Crunka: Notice it says the "greatest band evar" and not "the greatest band now". For their time the beatles were good, and pink floyd still has a strong following today and still has relevant and influential music.
tool would be a cool candidate but not all of their songs are great and become very repetitive.
Tool would not be a great candidate for 'best band ever' by a long shot. In the top few, perhaps, but the vocals don't fit all the time and there are a whole lot of shit songs with the good ones. Also he ais a jerk and doesn't show himself live... If your music is too personal don't release it... The drummer is good, the rest are mediocre.
lol @ opeth did you pick that band out of "gayest wannabe metal bands" list? what have they done for music?
What does it matter what they have done for music when they make good music. The lyrics are engaging and the atmosphere created in the songs are superb, their slower songs are like early floyd and they can blend the heavy and soft very well (debatable, and they were not the first to do it, but they do the heavy parts very professionally and it sounds right, excellent songwriting and also instrumental skill) in many songs and over entire concept albums.
They never claim to be metal, and don't even act like it (no corpse paint, no heavy drinking or other stereotypically metal things, etc.). They just make music like they want, at least they did. Not so good without Lopez and Lindgren now.
Nirvana had an impact and some songs were very good but best band is a bit far.
Thing is, if they have a major impact on world music it is generally a bad thing, because 90% of people a jerk offs and just strap on to the things people say about bands (e.g. Lateralus by Tool being complex, etc.) without actually knowing what they are agreeing with and it makes it seem like they are better (or more of whatever is said about them) than they are. For example: Joey jordison from slipknot or travis barker from blink 182 being "good drummers". Someone says this and millions just agree even though they have no idea.
How about a best band for each genre or style or something (or even things like song writing/composition, lyrics, instrument mastery, etc.)?