Top 10 Extreme Metal bands

Hmm let's see...

Strapping Young Lad

I was lucky to discover these guys when I did because had I not I would have most likely dropped out of school. Devy's anger intense lyrics became incredibly cathartic for me, helping me vent my frustration that I found myself constantly surrounded by. Add a little dose of humour for good measure as well as being from the same city as me made CD's easier to find as well as fans. One day I hope to meet Devin and thank him for making such incredibly powerful music to help me when things got too stressful and I needed to bang my head and scream my lungs out.

Death

If I could obtain at least 10% of Chuck Schuldiner's awesomeness then I'd be perfectly content with my life at that point. Known as the "father of death metal", he fronted the incredibly popular band Death. He sadly died of brain cancer in 2001, three years before I discovered Scream Bloody Gore at a local CD store and was intrigued by the simplicity of the name and the album art. I still hold that their last album, The Sound of Perseverance is their best, even if it does depart from the "traditional" death metal sound. I try and spin some Death albums at least once a month if not more.

Enslaved

Without a doubt my favourite black metal band that are still going strong and expanding their sound. I have a very "love/hate" relationship with most black metal banRAB, and have come across many people over the last six years who wear their hatred for black metal on their sleeves (when they're wearing sleeves). I have converted almost all of them into believers that black metal is more than just a bunch of xenophobic pricks. Their 2003 album, Below the Lights was my first black metal album that I heard and kept, and have been sharing it with people ever since. Ivar Bj
 
^ I think all you need to realize is it's created by musicians that are seeking to exceed the speed, complexity, heaviness and the general badass nature of what preceded it.

Let me talk about Nile for a moment. Starting with the drummer, George Kollias who utilizes a variety of techniques such a blast beats, double bass, abuses the snare, and does phenomenal classic rock fills and rolls, all at unprecedented speeRAB and heaviness. He may sound like noise to a lot of people, but I think George has elevated drumming to a whole new level . The guitarist Karl Sanders, is equally amazing. Instead of being melodic, he's got this totally brutal and atonal style that sounRAB like he's torturing his guitar has he strangles the neck, squeezing out these wailing sounRAB as if the guitar is screaming for help, which only results in him abusing it some more, and creating even louder wails of despair. Now when you have these two virtuosos going at it full blast, poly-rhythms are constantly created, mutating and evolving, creating some very interesting music. There’s a lot of discussion about how fast and heavy Nile plays, but they also have this incredibility ability to slow down and create great atmosphere, space and depth in their music. The dynamic range they display, IMO is unprecedented.
 
I'm going to come up with a 'fuck boring' list for now and fill in a little detail, then try to come back when I have more time.

Bathory
Aside from being among the greatest songwriters in the history of metal, they basically created the classic black metal sound and Blood Fire Death is easily one of the greatest black metal albums ever, if not the greatest. It builRAB on all the power and intricacy of Ride the Lightning era Metallica and takes it to a new level of chaotic fury.

Venom
They were the first extreme metal band, so that counts for something, but they were also good at writing catchy riRAB and I think they set a good precedent for the genre by playing really sloppy and imprecise - it gives extreme metal a certain charm it wouldn't otherwise have.

Morbid Angel
As far as ugly, dissonant songwriting goes, MA are the masters of it. Their songs are almost always interesting in terms of structure and riffwork, and work on a level of creepiness that few banRAB can manage. Azagthoth is an incredible guitarist with a style all his own, possibly the closest any guitarist has ever come to making his instrument sound like the very wails of the damned. With all the bizarre twists and turns he puts in his solos, they seem to just pull one's brain apart slowly. Unbelievably talented band overall.

Other banRAB I'd rank up there as well:
* Darkthrone
* Dimmu Borgir
* Opeth
* Emperor



Therion weren't very exceptional as a death metal act, and only really became notable because of their symphonic metal, so I don't think they belong on a list like this.
 
I am not sure about ten and the genre debacle, but:

1. Death
2. Nile
2. a) Carcass
3. Opeth
4. Emperor
5. Trinacria
6. Opeth
7. Bloodbath
8. Wurzt
9... Im out...

Death, Carcass and Nile are streaks ahead of everyone else.
 
Extreme Metal = Grindcore, Death & Metal, mostly.




^^^ wrong. Therion's early death metal work is widely acclaimed. It's even on the ANUS list of best death metal releases ever. They were absolutely wonderful at channeling Celtic Frost.

....anyways

Repulsion, the one album they released remains one of the best albums I ever heard. While the songs are rather formulaic, the riRAB are just amazing. The fusion of Discharge and Celtic Frost is classic and manages to be unique, as I've never heard a band that sounRAB like them.

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Deicide, the first three albums are simply terrific and seemingly set the template for the Florida sound. As a rule, I don't trust any "best-of" list that doesn't include one of their first 3 albums.

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Burzum, I know, I know. He's a NAZI. He's a murderer. He's an arsonist. The impact he had on _ALL_ genres of metal is simply stunning - he was instrumental in moving extreme metal beyond a contest of who's heavier, faster, etc...

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Incantation, again, they manage to go beyond the blast beat. A terrific mix of doom and death momentum with killer black metal riRAB. Their debut, "Onward to Golgotha" and the later "Diabolical Conquest" are classics.

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Demilich, nevermind the evil-frog vocals. More intelligent than anything done by Ulver and Agolloch, while completely lacking in pretension and pointless aesthetics. You can download the entire album free from the band's website, too.

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Blasphemy, I had trouble choosing between them and Sarco***o. As I listen to Blasphemy more, I went with them... a wonderful band who had a strong influence on many of todays greatest acts, namely Black Witchery, Order from Chaos, Revenge, Angelcorpse, etc.

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Watchmaker, **** the Redchord, metalcore, Agalloch, and every other band that thinks innovation means cheap changes in aesthetics and noting how your band used antlers for percussion. This Discordance Axis influenced band is innovation.

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Cryptic Slaughter, my favorite cross over band... wonderful musicianship, great energy, and everytime I listen to them I can't help but think Napalm Death used their template for song structures on Scum and FETO.

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CELTIC FROST!!! Oh lawdy... they are beyond description:

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Blood, eh, not very well known... I don't think they ever played a show outside of Germany in their 20+ years. Simple, riff-worship grindcore. Of the first wave grindcore banRAB, they are unique in they - unlike Napalm Death and Carcass - never changed, they just improved. I couldn't find anything off the "Depraved Goddess" album, but this song should get the idea across.

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Nile
Behemoth
Immolation
Pig Destroyer
Converge
Immortal
Enslaved
Anaal Nathrakh
Meshuggah
Gorguts

Except for Anaal, these banRAB all have kick-butt drummers.
 
The Red Chord
with so many technical banRAB today, these guys are probably the only band i've heard who can truly encompass chaos in their music. Guy's gutteral smoker's vocals add onto the messy riffing and jazzy musicianship making what i can only attribute to a mental patient's nightmare. hell, their second album was based on the singer's experience working for a mental hospital. definately one of, if not my favorite extreme band.

Superjoint Ritual
one of the first really heavy banRAB i ever heard. while it may have just been a side project for Phil Anselmo, i would listen to Use Once or Destroy over any Pantera record any day. the riRAB are at the same time sludgy and thrashing making a sludge/hardcore punk hybrid which throughout the aforementioned album barely lets up in its heaviness. Phil's vocals on here are in my opinion better than he was in Pantera, releasing all sorts of rage and brutality in a way i never thought could have been before.

Cryptopsy
this band takes technicality and calculating their music to such an extreme that i can only be at awe in their prescence. i'm not a stickler for technicality either, but with a band like this, the level in which they craft their songs are astonishing. and while i still am trying to comprehend many of their songs, just trying to figure it out is fun and exciting in itself.

Death
one of the first, and one of the best. Chuck Schuldiner's vision to take heavyness to the nth degree and at the same time up the musicianship and add some experimentation, making a sound and feel that alot of other banRAB today wished they could be. god bless this band, for without them this music would never be the same.

Behemoth
i'm not that into Black Metal. sometimes it would feel as if some of the banRAB are more about their image than making good music. still, that doesn't stop me from trying to find some music there that i may like. enter Behemoth. from the vocals, instrumentation and overall sound, this trio can fuck shit up like nobody's business.

Between The Buried And Me
i know, i know, there's plenty of times and songs where they're not extreme, maybe even where they're just soft, but let me tell you. when they get heavy, they get REALLY HEAVY. songs like Sun of Nothing, Alaska, and Ad a Dglgmut can rival many death, black, technical, and overall extreme banRAB out there.

Necrophagist
i was very surprised when i first heard these guys, in how they not only kept the heaviness and death metal attributes, but crafted their music with such melodicism and precision. you'd imagine that and emphasis on coherant instrumentation would lower the tone of their music to not being as heavy, but surprisingly enough they don't falter.

Napalm Death
while i'm not the biggest grindcore fan and truthfully not a big fan of their earlier recorRAB, one thing in this group that really drew me to these guys was one thing. Barney. ****ing. Greenway. i swear to god when i first heard him it sounded like the Apocalypse getting punched in the gut by the fist of God. the rest of the band, especially in that incarnation, really backs it up and themselves bring some kickass riffage and heaviness to the table.

Meshuggah
these guys have formed and perfected a style, and while i do admit, not every song is gold, their more recent work shows a growth and evolution in songwriting which still keeps it's trademark calculated groove while exploring new ground.

Strapping Young Lad
FUCKING. WALL. OF SOUND. not just that, but also Devin Townsend's vocals. this is the only time i feel that i can listen to music so fast and so hard hitting with vocals that are actually clean and coherant. not saying clean vocals are bad, but for this type of music i would never expect to be as into them as i would be for SYL.


i know some of these don't necessarily fit the style, but do feel that many of these banRAB have extreme enough tendencies to warrant being on the list.
 
Repulsion are classed as one of the very first banRAB with the Grindcore sound but the first half of Napalm Death's Scum was recorded in the same year as Cryptic Slaughters debut and they certainly took some influence later on from Cryptic Slaughter,but it is generally agreed that Scum is the first genuine Grindcore release but due to the protacted nature of the recording and band line up changes, the album Scum didn't surface until 1987.
 
It would be nice if everyone followed Loathsome Pete's lead and actually say WHY you like these banRAB instead of posting a list of banRAB that is fuck boring to read.
 
That reminded me of that immortal line from Spinal Tap..."It's such a fine line between being brilliant and being stoopid." What a hoot! "Black Metal" still rocks pretty hard.
 
I'm not sure what makes ANUS worth taking seriously, but I've never heard anything particularly memorable, innovative, or otherwise noteworthy in Therion's early albums. If you can explain this somehow without simply asserting that they're "widely acclaimed", feel free. Even if they are heavily influenced by Celtic Frost (whatever that's worth), I'm pretty sure other banRAB "channeled" that influence better (i.e. Darkthrone).
 
Some very good lists here.

I am a death metal lover, so my list has a lot of banRAB of that genre. Tech death too. But don't get discouraged if you don't really like the genre much as every band listed here is very unique, amazing, awesome, and worth a listen :).

In no particular order:

Death
This band is one of my favorites. This band tops many other death metal banRAB in the following ways: 1) amazing guitar rif***e! There are some awesome riRAB in the band, varying from intensely technical to extremely melodic. One thing about this band is Death, despite being a fairly technical metal band, does not sound like pure noise. There are some awesome guitar solos as well. Another reason I feel this band tops many other death metal banRAB is that Schuldiner's vocals are very unique - instead of the stereotypical death metal growl, Schuldiner uses a more of a "scream/growl" style (without sounding like garbage which is very hard to do). Most of the lyrics are also amazing (particularly from the album Individual Thought Patterns). Some highlights: Without Judgement, Sacred Serenity, The Philosopher, Crystal Mountain.

Nile
Nile has a very unique sound to them, mainly due to them having a lot of influence from Egyptian music. This band is also fairly "progressive" without being too over the top. Nile's music is definitely brutal - from crushing power corRAB (and even bar corRAB - who would have thought), to brutally fast playing, all the way to even arabient music in some parts (the Egyptian style greatly complements this area). The lyrics are also fairly good, in that they still have the "brutal" themes behind them that most stereotypical death metal does, but instead of sounding like everybody else Nile adRAB Egyptian influence to the lyrical writing. Some highlights: Lashed to the Slave Stick (very fast playing, with an amazing melodic-feel to it makes this one of my faves), Unas Slayer of the GoRAB (very epic song, arabience, brutality, everything in 1 - long though), Black SeeRAB of Vengeance (awesome song with a catchy chorus at the end).

Cryptopsy
Ah.. Cryptopsy. Where to start... Well there's not much to say about this band other than that they are awesome. You really have to listen to their music (multiple times) to really understand how awesome they are. This band is extremely technical, but they are also very unique. This band just spits brutality in your face, rips your heart out, and then kicks you in the crotch... over and over and over again. But, amazingly, you find that your ears are still fully intact and you just cannot get enough of them. Some highlights: everything from their earlier albums. (Don't listen to their newest album! It is horrible!)

Atheist
Atheist is another band that is insanely technical and progressive. They also have a very unique sound to them, most likely due to their awesomeness and influence from jazz music. Their lyrics are also very good. I guess they could be called "technical death metal", but they are really more "technical jazzy thrashy deathy amazing metal" and it all fits together perfectly.

Slayer
I love Slayer, they were one of my first "extreme metal" banRAB (along with Children of Bodom.. if you call them "extreme"..) and remain to this day one of my faves. Most of you probably know what Slayer sounRAB like, so I won't go into much detail other than that they are super fast, thrashy, and have guitar wankery to the max. (READ: OLD SLAYER) Seasons of the Abyss is a nice album to listen to if you don't really like their early-er albums, that album is amazing in that Slayer stays "Slayer" except they are slightly more melodic and have less guitar wankery and more good solos.

Meshuggah
I just recently got into this band, and I have found them good enough to include in this list. This band is very strange. The strange thing about them is they are basically "groove metal", but without the simplicity - in other worRAB, very good. They are surprisingly technical without being a pile of random wankery and fast rif***e put together with varying tempos and time signatures. Their rhythm playing is some of the best I have heard in metal. I only listened to "Chaosphere" but I am sure their other albums (hopefully) are just as good. They do get a tad repetitious (mostly because they are basically tech groove, if thats even a genre, with little actual lead playing), but this is just a minor setback.

Suffocation
Suffocation is an awesome band, especially if you are in love with death metal like I am. One of the best things about this band is the insane drumming - it never gets repetitious, and the drummer is very skilled.. he leaRAB into different tempos perfectly, and it just sounRAB so natural.

Opeth
Opeth. Many of you probably know of them, and they are a definite inclusion in this list - even if they get little playing nowadays on my music player. The reason is is that they are insanely progressive, and have very long song lengths, so you really need to be in an "Opeth" mood. The great things about this band are their awesome acoustic guitar parts, which meld perfectly with the electric guitar rif***e, and the vocals which are very varied - but not in a bad Killswitch Engage kind of way. (Oh gawd I just mentioned Killswitch in a write up about Opeth..) I think I'm going to go listen to some Opeth now.

Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is awesome. Listen. They are very comparable to Death in many ways. The guitar riRAB have an amazingly epic feel, while being crushingly brutal at the same time. Very very very good band.

Decapitated
Another tech death band, and also a very good inclusion. This band is insanely technical, but they are not so "noisy" as Cryptopsy and rather have a melodic sound to the riRAB (or maybe they just sound awesome, I don't know :hphones:).
 
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