal . In October 1969, British band High Tide debuted with the heavy, proto - metal album Sea Shanties . </P> <P> Led Zeppelin defined central aspects of the emerging genre, with Page's highly distorted guitar style and singer Robert Plant's dramatic, wailing vocals . Other bands, with a more consistently heavy, "purely" metal sound, would prove equally important in codifying the genre . The 1970 releases by Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath and Paranoid) and Deep Purple (In Rock) were crucial in this regard . </P>

Who came first black sabbath or led zeppelin