Here are some of the longest-running metal bands that have never broken up and have remained active for around 40 years.

Maintaining a band for several decades without a break has proven to be quite challenging, as there are not many metal groups that have achieved this. Many of the first bands that come to mind have gone on hiatus at least once during their careers.

Black Sabbath serves as a prime example of a group that was mostly active for many years — however, they also experienced a few off periods. Aside from the numerous lineup changes they underwent (primarily with vocalists), Sabbath was inactive for a time between 1984 and ’85, went on hiatus in the late ’90s before reuniting with Ozzy Osbourne, and again in 2006 when Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice, and Ronnie James Dio decided to regroup as Heaven & Hell.

Of course, Sabbath reunited with Osbourne again and then retired at the end of their final tour in 2017, but retirement does not necessarily count as quitting in their case because it was something they had been working toward rather than a sudden split.

This is just one of many examples that do not fit the criteria of this list. Here, we highlight the metal acts that literally never stopped and never went on hiatus, even if they went through numerous members along the way.

READ MORE: 17 Rock + Metal Bands That Never Had a Lineup Change

Since many metal bands that formed and peaked in the ’90s are still together, we tightened the qualifications further and focused on bands that formed during the first half of the ’80s at the very latest. Thus, all of them have been around for at least 40 years.

See the longest-running metal bands that never broke up in the gallery below.

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For more metal history, check out our picks for the best metal album of each year since 1970 below.