easily my favorite band of all time, Pantera both created and perfected groove metal as a genre.
Nearly every song has a fantastic and articulate solo done by the one and only Dimebag Darrel(R.I.P.)
and sick drum and bass lines from Vinnie Paul(R.I.P.)and Rex Brown, respectively.
I was able to see them with Metallica, they did a fantastic show despite missing two of their fouding members
The Great Southern Trendkill is my favorite album from them, one day I will check out their earlier
hair metal records (which are sadly unobtainable on most platforms).
They also come from the great state of Texas, which also happens to be my homestate!
TEXAS ROCKS!!!
Mudvayne is one of the (in my opinion) best things to come out of the Nu Metal era, even though I've always
considered them to be equal part prog.Their bass player, Ryan Martinie, is easily one of the best bass players
in metal and my personal inspiration for playing the bass myself. I recently saw them live and they were fantastic,
100% worth seeing if you have the chance. L.D. 50 is my favorite album, though that is the most common choice.
It took me a while to warm up to them myself, their other albums are still stand-out.
Tool is a band that needs no introduction. Their current bass player, Justin Chancellor, is a legend and also
was a great inspiration to me. Their fanbase has a reputation for being obnoxious but I don't care.
they make good music and that's all that matters. AEnima is my favorite album all around
though it's important for anyone giving them a try to know that they have different styles as time goes on, with
their first three records (that being Opiate, Undertow, and AEnima) are much more traditional alternative metal
while all of their albums afterwards are much more psychedelic in their sound and aesthetics.
Though they've been one of my favorites since I was very young I've not managed to see them live.
Kings of the sludge scene, Acid Bath has seen a huge resurgance in the past year thanks to their songs spreading on social media.
I personally discovered them on youtube a few years ago. Their popularity is well deserved, and their songs are some of the best the
sludge metal genre has to offer. They only have two albums, as their bass player Audi Pitre
(Who may I add, is a fantastic bass player) passed away in a car accident along with his family.
Both albums are great, so I can't reccomend one over the other.
I saw them live a couple of months ago at the Levitation fest, where they had a kick-ass show.
Another criminally underrated nu metal band from the late 90's and early 2000's,
Cold had a sort of bitternessthat their music captured that was absolutely perfect.
It's difficult to find music that evokes the same strong emotion as Cold's first two
albums, their self-titled and 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage.They are still active, though I haven't listened to much
of their discography that comes after their third album, that being Year of the Spider.
I may give their other records a shot some day, but I can say with complete certainty that their first two albums are masterpieces.
their unreleased songs, such as Blame and Sting Me are also great, they are both available on Youtube.
Headed by Max Cavelera, the legendary frontman from Sepultura and Nailbomb, Soulfly followed in the
footsteps of his previous bands with a nu metal twist (can you tell that I'm a nu metal fan?) In my opinion, Soulfly
does not deviate much from Sepultura much in terms of aesthetic or sound.
That being said, Soulfly is still a great band, Pain is my favorite song from them. If you enjoy their stuff,
check out Sepultura if you haven't already.
Crowbar was a part of the legendary sludge metal scene in Louisiana, along with the previously mentioned Acid Bath.
Crowbar has, like Cold, excels at creating melancholic and atmospheric songs that are simultaniously heavy and emotional.
Considering how hard it is to ride this line for any genre, Crowbar deserves credit for sticking to their guns
and making excellent music the whole way through. Though I haven't listened to their whole discography yet,
I will dedicate myself at some point soon to try out their more recent records.
As of now, Sonic Excess in its Purest Form is my favorite record form them,
though Odd Fellows Rest is also fantastic.
Mogwai is a band from Scotland and is probably the most unique band on this list.
If you are not fond of metal music (or more intense music in general) then Mogwai
might be the group you want to try out before anything else. I was introduced to them by the
game Spec Ops:the Line, in which their song R U Still in 2 it plays in the intro.
Their music is relaxing and soothing, their album Come on Die Young is my favorite from them.
They also do a lot of work on soundtracks now, though I haven't listened to musch of that yet.
Limp Bizkit is a band that gets a lot of flak, which in my opinion is occasionally deserved and often times not.
i can agree that Fred Durst's voice can be annoying, and that some of their songs are pretty stupid,
but people heavily exaggerate how obnoxious they are. At some point I plan on writing about my opinions
on nu metal as a genre and how I think it is misrepresented, but that is its own subject. Once you get past
the abrasive surface of Limp Bizkit, they have some great riffs, hilarious lines, and some generally great songs
Nobody Loves Me is a great song, I will die on that hill). Whether or not
you think you'll like them, if you ever give them a try, do so with an open mind and don't expect too much.
Either way, to each their own.
Out of every band listed here, Bender is by far the least represented since they only had one (technically two) albums released
and both are now over two decades old. This is a real shame, as what they did release was exemplary.
They have a band biography available here.Their story is an unfortunante one to me,
they had so much potential and what they made was truly one of a kind. However, they will still live on in their music.
They blend heavier metal-style songs with warm ballads, which sets them apart from their contemporaries.
I will always love their music, and I will always be sad they decided not to continue.