Help me cure my Extreme Metal phobia

[Harp Heaven]

Okay, here`s the deal. I`ve loathed Extreme Metal for quite some time now. Being mostly into stuff like Dream Theater, Symphony X, Threshold, Arena, Shadow Gallery and their like, the most "extreme" music I`ve listened to extensively has been Finntroll, Soilwork and Meshuggah. Yeah, I can feel your despise right from here. To me, 3xtr3me death metal had always sounded like perpetual blast beats with some guitars playing random shit while the vocalist, who sounded like a camel gurgling his own vomit just growled some random shit. That was until I heard Origin.

When I first loaded "Portal" into my Winamp, I was like HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Maybe it was so god damn extreme that it just clicked. Who knows. Well, I liked the songs I found at their mp3.com page, and I am considering buying their new album. But first, I want you guys to recommend some of your favourite stuff. Note, that sound is very important to me. I can`t stand the trebly mix you hear on obscure black metal records. I need some shit with good, clear production where all the instruments can be heard. Black Metal or Death Metal, the same deal. Just tell me what I should check out.

 

[MrMajs]

In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Arch Enemy, Opeth

 

[genocide roach]

psypheria
immolation
emperor
~gR~

 

[HandePora]

Gorguts - From Wisdom To Hate
Theory in Practice - The Armaggedon Theories
Deeds of Flesh - Path of the Weakening
Suffocation - Pierced from Within
Death - Symbolic
Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
...just to name a few...

If you like technical stuff with great production you surely enjoy those.
As for Black Metal, It's not really my style, but Emperor is a good election. Personally I enjoy Covenant's Nexus Polaris, although much people won't consider it Black Metal.

 

[Harp Heaven]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Looks like I`ll be doing some DC/KaZaA sessions tonight...

Personally I enjoy Covenant's Nexus Polaris, although much people won't consider it Black Metal.

I`m a bit confused to the definitions people use here. Apparently all the mainstream Black Metal bands are not Black Metal, they are "Faggoth metal". Kovenant included. Meshuggah is not death metal, et.c. Whatever suits their day, I suppose. I`m not well versed enough in the genres to put forward an opinion, really...

 

[digitaldemon62]

(ones with flame guys are the best bets)


Dying Fetus
Emperor
Immolation
Mayhem
Old Man's Child
Death
Napalm Death
Beyond the Sixth Seal
Mortician
Carcass
Disgorge
Immortal
Thryfing
Myrkskog
Ulver
Dark Funeral


ahh...i cant think of anymore for you to check out...but i guess you probably heard of most of these anyway....but if you havent, check them out!

 

[Harp Heaven]

Mortician

DD, I asked for stuff with good, clear production. I`ll check out the other stuff though.

 

[Russell]

Ulver - any song off Bergtatt should own you The production is reasonably clear too

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

Extol - Undecieved................. if you like your Origin and Meshuggah there's a good chance you'll like songs off this..try the title track and Time Stands Still
Watchtower - Control and Resistance ................... get anything off this...this is half the reason bands like Meshuggah exist.
Death - The Sound of Perseverance................... Riff-o-rama, that goes with any Death album though, especially this, Symbolic, and Individual Thought Patterns.
Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe................... listen to after you've digested the rest.
Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness............. Great black metal, amazing production.
Sanctifica - Spirit of Purity........... same

 

[BTK]

DM :
Dying Fetus
Morbid Angel
Deicide
Cannibal Corpse
Pestilence
Death

 

[MAGUS]

ok, get some songs from all of these previously mentioned bands and search for moments of the songs that you like alot. then start listening the song many times and you WILL (obey my orders) start loving that song and eventually start liking the whole band, and similiar bands as well. this is how I got to extreme metal.

 

[DevilToSome]

Dissection, Dissection, Dissection

 

[Ultimate_Symphony]

Darkane
Dissection
Immortal
Emperor
Pestilence
Death
Suffocation
Morbid Angel
Immolation
Cryptopsy
Enter Chaos
Malevolent Creation
The Crown
Kataklysm
Cattle Decapitation

Shit, that's all I can think of right now.

 

[MURAI]

Not all of these bands are death/black metal but they're all heavy bands worth checking out:

At The Gates
Bolt Thrower
Entombed
God Forbid
Kreator
Obituary
Pantera
Sepultura
Slayer

 

[Timmy]

opeth is a pretty good bet.... even a lot of non-metal seem to find something to like in it.

Other than that...
dark tranquillity ... if you love proggy, complicated technical music you'll probably like the gallery.. mmm... punish my heaven
Emperor seems to be one a lot of people have mentioned.... especially with their earlier music it takes a few listens to adjust to the sound

 

[JonnyD]

Listen to Obituary - Cause Of Death You probably wont like johns Vocals But the music Cant be beat It is some of the best metal I have heard From any Genre

 

[Board]

I would recommend these songs:
Emperor "An elegy of Icarus" (pretty prog. like IMO) & "The toungue of fire". Some of their easiestly accesible songs. The production is not great, but some of the best I've heard in black metal I guess (which doesn't say much).
Opeth is also clearly recommendable. I wouldn't exactly call them extreme though. All of their stuff is good (except demotracks), but I think their first album "Orchid" is easily their weakest. Songs like "Bleak" and "The drapery falls" are probably some of their songs which is easiest to get into I guess.
If you can get by the horrible vocal, I recommend the best black metal song ever IMO (with pretty crappy production), Burzum's "Det som en gang var" (yes, there's also an album called that).
Then there of course also Marduk's album "Panzer Division Marduk"!!

 

[Harp Heaven]

Thanks for everyone who has come up with suggestions. I downloaded ...And Then You`ll Beg by Cryptopsy yesterday and I`ve listened quite a bit to it. I think I`m beginning to like it! Seeing as many people have recommended Emperor and Dissection, I will check them out tonight. Keap teh metal hard n tr00!

 

[Neslepaks]

In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Arch Enemy, Opeth

None of those bands are extreme metal.

 

[SculptedCold]

Nile? Amazing music yeah, they've always had duff production though. The guitars sound like a rushing river of volcanic or monsoon mud. No exaggeration!

Mortician.

And Cryptopsy...... everything after None So Vile :

Purely because of the vocalist : uke:

Who can't and doesn't even bother trying to uke: like Lord Worm. He should have called himself Emperor Worm. Or God Worm.

He probably just calls himself Beer Worm now though.