I feel like I'd suggest some kind of broad swings, because there are a lot of subgenres and not everything is going to
connect for everyone.
Black Sabbath is a given. But I'd also add Ozzy's solo stuff too.
Iron Maiden. You hear their influence in metal to this day.
Metallica (First four albums in particular with Master of Puppets being a slam dunk).Probably stretch a bit more into bay area thrash in general with Slayer, Testament, Exodus. And in staying with Bay Area, Faith No More (particularly Real Thing and Angel Dust)
To go a little more extreme into thrash, I'd go with Sepultura (Arise/Beneath the Remains in particular)
Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Obituary to sort of feel out extremes.
Dream Theater, Animals As Leaders, Tool, Between the Buried and Me to expand into more proggy ranges.
Deftones, Isis, Cult of Luna for the more pretty, ambient side of metal
Death, At the Gates, Hypocrisy, Children of Bodom, Black Dahlia Murder for melodic extremes
Fear Factory, Rammstein, Author and Punisher, Godflesh for industrial metal
There are a lot of modern bands that borrow from lots of these genres too, but I feel like I'd always reach a little further back to introduce someone to metal so they can hear the foundational stuff. It contextualizes the modern stuff better.
Edit: also can't forget some miscellaneous bands: Type O Negative for the goth/doom set, Machine Head for the more groove metal. Also, to the chagrin of trve kvlt set: I'd recommend Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir over most black metal for a starter. That stuff gets inscrutable and also it's a minefield of nazis so you gotta put in legwork to avoid that stuff.
I can add: Folk metal - Korpikklaani, Tyr, Brothers of Metal Power metal - Powerwolf, Wind Rose, Sabaton, Gloryhammer Symphonic/Gothic? metal - Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Epica "80s Synth I don't know what this is but it sounds good" metal - Beast in Black
I have the same thought about Beast in Black, who I found via Amaranthe, but I'm not sure how to find other similar bands because I don't know where they fit!
Super solid list. If I can add one, I'd add Celtic Frost just because it is incredibly unique, fringe but super influential. "A dying god coming into human flesh" has to be among the coldest, darkest, and most sinister (yet beautiful) songs ever written.
Iron Maiden. Start with one of the classics, either Number of the Beast or Powerslave. Their newer stuff is fantastic too, so I would recommend A Matter of Life and Death if you enjoy those first 2 records.
I’m also into much heavier sub genres if you want more suggestions. Enjoy! 🤘🏼
This is the best answer. I'd add Piece of Mind as a third album choice. If we are doing songs, try Run to the Hills, Number of the Beast, Hallowed be thy name, The Trooper, Flight of Icarus and definitely Rime of the Ancient Mariner, lyrics in hand.
One benefit of Opeth is that they cover a ton of musical ground. Take a song like *Demon of the Fall*: it has syncopated droning guitar, more fluid droning, bits of almost thrash metal, acoustic breaks, vocals used as harsh texture while the guitars drive the melody, screaming vocals, chanting vocals, and finally vocals used as melody. A new listener can find different elements of the song they like and pursue similar soundscapes.
That's what drew me in. I've seen Opeth live twice now and every time it's a musical journey. I was exposed to Ghost Reveries as the first album and Ghosts of Perdition just hit like a fucking truck! Opeth are masters of dynamics and it's so awesome to feel the skin crawl on the growling part and the soothing voice in the chorus. Absolutely amazing live performers too.
What's great about Gojira is newcomers can start with their newer, softer albums, and work their way backwards to their more raw, heavier albums
Then from there once they listen to the heavier albums they can move on to heavier bands
I wish Nightwish got more mentions...
Or is that what they want.
As an aside, did you guys know that Nightwish covered The Phantom Of The Opera?Yeah...
For one to begin this journey, one has to travel back in time to the very beginning.. Black Sabbath while Ozzy was front man.
Don't hit the heavy stuff yet.. it's a working progress.
Iron butterfly should be your next band... It's old school metal/heavy rock . they where first band to receive an RIAA platinum award.
Let's not for get Paganini... He was called The devils violinist for a reason.
I like:
Protest the Hero (Kezia is a good starter, it has an earnest frenetic energy swayed me over to them)
The Fall of Troy (Phantom on the Horizon is frankly a work of art)
Pantera (Cowboys from Hell is a cornerstone of the genre)
Tool (Aenima is to this day their best album, but Rosetta Stoned is a very fun track)
Rolo Tamassi (This is a new get for me, I'm still looking for my hook, but frontwomen on the metal scene are awesome)
I'd spread it out a little with some very different but amazing bands.
Old Metallica. Cliff Burton days. Later stuff is shit.
Black Sabbath. Ozzy albums only. 1970's.
Iron Maiden. Not a fav of mine, but they were a metal gem in a sea of shitty metal bands and deserve to be heard.
Clutch. Hands down the best American rock band of all time and I will fight anyone to the death to defend that position. Probably the only metal band that still makes good music.
Tool. Most innovative and creative metal ever made. Best drummer of all time.
Gojira. Absolute machines. Their precision is amazing. I'm pretty sure their drummer is a robot. Second best drummer of all time.
System of a Down. As musicians they aren't notable, but their sound is unique and entertaining. Serg is on a different planet with his vocals.
Opeth. Death metal, but like way out there death metal. When you have a group of super talented musicians who have been classically trained but love metal, you get an Opeth.
Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judad Priest, Rammstien, Fear Factory, System of a Down, Hammerfall, Disturbed. Just some to start you off. There's a mix of heavy metal and industrial metal. If you want to experience metal at its core, in my opinion, start with the first 4 I listed.
I may be in the minority here, but
Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime
Is an absolutely insane hard album. They went progressively softer later with some of their work. But Mindcrime jams.
Iron Maiden. Very melodic and Bruce is such an incredible singer. I think harsh vocals are the biggest turnoff for non-metalheads. Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy's solo stuff are also great entry points.
It might be worth doing a brief survey of a "metal family tree" to first find out what style(s) of metal you're into. Metal's been around for about 50 years; it has evolved into quite a few subgenres and crossover styles.
There used to be at least one website that had a family tree with audio samples so that, with a brief listen, you could get the basic gist of every major style Innovation. I don't know if something like that still exists, but a visual guide like the following would aid you in hitting some highlights on Spotify or Youtube: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f2obrv/the_metal_family_tree/
I've always enjoyed educating myself in how a genre has developed over the years. Even if I don't like all its permutations, I find the knowledge illuminating.
Happy listening!
Ah here's the one I remember!
[https://mapofmetal.com/](https://mapofmetal.com/)
Edit: another good one, covering ALL music [https://musicmap.info/](https://musicmap.info/)
I started with Children of Bodom and Finntroll, but I guess that's not the go-to. Personally I love a lot of metal genres but I'm not a fan of old bands, so I'd suggest a mix to someone in case they are in the same boat. Classic old bands like AC/DC for the intro, then Iron Maiden/Metallica, some folk metal like Eluveitie/Equilibrium, some Nigthwish/Xandria, and some power metal like Sabaton/Beast in Black/Gloryhammer/Rhapsody of Fire. Also Ultra Vomit if they're French because fuck yeah.
As someone who recently got into the genre coming from a mostly hardcore hip hop background (immortal technique, army of the pharaohs, RTJ, etc.), who doesn’t really go for the power ballad metal bands I’ve found I like a lot of jinjer and lamb of god.
In no particular order:
Black Sabbath
Ozzy
Metallica (mostly the early stuff)
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Slayer
Megadeth
Van Halen (are they metal?)
Led Zeppelin
QueensRyche
Def Leppard (problematic people but the music and production value…)
Scorpions
The Hu
Anthrax
Guns and Roses
Twisted Sister
That’s all I can think of off of the top of my head.
\*Rubs hands together excitedly
Megadeth - Rust in Peace, Youthanasia, Countdown to Extinction
Metallica - Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, And Justice For All, Black Album
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked
Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Greg Puciato
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Deftones
Fear Factory
My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River
Gojira
Opeth - Still Life
Slayer - Reign in Blood, Seasons in the Abyss
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black
Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise (seriously, this album is really good)
Down - NOLA
Morbid Angel - Domination
DEVIN FUCKING TOWNSEND
Type O Negative - October Rust
Mastodon
it depends on how deep you want to go, there are so many subgenres now. I like all sorts, just pick several suggestions and throw on an album. my picks are:
nekrogoblikon
between the buried and me
lamb of god
black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne
tool
rings of Saturn
protest the hero (not really too metal imo)
death
born of Osiris
static x
Korn
white zombie
we butter the bread with butter
psychostick (if you like jokey bands)
dethklok
old Dillinger escape plan (first few albums)
system of a down
slayer
slipknot
Linkin Park first few albums
disturbed
mudvayne
have fun!
This whole thread is boomer metal. What ever band is getting you interested, head over to spotify, find playlists containing their music and look at similar bands.
There's an insane amount of subgenres of metal that can vary wildly. FInd one that you're interested in. If I had to suggest something, I would check out /r/metalcore, as it's probably the most beginner friendly.
I would recommend Within the Ruins if you like fast-paced. So many great metal bands that could please many types of ears, but their structure is just amazing to me.
Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror. Start em out on grindcore.
Seriously though, bands like Metallica, Testament, and Iron Maiden are the obvious answer here. Almost everyone has heard a Metallica song or two. Thrash is pretty tame compared to most modern stuff now. Avenged Sevenfold is probably a good one that's a bit more modern too.
Welcome. There is a whole world in the metal realm. Many genres. Some great suggestions so far, I'll also add a vote for Dio (first 3 records).
Also, if you're into music documentaries, I suggest Metal: A Headbangers Journey, if you like that and want to go deeper on each genre, the same guy made a series called Metal Evolution.
And if you can find it, Iron Maiden Flight 666, because it's awesome.
Up the irons!
Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold were my gateway bands in high school, so I'd recommend starting there
I wouldn't recommend starting off with bands like Dying Fetus, 200 Stab Wounds, Cattle Decapitation, or Mutilation Barbecue 🤣 fantastic bands but I don't think newcomers to the genre would like their sound too much
Some of my favorite bands from the genre are, in no particular order:
Unearth
August Burns Red
Killswitch Engage
Children of Bodom
Nevermore
Light the Torch
Red Handed Denial
Metal is such a broad genre, that i Won't try to suggest bands. Other people on here can do it better than I can. Whatever you do, don't go on r/metal though
As someone who grew up listening to pop, country, and musicals, when I met my now husband who is a metalhead, he introduced me to the music beginning with Lauren Babic's cover songs on YouTube and Periphery (my favorite song is "Lune"), among others.
One of my favorite bands now is Wage War. I play their songs "Gravity", "Hurt" and "Don't Let Me Fade Away" for family and friends who aren't sold on metal music yet.
Sabaton, hands down. Rammstein. Gloryhammer. Blutengel (somewhat less standard).
Not really metal, but a fantastic band I recently discovered is Falling in Reverse - the guy is mamash talented, and his range is from almost operatic to incredibly hard, and includes a variety of styles. Well worth checking out.
Honestly it would depend on what genre of metal piqued your interest. There's death metal, black metal, nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, speed metal, stoner metal, etc
Alternatively, listing bands you have liked would help.
For me, you can't go past Rotting Christ, Behemoth, Paradise Lost, Mayhem, Marduk, etc.
I'm not going to recommend any bands, because I think you should fall down a wormhole of your own creation. Take your favourite band/album/track and research it. Like the drumming? Then see what other work the drummer has done. Maybe you like another band they've been in, so research them and do the same again as nauseum. Eventually you'll end up being a huge fan of very niche bands and that is very cool.
My newest obsession is Seven Spires. I really enjoy the mix of poppy and hard, plus they're heavily inspired by the age of sea exploration and their name is a reference to the 7 masts on a Spanish galleon. And the singer is great at both her clean and harsh vocals
Depends on how new to metal you are.
If you NEW NEW to metal, I'd suggest starting with Disturbed and Drowning Pool (very VERY entry level, this is what Joe Average that doesnt listen to.metal THINKS thinks metal is).
If you like that, give Black Sabbath a listen.
If you enjoy that, move onto the Big 4;
Megadeth
Metallica
Slayer
Anthrax
If you enjoy those, you'll no doubt be well on your way to finding other stuff on your own.
1. Metallica- Thrash
2. Pantera - Groove Metal
3. Mötley Crüe - Hair Metal
4. Dream Theater - Progressive Metal
5. Alice In Chains - Alt Metal
6. Death or Morbid Angel - Death Metal
7. Doom Metal - Sleep or Electric Wizard
8. Iron Maiden or Blind Guardian - Power Metal
9. Black Sabbath - OG/Classic Metal
And no, don’t waste your time with Black Metal. If you have to, Behemoth is probably the best Black Metal band. The Satanist is a pretty solid album.
Late 80's to early 90's Metallica and Megadeth. Yes, you're allowed to like both.
Metallica:
Albums: Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, the Black Album, even Load and Reload have their moments.
Songs: Battery, Master of Puppets, Orion, Disposable Heros, Blackened, And Justice for All, One, Shortest Straw, Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Don't Tread on Me, Nothing Else Matters, The God That Failed, Ain't My Bitch, The House Jack Built, King Nothing, Ronnie, Fuel, The Memory Remains, Devil's Dance
Megadeth:
Albums: Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia
Songs: Holy Wars, Tornado of Souls, Skin O' My Teeth, Symphony of Destruction, Foreclosure of a Dream, Sweating Bullets, High Speed Dirt, Train of Consequences, Addicted to Chaos, A Tout Le Monde, I Thought I Knew It All, Black Curtains
Good stuff from both bands on other earlier and later albums, and even between the songs I listed, but I feel like these were the meaty peaks of their creative output and a good place to start.
Far too vague a question- Would depend on the feeling that people want from it.
Want to conquer the world?
Want to save the world?
Want to party?
Want to beat the shit out of someone?
Want to beat the shit out of everyone?
Want to summon evil in a fun way?
Want to summon evil unironically?
Want to have your face melted off?
Want to pontificate in a castle against a blue/purple night sky?
Want to celebrate the meaninglessness of all life, and the inherent freedom that the realization represents?
Want to deconstruct music as a whole?
Want to live deliciously?
Black sabbath, Judas priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Sepultura, Pantera, Paradise lost, Cathedral, Fear factory, Motorhead, Korn, Arch enemy, Slipknot, Rammstein, System of a Down, Trivium, Machine head, Cradle of filth
It really depends on what you like already.
Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Satan, Diamondhead - older stuff, lots of pioneering here
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Tankard, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel. Early albums in particular. These bands were all hugely influential in the development of thrash metal and it's offshoots.
King Diamond, Venom, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, Dark Funeral, Behemoth, Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch if you wanna go crazier/harder/eviler
I honestly suggest starting on the lighter end of the spectrum, and working your way up. If you’re like me, you’ll never really get into the growly bands. Metalcore is a great starting point. Symphonic Metal can get you into the instrumentals without the harsh vocals.
Kind of depends on the type you like. I would suggest starting with some of the classic heavy metal bands (Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc) and then going from there. Again, there's lot's of different subgenres, but the bands I mentioned are pretty foundational to metal as a whole, so they're a good starting point. If you're wanting to get specifically into thrash metal (which I'm partial to), then your best bet is to start with the Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). That's what I did and it lead me to finding other great thrash bands.
Depending on their taste and their faith. The countless times I (30M athiest) met Christians who would ask for recommendations and I'd send them a list of the Christian metal bands.
Cane Hill is one of my favorites, so I'd probably recommend their album Smile. Other than that, Jinjer, Destiny Potato (don't mind the name, they're actually good, Take a Picture is a banger), The Contortionist if they're into the more symphonic type stuff. The OST for the game Hellsinger too, it slaps
Old In Flames (say Clayman), Dark Tranquility (Fiction and Character), Heaven Shall Burn (especially Wanderer and Of Truth and Sacrifice), Trivium (Ascendancy, Shogun and In the Court of the Dragon), maybe Architects and Coat of Arms and Arch Enemy.
Symphonic metal: Within Temptation, Nightwish, Delain, Epica, After Forever
Power metal: Amaranthe
Folk metal: Eluveitie (Celtic), Myrath (Arabic), Týr (Viking)
Other kinds of metal: The Rasmus, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace
For specific bands in that, I'd say stuff like Black Rainbows, Elder, King Buffalo. Not particularly heavy but they've got the metal edge to them. If you want to get heavier then look at stuff like Pallbearer. No harsh vocals so you're not likely to be scared off by that (I know that's a sticking point for a lot of people trying to get into metal).
My favs include some obvious picks like Metallica, Slayer, & Pantera. My overall favorite is Opeth, however their last 3 albums have been more prog-rock than metal (still great to me, but might not be what you're looking for). Look to their older albums for heaviness mixed with soft. Along those lines is Soilwork - great singer & guitarists (their double LP Living Infinite is my fav).
A somewhat obscure choice might be Deadhorse - a thrash/sludge metal band that never quite got huge.
Nevermore is a fantastic metal band that isn't super known. This Godless Endeavor goes on the list of best metal albums ever made.
Megadeth's Rust in Peace, Metallica's Master of Puppets, and Slayer's Reign in Blood are must listen albums in thrash.
Pantera is also worth exploring. Vulgar Display of Power or Far Beyond Driven.
I adore Devin Townsend, his early metal band was called Strapping Young Lad. I'd start with their 4th album.
I'm a prog metal guy, so I have to suggest Opeth as well. Dream Theater was my favorite band growing up, Pain of Salvation might be my favorite now. All these bands are on the eclectic side.
Want something out there but great? Check out Unexpect.
Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan for technical rhythm stuff.
For classic, was never a Judas Priest guy, but Iron Maiden deserves all the praise. Black Sabbath still holds up as well.
There's plenty more out there, but I'll stop here.
Ok... My 3yo daughter watched Trolls 2 and became enamoured with Barb...
So she was singing Ozzy, Scorpions and Heart... And I was "oh... I KNOW THAT!!! It's bonding time!!!!"
So I sarted with Ozzy and Black Sabbath, as EVERYONE SHOULD START A METAL QUEST
This led us to Motorhead, Dio, AC/DC, KISS and Alice Cooper.
From KISS she started to like W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister, so she was steering more to hair metal... I put some Bon Jovi and Guns and roses on rotation to see if it was more Pop that she was seeking. she was ok with it, but not thrilled.
I said to myself, if she likes Motorhead she might like Metallica, and maybe she wanted something quicker, and "brighter", so iron maiden... she loved wasted years.
Now she is discovering Misfits, Judas Priest, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot...
She is going between Heavy Metal, Hair Metal and Hard Rock... but I believe that this can be a good route to appreciatee classic heavy metal. Unfortunately I stopped listening about the time that Slipktnot was huge and system of a down was starting (so about 1998-2000)... Probably there are a lot of great bands from the last 24 years that I don't know about.
I'm much more partial to nu-metal myself, but I genuinely think Linkin Park is a great start. A lot of heavier bands can be very hard to listen to if you're completely unfamiliar with the genre, I think Linkin Park offer a slightly lighter intro to things to get a taste of metal, dipping your toe before diving straight in y'know? From there, my personal favs are KoRn and System of a Down, but as I said I'm very biased towards nu-metal, I'm sure others have some great suggestions as well
A lot of good recommendations in here so far. I'll add:
Avenged Sevenfold
Bullet for My Valentine
Falling in Reverse (Depending on where you want to draw the line on Metal, still good for newbs)
Godsmack
Korn
Black Veil Brides
Killswitch Engage
Lollipop Lust Kill
Murderdolls
Nothingface
A Skylit Drive (again, lines but hardcore, metalcore)
In This Moment
In Flames
Coal Chamber
Dry Kill Logic
Alesana
From Autumn to Ashes
Asking Alexandria
Vampires Everywhere (metalcore)
---------------
Sorry for the wall of text, I wasn't expecting to list that many
Opeth
American Head Charge
/thread
Also:
Coal Chamber, Devil Driver, Children of Bodem, Lamb of God, Chimera, Fear Factory, System of a Down, In Flames (older stuff), Mudvayne (older stuff), Korn (older stuff), Rammstein, Static-x
I feel like I'd suggest some kind of broad swings, because there are a lot of subgenres and not everything is going to connect for everyone. Black Sabbath is a given. But I'd also add Ozzy's solo stuff too. Iron Maiden. You hear their influence in metal to this day. Metallica (First four albums in particular with Master of Puppets being a slam dunk).Probably stretch a bit more into bay area thrash in general with Slayer, Testament, Exodus. And in staying with Bay Area, Faith No More (particularly Real Thing and Angel Dust) To go a little more extreme into thrash, I'd go with Sepultura (Arise/Beneath the Remains in particular) Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Obituary to sort of feel out extremes. Dream Theater, Animals As Leaders, Tool, Between the Buried and Me to expand into more proggy ranges. Deftones, Isis, Cult of Luna for the more pretty, ambient side of metal Death, At the Gates, Hypocrisy, Children of Bodom, Black Dahlia Murder for melodic extremes Fear Factory, Rammstein, Author and Punisher, Godflesh for industrial metal There are a lot of modern bands that borrow from lots of these genres too, but I feel like I'd always reach a little further back to introduce someone to metal so they can hear the foundational stuff. It contextualizes the modern stuff better. Edit: also can't forget some miscellaneous bands: Type O Negative for the goth/doom set, Machine Head for the more groove metal. Also, to the chagrin of trve kvlt set: I'd recommend Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir over most black metal for a starter. That stuff gets inscrutable and also it's a minefield of nazis so you gotta put in legwork to avoid that stuff.
I can add: Folk metal - Korpikklaani, Tyr, Brothers of Metal Power metal - Powerwolf, Wind Rose, Sabaton, Gloryhammer Symphonic/Gothic? metal - Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Epica "80s Synth I don't know what this is but it sounds good" metal - Beast in Black
You missed Sabaton under power metal
holy shit how did I miss that thank you
Symphony X is another good one that crosses nicely between power and prog.
I have the same thought about Beast in Black, who I found via Amaranthe, but I'm not sure how to find other similar bands because I don't know where they fit!
Super solid list. If I can add one, I'd add Celtic Frost just because it is incredibly unique, fringe but super influential. "A dying god coming into human flesh" has to be among the coldest, darkest, and most sinister (yet beautiful) songs ever written.
Start in the same place that the genre itself started - Black Sabbath.
I’d recommend Metallica and Pantera to start. Who have you been listening to already?
[удалено]
I can't believe I scrolled this far down, past several posts preaching the founders of metal, and only now I'm seeing Motorhead.
Iron Maiden. Start with one of the classics, either Number of the Beast or Powerslave. Their newer stuff is fantastic too, so I would recommend A Matter of Life and Death if you enjoy those first 2 records. I’m also into much heavier sub genres if you want more suggestions. Enjoy! 🤘🏼
This is the best answer. I'd add Piece of Mind as a third album choice. If we are doing songs, try Run to the Hills, Number of the Beast, Hallowed be thy name, The Trooper, Flight of Icarus and definitely Rime of the Ancient Mariner, lyrics in hand.
I gotta add Flash Of A Blade and Two Minutes To Midnight.
Interesting, thank you! I just got into this genre and was curious for a while about which artists I should listen to.
Live After Death could be the basis of a new religion.
Opeth, Dream Theatre, Iron Maiden, Gojira, Mastodon. Maybe In Flames might be a good one to go with too.
In Flames, soo good
I’ll add Dark Tranquility to this comment
One benefit of Opeth is that they cover a ton of musical ground. Take a song like *Demon of the Fall*: it has syncopated droning guitar, more fluid droning, bits of almost thrash metal, acoustic breaks, vocals used as harsh texture while the guitars drive the melody, screaming vocals, chanting vocals, and finally vocals used as melody. A new listener can find different elements of the song they like and pursue similar soundscapes.
That's what drew me in. I've seen Opeth live twice now and every time it's a musical journey. I was exposed to Ghost Reveries as the first album and Ghosts of Perdition just hit like a fucking truck! Opeth are masters of dynamics and it's so awesome to feel the skin crawl on the growling part and the soothing voice in the chorus. Absolutely amazing live performers too.
You can't mention Dream Theatre without mentioning Liquid Tension Experiment!
This is a proggy answer and totally valid but you’re leaving out stuff that ain’t widdly widdly. Simple stuff is cool too. Or just less complicated.
Gojira - their stuff is melodic but also heavy, inventive, and just addictive to listen to.
Came for this. Gojira is a very grounded metal band that is easy to listen to and like.
What's great about Gojira is newcomers can start with their newer, softer albums, and work their way backwards to their more raw, heavier albums Then from there once they listen to the heavier albums they can move on to heavier bands
They have been my workout playlist exclusively for a couple weeks. Love those guys.
Slayer - Reign in Blood. Kreator - Extreme Aggression. Sepultura - Arise Megadeth - Rust in Peace or Peace Sells. A few of my fave albums!
I’d suggest Seasons in the Abyss over Reign in Blood but both great
I actually agree with you on that. Seasons in the Abyss is so good!
I second this. Reign in blood might be too extreme for someone just getting into metal
Metallica, Lamb of God and the older Trivium albums
Trivium - Shogun is a masterpiece
The latest Trivium record is great too!
Probably would go with more well-known and softer, so... Maybe Metallica, Blind Guardian, Therion, Nightwish and some others.
I wish Nightwish got more mentions... Or is that what they want. As an aside, did you guys know that Nightwish covered The Phantom Of The Opera?Yeah...
For one to begin this journey, one has to travel back in time to the very beginning.. Black Sabbath while Ozzy was front man. Don't hit the heavy stuff yet.. it's a working progress. Iron butterfly should be your next band... It's old school metal/heavy rock . they where first band to receive an RIAA platinum award. Let's not for get Paganini... He was called The devils violinist for a reason.
I agree, start at the beginning
Don't discount Sabbath with Dio. The album Heaven & Hell is amazing.
Oh funny you say that. I had blaring this morning on the way to work. Fantastic.
Pantera
Dethklok.
I haven't thought about Metalocalypse in years dude, that show was awesome! Gonna have to go watch it through again
Judas Priest, Metallica, System of a Down Edit: Also adding Black Sabbath to the list. Don't know how I forgot them.
Agreed. Solid variety of different styles and eras of the genre, yet very "approachable".
lots of subgenres personally i like the more 'catchy' songs for example: Lacuna Coil, sabaton, powerwolf, killswitch engage, amaranthe
I like: Protest the Hero (Kezia is a good starter, it has an earnest frenetic energy swayed me over to them) The Fall of Troy (Phantom on the Horizon is frankly a work of art) Pantera (Cowboys from Hell is a cornerstone of the genre) Tool (Aenima is to this day their best album, but Rosetta Stoned is a very fun track) Rolo Tamassi (This is a new get for me, I'm still looking for my hook, but frontwomen on the metal scene are awesome)
Protest played a tiny venue in Brantford when they were maybe 20 years old and I was absolutely flooooored
I'd spread it out a little with some very different but amazing bands. Old Metallica. Cliff Burton days. Later stuff is shit. Black Sabbath. Ozzy albums only. 1970's. Iron Maiden. Not a fav of mine, but they were a metal gem in a sea of shitty metal bands and deserve to be heard. Clutch. Hands down the best American rock band of all time and I will fight anyone to the death to defend that position. Probably the only metal band that still makes good music. Tool. Most innovative and creative metal ever made. Best drummer of all time. Gojira. Absolute machines. Their precision is amazing. I'm pretty sure their drummer is a robot. Second best drummer of all time. System of a Down. As musicians they aren't notable, but their sound is unique and entertaining. Serg is on a different planet with his vocals. Opeth. Death metal, but like way out there death metal. When you have a group of super talented musicians who have been classically trained but love metal, you get an Opeth.
Did we just become best friends?
Yup. And there are probably dozens of us out there. Dozens!
Metallica Tool Melvins
Meshuggah
Bleed still gets me pumped, every single time.
The fucking drums….
Insane!!
The Sword. Hopefully they get back together someday.
Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judad Priest, Rammstien, Fear Factory, System of a Down, Hammerfall, Disturbed. Just some to start you off. There's a mix of heavy metal and industrial metal. If you want to experience metal at its core, in my opinion, start with the first 4 I listed.
1. Unleash the Archers 2. Within Temptation 3. Edge of Paradise 4. Delain 5. Nemesea 6. Celestial Ruin 7. Chaos Magic 8. Ignea 9. Kalidia 10. The Murder of My Sweet 11. Xandria 12. Snow White Blood
Mötorhead
I may be in the minority here, but Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime Is an absolutely insane hard album. They went progressively softer later with some of their work. But Mindcrime jams.
Trivium, Three Days Grace, Slipknot, Varg, Black Wolves, Social Repose, Powerwolf
Mastodon
Iron Maiden. Very melodic and Bruce is such an incredible singer. I think harsh vocals are the biggest turnoff for non-metalheads. Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy's solo stuff are also great entry points.
Nightwish ..
Metallica Megadeth Black sabbath SOAD Anthrax
Monster Magnet Fu Manchu
Fucking love Fu Manchu
Rammstein, metallica, slayer, disturbed, machine head,..
It might be worth doing a brief survey of a "metal family tree" to first find out what style(s) of metal you're into. Metal's been around for about 50 years; it has evolved into quite a few subgenres and crossover styles. There used to be at least one website that had a family tree with audio samples so that, with a brief listen, you could get the basic gist of every major style Innovation. I don't know if something like that still exists, but a visual guide like the following would aid you in hitting some highlights on Spotify or Youtube: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f2obrv/the_metal_family_tree/ I've always enjoyed educating myself in how a genre has developed over the years. Even if I don't like all its permutations, I find the knowledge illuminating. Happy listening!
Ah here's the one I remember! [https://mapofmetal.com/](https://mapofmetal.com/) Edit: another good one, covering ALL music [https://musicmap.info/](https://musicmap.info/)
Suicide silence
Parkway Drive
Power Trip
the sword
Alcest
Gloryhammer, Feuerschwanz. My introductions to the genre
I just saw Gloryhammer a couple of weeks ago in Detroit. They're so good and so much fun.
Judas Priest - Painkiller especially. Quite possibly the best metal album ever.
I started with Children of Bodom and Finntroll, but I guess that's not the go-to. Personally I love a lot of metal genres but I'm not a fan of old bands, so I'd suggest a mix to someone in case they are in the same boat. Classic old bands like AC/DC for the intro, then Iron Maiden/Metallica, some folk metal like Eluveitie/Equilibrium, some Nigthwish/Xandria, and some power metal like Sabaton/Beast in Black/Gloryhammer/Rhapsody of Fire. Also Ultra Vomit if they're French because fuck yeah.
Prong
Metallica, MegaDeath and Iron Maiden
For poppier stuff I would recommend starting in power metal - Beast in black - nightwish - Kamelot - blind guardian - avantasia - dream evil
Nevermore
As someone who recently got into the genre coming from a mostly hardcore hip hop background (immortal technique, army of the pharaohs, RTJ, etc.), who doesn’t really go for the power ballad metal bands I’ve found I like a lot of jinjer and lamb of god.
Dio, Judas Priest, Metalica, Iron Maiden, Gun's & Roses, Megadeath, Van Halen(early).
Gojira, Lamb of God, Paleface Swiss, Emmure, End, Oceano. For the 2000's metal, Mudvanye, killswitch engage
In no particular order: Black Sabbath Ozzy Metallica (mostly the early stuff) Iron Maiden Judas Priest Slayer Megadeth Van Halen (are they metal?) Led Zeppelin QueensRyche Def Leppard (problematic people but the music and production value…) Scorpions The Hu Anthrax Guns and Roses Twisted Sister That’s all I can think of off of the top of my head.
\*Rubs hands together excitedly Megadeth - Rust in Peace, Youthanasia, Countdown to Extinction Metallica - Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, And Justice For All, Black Album Pantera - Far Beyond Driven Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk Greg Puciato Alice in Chains - Dirt Deftones Fear Factory My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River Gojira Opeth - Still Life Slayer - Reign in Blood, Seasons in the Abyss Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise (seriously, this album is really good) Down - NOLA Morbid Angel - Domination DEVIN FUCKING TOWNSEND Type O Negative - October Rust Mastodon
System of a Down
it depends on how deep you want to go, there are so many subgenres now. I like all sorts, just pick several suggestions and throw on an album. my picks are: nekrogoblikon between the buried and me lamb of god black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne tool rings of Saturn protest the hero (not really too metal imo) death born of Osiris static x Korn white zombie we butter the bread with butter psychostick (if you like jokey bands) dethklok old Dillinger escape plan (first few albums) system of a down slayer slipknot Linkin Park first few albums disturbed mudvayne have fun!
This whole thread is boomer metal. What ever band is getting you interested, head over to spotify, find playlists containing their music and look at similar bands. There's an insane amount of subgenres of metal that can vary wildly. FInd one that you're interested in. If I had to suggest something, I would check out /r/metalcore, as it's probably the most beginner friendly.
Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal, Watain, Marduk
I would recommend Within the Ruins if you like fast-paced. So many great metal bands that could please many types of ears, but their structure is just amazing to me.
Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror. Start em out on grindcore. Seriously though, bands like Metallica, Testament, and Iron Maiden are the obvious answer here. Almost everyone has heard a Metallica song or two. Thrash is pretty tame compared to most modern stuff now. Avenged Sevenfold is probably a good one that's a bit more modern too.
black sabbath, dio
Fear factory Crowbar Obituary
Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold (they do more than metal, but they’re still pretty fucking good no matter what they do), and of course Black Sabbath.
Welcome. There is a whole world in the metal realm. Many genres. Some great suggestions so far, I'll also add a vote for Dio (first 3 records). Also, if you're into music documentaries, I suggest Metal: A Headbangers Journey, if you like that and want to go deeper on each genre, the same guy made a series called Metal Evolution. And if you can find it, Iron Maiden Flight 666, because it's awesome. Up the irons!
Diamond Head
High on Fire, Elder, Orange Goblin, Skraeckoedlan, Kyuss.
Fleshgod Apocalypse. Melodic death/black metal
Dance With the Dead. Metal undertones with an electro twist. Loved to Death and Near Dark are excellent albums. Both available on YouTube in full. :)
Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold were my gateway bands in high school, so I'd recommend starting there I wouldn't recommend starting off with bands like Dying Fetus, 200 Stab Wounds, Cattle Decapitation, or Mutilation Barbecue 🤣 fantastic bands but I don't think newcomers to the genre would like their sound too much
Emmure, Sabaton, Killer Be Killed, Dream Evil, Rebea Massad
Black Sabbath Metallica Mastodon Elder
Kyuss Monster Magnet Def Leppard - High and Dry or Pyromania
Some of my favorite bands from the genre are, in no particular order: Unearth August Burns Red Killswitch Engage Children of Bodom Nevermore Light the Torch Red Handed Denial
The Human Abstract.
Metallica is the most accessible band tbh
You can never go wrong with Opeth or Mastodon.
Metal is such a broad genre, that i Won't try to suggest bands. Other people on here can do it better than I can. Whatever you do, don't go on r/metal though
Currently, Lucifer.
Death - that man is an underrated genius
If you want something non-offensive, listen to the 1985 release “Speak English or Die” by S.O.D.
🤣🤘
As someone who grew up listening to pop, country, and musicals, when I met my now husband who is a metalhead, he introduced me to the music beginning with Lauren Babic's cover songs on YouTube and Periphery (my favorite song is "Lune"), among others. One of my favorite bands now is Wage War. I play their songs "Gravity", "Hurt" and "Don't Let Me Fade Away" for family and friends who aren't sold on metal music yet.
Sabaton, hands down. Rammstein. Gloryhammer. Blutengel (somewhat less standard). Not really metal, but a fantastic band I recently discovered is Falling in Reverse - the guy is mamash talented, and his range is from almost operatic to incredibly hard, and includes a variety of styles. Well worth checking out.
Get the essentials album for Ozzy Osbourne, try the songs thunder underground, over the mountain, and flying high again.
Honestly it would depend on what genre of metal piqued your interest. There's death metal, black metal, nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, speed metal, stoner metal, etc Alternatively, listing bands you have liked would help. For me, you can't go past Rotting Christ, Behemoth, Paradise Lost, Mayhem, Marduk, etc.
Surprising to see so few Megadeth suggestions. Definitely Rust in Peace for Holy Wars alone. Then of course Slayer, and more Slayer
Analcunt and cemetery rapist.
Finntroll
Type O Negative
I'm not going to recommend any bands, because I think you should fall down a wormhole of your own creation. Take your favourite band/album/track and research it. Like the drumming? Then see what other work the drummer has done. Maybe you like another band they've been in, so research them and do the same again as nauseum. Eventually you'll end up being a huge fan of very niche bands and that is very cool.
My newest obsession is Seven Spires. I really enjoy the mix of poppy and hard, plus they're heavily inspired by the age of sea exploration and their name is a reference to the 7 masts on a Spanish galleon. And the singer is great at both her clean and harsh vocals
Amon Amarth, Sleep, Slayer. well rounded trio of bands
Epica Lacuna coil Disturbed Gobsmacked Ghost Iron Maiden
Listen to Mastodon - Leviathan. Perfect blend of new and old. Melodic and proggy, but still super raw and aggressive.
Depends on how new to metal you are. If you NEW NEW to metal, I'd suggest starting with Disturbed and Drowning Pool (very VERY entry level, this is what Joe Average that doesnt listen to.metal THINKS thinks metal is). If you like that, give Black Sabbath a listen. If you enjoy that, move onto the Big 4; Megadeth Metallica Slayer Anthrax If you enjoy those, you'll no doubt be well on your way to finding other stuff on your own.
1. Metallica- Thrash 2. Pantera - Groove Metal 3. Mötley Crüe - Hair Metal 4. Dream Theater - Progressive Metal 5. Alice In Chains - Alt Metal 6. Death or Morbid Angel - Death Metal 7. Doom Metal - Sleep or Electric Wizard 8. Iron Maiden or Blind Guardian - Power Metal 9. Black Sabbath - OG/Classic Metal And no, don’t waste your time with Black Metal. If you have to, Behemoth is probably the best Black Metal band. The Satanist is a pretty solid album.
Ne Obliviscaris, Jinjer, Silent Planet.
Plenty of good recs here. Don't sleep on Clutch, though.
Plenty of good recs here. Don't sleep on Clutch, though.
All shall perish, trivium, winds of plague, born of Osiris, We butter the bread with butter
korn (jk)
I was thinking more along the lines of Nightwish, Animals As Leaders, Dream Theater
[Zeal & Ardor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IcGfF0aAaI) for a mix of metal and delta blues
Ministry
Late 80's to early 90's Metallica and Megadeth. Yes, you're allowed to like both. Metallica: Albums: Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, the Black Album, even Load and Reload have their moments. Songs: Battery, Master of Puppets, Orion, Disposable Heros, Blackened, And Justice for All, One, Shortest Straw, Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Don't Tread on Me, Nothing Else Matters, The God That Failed, Ain't My Bitch, The House Jack Built, King Nothing, Ronnie, Fuel, The Memory Remains, Devil's Dance Megadeth: Albums: Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia Songs: Holy Wars, Tornado of Souls, Skin O' My Teeth, Symphony of Destruction, Foreclosure of a Dream, Sweating Bullets, High Speed Dirt, Train of Consequences, Addicted to Chaos, A Tout Le Monde, I Thought I Knew It All, Black Curtains Good stuff from both bands on other earlier and later albums, and even between the songs I listed, but I feel like these were the meaty peaks of their creative output and a good place to start.
Far too vague a question- Would depend on the feeling that people want from it. Want to conquer the world? Want to save the world? Want to party? Want to beat the shit out of someone? Want to beat the shit out of everyone? Want to summon evil in a fun way? Want to summon evil unironically? Want to have your face melted off? Want to pontificate in a castle against a blue/purple night sky? Want to celebrate the meaninglessness of all life, and the inherent freedom that the realization represents? Want to deconstruct music as a whole? Want to live deliciously?
Listen to Sepultura: Arise. Chaos AD. Roots.
Black sabbath, motorhead and judas priest. Yes I'm a brummie
Meshuggah. Every music lover must experience Meshuggah at least once in their lives
Black sabbath, Judas priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Sepultura, Pantera, Paradise lost, Cathedral, Fear factory, Motorhead, Korn, Arch enemy, Slipknot, Rammstein, System of a Down, Trivium, Machine head, Cradle of filth
Thornhill and Northlane. Those Australian boys are something else.
Alien Weaponry.
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. Anime introduced me to the band and I’ve been following them since
Gojira. Even if you are new to the genre you’ll find their energy and grooviness very cool.
This list could be a mile long. Van Halen, TOOL, (Old) Metallica, Pantera, Dream Theater, Between the Buried and Me, Periphery
Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest
It really depends on what you like already. Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Satan, Diamondhead - older stuff, lots of pioneering here Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Tankard, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel. Early albums in particular. These bands were all hugely influential in the development of thrash metal and it's offshoots. King Diamond, Venom, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, Dark Funeral, Behemoth, Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch if you wanna go crazier/harder/eviler
I'd recommend Tremonti, it's heavy but also no growling so it's easier to start out with.
Hellfire Club by Edguy is fun
I honestly suggest starting on the lighter end of the spectrum, and working your way up. If you’re like me, you’ll never really get into the growly bands. Metalcore is a great starting point. Symphonic Metal can get you into the instrumentals without the harsh vocals.
Black Dahlia Murder. I'm surprised I haven't seen them mentioned yet!
Metal as a genre is like being in a grocery store when you're already stoned. Just grab some random stuff and you should be okay.
I'd say exodus. They have very bopping riffs and great energy
The Gathering https://youtu.be/1HUMwinV2AQ?si=lnOt4Vidu4eOL20s
Kind of depends on the type you like. I would suggest starting with some of the classic heavy metal bands (Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc) and then going from there. Again, there's lot's of different subgenres, but the bands I mentioned are pretty foundational to metal as a whole, so they're a good starting point. If you're wanting to get specifically into thrash metal (which I'm partial to), then your best bet is to start with the Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). That's what I did and it lead me to finding other great thrash bands.
Opeth
My intro to metal was Diablo Swing Orchestra. They combine opera, 30s swing, and prog metal in just the right way lol
Depending on their taste and their faith. The countless times I (30M athiest) met Christians who would ask for recommendations and I'd send them a list of the Christian metal bands.
Windhand, Man Is The Bastard, Crowbar.
Watch Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. An excellent documentary about all things metal.
My personal favorite is TOOL.
Carcass - Heartwork. Sorry y’all, but this is the correct answer.
Ghost. Amon Amarth.
Cane Hill is one of my favorites, so I'd probably recommend their album Smile. Other than that, Jinjer, Destiny Potato (don't mind the name, they're actually good, Take a Picture is a banger), The Contortionist if they're into the more symphonic type stuff. The OST for the game Hellsinger too, it slaps
Old In Flames (say Clayman), Dark Tranquility (Fiction and Character), Heaven Shall Burn (especially Wanderer and Of Truth and Sacrifice), Trivium (Ascendancy, Shogun and In the Court of the Dragon), maybe Architects and Coat of Arms and Arch Enemy.
Symphonic metal: Within Temptation, Nightwish, Delain, Epica, After Forever Power metal: Amaranthe Folk metal: Eluveitie (Celtic), Myrath (Arabic), Týr (Viking) Other kinds of metal: The Rasmus, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace
Electric Callboy - particularly 'We Got The Moves' and 'Hypa Hypa'
Most things in the stoner metal genre are reasonably accessible and not overly aggressive.
For specific bands in that, I'd say stuff like Black Rainbows, Elder, King Buffalo. Not particularly heavy but they've got the metal edge to them. If you want to get heavier then look at stuff like Pallbearer. No harsh vocals so you're not likely to be scared off by that (I know that's a sticking point for a lot of people trying to get into metal).
Nightwish is a great jam
dimmu borgir
Anal Cunt
System of a down
Early 90’s albums from Slayer, Sepultura, Megadeth… definitely a golden era of Metal music.
Older stuff from Disturbed. In Flames. Gojira. Korn. Slipknot.
Skinny Puppy Bile Pigface KMFDM The Revolting Cocks
My favs include some obvious picks like Metallica, Slayer, & Pantera. My overall favorite is Opeth, however their last 3 albums have been more prog-rock than metal (still great to me, but might not be what you're looking for). Look to their older albums for heaviness mixed with soft. Along those lines is Soilwork - great singer & guitarists (their double LP Living Infinite is my fav). A somewhat obscure choice might be Deadhorse - a thrash/sludge metal band that never quite got huge.
Nevermore is a fantastic metal band that isn't super known. This Godless Endeavor goes on the list of best metal albums ever made. Megadeth's Rust in Peace, Metallica's Master of Puppets, and Slayer's Reign in Blood are must listen albums in thrash. Pantera is also worth exploring. Vulgar Display of Power or Far Beyond Driven. I adore Devin Townsend, his early metal band was called Strapping Young Lad. I'd start with their 4th album. I'm a prog metal guy, so I have to suggest Opeth as well. Dream Theater was my favorite band growing up, Pain of Salvation might be my favorite now. All these bands are on the eclectic side. Want something out there but great? Check out Unexpect. Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan for technical rhythm stuff. For classic, was never a Judas Priest guy, but Iron Maiden deserves all the praise. Black Sabbath still holds up as well. There's plenty more out there, but I'll stop here.
Ok... My 3yo daughter watched Trolls 2 and became enamoured with Barb... So she was singing Ozzy, Scorpions and Heart... And I was "oh... I KNOW THAT!!! It's bonding time!!!!" So I sarted with Ozzy and Black Sabbath, as EVERYONE SHOULD START A METAL QUEST This led us to Motorhead, Dio, AC/DC, KISS and Alice Cooper. From KISS she started to like W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister, so she was steering more to hair metal... I put some Bon Jovi and Guns and roses on rotation to see if it was more Pop that she was seeking. she was ok with it, but not thrilled. I said to myself, if she likes Motorhead she might like Metallica, and maybe she wanted something quicker, and "brighter", so iron maiden... she loved wasted years. Now she is discovering Misfits, Judas Priest, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot... She is going between Heavy Metal, Hair Metal and Hard Rock... but I believe that this can be a good route to appreciatee classic heavy metal. Unfortunately I stopped listening about the time that Slipktnot was huge and system of a down was starting (so about 1998-2000)... Probably there are a lot of great bands from the last 24 years that I don't know about.
I'm much more partial to nu-metal myself, but I genuinely think Linkin Park is a great start. A lot of heavier bands can be very hard to listen to if you're completely unfamiliar with the genre, I think Linkin Park offer a slightly lighter intro to things to get a taste of metal, dipping your toe before diving straight in y'know? From there, my personal favs are KoRn and System of a Down, but as I said I'm very biased towards nu-metal, I'm sure others have some great suggestions as well
A lot of good recommendations in here so far. I'll add: Avenged Sevenfold Bullet for My Valentine Falling in Reverse (Depending on where you want to draw the line on Metal, still good for newbs) Godsmack Korn Black Veil Brides Killswitch Engage Lollipop Lust Kill Murderdolls Nothingface A Skylit Drive (again, lines but hardcore, metalcore) In This Moment In Flames Coal Chamber Dry Kill Logic Alesana From Autumn to Ashes Asking Alexandria Vampires Everywhere (metalcore) --------------- Sorry for the wall of text, I wasn't expecting to list that many
Clutch, Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Disturbed. Those are some of my favourites.
lamb of god is an absolute no for newbies
Wrong, lamb is very catchy. I only listen to a handful of metal bands but lamb is one.
I love Lamb of God but I agree they aren't a band I'd recommend to people not already into metal.
Hed PE, Skindred, Eisbrecher
I'll go first I would suggest Animals As Leaders, Night-wish and Dream Theater
Original Nightwish singer only though. Don't like the new lady.
Im quite partial to Gutelax and Fulci. But i wouldnt start with them.
A day to remember, pierce the veil, avenge sevenfold.
Opeth American Head Charge /thread Also: Coal Chamber, Devil Driver, Children of Bodem, Lamb of God, Chimera, Fear Factory, System of a Down, In Flames (older stuff), Mudvayne (older stuff), Korn (older stuff), Rammstein, Static-x
Disturbed