The Heavy Metal/Rock Thread

I figured I'd make a thread specifically for this kind of music, so that the fans here on the forum don't clutter up other places with stuff that non-fans aren't interested in. That said, I'll start off.

Gorefest is probably one of my favorite bands, mostly because of their unconventional style and harsh, yet understandable vocals.

Here's a link to a playlist of their album "Soul Survivor".

Ahem...

New Wolves in the Throne Room, new Insomnium, new Behemoth, new Mastodon - all... eventually this year! Now if only Altar of Plagues would re-form, the silly bastards. Just because you've reached the peak of your craft and can only go downhill from there doesn't mean you should stop... I mean, yes it kind of does, but even if they just remade White Tomb once every two years, I'd be happy. Hell, even if they just remade their first DEMO. Yeah, their last album ("Teethed Glory and Injury") was apparently poorly reviewed by people who kept trying to stick it into a genre (djent? Jesus, people, pay attention, it's closer to extreme ambient than anything else), but I couldn't get enough of it. Electronic ambient, drone, black metal, post-rock, shards of folk, all produced in the sweet spot just before lo-fi... the album sounds hellish in the best way, chaotic and gnashing. First one was the self-created apocalypse, second was a meditation on humanity and death, third was condensed and unending suffering. Gorgeous stuff.

Here are their albums, in chronological order. Fair warning, none of them are that accessible but they get increasingly difficult.
White Tomb
Mammal
Teethed Glory and Injury

I haven't had a chance to listen to those albums yet, but I'll eventually get around to it. Have you ever heard anything by Abysmal Dawn? I like their album "From Ashes", it has a nice melodic tone to it. Granted, my opinion isn't worth much since I haven't heard a tone of Melodeath, but that's how I feel about it.

Album Playlist

Ironmonger wrote:I haven't had a chance to listen to those albums yet, but I'll eventually get around to it. Have you ever heard anything by Abysmal Dawn? I like their album "From Ashes", it has a nice melodic tone to it. Granted, my opinion isn't worth much since I haven't heard a tone of Melodeath, but that's how I feel about it.

Album Playlist

Hadn't heard anything by them, no. I like their style pretty well, good vocals, fairly standard guitars. Interesting that they seem to be using a more brutal death metal style of drumming - it's pretty technical, though I'm not a big fan of it personally (something about the snare /shrug).

Anyway, let's see, Agalloch's got a new album on the way for May called "The Serpent and the Sphere" so that's exciting. Only info is that it's got a "massive" sound and was produced by the same guy that did "Through Silver in Blood" for Neurosis (which is good credentials). Dunno if that means Agalloch's continuing with their experiments in analog recording or if they're going back to work with the style they used in "Ashes Against the Grain" or even "The Mantle" - either would be good.

Let's drop something a bit less heavy in here - Baroness - Blue Record. Progressive sludge - somewhere between prog rock, doom metal, and punk. Great band - they lost their FANTASTIC drummer in a bus accident a year or two ago, but they're back in the studio and their new guy can at least play the old stuff quite competently.

I finally got around to listening to Death. Holy shit, I can see why people love their sound. In fact, they've inspired me to eventually get a B.C Rich Assassin, which sounds like a guitar more expensive than it actually is.

I have discovered Melodic Viking Metal.



I am in fucking awe.

Oooooh Time to fill this thread with some discussion.

Fucking Power Metal Man.


Gamma Ray is one of the best of the best in this regard.

Gamma Ray:

Other bands to check out in the genre are Blind Gaurdian and Sabaton (Something the military/history and gun fans will definitely love)


Aside from that I fuckin love Pinkie Pie's Human Alter Ego Andrew Wk

And then you gotta pay respect to the classics like Queen, Floyd, and....


MOTHA FUCKIN LED ZEPPELIN


I pretty much rotate this selection of songs all the time pretty much. Kudos for anyone who bothers to listen to all of this BTW.

@tyler
Gotta love Zeppelin. Never really been much of a power metal person, myself, but I know a lot of folks who are.

Let's ask a glorious question: what happens when you combine the most Scandinavian of black metal with old fashioned rock and roll? Good things, that's what.

Spoiler:

I have noticed that this thread is woefully underpopulated by Judas Priest songs. This cannot stand.

Spoiler:

And now, a song to listen to dig into an awful mood to (not that I'm in an awful mood, mind you - but if I was, I'd be playing this band non-stop!):

Spoiler:

Lastly, to wrap things up, one of the many reasons I've got the word "Cobalt" in my name (and also a metal song for Celestia, which is nice because most of 'em go Luna's way):

Spoiler:

I'm not a huge fan of Power Metal, but a handful of examples catch my attention, such as Sabaton. An interesting example of metal is Iced Earth, who seems to have mixed Thrash, Classic, and Power Metal into one style. I found them on accident one day.

Iced Earth - Plagues of Babylon:

Most of my melodic stuff comes in the form of Melodic Death Metal, such as All That Remains, Arsis, and Abysmal Dawn (From Ashes only). I still need to explore this route a little more.

Random thought: What if there was Melodeath with an uplifting sound, kinda like Power Melodeath? I would find it appealing because I love the down-tuned and heavily-distorted guitars of Death Metal.

The Absence - Heavens Ablaze (Melodeath):

When I'm not feeling all that great, I usually listen to something like Death, Emperor, or Entombed.

Death - Open Casket:

Entombed - Out of Heaven:

I love that buzzsaw guitar tone...

Emperor - Curse You All Men:

As I said at one point in the Chat thread, Emperor kinda sounds like "Dark Power Metal". It's really freaking awesome.

EDIT: That script error is the devil.

While searching for random stuff, I typed in "Heavy metal banjo" and tripped over a selection of bluegrass metal.

You heard me.

MY MIND CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS AWESOME:

@Stone

10/10 Would yee-haw to.

Southern Flame - Dixie Venom:

Southern Metal is good shit.

I really like that the drummer of Vermin puts a lot of 'oomph' into his beats. I find myself dancing to every one of their songs because of that.

Vermin - Outlaw:

I found a thing.

New Agalloch song released. Off their new album, which from this sounds like it's going to be The Mantle with much, much better drumming. I am very okay with this.

I've been listening to Six Feet Under's "Graveyard Classics" albums that a lot of people seem to hate. Personally, I think they're so bad they're good. The drums and guitars are good, and the vocals are delightfully cheesy.