I was watching headbangers ball on MTV on saturday and i saw hatebreed. Some of their stuff is pretty good but most metal is either screaming with no lyrics. Are there any good metal bands with understandable lyrics? Soulfly and Hatebreed are among the few i have seen.
In metal, the sound of the human voice is far more important than the lyrics; it’s really just another instrument. You see that a little bit in modern pop metal, a lot in modern underground metal, and it’s inescapable in extreme metal. So what you’re asking for is a bit odd, but it’s out there.
MTV recently released a 2-disc collection of tracks that have been featured on Headbanger’s Ball. The first disc is more mainstream stuff, and the second disc is mainstream-friendly underground stuff. If you’re interested in getting into metal, I strongly recommend that you pick it up. You should also check out From Zero and Lacuna Coil.
There is a band called Breaking Benjamin that seems to be a pretty good mix of good old metal and the newer hard rock sound. A lot of their choruses have good hooks like the old hair bands, but they have a lot more bottom end in their sound like just about everything these days.
Manowar’s been around for a while now, and I think they’re excellent. Amazing vocalist:
I’ve heard good songs by Ill Nino. I don’t own their CDs but I’ve been meaning to investigate them. Of course, you should check out Tool and Godsmack, but I’m sure you already knew that.
I’m not sure what category to put the following artists in so I’ll just name them. They’re hardly metal, they’re barely skirting hard but they’re harder than, say, The Offspring (whom I also like) or Hoobastank. I like listening to them when I need a break from the hard stuff. I guess they’re Hard Stuff Lite. Anyway, here’s the list:
Chevelle
Audioslave
Seether
A Perfect Circle
Sevendust
Orgy
Fuel
(Say, what category are these artists in, anyway?)
JuanitaTech, fan of harder alternative music.
APC I’d call progressive metal, Sevendust is nu metal (and their first album is excellent), and Orgy is industrial metal. The rest I’d call modern hard rock.
I haven’t heard much From Zero, but I absolutely LOVE Lacuna Coil. Definately check them out.
Hey ultrafilter, you going to the Lacuna Coil show at Jaxx next week?
Hmmm…I wish I still had the link for the 101 different kinds of metal - like death metal, nu metal, speed metal, funk metal, rah-rah metal, rap metal, etc. etc. Some of them were pretty funny.
But since you’re asking about hard metal, I dunno if I can help ya. If you’re open to hard music in general, and you enjoy a funky flava with it, try Clutch. They’ve existed in that wonderful (for the fans) place just underneath mainstream acceptance for years now. The music is fucking fantastic. Sample their latest album, then work backwards. Intelligent lyrics and tight musicianship.
Another vote for Lacuna Coil. If you end up liking Lacuna Coil you can also check out The Gathering and Nightwish
Also:
[ul]
[li]God Forbid[/li]
[li]Shadows Fall[/li]
[li]Thrice[/li]
[li]Killswitch Engage[/li]
[li]Mushroomhead[/li]
[*]In Flames[/ul]
Thanks, ultrafilter. That was very helpful.
Check out Electric Frankenstein. While not a metal band per se, they take elements of Motorhead and AC/DC, mix them with the attitude of the Dead Boys and Black Flag, and churn out some of the best hard rock ever. Their sound is angry without being whine-y and there’s not a rap or a My-Life-Is-So-Bad-Woe-Is-Me-Boo-fuckin-hoo lyric to be had.
Straight up in your face rock and roll from New Jersy. Their new album is a two record/CD comp of all the B-side cover songs they’ve done over the last decade, covering everyone from Aerosmith to X, and even an ASS-KICKING version of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”. Awesome stuff.
And I can’t let a thread like this pass without mentioning the almighty Turbonegro who are use their Alice Cooper influences in a GOOD way (unlike Marilyn Manson, who Turbonegro sound nothing like). With songs about fucking Betty Page (“I Fucked Betty Page”) Trendies (“Hobbit Motherfuckers”:“Cyber idiots with pierced scrotums - Copulating - With animals - In cars - Parked ouside the rave party - Not enough war - Not enough famine - Not enough suffering - Not enough natural selection” and gay anal lust…lots of gay anal lust…See, Turbonegro has this gay fascist sailor shtik that works great even though they’re none of the above. But their music kicks ass as well. Check out the Apocalypse Dudes album…a perfect melding of punk, metal, and 70’s glam when glam bands were ugly freakish people as opposed to bands who looked prettier than your girlfriend. And hey, any album that has as it’s cover art the Symbionese Lliberation Army symbol, you has to be great.
Hell YEAH! Their best stuff was the first four or five albums with the Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss. I got the last album though, and-I’m not kidding-It sounds like Bette Midler!?!?!?! No, really. They cover that stupid “American Trilogy” song for cryin’ out loud. Whats up with that? That guy can still hit those high notes after all these years though.
Speaking of the Dictators, their latest album DFFD is a rockin’ punk record that any fan of real metal could enjoy.
Ok ill try some of those bands. Mushroomhead isn’t too good, i tried them out a couple years ago. Aside from the first minute of ‘before i die’ none of their stuff is any good.
Someone on another board recommended Slipknot. At first thier stuff wasn’t too good but after i listened to it for a bit is pretty good. People = shit, disaster piece, duality, i am hated and alot of their other songs are pretty good.
Alot of the bands listed (fuel, breaking benjamin, chevelle, Seether, Orgy) i have a single or two but i’ve never explored the bands fully. just listened to their hit songs (which were always good).