Warning: This is going to be skewed to the genres formulated in the late 80's. Being Thrash Metal onwards. Generally speaking, I enjoy music where meaning is conveyed through narrative song construction, where melody and harmony intertwined progress through a structure not dissimilar to a poem or a novel. I find this is done best in modern music in these later genres of metal. I don't much care for most vocal-centric music. If you can't stand 'growly' vocals, which act more as a device for rhythmic variation and not as the centerpiece of most 'underground' metal genres, you won't find much of interest in this thread. I would suggest trying to get over this aversion however, because the best of the music underlying these relatively unimportant vocals can be creative and dynamic to an extent not seen in most modern music.




This album features similarities to Voivod, but on top of having a joy for the unsettling and odd harmonic structure, Supuration develop startlingly singable melodies alongside the dissonant distortion clash pioneered by those mentioned Canadian geniuses. For the rhythmic guitar, slower tempos and ponderous deep chords interlock with mid tempo palm strumming. The melodic lead is versatile and intelligent, sometimes arpeggiating, sometimes singing. These two interact in unpredictable ways, but the amount of balance achieved is staggering through two seemingly non-connected forms.

I believe this album uses the concept of musical space to great effect, something rarely seen in metal. Chords lengthen and relax after a series of more standard metal rhythmic picking, sometimes letting melodic lines flow over a suddenly effective simplistic rhythmic space. The lead is quite capable of doing this in response to the rhythmic guitar chugging as well. Even the drums often get in on this diversifying act, shifting time keeping from polyrhythm to monorhythm often (a simple eighth note clock ticking ride or hihat). This shifting space leads to is a changing and diverse focus on various instruments, melodies, and rhythms rarely seen outside of classical music. Sometimes open and cavernous, to the point of Pink Floydisms. Sometimes structured and rhythmic (although never fast and chaotic like thrash metal). In and out of this structure the melody flows with grace, intelligence, and subtlety. In the same way Supuration use space, they also use the harmonious and the dissonant...resulting in an album that is incredibly balanced, diverse and interconnected.

They call it progressive death metal, but it's a genreless album in my opinion, and for the better. Give it a spin!

Iron Maiden

Machine Head

Meh, Candiria did it better

Rise from the grave! Time for some unknown/unheralded black metal. Black metal warning alert applies (vocals are very screamy, production is blurry, etc etc)

Kvist. Only released one album in 1995, but it's good. I wish more black metal bands had followed their example in that regard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73S4J...eature=related

Averse Sefira. One of the better bands still working in today's generally lifeless and unimaginative genre. Tetragrammatical Astygmata is by far their best work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMo2h1uO2RA

Sorcier des Glaces. Youthful inspirational music. Brilliant production. Ok, only one of the two previous statements is true. But luckily production isn't too important in black metal, where streaming melodic development is king, and rhythm is used primarily as ambient forward motion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIrPe...eature=related

Auzhia. Epic. Requires a long attention span. But really cool in it's unorthodox style. Doesn't mind being vague, and features long melodies that often will force one to wait a long time before reaching resolution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQWhg1_FAGA

I actually really liked that Kvist album back in the day... I am so out of the scene now that I have no idea what's going on in black metal.

I assume it's still a bunch of Emperor, Immortal, Darkthrone ripoffs?

OP, do you like Taake at all? That's one of the newer BM bands I really like, even though they aren't that "new".

If you want some no-frills old school sabbathy-like heavy metal, take a look at The Sword
How Heavy This Axe
Freya
Winter's Wolves

I particularly like the Youtube comment from the third link:

Yeah, for the most part black metal is just a bunch of clones. Especially Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger clones. It's pretty awful. Averse Sefira and Auzhia are definitely two of the best recent bands. Also Demoncy - Joined in Darkness is kind of amazing if you haven't heard it. The new Beherit album is pretty good too.

Not a huge fan of what I've heard from Taake but I admit I haven't heard much so perhaps I should go check them out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvNi5...eature=related

For black metal, France and even the United States have been doing a lot of good things. Wolves in the Throne Room are from WA and make some really good black metal that seems also indebted to a little bit of post hardcore and Jesu. Plus, they're apparently big environmentalists and ****. Blut Aus Nord is from France and I think it's one dude and he's been consistently making great black metal for the past ten years or so. I think he's the one who said the genre has to move past the childishness of burning churches and stuff.

I'm mostly excited to go see Eyehategod play Dopesick in May, though, even though that's completely unrelated.

Damn, eyehategod is awesome. Absolutely love those guys, had a few of their albums memorized on guitar (not that it's hard, but it's alot of fun to play)

Daath is the best thing out right now.

I don't know if you can classify this as metal, but:

Swans - Filth

is one badass of an album. It's hard and noisy, isn't that what metal is?

How have I never heard this before? Swans - Filth is an epic precursor to grindcore and industrial. Reminds me particular of an animosity/brooding that exists in Godflesh as well. Thanks colew123!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocrTr56uhyw swans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWv9...eature=related godflesh

Swans is so good, so sad and depressing. Apparently they're playing again but without Jarboe

If you dig on Godflesh, seriously check out Jesu. It's where Godflesh was heading towards but could never really get to with restrictions of the genre.

Jesu is fantastic. However, I think it peaked on the first EP and album. That was the perfect mix...past those jesu slowly gets too saccharine for me.

But I absolutely love the first EP and ST. Easily in my top albums of the decade. Close enough to metal to put here I suppose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQzDY4shPWo heartache

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PYw...eature=related s/t

Np. I'll check out Godflesh and Jesu. Have heard of them but haven't listened to their stuff.

I'm indifferent about Jarboe. I like her, she's great and all but I think my favorite Swans stuff is pre-Jarboe. Although, I do love Children of God and Soundtracks of the Blind.

Children Of Bodom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE1xsjZYoy0

I don't like their new stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F8ezIhYHHY

Children of bodom used to be so good, i dont like their new stuff either...

For one like me who finds non stop growling tiresome, scar symmetry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mebSi4PDC34 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2zji...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5886Nb_psg

CRAB CORE!!!!!!!!!!

Check out Origin. More specifically, their latest album Antithesis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIMW0aHN0ks. It's amazing.

i really like these guys...although i wish he growled more since his screaming voice is better than his singing voice...

Negura Bunget - OM
Moonsorrow - Viides Luku Hävitetty
Drudkh - Poison the Wells
Fen - The Malediction Fields

Anything by Sigh and Agalloch

Also for Scar Symmetry fans Omnium Gathering's album Redshift