Metal Reviews

In your opinion, what bands have had the biggest influence on metal over that past decade? It doesn't mean you think they are the best band ever. You don't even have to like them. What bands have put their mark on metal in significant way?


In Flames - I believe Clayman came out in 2000 and Reroute to Remain a couple years after that. For better or worse, In Flames has influenced bands across several sub genres and have taken the "melodeath" sound in a new direction.

Mastodon - These guys started started as rather straight forward sludge band and have carved out a new niche in the metal landscape with Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye. Personally, I prefer the more straight forward Leviathan, but there is no doubt these guys have had a major impact on the genre.

Between the Buried and Me - Progressive metalcore. These guys are taking metal into new territory in technicality and songwriting.

Meshuggah - These guys have been around for a long time, but their impact is now being felt like never before. Heck, there is a whole sub genre devoted to their riffage.

Cradle of Filth / Dimmu Borgir - I think you have to look at these bands together. While they have different sounds, they have influenced the symphonic dark/gothic/black metal genres quite heavily.

Anyways, feel free to disagree, agree, or add bands of your own. Explain your choices.

I agree with Dimmu borgir. No one sounds like them and they are the biggest symphonic black metal influence and have been for a while.

Good topic, and I agree with most of your choices other than BTBAM, unless your meaning in the advent of progressive metalcore.

Behemoth-While it may not seem like it the band started out from a nameless bm band to one of death metals most recognizable bands. Demigod and Zos Kias cultus were tremendously influential on modern black/death metal.

Necrophagist-While tech death arguably existed with Cynic, Atheist, Demilich, and Pestilence prior to Necrophagist, modern bands such as Brain Drill, Rings of Saturn, and Anomalous owe their very existence to Necrophagist's style of showboating over the top technical prowess.

Deathspell Omega- From origins as your average Darkthrone clone band to inspiring a great deal of orthodox bm and post black metal. These reclusive frenchmen invoked the ire of bm purists, and with their trilogy changed the bm landscape for either better or worse

There are a lot of other bands on the tip of my tongue, but Ill see what everyone else lists.

Opeth for making it trendy to mix prog and extreme metal.

Necrophagist is an interesting pick. I tried to think of the band that really kicked off modern tech death and couldn't come up with anything. I suppose Necrophagist would be one of them.

A lot of these newer OSDM revivalist bands such as Cruciamentum, Grave Ritual, and Funebrarum are creating a stir.

Also agree with Necrophagist about them starting/popularizing the modern tech death sound. Also Isis, and maybe Pelican, for popularizing post-metal/sludge kinda jams.

Boris.

From a Power Metal standpoint, I would say Rhapsody (of Fire).

I would also throw Hammerfall into the mix. Certainly not the originators, but there are enough clone bands out there to warrant their influence.

Behemoth were better as a black metal band

Xasthur helped popularize DSBM.

I just ordered From the Pagan vastlands, and I might order Grom let's hope your correct.

I can't agree on Xasthur, Rhys. Maybe from our warped perspective DSBM seems popular but I'd say Wolves In the Throne Room's style and influence has been far greater.

Or maybe it is just because I can't stand most Xasthur clones?

Definitely should add Slough Feg, as they are keeping the heavy metal flame alive almost single-handedly.

DsO and Blut Aus Nord for the new dissonant bm stuff.

Protest the Hero, BtBAM and Converge for the prog-core thing.

Vektor for thrash (or should be, how many ferocious and so tight thrash albums can you name in the last few years?)

Ulcerate, Nile and Gojira for Death Metal

Benighted for DM too but they aren't so influential but should be. They've shown everyone that you can make tight dm records and still not be boring.

Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer for grind.

Weakling for the new bm sound and WITTR for popularizing it.

Opeth, Mastodon, Enslaved and Tool different prog influences.

I think we all know who I think influenced me the most.

For any the broader question: I don't really care I guess

DT are selling the most albums among serious metal bands consistently, so maybe they are influencing the most people's songwriting.

Xasthur has only really had an influence on a sub-genre of a sub-genre to be sure, but Malefic still influenced a number of bands in the sub-sub genre of DSBM.

I'd rather listen to Xasthur than WITTR

I rate Sventevith, Grom and And the Forests Dream Eternally up there with the Norwegian greats.

It's somewhat typical black metal, but has cool use of acoustic guitars and just solid songwriting.

Emperor's Prometheus
Edge of Sanity's Crimson II
Dark Tranquillity's Damage Done

Comes to mind for now...

Neurosis

Amen.

WITTR's demo is a million times better than anything Xasthur could ever hope to do. Mind you that their demo is the best thing they have ever done.