Steppenwolf formed in 1967 by John Kay, Goldy McJohn, and Jerry Edmonton. They spent the next several years laying the groundwork for heavy metal and biker rock. Their harder brand of rock music even predated Led Zeppelin in some aspects.

They’re best known for ‘Born to Be Wild’, which featured one of the first uses of the phrase ‘heavy metal’, and skyrocketed to fame after being featured in the late 60s touchstone, Easy Rider. But there was more to Steppenwolf than their most iconic track. Their bluesy, gritty rock helped pioneer the style for decades to come.

It’s pretty incredible how well some of the earliest ‘heavy metal’ music holds up. Even despite breaking up for part of the 1970s, Steppenwolf made the decade their own. Take a magic carpet ride through these classic pics of the 70s rockers.