Metal/Hardcore Top 5

[Kamuro]

Well, I've been a fan of metal for quite awhile, from old school like slayer to new school, I know I have my favorite bands, but I was looking for other peoples, to "broaden my horizon" a bit, listen to new bands, and new sounds that you don't quite see everyday, my current top 5 is...

1. Atreyu-Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses is definitely one of my favorite cd's of all time, although The Curse had better recording, and a new sound, I don't think it even comes close to the first cd

2. It Dies Today-I heard some of their earlier stuff from Forever Scourned and wasn't entirely impressed. I thought they were good but nothing special. Then I heard The Caitiff Choir and wow, I love the cd. Its definitely worth a listen.

3. Underoath-Although I'm not much for the "Christian" music genre, I can't help but listen to Underoath. The mention of jesus in a song or two is well worth the other 90% of the cd's.

4. Killswitch Engage-What can I say? I think KSE has always been solid. Alive Or Just Breathing (their older cd) was extremely good, as was The End of Heartache.

5. Norma Jean-This is quite the band, if you like metal, or hardcore, then you'll definitely want to check them out. Their first was awesome, and O' God the Aftermath is just as good. Although I havn't heard one song that compares to "Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste" :D

[-tiGz-]

[QUOTE]4. Killswitch Engage-What can I say? I think KSE has always been solid. Alive Or Just Breathing (their older cd) was extremely good, as was The End of Heartache.
[/QUOTE]

Great choice!! This album rocks
i'll get back with my list.

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]I don't particularly like any of those bands, lol. But, that's ok. I'll give you my list.

1.) Mastodon- I own two of their their albums [still looking for their first] and think they are among the best bands in the world of metal. If you are looking to hear them, their record label has a [url=http://shop.relapse.com/artist/artist.aspx?ArtistID=10063]page[/url] where you can listen to their songs. I like "Battle at Sea" and "March of the Fire Ants", myself.

2.) Pig Destroyer- Grindcore is a personal-favorite genre of mine and these guys are at the top of the genre, king of kings, lords of lords, etc. I'm pretty sure their sound is *not* for everyone, but I enjoy it. They have the [url=http://shop.relapse.com/artist/artist.aspx?ArtistID=10081]same sort of page[/url] as the above band. "Piss Angel" and "Gravedancer" are my favorites.

3.) Deftones- I don't have to say much. Gods, all of them. Every album rocks in it's own way. "Change (In The House Of Flies)" is my all time favorite song.

4.) Katatonia- Metal with someone singing, how nice. They have a unique sound that is very addictive to listen to. Not sure what sub-genre of metal they fall into, but "Viva Emptiness" is a CD worth getting. Eh, I don't think there is any "legal" way to get a preview listen of them, but their official website has a tracklist so you can.. uh. *gestures* "Will I Arrive", "Ghost of the Sun" are favorites of mine.

5.) Poison the Well- No description necessary. Listen and love.[/color]

[Kamuro]

well, I havn't really heard the bands you've listed lol, besides deftones and Poison the Well, I'm not a big fan of deftones, but poison the well is definitely good, you come before you and the opposite of december are some of my favorite cd's

[Semjaza]

I don't listen to a lot of groups that fit into this genre... at least not compared to other things I listen to. I don't know if these are my Top 5 or if they're even in the right order. Let's just say they're five I like currently. Metal is so incredibly broad that I'll probably be including some groups that are not quite as heavy as some of the ones listed so far. I doubt anyone would care, they only seem to get mad in "punk" threads
:rolleyes:

1.) Mastodon: Leviathon is enough to put this band extremely high on anyone's list. Combine this with Remission and Lifesblood and you have an amazing group that's already managed some very different styles. Leviathon was one of the best albums of 2004, easily.

2.) Pelican - A local band that actually has managed to get decently popular in terms of metal. I only own a couple of their releases, but they're excellent. I'd recommend checking out Australasia at least.

3.) Marilyn Manson - I consider these guys metal with industrial influences. Sure, they're not the same type as something like Mastodon, but they still fit. One of my top three bands of all time. Insanely underrated in almost everyway: talent, writing, the depth of the image. All around great package.

4.) System of a Down - I feel these guys are unfairly packed in with nu-metal. Nu-metal, for the most part, has this very derrogatory connotation to it when many people use it. System of a Down has managed to become popular doing what they want to do, not what was the trend at the time. I find that despite this popularity, the amount of talent they display (especially on guitars) is extremely underrated.

5.) Converge - Probably the best hardcore band I've personally ever gotten to listen to.

[Kamuro]

you definitely don't have to worry about your music being judged here, I think "punk" people who post get angry because people that they don't like, like the same music, like "they shouldn't be allowed to listen to that, I listen to it", its stupid, they're trying so hard to be different that they're the same as everyone else :rolleyes:

[Ailes de Velour]

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I'm not a big metal fan. I do like the Deftones, though, especially Changing in the House of Flies. I'm partial to SlipKnoT, Vermillion and Vermillion part two. I know Nightwish is symphonic metal, but it's still metal. Er...I don't know much about heavy metal. Like I said, I'm not a big fan.

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[Justin]

Don't know if you knew this or not, but Norma Jean is a Christian band as well.

Speaking of Norma Jean I'm pleased with [u]O, God the Aftermath[/u], but far more pleased by [u]Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child[/u]. They're still number one for me, though.

The Chariot is at a close number two, though. At first listen, one might be tempted to confuse them with the Norma Jean of the BTMKTK days, but they took that sound, and added their own twist which makes them stand apart from it. Check out [u]Everything is Alive, Everything is Breathing, Nothing is Dead and Nothing is Bleeding[/u].

Next, you should all check out the currently unsigned band, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. They're coming to the local scene around here later this month, and I can't wait. The former screamer from Underoath(in the times when Underoath was hardcore), Dallas Taylor, is also the screamer for this band.

Zao is another good choice in the metalcore genre. They themselves being one of the forgers of modern hxc and metalcore.

Following Zao is Bloodlined Calligraphy. But honestly, after Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, it's hard to choose from the wealth of good hxc and mxc bands out there. Try Purevolume.com. It's a great site.

Let us not forget, though, Haste the Day, Showbread, Stretch Armstrong, As Cities Burn, As I Lay Dying, Demon Hunter, Dead Poetic, Thousand Foot Krutch, Living Sacrifice, Poison the Well, Extol, Becoming the Archtype, Chasing Victory...there are tons...I could go on for hours, I think.

-Justin

PS: After you've listened to all these bands, note that they're all Christian bands.

[Kamuro]

yeah, I know Norma Jean is christian, its just a little less blatant then underoath, if you get what I'm saying. and I agree, bless the martyr, kiss the child was definitely a better cd, O' God the Aftermath has a new feel to it that I like

[Justin]

One interesting thing I've noticed about OGTA is its curious lack of breakdowns. I'm wondering if they're intentionally stepping away from that element of hxc.

-Justin

[Kamuro]

yeah, it definitely lacks in the break-down area, I'm not so sure its a terrible thing, but Memphis Will Be Laid To Waist is definitely one of my favorite songs, and it has several break-downs, they probably should've gone the middle route, some songs with break-downs, and others not, but maybe they are trying to drift away, they probably want to evolve, and not do things they've done in the past

[Jonexe]

Mmm... meeetaaaal... the firey sounds of heavy guitar and drums fill my soul with a burning rage that can only be quelled by the glory of battle >.
... Yeah.

Here's my list:

1. Iron Maiden - I grew up listening to these guys (quite litterally). I haven't found a single song I haven't liked... there's just something about their music that I can really connect with. My father, when I was young, used to listen to them all the time; so I think I kind of inhereted a taste for them from that.

2. Manowar - Another old band, but still a good one. The Norse/Bardic themes in their music is just awesome. I love the almost poetic style of some of the songs, combined with heavy viking themes and hard metal. They're also a band I grew up on, so I think that's kinda why I love them so.

3. Amon Amarth - Not really that old, persay, but still awesome. They're a lot like Manowar, but with much more of a death metal sound. Like Manowar, and even more so, they have VERY heavy bardic themes. Infact, every song of their's that I've heard has a norse theme to it.

4. Slayer - A newer band than the others, whom is right now dead in the water (Drummer went to Testament). Their music is pretty good though. It feels like a little power metal, mixed up with some heavy metal sounds. The singer kinda screams a lot, but eh; not so much so that it's annoying. More over, I love the actual music. I dunno, I'd probably like them even more without the lyrics, and just the music.

5. Hammerfall - Not totally heavy metal... more power metal than anything... but I still like them. A lot of their songs have sort of bardic themes to them; but more over, the lyrics and the music just fit very well together. I'm not entirely sure WHAT I like about them, but there's something!

[TOTALIMMORTAL]

I wouldn't be able to put them in a particular order, but here are some of my favorites:
-[B]Metallica[/B] (of course, wayyyyy too popular though)
-[B]Mastadon[/B] (I love the music, just hate the singing)
-[B]Iron Maiden[/B] (I liked em best with their original singer)
-[B]Judas Priest[/B] (just got their new cd, and they still rock! Rob Halford is god)
-[B]Slipknot[/B] (their second cd is best)
-[B]Dimu Borgir[/B] (they're pretty cool with their armor and stuff)
-[B]Fear Factory[/B] (I love them, but some of their songs are just too techno-ish)
-[B]Nine Inch Nails[/B] (maybe they're not metal, but I'm putting em here)
-[B]Drowning Pool[/B] (I really like their singing)
-[B]Testament[/B] (They changed a lot over the years, but one of my favorites)
-[B]Helloween[/B] (one of the coolest speed-metal bands)
-[B]Slayer[/B] (I like the fact that they're so anti-religious cause so am I)
-[B]Bleeding Through[/B] (I heard them for the first time recently,pretty good)
-[B]Megadeth[/B] (I do feel sorry for Dave Mustaine and the whole Metallica thing)
-[B]Pantera[/B] (Last but not least, Pantera may be my favorite metal band)

[Justin]

The problem I've noticed in HxC, though, is a lack of originality.

HxC sprang from old school punk, and eventually metal was incorporated to produce the HxC we know today. The problem is that now a kajillion bands have popped up all over the place trying to replicate the sounds of modern HxC greats--exactly. Not even slightly tweaked, but exactly.

In a genre where only a few can understand the lyrics without reading them, this creates problems. And afterall, is someone really an artist if all they can do is paint the same picture over again?

If you're a hardcore lover, I would suggest trying out He Is Legend and Showbread. They have a good spin on the genre. Some metal kids might even be able to get into He Is Legend.

-Justin

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]I'll admit i'm not huge metal fan or anything, it's just one of the very many genres that i like, therefore i don't have that much. Most of what i do have is nu-metal, but i'll just go ahead and list.
-[B]White Zombie[/B]- My favorite metal band.
-[B]Slipknot[/B]- ya they're real good (i think so anyway). Some people say they're fake or something just because they're popular, which is complete bull****.
-[B]KoRn[/B]- um a good band ^_~
-[B]Mudvayne[/B]- i'm not gonna explain myself anymore
-[B]Manson[/B]-
-[B]Pantera[/B]-
-[B]Slayer[/B]-
-[B]Dio[/B]-
-[B]Killswitch Engage[/B]-
-[B]Kittie[/B]- girl singer. good metal though

I also like a lot of older music, like [B]Black Sabbath[/B] and [B]AC/DC[/B] who kind of made metal what it is today. That's kind of it, unless you count stuff like [B]System of a Down[/B] or [B]NIN[/B].

And has anyone heard/listen to [B]White Zombie[/B]? It's a little bit older, but i like it a lot. [B]Rob Zombie[/B] was the lead singer, before he broke off and started his own thing. I have both White Zombie's and both Rob Zombie's CD's, and i like White Zombie much more than Rob alone (but Rob Zombie will have [B]John-5[/B] playing for him at Ozzfest this year, which is really good). Anyway, i was just wondering, because they seem to be a bit less known among metal, but they are very good.[/COLOR]

[Kamuro]

lol, I think I'd listen to Kittie even if they were terrible, just cause its a hardcore girl band. You don't see many of those and even if it wasn't all that good I'd listen to it our of respect. Luckily its not half bad and they actually got a lot of girls into listening to metal and such.

[Xyandar]

Heres my list:

#1)Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold(A7X) is an amazing band. I love the way they play their music. The singer can sing and scream intensely! I can play most of their recent album on my Keyboard(instrument). I also hear they are releasing a new album in June called the city Of The Dead.

#2)Mudvayne - Mudvayne is a really sweet band. What they created is amazing. I loved when they first came out because the singer had his goatee touching the ground! That was intense. then he was forced to get it cut off because it was a hazard. Their drummer is an amazing guy also. He can play some of the best things. They just released a new album that i badly want to buy because I love most of the songs on there.

#3)Lamb of God - LoG is cool. I got their new album on Boxing day with my spending money. I put the cd into my computer and as soon as I heard the drums I zoned right out and focused majorly on them. I saw a video of them before I bought the album. Laid To Rest I believe. Every song on their new album is unbelievable. They can play so fast and still keep up perfectly.

#4)Static-X - Wayne Static is just plain cool. The way he styles his hair amazes me. I have all the albums. Their newer one, Shadowzone, is an amazing album. I must say that since they got Salivas old drummer into their band, they have really improved. If you hear the song they like to call ' The ribbit song', you will know what I'm talking about. Every song on that cd is great. I hope they continue to go far. they also emailed me:O

#5)Disturbed - Disturbed is an interesting band really. They play songs that are intense and then they have another song that is calmer than anything you've ever heard. He has an amazing voice also. I love the labrets he has that trail down his chin. Every member of the band is really cool. I find it funny however that the singer is a skinny guy and the rest of the band look like they would be in professional wrestling hehe. The drummer emailed me telling me tips on how to play his songs. He's a cool guy:P

And that is my list of the top 5 Heavy Metal/Hardcore bands out there lol:P

[Jake of Bodom]

Jonexe, I love your list! I'd have to disagree with you on Slayer, though - but that's just my opinion. Maiden rules, Amon Amarth is awesome, Manowar of course, and Hammerfall is just plain great. Now, for my list:

1. [B]Children of Bodom[/B] - Alexi Laiho (lead guitar & vocals) is truly setting the pace for great guitar playing in today's metal. His riffs are melodic, technical, and fast as hell! Then there's the solos... good lord. The keyboards played by Janne Warmen fit into the mix perfectly and create this amazing atmosphere around the music. I could go on and on, but just take my word for it - if you like metal, Children of Bodom is where it's at. Check out the song "Trashed, Lost and Strung Out" ([URL=http://www.hdpvidz.com]you can download the video here[/URL]). If you want to buy an album, Follow the Reaper is my personal favorite (Kissing the Shadows is a brilliant song off that one).

2. [B]In Flames[/B] - The epicness of some of the riffs these guys play is beyond words. In Flames' music is filled to the brim with mammoth, soaring, beautiful riffs and solos that just take their music to a different level. This is melodic death metal at it's best. They helped set the standard for the "Gothenburg sound". Their latest two albums are very different than their past work, featuring more mellow parts and Anders, the vocalist, does more clean vocals (clean vocals = not screaming... not the best clean vocals around, but hey). If you are more partial to nu-metal, give the album Soundtrack to Your Escape a try (it's [I]not[/I] a nu-metal album, but it features more elements that nu-metal fans are accustomed to, and is a good way to get into "real" metal). My favorite song off that album is, hands-down, My Sweet Shadow. If you're already an avid metal fan looking for some amazing metal, check out the albums Colony, Whoracle, or Clayman. The song "Gyroscope" off the album Whoracle is a great example of the amazing riffs that In Flames writes.

3. [B]Tool[/B] - The "thinking man's metal". Not the heaviest band out there, but amazing music nonetheless. Maynard's vocals are definately something to note here. His voice has a massive range and he just plain sounds amazing. It meshes perfectly with the music. The lyrics are extremely deep, many times philosophical, and never fail to make you think. The music itself is so atmospheric, I swear I'm living the songs whenever I listen to them. Danny's drumming is incredible, and he knows when it's best to be subtle. Justin's bass lines are pure gold, and makes Tool one of the few bands where bass guitar holds the lead melody just as often as the guitar! And while there aren't any huge guitar solos or gaudy riffs, guitar player Adam lays on innovative playing and unique sounds. He plays what is needed to sound good, and doesn't overdo it. Check out the albums Lateralus and Ænema to see what Tool is all about. I suggest the title track off Lateralus or "Eulogy" off Ænema to start.

4. [B]Opeth[/B] - Proving yet again that the Swedish are the kings of melodic death metal. The first thing one notices about Opeth is that their songs average on 10-14 minutes long depending on what album you're looking at. In one Opeth song, you'll hear everything from beautifully excecuted melodic vocals to gutteral and vicious growling, intricate classicaly influenced accoustic to technical and chaotic electric guitar work, numerous solos, multiple time sig changes... these guys are truly eclectic. Check out the album Blackwater Park (my personal favorite song here is "The Drapery Falls").

5. [B]Nightwish[/B] - Symphonic metal has never been done better. Across their 5 albums and numerous EPs, Nightish proves that metal can reach a whole new level of epicness through symphonic accompaniment. Here, string sections might accompany a guitar solo, or Marco's power-metal style singing might second Tarja's amazing operatic vocals. Nightwish puts it all together beautifully. I strongly suggest the song "Ghost Love Score" off the album Once. Another good one is the song "Stargazers" off the album Oceanborn.

Oh, and x kakashi x, if you want to check out some heavy girl groups, look into the two most recent Arch Enemy albums. VERY different than Kittie (better, I think). Their vocalist is female on those two latest CDs. Otep's earlier albums (they're called Jihad and Sevas Tra. Their latest album, House of Secrets is very mediocre in my opinion).