I Need Some Good Metal Suggestions
May 8, 2009 by Scott
99.9% of the time I’m listening and posting about bands that are more mainstream; more heard of. Over, let’s say the last two years I’ve learned of a lot of bands from blogging here. Some of those bands I had heard of before but was too ignorant to actually make an effort to listen to.
With that said, I would like some suggestions for bands that are out of the normal listening stream. Bands that have released good albums but don’t get the press or respect they deserve. However, I don’t want to hear any more bands from the “trendy” genres such as another deathcore or metalcore, mathcore, or any “core: band for that matter. Maybe some good progressive metal, death metal, doom metal bands that I’m not familiar with. Whatever you can think of that I won’t normally find in a chain record store or from a press release from a major or standard label that I normally post about (Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, Prosthetic, Roadrunner, etc.).
I know I miss out on a lot of good metal that should be heard and bands that could use some good exposure. Even older bands that might not be around anymore that still have a good album or two floating around out there that never got the credit they deserved. So, let’s have it?
cast from the throne, beyond the embrace, kreagen some local stuff all on myspace
I would definitely say Deathspell Omega from France / Finland. They play a very personal brand of avantgarde black metal in the vein of Mayhem’s “The grand declaration of war”, but more progressive and more black metal in the same time. Their latest, “Chaining the Katechon” is a jewel and very well produced.
If you’re into experimental / avantgarde black metal, names that come in mind too are the likes of Blut Aus Nord (but this one’s obvious), Spektr and Axis Of Perdition (the latest Abigor being quite good too, but that’s a more “mainstream” name)…
Doom Metal:
Reverend Bizarre
Candlemass
Swallow the Sun
Cathedral
Warning (UK)
My Dying Bride
Longing For Dawn
Black Metal :
Peste Noire
Forest of Fog
Utlagr
Sombres Forêts
Gris
Keep Of Kalessin
Sear Bliss
Death Metal:
Eucharist (Free on their website, Google it)
Vader (Kinda well known…)
Dawn of Tears (Same as Eucharist, Google it)
Revocation
Necrophagist
Spawn of Possession
Prog Metal
Pain of Salvation
Symphony X (I guess you know them)
Ayreon
Star One
Scholomance
Devin Townsend Project
Mastodon
Session VII
Power Metal
The Lord Weird Slough Feg
Dark at Dawn
Divinefire (If you don’t mind Christian lyrics)
Twisted Tower Dire
Masterplan
There, I tried not to mention obvious choices (Opeth, Morbid Angel, Possessed, Death, Blind Guardian, etc.) I hope you’ll enjoy the list!
Wolves in the Throne Room were one of my favoritie bands from Scion Rock Fest. They put on a hell of a show! They had the lights turned down and just proceeded to kick eveyone’s ass in attendance. A Storm of Light was another band I’d never heard of that really blew me away at the show.
I would recommend Soulfallen (http://www.soulfallen.com/)
A great, melodic Black Metal-band from Finland.
@ Jeff: Yeah, Wolves In The Throne Room are amazing. Their new album: Black Cascade is one of the best this year as to offer so far. If you’re looking for something more old-school, Maiden-esque, then check out Lanfear. Their 2005 album ‘The Art Effect’ is still on heavy rotation for me -power metal at it’s very best, and yet somehow, SOMEHOW, nobody has heard of these guys!!?
Wish I could think of something to recommend. Lately everything I have heard has sucked. I have been buying lots of back catalogue stuff ( old suicidal Tendencies, DRI, Overkill…mostly 80’s thrash. )
Thanks, You guys are great! Some of the names I’ve heard and used to listen to. I’m making a big list.
@Jeff, I’ve been meaning to check out Wolves for awhile now. Just haven’t but will.
@Chopped, I’ve heard the name Lanfear before, but haven’t heard their music. Will definitely give it a shot.
@Kaotoxin, I know NONE of those bands. Still very new and slow with any Black Metal.
@Izzy, I have a little DRI in my catalog. Check out Lazarus A.D., They bring a nice neo-thrash sound with them.
Scott, I don’t know if you dig them, but I’m really digging the new Zao album.
Try Nothingface. They sound kinda like a progressive Slipknot with political themes. They sound alot like Meshuggah, too. However, I wouldn’t say their genre is progressive.
I’ve been listening to Nothingface for quite awhile, maybe 10 years. They were in the news a lot a few months ago, but haven’t really heard anything lately.
these are bands that i haven’t heard much about but enjoy, could be that they are well-known but not to my knowlege
Eternal Tears of sorrow cd: Before the bleeding sun
Mors Principium est cd: Liberation = termination
I guess these are more well known, but i dont think i have ever heard you talk about them
neaera cd:Armamentarium
Nightrage cd:Decent into Chaos
I’m not sure if this band is less heard of, but Anata from Sweden has a good blend of thrash and technical death metal. To sample their 2006 album “A Conductor’s Departure”, there is some form of ingenuity in the way they play the rhythm part of most songs where it sounds like fluid like distortion of some sorts (pardon me for the lack of imagination for the explanation!)
Also, though this band is quite well known by their latest effort, you should give “Akeldama” from The Faceless a listen (or maybe you had). Though sounding a little bit mainstream, they managed to pull off an excellent instrumental that doesn’t sound like anything mainstream at all.
The Australian band Psycroptic is also a good listen, as well as the older albums from Decapitated.
And good luck with all of our offerings!
Woops, almost forgot… you should also try looking for a Swedish Progressive Metal band by the name of ‘The Communic’ – all their albums kicks progressive ass!
Thanks, Dave. I’ve already picked up Akeldama shortly after I got Planetary Duality. I had too!
I’m a big fan of the Australian “War Metal” scene. It’s more of a mixture of black, thrash, and death metal. The big band is Destroyer 666. Others include Destruktor, Grenade, Gospel of the Horns, Atomizer, Abominator, Slaughter Lord, and Bestial Warlust. Dawn of Azazel from New Zealand also fits into this scene.
Mechanical Poet – They start off as an awesome mesh of folk progressive, but slowly devolve to a more straight-forward metal, but their newest album was alot heavier and more progressive then the few before it
3 – Progressive rock/metal. one of my newest favorite bands
The Atomic Bitchwax – Stoner Metal
Elf – Classic Blues rock. Not metal but Dio’s first big band (http://thekleptosgtm.blogspot.com/2009/05/elf.html)
Psychostick – Humor Thrash (sort of “core”y but I dont like “core” bands but I enjoyed their work)
Rebellion – Power Folk. Their latest two releases are amazing
StormWarrior – Power Metal
i’m with klepto there, all of those bands are pretty solid, only one i haven’t heard of is atomic bitchwax.
The new gallows album Grey Britain has been getting some heavy play time, just a good album.
Kylessa seems pretty good too, haven’t listened to them bunch but they put on a great show when they played before mastodon
http://www.myspace.com/lostpriority
I don’t know if you would like this band LOST PRIORITY, they’re a rock band from northern Manitoba, a little heavy but alright.
Church Of Misery-Houses Of The Unholy
Released in 2009. Imagine if Black Sabbath were born in Japan, 25 years later. And were obsessed with Serial killers.
Ansur-Warring Factions
Best prog metal album of 2008, hands down. Fantastic stuff.
Mirrorthrone-Gangrene
Also from 08. Prog Black, i guess you could call it. Great stuff.
I’ve been digging on this bands lately and i kind of like them, so here they are: Cryptosy, Krisium, Predator, Maroon(From Germany), PSYCROPTIC and The Agonist, just to mentioned few.
Giles mentioned Neaera, which i like too.