I think Praying Mantis is very HEAVY METAL band. As much as Diamond Head, Saxon and others... and even MORE metal than King's X, Deep Purple for example...

I think Praying Mantis deserves to be here.

They are one of those borderline bands like 220volt (who was just inducted after some deliberation), Vardis, Santers, and some others, that is off the mark often enough that it's difficult to find a truly heavy song by them. Their "Captured City" track on the Metal for Muthas compilation straddles the fence, strewn with nwobhm-isms, but is still sitting there. "All Day and All of the Night" and "Beads of Ebony" (from their '80 7") have a hard time getting going (and one's a really tedious Kinks cover). But most importantly, their debut, except for "Panic in the Streets", Children of the Earth" and maybe one or two others, is pretty metallically zestless.

I used to think they belonged as well, and maybe in a roundabout, Def Leppard-ish kinda way they do, but I think they're more lighthearted than anything else.

Maybe some of their newer stuff is up to snuff, but I haven't kept up with them.