Help this noob discover real metal?

[Matt]

Scar Symmetry, Soilwork, Trivium, God Forbid

 

[Mort Divine]

oh and Slayer. Everyone should listen to Slayer.

edit: everything before '90 Slayer.

Nah, aside from Show No Mercy Slayer isnt' worth anything.

 

[Satanstoenail]

I'd highly recommend Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve

Here are some small samples:

http://www.meshuggah.net/samples/dei03.mp3

http://www.meshuggah.net/samples/dei01.mp3

http://www.meshuggah.net/samples/dei07.mp3

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

Nah, aside from Show No Mercy Slayer isnt' worth anything.

Nah, don't listen to Mort Divine. Hell Awaits pwns everything you listen to.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

try out thrash metal first you will like it

slayer
metallica
pantera (not really thrash but they're ok)
megadeth
sodom
kreator
exodus
testament

some good beginner DM bands to help you get used to more brutal stuff
death
morbid angel
opeth (more prog than dm)
in flames
bloodbath
carcass (only "heartwork" though)

 

[Zephyrus]

Hypocrisy

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

^^^^^^good choice

love peter tagtgren

 

[SweptbackFlame]

Right. My first song by them was Black Star. Very innovative and such, great song to start out with regarding them IMO.

yeah actually, Heartwork got me going, I saw the video for it I was like dude, this shit kicks total fucking ass was hooked ever since

 

[IWP]

try out thrash metal first you will like it

slayer
metallica
pantera (not really thrash but they're ok)
megadeth
sodom
kreator
exodus
testament

Don't forget Overkill and Anthrax.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

yep

hundreds of great thrash bands

 

[cookiecutter]

Hypocrisy got me into extreme metal along with Slayer. Don't listen to Mort Divine, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss are all good albums.

 

[Helspyre]

Some starter ideas:

Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider and Burnt Offerings
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss (don't bother with anything after this though)
Carcass - Heartwork
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1

 

[Scott Evil]

try out thrash metal first you will like it

slayer
metallica
pantera (not really thrash but they're ok)
megadeth
sodom
kreator
exodus
testament

some good beginner DM bands to help you get used to more brutal stuff
death
morbid angel
opeth (more prog than dm)
in flames
bloodbath
carcass (only "heartwork" though)

 

[Scott Evil]

Hypocrisy got me into extreme metal along with Slayer. Don't listen to Mort Divine, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss are all good albums.

Yeah, pretty much Hypocrisy and Slayer for me.

 

[metal_wrath]

I actually disagree with most of the recommendations so far.

In my view the best route into extreme metal is to trace it's evolution from further back, and this means exploring THRASH, and exploring it properly.

This may just be how it was for me, but I doubt it - listening to all these "entry" bands like In Flames and Soilwork is quite a wasted effort really, because eventually, even if you enjoy some of these recommendations, you will probably want to move onto other things, and you will have no idea where it all came from.

Certainly in my case, I spent quite a lot of time wandering from band to band (not uncommonly recommended here in fact), enjoying what I was listening to but also reaching the point where I wanted to check out a wider and wider range, and at that point I realised I had next to no grasp of the foundations of extreme metal.

For that reason I completely changed tack and dived into thrash metal - a huge genre which spans far beyond Metallica, Slayer and so on, and which in itself, I might add, can satisfy much of your desires for extremity and brutality on its own.

At this point it is so, SO much better when you come to explore early death metal and black metal. You have a greater appreciation of the forms involved, and you can appreciate those bands within the evolution of metal, rather than just scooping out a few names - completely out of context - based on recommendations.

This may sound long-winded, but it is so worth it, and I wish this message could be got across to more people taking their first steps into "extreme" metal.

As for recommendations, it would be a good idea to start off with some of the staples of the classic thrash sound, like Bonded By Blood by Exodus. There will be plenty to connect with easily on this album, and also signposts to more extreme releases.

After that, I think an album like Kreator's Pleasure to Kill is an excellent route into fast, dark, aggressive, influential thrash. It certainly had a big impact on me.

Possessed's Seven Churches is pretty much the textbook starting point when exploring the seeds of chaotic death metal (along with early Slayer of course), and checking out some early Sodom (and Bathory) will set you up nicely for checking out black metal acts if you chose to.

~~~

Seriously though, I really feel strongly about this point. It is a false economy to just drift into vague recommendations like "Soilwork" or whatever, because while you may find you like many of these groups, it's not really getting you very far, and if you do reach the point where you want to explore 'underground' metal more thoroughly, you will not be able to rewardingly do so without a grounding in the myriad thrash releases that paved the way for today's genres.

Not to mention that this field holds a large bulk of the releases that still constitute pretty much the unsurpassed classics of extreme metal.

I think you make a good point. Howevr I think you are failing to mention the most important metal genre which is Heavy Metal.

 

[Puzzleface]

Here's a handful of albums you should check out:

Strapping Young Lad - Alien
Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
Vio-Lence - Oppressing The Masses
Iron Maiden - Killers
Mnemic - Mechanical Spin Phenomena
Darkane - Layers Of Lies
S.O.D. - Speak English or Die

 

[Thoth-Amon]

Hey, sup. I'm new.. I made an introduction post in the introduction thing..haha. Anyways, what I really need is to discover some good metal. You see..I listen to bands like:

Mudvayne
Marilyn Manson
Slipknot
System of A Down

I need to get into heavier metal..but I've always been turned off by death metal like Cannibal Corpse and etc..I can't stand the vocals. So, I think I need to take baby-steps to get into real metal. What are good beginner bands for a nub like me?

First off you don't NEED to get into heavier metal. You may WANT to but it is not a necessity.
Secondly, death metal takes a bit of time to get into... my first reactions to it were "what is this crap?" But in time it's grown on me and some of my favortie metal bands/albums are death metal.
For noobs, I suggest:
Black Sabbath (first six)
Judas Priest (basically everything from 74-84)
Iron Maiden (80-88)
Slayer (83-91)
Metallica (83-88)
Mercyful Fate (82-84)
King Diamond (87-89)
Morbid Angel (89-93)

 

[ohiogrinder]

I don't know, I got into metal thru hardcore punk, so I don't know if I can help this guy.

grindcore seems too extreme for him.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

I don't know, I got into metal thru hardcore punk, so I don't know if I can help this guy.

grindcore seems too extreme for him.

That's why I suggested classic and old school metal first so he can work his way up to more extreme groups. Though honestly I like classic and old school stuff the most.

 

[sunofalightbulb]

yay! someone to ween into a bastard of the darkness, just like all of us.

my recomendations are varied, and offer a seasoned amount of different styles to your palette.

Opeth
maudlin of the Well
Saxon
Iron Maiden
Carcass
Communic
Death
Testament
Onslaught
Immortal
I
Slayer
and others.

one way i find things is through last.fm. also, creep through the threads here and download stuff. i've been a seasoned metalhead for the past 6-7 years, and have a large collection, but i've found things here that even i have not remotely been exposed to. soak it in, and have fun