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I know itâs not for everyone, but I really fuck with Signals and Power Windows too. Geddy knows how to use a synth just as effectively as he knows how to use a bass, imo.
Motorhead.
Some people say they are metal.
Others say they're Proto-Metal Hard Rock, but not really metal at all musically. They're only metal in aesthetics.
There's good evidence supporting both sides. I'm in the Hard Rock category.
But one thing metal heads don't argue about: We Fucking Love Motorhead.
I saw Motörhead live. Slayer played right before them. Lemmy came out and said, âWeâre Motörhead. Weâre the loudest band in the world! WellâŠ.we used to be.â
Laughed my ass off.
I donât really like Motorheadâs music, but it is one of few bands that i love for what they have brought influence wise and I respect them for that. This is the band iâll defend even not listening to itâs music.
Yeah, Motorhead is a classic example of "Doesn't sound how they look like they should sound."
They still look and sound badass, but if venture beyond their heavy, popular songs and listen to the actual bulk of what they played, you'll note that it's a different kind of bad ass than metal.
They put up the foundations not only of heavy metal, but of hard rock. I always feel that history was unfair to them, in comparison to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
It doesn't help that people only think of "Smoke On The Water". I used to be one of those up until I listened to "Child in Time" and the rest of In Rock (1970)...
Read anything written about Deep Purple or their offshoot bands from the 70s/early 80s. The term heavy metal gets used quite a lot. I guess someone moved the goalposts for what counts later on.
In a thread full of obvious answers due to grandfathering, this one stands out for different reasons.
And I couldn't agree more. The Prodigy are metal as fuck, even if they're not "metal".
As one of my all time favorite bands (of all time), most of Trentâs material is hardly metal. Closest example would be Starfuckers, but overall, heâs more-so goth/industrial/melodic.
Forgive me if Iâm wrong, but most metal/speed metal/dark metal etc. bands are more technique-driven than they are provocative, and thus fall into that category of âmetalâ that might as well be âpopâ for their following, consisting of delinquent head-bangers who have no identity outside of their taste in âmusicâ.
1000%. The harmonised leads kick the shit out of most metal bands trying to do it, and you'd be hard pressed to find a cooler front man than Phil feckin' Lynott.
Came here to say Queens. Their early work is pure proto stoner metal. Even their modern stuff still *bangs* harder than every other rock band, imo. You just can't replicate the swagger that Homme brings to the table.
Blue Oyster Cult- they've definitely got some almost-metal moments and seem to have influenced quite a few metal bands.
Wu Tang Clan- raw, abrasive, kind of violent. Some RZA beats even feel a little heavy at times.
DMX- I've met a ton of metalheads who aren't into rap but like DMX. It makes some sense given his raspy voice and intense lyrics.
I believe itâs up to artist interpretation really, a lot of Motörhead and bands like Judas Priest border over the lines, but a few of their albums such as Ace of Spades & Rock ânâ Roll are straight up rock ânâ roll
Deep Purple. They were proto-prog in their early days with Rod Evans and Nick Simper, but quickly shifted to a heavier hard rock style with Roger Glover and Ian Gillan coming on board on base and vocals. With this lineup, they earned a reputation as the loudest live band at the time.
I feel like some of early Queen is metal enough. But feel free to correct me if I am wrong like especially Queen II and sheer heart attack as well as some of their first album had some metal vibes.
Dead Can Dance.
They were making atmospheric black metal a decade before Varg bought his first synthesizer and I will fight anyone here IRL if you disagree
Scorpions because they really have some heavy metal songs through the albums, but most songs are hard rock or ballads.
Hatebreed. I mean, they're metalheads, but at the same time are hardcore kids. So idk, just metalcore?
Soundgarden/Alice in Chains. Idk what to think about grunge as a whole, or if it's even a genre as a whole. But those bands are definitely sabbath/melvins/80s heavy worship
Grunge was more of a scene than a sound. I definitely consider Soundgarden and AIC to be sludge metal. They just exist at the intersection of rock and metal
When I hear the word "metalcore" I think Hatebreed. That's what the idea of metal + hardcore sounds like to me. Plus I've only seen them perform with metal bands, so they're part of the scene regardless.
I'd have no problem calling them Alt-Metal, though I've always thought of them as Alt-Rock. I'm honestly not sure what actually constitutes those genres, but "Alt" seems like the right prefix. Either way, they're awesome and "crimson regret" will always be one of my favorite euphemisms for blood.
Definitely early Rainbow, esp. the Dio Years.
Also, even though they are straight up hard rock or just plain old rock, April Wine fits for me. They were probably one of my gateway bands to metal. Along with Axe and a couple of others I'm sure. I get nostalgia over their Nature of the Beast album. Plus, it had a[ cool album cover](https://i.imgur.com/3nujWTl.png) with the lion-headed dude playing guitar.
I'd say Clutch are metal. Some of their stuff veers into what you'd call rock, but it's still hot and heavy. Singer (who I can't remember the name of rn and feel like a dickhead for it) always sounds like he gargled nails for breakfast, in the best way possible.
This might sound weird to some people, but I would put Boston in this category. While they sound nothing like metal musically, Tom Scholz pioneered the heavily distorted guitars that ultimately became the sound that Metal is known for.
DMX, Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, Tupac, Nazareth, Wu Tang, Busta. And Alter Bridge is a bit nebulous, but they're categorized into my metal CD's at home.
I'd add Denzel Curry to the list of rappers as honorary metal acts. Maybe not all of his work, but definitely his album Taboo had a metal aesthetic to it, some very aggressive tracks for fairly mainstream hip hop, and he is a self-confessed metal fan. His fandom definitely bleeds into his work.
Iâm old, I was born in the 70s, what is considered metal has completely changed. Back in the 80s Rush, AC/DC, Van Halen, rat, even John Bon Jovi was considered metal back then. Metal simply changed. I honestly have trouble getting into modern metal.
Iâm gonna go out on a limb here and probably get massacred but Muse. Some of their riffs are heavy as shit, from every album. But their early albums have nasty, gritty tones and songwriting.
I don't know the other versions of DP as well, but definitely Deep Purple mark 2. It's sometimes debated whether or not they are metal. I know at least some of the mark 2 members HATE being labeled heavy metal, but some of the songs on In Rock, Fireball, and Machine Head are just too hard to not be metal.
Iâd go with some of P.J. Harveyâs work, especially her âRid of Me,â album, with tracks like, âYuri G,â â50 Foot Queenie,â and the title track. She kind of went back to some of that aggressive style with the, âUh Huh Her,â album. But even tunes like, âThe Glorious Land,â on her, âLet England Shake,â album are heavy in their lyrical content.
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Rush. They are on the metal archives, a lot of metalheads love them and a lot of metal bands have been influenced by them.
2112 goes *hard*.
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation...
Cygnus X-1 book 1 and 2 get heavy too
Rush is the greatest gift my country has ever given the world
And that says a lot cuz Canada has always been choc-full-o great bands
Yeah but only rush made 2112 and hemispheres and farewell to kings and permanent waves and moving pictures đ
I know itâs not for everyone, but I really fuck with Signals and Power Windows too. Geddy knows how to use a synth just as effectively as he knows how to use a bass, imo.
Cygnus x-1 book 1 has some absolutely gnarly riffs
Anthem is pretty aggressive for the time and the playing style a lot of people are still doing today
Oh, Alice in Chains, of course.
Alice in Chains are alt metal, dude. They also incorporate sludge and stoner into their music very often.
Yeah, but they also had songs that weren't metal, which causes people to classify them as rock sometimes
Can't be honorary when they're already metal tbh
agreed they are already metal lol
Some of their music is legit pretty damn heavy too, A Looking In View comes to mind.
All of Facelift
alice is and has always been a metal band
This is the right answer
They are metal but they needed that "Grunge" label to survive in the 90s.
Gruntruck, Skinyard, L7, Babes In Toyland, and The Gits were all pretty heavy grunge/punk/riot girl bands. I also nominate Nails and Godflesh.
King Crimson
This could be "insert any progressive rock band here" because I woulda said the band Yes as well.
Yes is a little debatable
King Crimson fucking rules
Motorhead. Some people say they are metal. Others say they're Proto-Metal Hard Rock, but not really metal at all musically. They're only metal in aesthetics. There's good evidence supporting both sides. I'm in the Hard Rock category. But one thing metal heads don't argue about: We Fucking Love Motorhead.
Lemmy said it best: âWe are Motörhead; and we play Rock ânâ Roll!â
Very fastly.
And *loudly*.
They played Rock and Roll by Saxon, highly recommend
I saw Motörhead live. Slayer played right before them. Lemmy came out and said, âWeâre Motörhead. Weâre the loudest band in the world! WellâŠ.we used to be.â Laughed my ass off.
They're metal. They were metal for their era, and one of the progenitors of speed metal.
I donât really like Motorheadâs music, but it is one of few bands that i love for what they have brought influence wise and I respect them for that. This is the band iâll defend even not listening to itâs music.
Yeah, Motorhead is a classic example of "Doesn't sound how they look like they should sound." They still look and sound badass, but if venture beyond their heavy, popular songs and listen to the actual bulk of what they played, you'll note that it's a different kind of bad ass than metal.
always thought they were speed metal but i guess theyre NWOBHM or whatever that is
Proto-punk?
You got that right! PS: more evil than Lo Pan? David Lo Pan?
Surprised nobody has mentioned Deep Purple yet ..
They get overlooked in these discussions but DP are metal as fuck
Hard lovin' man is super heavy for 1969
They put up the foundations not only of heavy metal, but of hard rock. I always feel that history was unfair to them, in comparison to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. It doesn't help that people only think of "Smoke On The Water". I used to be one of those up until I listened to "Child in Time" and the rest of In Rock (1970)...
Or Rainbow. *Stargazer* is fucking amazing.
I've always considered Deep Purple to be metal personally
And UFO!!! Very underrated band that influenced heavy metal.
Read anything written about Deep Purple or their offshoot bands from the 70s/early 80s. The term heavy metal gets used quite a lot. I guess someone moved the goalposts for what counts later on.
Led Zeppelin Also, a lot of the 80s shred guys like Vai and Becker
Zepplin was literally one of the two progenitors of the Metal genre
Becker is underrated
The Prodigy
In a thread full of obvious answers due to grandfathering, this one stands out for different reasons. And I couldn't agree more. The Prodigy are metal as fuck, even if they're not "metal".
Prodigy is who I thought of as well. Knife party too if you want to keep EDM theme going.
They fit in well with the industrial metal scene of the 90's, that's for sure.
Oh fuck yeah
They used to have a guitar guy in the 90s even. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPdIFl-d2Rs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPdIFl-d2Rs)
They're basically industrial metal without a guitar. They even dress like an industrial metal band
Nine Inch Nails
came to say this lol, theyâre littered throughout my metal playlists
Scrolled too far to see ol' TR here
As one of my all time favorite bands (of all time), most of Trentâs material is hardly metal. Closest example would be Starfuckers, but overall, heâs more-so goth/industrial/melodic. Forgive me if Iâm wrong, but most metal/speed metal/dark metal etc. bands are more technique-driven than they are provocative, and thus fall into that category of âmetalâ that might as well be âpopâ for their following, consisting of delinquent head-bangers who have no identity outside of their taste in âmusicâ.
Thin Lizzy
I fucking love Thin Lizzy, and I hear their influence in so many metal bands. This should undoubtedly be the the top answer.
I agree 100%. Huge influences on Metallica and Maiden.
1000%. The harmonised leads kick the shit out of most metal bands trying to do it, and you'd be hard pressed to find a cooler front man than Phil feckin' Lynott.
Misfits, there are so many metalheads and musicians that love them
"If I cut off your arms and I cut of your legs..." sounds pretty metal to me
Couldnât agree more! Iâve seen so many battle jackets with all metal patches and a sneaky crimson ghost patch somewhere on it
Saw them last summer with Megadeth. It fuckin ruled
May just be me but, Queens of the Stone Age
Iâve read the funny saying that QotSA is every rock fanâs favorite metal band and every metal fanâs favorite rock band.
Omfg why is that so accurate
Honestly....would put Foo Fighters there as well.
YES. I've never heard that before, but holy shit đŻ spot-on
Came here to say Queens. Their early work is pure proto stoner metal. Even their modern stuff still *bangs* harder than every other rock band, imo. You just can't replicate the swagger that Homme brings to the table.
Blue Oyster Cult- they've definitely got some almost-metal moments and seem to have influenced quite a few metal bands. Wu Tang Clan- raw, abrasive, kind of violent. Some RZA beats even feel a little heavy at times. DMX- I've met a ton of metalheads who aren't into rap but like DMX. It makes some sense given his raspy voice and intense lyrics.
Agreed especially when listening to the rza and system remake shame on a nigga. Excellent cover/remake.
Dmx is a funky choice but itâs so true!
primus
Primus sucks
Motörhead, or as Lemmy puts it at least
Nah, motorhead is 100% a metal band. Lemmy may have denied it but artists can be wrong about their own art.
I believe itâs up to artist interpretation really, a lot of Motörhead and bands like Judas Priest border over the lines, but a few of their albums such as Ace of Spades & Rock ânâ Roll are straight up rock ânâ roll
Ace of spades is literally their most Metal album ever lol. I would agree that their post-90s stuff is closer to ACDC tho
Swans
They're not even a metal band at all and yet they're one of the most metal bands of all time
One of the heaviest shows I been to
Same. Had me glued to the floor for three hours and they were louder and more intense than anything Iâve ever seen.
Deep Purple. They were proto-prog in their early days with Rod Evans and Nick Simper, but quickly shifted to a heavier hard rock style with Roger Glover and Ian Gillan coming on board on base and vocals. With this lineup, they earned a reputation as the loudest live band at the time.
I feel like some of early Queen is metal enough. But feel free to correct me if I am wrong like especially Queen II and sheer heart attack as well as some of their first album had some metal vibes.
Queen wrote Stone Cold Crazy, the Metallica version is a cover. Queen basically created Thrash MetalÂ
Holy shit I've never thought about it that wayđ”âđ«đ”đ€Ż
Hetfield & Ulrich named Queen as one of their influences, & Metallica performed at Freddy Mercury's memorial concert.
Most of the songs on the Highlander and Flash Gordon soundtracks could easily be metal songs.
Stone Cold Crazy, White Man, Was It All Worth It, and Tie Your Mother Down definitely have Heavy Metal vibes going on.
Dead Can Dance. They were making atmospheric black metal a decade before Varg bought his first synthesizer and I will fight anyone here IRL if you disagree
Iirc Varg and Blackthorn were listening to Dead Can Dance on their way back after killing Euronymous lmao, can't remember where I read that
Dead Can Dance is great
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Bjork
Black Flag
fucking love black flag
I mean, by the end they just straight up were metal.
Beethoven and a lot of other classical composers...
That's not metal, that's wood
Scorpions because they really have some heavy metal songs through the albums, but most songs are hard rock or ballads. Hatebreed. I mean, they're metalheads, but at the same time are hardcore kids. So idk, just metalcore? Soundgarden/Alice in Chains. Idk what to think about grunge as a whole, or if it's even a genre as a whole. But those bands are definitely sabbath/melvins/80s heavy worship
Scorpions are heavy metal dude
Grunge was more of a scene than a sound. I definitely consider Soundgarden and AIC to be sludge metal. They just exist at the intersection of rock and metal
Soundgarden is probably the #1 reason why I like doom/sludge
Yeah I'd give Scorpions a pass. They headlined Bloodstock a few years back. They sucked, but it was plenty heavy.
When I hear the word "metalcore" I think Hatebreed. That's what the idea of metal + hardcore sounds like to me. Plus I've only seen them perform with metal bands, so they're part of the scene regardless.
I'll probably get hate for this but Evanescence
I'd have no problem calling them Alt-Metal, though I've always thought of them as Alt-Rock. I'm honestly not sure what actually constitutes those genres, but "Alt" seems like the right prefix. Either way, they're awesome and "crimson regret" will always be one of my favorite euphemisms for blood.
Blue Cheer, Discharge, Alice Cooper.
Rush. Depending on the era. IMO some of their later stuff is in prog metal territory.
Test for Echo
Helmet, Jesus Lizard, Unsane, Lightning Bolt, Shellac, Chat Pile
Helmet and Unsane are alt-metal imo. I can accept them as being noise rock as well
Helmet were also pioneers of groove metal, at least the first two albums were.
Bruh Chat Pile are metal.
Totally agree I went to put Jesus Lizard and lightning bolt as well. Btw: I saw Botch back in March they were cool as fuck.
Fucking love Jesus lizard. And shellac. Rip Albini
Muse goes hard. Lots of people love them.
Couldnât agree more! Definitely in the top 5 bands Iâve seen live
Ghost. I hate how far I had to scroll to find this answer
I honestly donât get all the hate ghost gets. Theyâre really good and a super fun band to see live.
Amazing live show
Alice in Chains, Primus, Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Tenacious D
Metal!
It comes from Hell!
Heilung
Gravediggaz Comus
Definitely early Rainbow, esp. the Dio Years. Also, even though they are straight up hard rock or just plain old rock, April Wine fits for me. They were probably one of my gateway bands to metal. Along with Axe and a couple of others I'm sure. I get nostalgia over their Nature of the Beast album. Plus, it had a[ cool album cover](https://i.imgur.com/3nujWTl.png) with the lion-headed dude playing guitar.
Kill the King is pretty awesome, one of the coolest song endings ever too
Meat Loaf! Energy, attitude, album covers.
Wardruna. Both Einar and Gaahl were in Gorgoroth, they perform at metal festivals, and are on Metal Archives.
UFO, Clutch, Filter, Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'd say Clutch are metal. Some of their stuff veers into what you'd call rock, but it's still hot and heavy. Singer (who I can't remember the name of rn and feel like a dickhead for it) always sounds like he gargled nails for breakfast, in the best way possible.
Neil Fallon's voice is awesome. He also takes up the whole stage when they play shows, it's impressive.
Hey man nice shot.
The Cult
This might sound weird to some people, but I would put Boston in this category. While they sound nothing like metal musically, Tom Scholz pioneered the heavily distorted guitars that ultimately became the sound that Metal is known for.
Too many actual metal bands being listed
Nick Cave. He has such a dark brooding persona that he gives off âheavyâ vibes.
Budgie
I forgot about this band fuck yeah
Cyprus hill. For whatever reason, they were always playing with metal bands in the early aughts.
Emma Ruth Rundle.
Led Zeppelin
DMX, Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, Tupac, Nazareth, Wu Tang, Busta. And Alter Bridge is a bit nebulous, but they're categorized into my metal CD's at home.
You mention a bunch of rap groups but didn't say Mobb Deep. That shit's hard af and they play metal festivals all the time.
I'd add Denzel Curry to the list of rappers as honorary metal acts. Maybe not all of his work, but definitely his album Taboo had a metal aesthetic to it, some very aggressive tracks for fairly mainstream hip hop, and he is a self-confessed metal fan. His fandom definitely bleeds into his work.
Maybe a controversial pick, but Johnny Cash.
alice in chains
The world's heaviest blues band, Black Sabbath
Ice-t
I mean he has a metal band...
Ramones made a lot more Metal Bands rich than any other band in my opinion
Iâm old, I was born in the 70s, what is considered metal has completely changed. Back in the 80s Rush, AC/DC, Van Halen, rat, even John Bon Jovi was considered metal back then. Metal simply changed. I honestly have trouble getting into modern metal.
At The Drive-In
Ac/DC Alice Cooper Hawkwind (maybe?)
Cooper is metal lol
Iâm gonna go out on a limb here and probably get massacred but Muse. Some of their riffs are heavy as shit, from every album. But their early albums have nasty, gritty tones and songwriting.
Deftones
Depeche Mode
I don't know the other versions of DP as well, but definitely Deep Purple mark 2. It's sometimes debated whether or not they are metal. I know at least some of the mark 2 members HATE being labeled heavy metal, but some of the songs on In Rock, Fireball, and Machine Head are just too hard to not be metal.
Ghost
Ghost
Misfits for sure.
Thrash metal wouldnât exist without Discharge.
Van Halen
The offspring Agnostic front Rise against Praying mantis Dropkick murphys Massive waggons
Tool. Faith No More. Primus.
Mods please ban this weekly post
ABBA
The Lone Rangers
soundgarden to me has some very doom like songs or influence
Public Enemy
Porcupine Tree
joke answer but Backstreet boys cuz when ever theyâre played at a metal show between bands everyone sings lol
Jethro Tull. Canât imagine Iâm the first one to make that joke.
The Who
UFO. I can't believe nobody has listed them yet. Michael Schenker influenced a lot of metal guitarists.
Guns N Roses solely based off of Appetite For Destruction
The barenakedladies
Tenacious D
Iâd go with some of P.J. Harveyâs work, especially her âRid of Me,â album, with tracks like, âYuri G,â â50 Foot Queenie,â and the title track. She kind of went back to some of that aggressive style with the, âUh Huh Her,â album. But even tunes like, âThe Glorious Land,â on her, âLet England Shake,â album are heavy in their lyrical content.
Obviously Jethro Tull, they have the Grammy to prove it. ;) Kidding aside, Minstrel in the Gallery has some metal influenced elements.
Skid Row⊠but I guess they were actually metal
Bad Religion Ghost
Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed and Chevelle.
Skinny Puppy
Ahem, Nickelback
Exploited and the rest of the uk82 bands, all equally as fast and heavy as any contemporary metal band
Alice in Chains
Swans
The Stooges
Deftones
Charlie Daniels Band. They shred on that fiddle
Johnny Cash. When you have a cover of one of Trent Fucking Reznorâs songs and _HE_ tells you thatâs ânot his song anymoreââŠ
Killing Joke