I'm looking for some grindcore/hardcore/death metal bands. Preferably from the US/Canadian that are still in existence as I like to see the bands I listen to live. I know there are plenty of sites out there that have reviews but I'd rather hear from others on here that have similar taste. As I work night crew, this leaves me with about 7 hours to listen to my library each night basically on repeat.
Current bands I'm into...
As Blood Runs Black August Burns Red Black Dahlia Murder Children of Bodom Darkest Hour Devil Wears Prada Dropkick Murphys From A Second Story Window Genghis Tron HeavyHeavyLowLow Number 12 Looks Like You On Broken Wings Red Chord
As I Lay Dying The Agony Scene Lamb Of God God Forbid Job For a Cowboy Shadows Fall <--- Maybe, might be a little too "pop"y for you. 3 Inches of Blood Atreyu
Not an exhaustive list, as I am a metal head, but the genres do overlap, and these are mostly hardcore bands that I saw at concerts with metal bands that I liked and thought their shows were pretty good.
Skeletonwitch (probably the best thing in the US right now)
Death (Chuck died in 2001 so you won't be seeing them anytime soon, but it's the best american death metal band, the best death metal band ever on some days, and the only thing the american scene has to brag about. they started out with that really brutal death metal sound, but eventually evolved into a more prog death metal with their album Human)
Nile
Quo Vadis
i make it a point to stay out of the US metal scene, and i have since i was 17, but those are all american/canadian. but seriously you should look into the sweden/norway sound. i don't know what it is, but they just fucking pump out brilliant musicians like it's nothing. google gothenburg metal to get a taste
Gorguts "Obscura" - A brilliantly unconventional death metal album. The guitars don't do the usual chunky palm muted power chords or tremelo picked riffs. Instead, all manner of strange noises are wrenched from the guitars, making me think of rusty twisted metal assembling itself into some strange lifeform. The drum work is pure death metal brilliance, and ever so slightly off kilter, giving it a chaotic and almost frightening sound, with awesome double bass blast beats. The vocals are somewhat unconventional higher pitched screams - they sound like the screams of a man being burned alive; wheezing, gasping, but still generally very ferocious. The mixing is superb and allows every instrument to be heard clearly, unlike virtually all extreme metal. Strange melodies - almost oriental or middle eastern at times, 20th century atonal melodies at others - are all over the place. This record was a milestone for experimental/avant garde metal, and is a psychedelic voyage through hell.
Psyopus "Our Puzzling Encounters Considered"- Excellent bizzarre technical grind. Most of the guitar work is very high pitched and extremely hyperactive. The drumming is fantastic, and the bass player keeps up with the guitar. The vocals are also quite high pitched. Think of high pitched grindcore performed on methamphetamine. Lots of stopping and starting and apparent lack of structure can make this album a little difficult, but it's a fantastic aural representation of insanity and all manner of extreme states of mind. This is a very creative take on grindcore.
Dying Fetus "War of Attrition" - Dying Fetus are the best band out there at taking a conventional sound (in this case death metal, hardcore punk, and grind) and taking it to the next level through wonderfully technical, but catchy, playing, and sheer attitude (almost the Pantera-esque "we are going to roll right over you" attitude.) The guitar players shred but the shreds are never masturbatory. The drums are wicked, and most of the riffs are pure annihilation. Dying Fetus make catchy death metal without softening it one bit.
Beneathe The Massacre "Evidence of Inequity" - Insane technical yet brutal death metal. The guitars alternate between very fast high pitched arpeggios and shreds and low pitched, off kilter riffs. The drums are extremely brutal and wonderfully fast - the drummer does some of the fastest double bass work I've heard. This EP's first two songs showcase this band at their best. Their next record was every bit as technical, but the soul was lost.
Cryptopsy "And Then You'll Beg" - This was my introduction to death metal/grindcore, and it blew my mind. People play this way? This is actually possible? This is an insanely hyperactive kind of music, yet brutal at the same time. The drummer has got to be one of the best out there, at least within the metal genre. This record displays unconventional guitar work - very fast, slithering, high and low, all over the place. The vocals are more hardcore style than death metal. This record is an adrenaline rush.
Cephalic Carnage "Exploiting Dysfunction" - A strange record. Here you have insane grindcore which randomly gives way to strange, quiet jazzy sections. Plenty of gross and out of control low pitched, fast paced grind and silly gurgling voices and high pitched goblin screams. A brutal and interesting record. Bad production, but that actually seems to help the vibe of the record.
AmorVincitOmnia: I agree, American metal is iffy, but there are bands like Dying Fetus that put out insanely good metal.
My feeling is that the best metal is coming out of Canada. I can't explain it - how can Canadians be so violent in their music, and so reasonable and down to earth otherwise?
Oh, I forgot to mention Ion Dissonance. They seem to have changed a lot on their new record, making their sound more brutal, yet more accessible at the same time. I'm not sure if this is a positive change or not, but in some ways it is pretty cool.
"Minus The Herd" - the latest album. Full of odd time signature rhythms. Unlike their other stuff, this album is ALL about brutal rhythm. It is very heavy, yet kind of conventional at the same time. I think this might be a more accessible record to start with. Insanely heavy, crushing guitar/drum work with hardcore vocals.
"Solace" - a real mindf*ck of a record. Crazy time signatures, rapidly changing tempos, crazy speeds, jagged and unpredictable riffs, and grating and intense hardcore vocals. Very creative approach to riffing, making use of incredibly disonant harmonies and a wide range of the guitar. This record is so crazy that it can be hard to listen to, and hard to absorb. Still, a fantastic example of how extreme metal can be.
Although there are some great American bands, I am going to have to agree that Europe, specifically Scandinavia, is where the best metal is coming from. I would strongly suggest looking into it, and a lot of them do tour in America periodically, so you should be able to see them still.
if you like dying fetus, check out a band called Decrepit Birth. much better, in my opinion. dying fetus has been trying to retain their sound since 2001. i'll admit war of attrition was good, but it's still them just trying to retain that sound. i won't even get into that bleak period between 01 - 07 for dying fetus. ;/
anyways, Decrepit Birth is from california so that's another one for you dknight.
Well... try bands like Amoral Nile Cryptopsy Decapitated Devourment Brodequin Abysmal Torment Defeated Sanity Decrepit Birth Dies Irae Vader Behemoth Hour Of Penance Inveracity Sarpanitum Severed Savior Vengeful Unmerciful Zyklon Deeds Of Flesh Suffocation Necrophagist Spawn Of Possession Sickening Horror Saprogenic Quo Vadis Odious Mortem Napalm Death
etc etc Majority of these bands are Technical Death / Brutal Death metal bands. You might enjoy some.
AmorVincitOmnia, thanks for the recommendation. I hear Decrepit Birth is pretty technical and crazy. I'll have to check them out. Currently I am just getting into an Australian death metal band called Portal (not the spinoff from Cynic). They are supposed to be pretty strange, and what I've heard is very nice and dark as hell. Their new album is Outre.
I think all 3 of Dying Fetus's last releases are great, although not my favorite kind of stuff (not weird enough, but still kick ass).
Yeah, the bands the OP listed are largely unfamiliar to me, but sound like the kind of stuff going on in the Ozfest scene and whatnot (not my kind of sound, for sure.) Still, Red Chord has a grind based sound, I think - if he likes Red Chord, I say Psyopus, Cephalic Carnage, Beneathe the Massacre, and Ion Disonance are good choices.
Can't stand metalcore :/
Definitely, the OP ought to check out some of what has been listed in this thread.
On January 02 2008 05:35 ZZangDreamjOy wrote: Well... try bands like Amoral Nile Cryptopsy Decapitated Devourment Brodequin Abysmal Torment Defeated Sanity Decrepit Birth Dies Irae Vader Behemoth Hour Of Penance Inveracity Sarpanitum Severed Savior Vengeful Unmerciful Zyklon Deeds Of Flesh Suffocation Necrophagist Spawn Of Possession Sickening Horror Saprogenic Quo Vadis Odious Mortem Napalm Death
etc etc Majority of these bands are Technical Death / Brutal Death metal bands. You might enjoy some.
This is a good list, I was especially impressed by Sarpanitum. That's probably the best production and guitar tone I've ever heard on a death metal album, and the dummer is really really talented.
One band I'd like to plug is Mithras, from U.K. They play a pretty different style of Brutal Death metal. The drumming is pretty standard fair for tech/brutal death metal, but there's alot of ambient, experimental, and avant-garde style stuff going on as well. It's kinda hard to describe, have a listen http://www.myspace.com/domainofmithras
Might also enjoy Lykathea Aflame, Symphonic Progressive Death/Grind. Just got into this band myself so I can't really describe it in detail, but
On January 02 2008 05:35 ZZangDreamjOy wrote: Well... try bands like Amoral Nile Cryptopsy Decapitated Devourment Brodequin Abysmal Torment Defeated Sanity Decrepit Birth Dies Irae Vader Behemoth Hour Of Penance Inveracity Sarpanitum Severed Savior Vengeful Unmerciful Zyklon Deeds Of Flesh Suffocation Necrophagist Spawn Of Possession Sickening Horror Saprogenic Quo Vadis Odious Mortem Napalm Death
etc etc Majority of these bands are Technical Death / Brutal Death metal bands. You might enjoy some.
This is a good list, I was especially impressed by Sarpanitum. That's probably the best production and guitar tone I've ever heard on a death metal album, and the dummer is really really talented.
One band I'd like to plug is Mithras, from U.K. They play a pretty different style of Brutal Death metal. The drumming is pretty standard fair for tech/brutal death metal, but there's alot of ambient, experimental, and avant-garde style stuff going on as well. It's kinda hard to describe, have a listen http://www.myspace.com/domainofmithras
Might also enjoy Lykathea Aflame, Symphonic Progressive Death/Grind. Just got into this band myself so I can't really describe it in detail, but http://youtube.com/watch?v=HJwSxfT-NHY
Well I'd say... Mithras is hard for most people to get into because of the production. Their new cd is amazing, and the drumming isn't exactly... standard fair. He does really technical things that most people don't notice while going extremely fast.
Lykathea Aflame reminds me of like... symphonics mixed with Cryptopsy in a blender with !T.O.O.H.!. It's hard for the average metalhead to get into too. I gave my list off the basis of what he gave us. He seemed to like the more mainstream stuff, so I gave him bands that have decent-good production, and could be easily gotten into. Cept for Devourment/Deeds Of Flesh, which I put in there because their just cool sometimes.
On January 02 2008 06:12 nA.Inky wrote: AmorVincitOmnia, thanks for the recommendation. I hear Decrepit Birth is pretty technical and crazy. I'll have to check them out. Currently I am just getting into an Australian death metal band called Portal (not the spinoff from Cynic). They are supposed to be pretty strange, and what I've heard is very nice and dark as hell. Their new album is Outre.
I think all 3 of Dying Fetus's last releases are great, although not my favorite kind of stuff (not weird enough, but still kick ass).
Yeah, the bands the OP listed are largely unfamiliar to me, but sound like the kind of stuff going on in the Ozfest scene and whatnot (not my kind of sound, for sure.) Still, Red Chord has a grind based sound, I think - if he likes Red Chord, I say Psyopus, Cephalic Carnage, Beneathe the Massacre, and Ion Disonance are good choices.
Can't stand metalcore :/
Definitely, the OP ought to check out some of what has been listed in this thread.
Outre is amazing, but... I wouldn't really say their exactly.. death metal. Although they are Death Metal based, their sound is more black metal.
What is with everyone praising Psyopus/Beneath The Massacre/Ion Dissonance? Psyopus has no soul, and is too spastic to be considered good music. Beneath The Massacre is soulless as well. Ion Dissonance is just... a more spastic metalcore/deathcore band. Cephalic Carnage though is great, especially Xenosapien.
Oh, and Decrepit Birth is pretty good. Their first cd "And Time Begins" was more along the lines of super fast american brutal death metal. Their new cd will sound like a mixture of that with Death and Odious Mortem.