10 Best American Metal Bands

[jakedog56]

I know that rap metal is a bit of an acquired taste, but I picked up the new Body Count album.

I wasn't a particularly big fan of their earlier stuff but the new album fuckin rocks! The guest tracks with the likes of Dave Mustaine and Max Calavaro are highlights as well as a reboot of Slayer's Reigning Blood.

 

[RP-29]

I know that rap metal is a bit of an acquired taste, but I picked up the new Body Count album.

I wasn't a particularly big fan of their earlier stuff but the new album fuckin rocks! The guest tracks with the likes of Dave Mustaine and Max Calavaro are highlights as well as a reboot of Slayer's Reigning Blood.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[richig07]

Avenged does put on an excellent live show. I'll be there when they come to Oshkosh next month. That said, I personally really loved only two of their albums: Avenged Sevenfold and Nightmare. I didn't like Sounding the Seventh Trumpet at all. I liked Waking the Fallen a little. City of Evil was much better, but didn't quite love it front to back. I liked Hail to the King, but it felt too much like a cover album to love it. The Stage was okay; nothing really stood out on that album and nothing on that album really translates to a great live song. It'll be interesting to see what they play and how they present it.

I was obsessed with A7X in the 2000's. Holy shit, did they fall off when The Rev died. Zero direction anymore. No new ideas.

I feel they're kind of "pop metal" anyway. They were kind of a stepping stone for me to get into more authentic stuff.

 

[richig07]

Honestly, has there ever been a real metal band, that did any of their best work past the age of 35 or so anyway?

It's a young man's game. At a point, you lose that hunger, anger and edge that you had in your youth. Success has a lot to do with that. When you're strictly a "metal" or "punk" band, it's a very narrow path you've carved out for yourself. Because it's expected that everything you do is going to be heavy/angry. You can't really adjust or make an overhaul of your sound.

Metal isn't an art-form that's created from the emotions/feelings of a 45-50 year old man, with a bad back, a mortgage and two kids in college. At a point, you just start trying to play stuff that sounds like what you wrote when you were 25.

Most bands fade a bit with age, but many have done great work as they've gotten older. Metal bands? Nah. Once you hit your 40's, it's going through the motions on a tour and maybe half heartedly putting an album together. While juggling your wife, kids and other professional interests.

 

[Calm]

Jesus, you guys are so pathetic. There is only two answers to this thread. One: Steppenwolf, the one and first metal band. Two: Blue Oyster Cult, the thinking man's heavy metal band.

Good calls but again the ambiguous definition of metal comes into play. Steppenwolf is more groove 60's psychedelia with a bit of metal guitar riffs thrown in now and again. Blue Oyster Cult certainly moves into metal realm more often so they should probably be included.

Also, good call on Mastadon. I should have included them in the original list.

I recently picked an album from The Sword. Basically they are the Melvins if they were from Texas and played all Edgar Rice Burroughs themed songs.

Definitely would not consider Steppenwolf or Blue Oyster Cult heavy metal. Plus, Steppenwolf is Canadian, eh.

 

[WizardHawk]

While I generally can't disagree with this comment, I have to take their entire body of work into account and unfortunately everything went to shit with Cliff's demise.

Quite a few songs we all give credit to Metallica for off at least their first 3 albums were created in part by Mustaine before he was tossed out.

It took a while for the spark he brought to fade away and his influence to vanish. Can anyone imagine what Metallica would have been like if he hadn't left?

Metallica has taken quite a few turns and most of them didn't work. I really can't stand Hetfield after he got sober. He just doesn't have any edge anymore. Lars and his all over the place politics has always been annoying and Kirk should never speak, just play the damned guitar. Remember when they said they would never release their music on CD's? Or when they went after Napster?

I don't hate every song since the black album, but that was the last playable album IMO. That is, there is a song or two off most of their albums since that is at least decent, but I can't imagine playing an entire album anymore. The only song I hated on the black album was enter sandman. I mean does any real metal head actually like that song? I saw that as their attempt to sell to more non metal audiences in the wake of how popular "One" was.

Still, if I was asked what one album I would take if I was going to be stranded on an island and was stuck with just one for the rest of my life, it would have to be Master of Puppets for me. There isn't a song on that album that doesn't get me jacked up even all these years later. I still jam a few of those out on my set when I'm bored.

I've seen a lot of solid bands in concert over the years. Didn't miss an Iron Maiden concert when I was younger and they always put on a hell of a live show. I'm old enough to have seen Kiss when they were at their height. Still I would put the concert Metallica put on for their black album tour to be among my favorite ever. No opening act and no fancy stage production. Just music. For hours. Oh, and being a drummer myself the intermission of Lars and Hetfield doing a dueling drum solo was just perfect.

My overall list would probably be quite different from the one in the OP and most others, but I go way way back with the genre and individual tastes are what they are. A lot of great bands listed by everyone else.

 

[jakedog56]

Quite a few songs we all give credit to Metallica for off at least their first 3 albums were created in part by Mustaine before he was tossed out.

It took a while for the spark he brought to fade away and his influence to vanish. Can anyone imagine what Metallica would have been like if he hadn't left?

Metallica has taken quite a few turns and most of them didn't work. I really can't stand Hetfield after he got sober. He just doesn't have any edge anymore. Lars and his all over the place politics has always been annoying and Kirk should never speak, just play the damned guitar. Remember when they said they would never release their music on CD's? Or when they went after Napster?

I don't hate every song since the black album, but that was the last playable album IMO. That is, there is a song or two off most of their albums since that is at least decent, but I can't imagine playing an entire album anymore. The only song I hated on the black album was enter sandman. I mean does any real metal head actually like that song? I saw that as their attempt to sell to more non metal audiences in the wake of how popular "One" was.

Still, if I was asked what one album I would take if I was going to be stranded on an island and was stuck with just one for the rest of my life, it would have to be Master of Puppets for me. There isn't a song on that album that doesn't get me jacked up even all these years later. I still jam a few of those out on my set when I'm bored.

I've seen a lot of solid bands in concert over the years. Didn't miss an Iron Maiden concert when I was younger and they always put on a hell of a live show. I'm old enough to have seen Kiss when they were at their height. Still I would put the concert Metallica put on for their black album tour to be among my favorite ever. No opening act and no fancy stage production. Just music. For hours. Oh, and being a drummer myself the intermission of Lars and Hetfield doing a dueling drum solo was just perfect.

My overall list would probably be quite different from the one in the OP and most others, but I go way way back with the genre and individual tastes are what they are. A lot of great bands listed by everyone else.

Metallica was insanely great on their early stuff. No doubt about it.

If they hadn't kicked Mustaine out, and Cliff had lived it might have been a continued run of greatness. If they had kicked Lars out and gotten a competent drummer it could have been even better. I saw Metallica 3 or 4 times and Lars was always the weak link live.

 

[jakedog56]

Honestly, has there ever been a real metal band, that did any of their best work past the age of 35 or so anyway?

It's a young man's game. At a point, you lose that hunger, anger and edge that you had in your youth. Success has a lot to do with that. When you're strictly a "metal" or "punk" band, it's a very narrow path you've carved out for yourself. Because it's expected that everything you do is going to be heavy/angry. You can't really adjust or make an overhaul of your sound.

Metal isn't an art-form that's created from the emotions/feelings of a 45-50 year old man, with a bad back, a mortgage and two kids in college. At a point, you just start trying to play stuff that sounds like what you wrote when you were 25.

Most bands fade a bit with age, but many have done great work as they've gotten older. Metal bands? Nah. Once you hit your 40's, it's going through the motions on a tour and maybe half heartedly putting an album together. While juggling your wife, kids and other professional interests.

Best work? Probably not. But many great albums from older bands, especially recently. Black Sabbath's 13 was a damn good album. Book of Souls from Iron Maiden was one of their best ever. Judas Priest's Redeemer of Souls was their best in probably about 30 years. Megadeth continues to release solid albums one after the other. The Body Count new album I mentioned earlier Bloodlust, is awesome. Anthrax's last couple of albums are their best since Spreading the Disease and Among the Living. And that is just some fairly mainstream examples.

My point being that most bands arguably do their best work early on, but metal isn't just a young man's game. Many, many excellent albums from the old guys as the genre has aged.

 

[Ojb81]

Metallica was insanely great on their early stuff. No doubt about it.

If they hadn't kicked Mustaine out, and Cliff had lived it might have been a continued run of greatness. If they had kicked Lars out and gotten a competent drummer it could have been even better. I saw Metallica 3 or 4 times and Lars was always the weak link live.

Lars is a very pedestrian drummer

 

[Ojb81]

I've always said, that if Load was from ANY other "hard rock" band in the 90's, it would be an all-time great and probably that band's signature album. But because it was Metallica, and we all expected, ya know, metal, it was mostly just "meh". Now, I'll admit that nowadays, I very much enjoy listening to load, re-load is okay, st. anger is pure garbage (ugh, their "nu-metal" phase was literally embarrassing, no wonder jason wanted to get the fuck out), death magnetic and the new one is...ok, i guess. but they're just not the same anymore, their songs don't hit that "sweet spot" that you'd come to expect from their early days. really, in my opinion, metallica lost their sound when they replaced legendary metal producer flemming rasmussen with bob rock. rasmussen had them on top of the world, their sound was like no one else's.

 

[jakedog56]

I've always said, that if Load was from ANY other "hard rock" band in the 90's, it would be an all-time great and probably that band's signature album. But because it was Metallica, and we all expected, ya know, metal, it was mostly just "meh". Now, I'll admit that nowadays, I very much enjoy listening to load, re-load is okay, st. anger is pure garbage (ugh, their "nu-metal" phase was literally embarrassing, no wonder jason wanted to get the fuck out), death magnetic and the new one is...ok, i guess. but they're just not the same anymore, their songs don't hit that "sweet spot" that you'd come to expect from their early days. really, in my opinion, metallica lost their sound when they replaced legendary metal producer flemming rasmussen with bob rock. rasmussen had them on top of the world, their sound was like no one else's.

I haven't listened to their newest album. I have heard good things. Maybe my dislike has become a little irrational. I'll have to check it out.

 

[WizardHawk]

I haven't listened to their newest album. I have heard good things. Maybe my dislike has become a little irrational. I'll have to check it out.

There are 2 or 3 songs worth listening to off the new album, but again the rest is just meh. That's still better than a few of their others that may have had one song, maybe two and those were just ok.

 

[richig07]

Best work? Probably not. But many great albums from older bands, especially recently. Black Sabbath's 13 was a damn good album. Book of Souls from Iron Maiden was one of their best ever. Judas Priest's Redeemer of Souls was their best in probably about 30 years. Megadeth continues to release solid albums one after the other. The Body Count new album I mentioned earlier Bloodlust, is awesome. Anthrax's last couple of albums are their best since Spreading the Disease and Among the Living. And that is just some fairly mainstream examples.

My point being that most bands arguably do their best work early on, but metal isn't just a young man's game. Many, many excellent albums from the old guys as the genre has aged.

I liked 13 as well, but it was good album CONSIDERING the time Ozzy and the group had been apart. Along with how much they had aged. It certainly pales in comparison to their best stuff in the 70's.

I think you can find outlying examples, but I do feel like metal bands fizzle out and become redundant a lot quicker than other artists. For instance, a guy like Bowie did amazing work, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that he never put a label on himself. Which allowed him to roam freely as he pleased, from a creative standpoint.

Perhaps I'm wrong though, and I just personally haven't liked a lot of stuff that was done later on by metal bands.