Top 11 Modern Heavy Metal Bands: #6-2
Yesterday, we looked over the genre-melding work of Between the Buried and Me, the wicked sludge metal work of Kylesa, a great mix of black metal and shoegaze with Alcest, the heavy progressive metal of The Ocean Collective, and the atmospheric post-metal of Isis. Today, we look at five more of my favorite modern heavy metal bands.
6: Mastodon
What are these guys about?
Hailing from Savannah, Georgia, the good majority of Mastodon’s work is not my favorite. Most of their work, just doesn’t work for me. Then why did I did I put them all the way at #6? That’s very simple: Their fourth album, Crack The Skye, is my favorite heavy metal album of all time. Period. Crack The Skye is a less of a sludge metal album, and more a prog metal album. The mix of the excellent songwriting, fantastic guitar, wicked drumming, and eerie vocals, Crack The Skye is my favorite metal album ever. And that’s saying something.
What should I listen to by them?
I think I’ve made my point With Crack the Skye, but they have other wicked tracks. Listen to Blood and Thunder off the album Leviathan, and the track Sleeping Giant from the album Blood Mountain.
5: Porcupine Tree
What are these guys about?
Okay, some people would say I may be cheating here, but I think that Porcupine Tree is, in fact, a metal band. Some of their songs are heavy enough to be called metal. Other people might just call them prog-rock, while I think they are an excellent combination of prog metal and prog rock. Porcupine Tree does not have screaming vocals, they just use ethereal soundscapes, and songs that almost sound like dreams. Porcupine Tree also uses acoustic guitar, and other non-usual instruments., such as the banjo and the clave.
What should I listen to by them?
Most of their stuff is excellent, especially the album In Absentia. Their album Fear Of A Blank Planet is also very good. Good tracks on that include the title track, My Ashes and the 17-minute long epic Anesthetize.
4: Meshuggah
What are these guys about?
All right, back to proper metal. Hailing from Umea, Sweden, Meshuggah is an extreme/progressive metal group. One of the heaviest bands on this list, Meshuggah is also the oldest: I cheated my own criteria to add these guys, whose first album came out in 1987. But it didn’t feel right to not put these guys on this list, what with them being so good and all. They are also one of the most hardest bands to play to: they constantly use bizarre time signatures and odd song structures.
What should I listen to by them?
The album Destroy Erase Improve is a metal classic, the track Future Breed Machine is unparalleled in terms of awesomeness. Their latest album, obZen, is not as good as their older stuff, but is still wicked. The tracks Combustion and Bleed are the best on the album.
3: Gojira
What are these guys about?
Okay, we are starting to get into the best of the best metal bands now. Gojira (originally Godzilla), from Bayonne, France, is one of the best progressive metal bands out there. Using bizarre time signature, odd drumming, and one of the best screaming singers ever, Gojira is pretty damn good. However, they have another important contribution: they are a green band. Most of their song lyrics include references to pollution and human waste (listen to the song Toxic Garbage Island), and they have even joined environmentally friendly groups.
What should I listen to by them?
The album The Way of All Flesh is a scary good album, with the best tracks include The Art of Dying and Vacuity.
2: Opeth
What are these guys about?
Opeth, Opeth, Opeth. Where do I start with these guys? Coming from Stockholm, Sweden, Opeth is considered one of the best metal bands of all time. This is a title they definitely deserve. Then why are they not #1? That’s because #1 is better. Back to Opeth, one of the band’s defining characteristics is that it uses both heavy parts, with frantic guitar, fantastic drumming, and my favorite screaming singer ever. The calm parts, however, is like entering another world. The acoustic guitar is beautiful, and the clean singer’s melodies are extremely good. Easily one of the best metal bands ever.
What should I listen to by them?
The album Blackwater Park is one of the best albums ever, with the best tracks include The Leper Affinity, Harvest and The Drapery Falls. The album Ghost Reveries is also an excellent album, with tracks such as Ghost of Perdition and The Baying of The Hounds.
That concludes the list for today, and #1 with be released tomorrow!
