Saturday 10 August 2013

Top 10 - Under-rated Metal Bands.

Who are the most  Under-rated metal bands out there? Who deserves more recognition past and present?

Metal is a huge genre, and there is no doubt that I have missed some bands that perhaps might have been included, if you disagree with any of these selections, then comment below.

Plug your headphones in, turn the volume up and allow me to introduce to you bands that really are under-rated.

10. Funeral For A Friend.
Since 2003 they have released 6 studio albums, and have proved they are no slouch when it comes to writing melodic hardcore rock riffs, refreshing clean and suitably screamed vocals. A tight sounding, thorough band with lots of little side EPs and singles. Also listen to Juneau, Roses for the Dead and Into Oblivion.



9. Adrenaline Mob.
Surprise entry at Number 9 with super group formed by singer Russell Allen, Guitarist Mike Orlando and drummer Mike Portnoy. They have released; 1 EP, 1 cover album and a cracking studio album in 2 years, which is good going considering they all have their own projects. Its hard to see why their studio album 'Omerta'  only reached number 70 in the Billboard, but they are considered radio friendly heavy rock. See for yourself...





8. Kamelot.
A lot of you may not agree with this one, but their catchy symphonic metal is not heard enough as people tend to turn to bands like Nightwish for they dose of symphonic metal, or Dream Theatre for progressive metal. Watch their live DVD on youtube and i'm sure you will agree.





7. Testament.
American thrash metallers released their first studio album a little late to be considered  amongst such greats of thrash metal as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth, however some would consider them worthy of joining the elites. Changes in line up due to health issues meant they had to take a 10 year hiatus, but returned in 2003 with a more modern sound, but they still had heavy thrash routes. Always been in the shadows and it seems their plucky determination has gone un-noticed. The clip below  is one off their latest album.




6. Mark Tremonti. 
Guitarist Mark Tremonti is more well known for his role in Creed and Alter Bridge, but his side project has gone un-noticed. Blistering riffs and great vocals, they deserve some attention. Tremonti himself is a great musician, specialising in anything from speed metal to rock.


5. Fight.
After Rob Halford departed from Judas Priest in 1992, he took drummer Scott Travis with him and formed 'Fight'. They took the classic Judas Priest sound but seemed to add the edgier sound of Pantera. Fight never got nearly the attention that Judas Priest did, but to be fair they could have. They released 2 solid albums, worth checking out.


4. All That Remains
Brutal melodic metallers have 5 studio albums, all of which have different sounds.  Their fourth album 'Overcome' is probably their most detailed, complete album, but 'The Fall of Ideals' and 'For We Are Many' are also heavy, melodic and worthy of being in this list.


3. Strapping Young Lad.
If there is any single writer who is overwhelmingly overlooked it is Devin Townsend. After singing in 1 album for Steve Vai, Devin got fed up with the music industry. He released 5 albums under Strapping Young Lad, which are all a testament to powerful writing, creativity and pure insanity. 


2. Rise to Remain.
It is rare to hear a band with such potential, but with lead singer being the son of Bruce Dickinson (lead singer from Iron Maiden) you know this is a band worth checking out. They are very much a metalcore band, with roots from heavy metal and hardcore punk. 'City of vultures' has sensational guitar riffs, solid drum foundation and real variant of vocals. They are currently in the studio working on their second album.


1. Sacred Mother Tongue.
Just stick these guys on repeat and you will see why Metal Hammer described them as 'The most convincing British metal band to emerge in a long time'. 2 albums to date,  I truly do not understand why these guys aren't more popular, they have everything. Both feature savage guitar work by Andy James, and great lyrical content and vocal style by Darrin South. Say no more, listen for yourself...



So that's it, my top 10 under rated metal bands. Other bands that were considered but didn't make the cut are; 

Black Tide - Didn't make the cut, for no reason other than I wanted a bit of variation on the list. Their latest album Post Mortem is worth checking out.

Nickleback - Controversial one, but these guys get a lot of un-necessary stick for no reason other than they're Canadian. A lot of people don't like what they did with 'Rockstar' but they still have some cracking songs.

Dream Theatre - Great progressive metal band, but they aren't exactly under-rated.

Alter Bridge - Myles Kennedy is an under rated musician and has a great vocal range. I feel that the band are doing just fine without me. They have another album out September 30th

I hope I have left you with at least 1 new band for you to divulge you ears into. Please share opinions, and other bands you would include in the comments section. We'd all love to hear new bands.

2 comments:

  1. awesome! Also, I've been a lover of Nickelback for pretty much my whole life. I will never forget the day that I rediscovered them and realised that they had provided the soundtrack to my childhood(my parents are awesome) I only quite recently realised that they weren't really taken seriously and I just don't understand why. I pretty much like every song they've done. Except Rockstar.

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    1. Completely agree, they are a cracking band that get a lot of unnecessary criticism. I can understand why people dont like them for what they did with Rockstar, but they had a lot of hate before then which i have never understood. Thanks for the comment, what did you make of the rest of the list?

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