Sabbath, Zeppelin of Purple?

rudderhead wrote: Micky, who is that band on the photograph with the bandmembers sticking up their arms that appears on your posts? Just currious

Area were in fact an "international popular group", as the cover of their first album says, with greek singer Demetrio Stratos coming from the beat group I Ribelli, french bass player Djivas and belgian sax player Busnello. 
The first line-up, in 1972, also included pianist Leandro Gaetano and guitarist Johnny Lambizzi, the latter soon replaced by Paolo Tofani, a musician with the longest experience in the group, having played in 60's bands Samurai along with Formula Tre keyboardist Gabriele Lorenzi, I Califfi and Noi Tre, that also included future Triade bass player Agostino Nobile.

Arbeit macht frei was an essential album in the italian rock of the 70's, full of different influences yet totally original in its sound. Stratos' voice is stunning, used like an instrument, and the backing band is powerful, formed by top quality and inventive musicians. Some jazz and eastern folklore influences are easily distinguished, and the music is not easy to categorise. The group image was characterised by the style of Cramps label designer Gianni Sassi, that added a distinctive visual style to their music.

Second LP, Caution radiation area, was more experimental with tracks like Lobotomia and ZYG (Crescita zero)
The following album, Crac, released the same year, returned to a more prog style, with some of their best rock tracks in Gioia e rivoluzione and L'elefante bianco, yet retaining the long instrumental parts that were the group's trademark.

The strong political influences in Area music emerged in their rendition of the popular socialist hymn L'internazionale, released as a single in 1974 and a concert classic, as demonstrated in the 1975 live LP Are(a)zione. 

Stratos died in 1979, probably one of the most important singers and music researchers of all the italian (and probably european) musical scene. The day after his death a big concert, with 60000 people, was held at the Arena Civica in Milano to honour him (this had been originally organised to collect funds to support Stratos expensive medical therapy), and a double album was taken from the event.

Out of those three, Purple. But the real answer is Blue Öyster Cult.