Metal and Beyond

Thought of compiling a list of my favourite bands which are not very well known outside the 'trve' Metal community.


10. Bethlehem


Genre : Black/Dark Metal

This German band almost single handedly created the genre known as Dark Metal with the aptly titled debut album 'Dark Metal' in 1994. This unique combination of black and death/doom metal spawned many similar sounding bands. Their recent albums have been quite a departure from their brand of metal and I'd recommend the earlier albums only.




9. Marduk


Genre : Brutal Black Metal


One of the more conspicuous Black metal bands with 10 full length album releases to their name and a career spanning two decades, Marduk defines brutality in Black Metal. Blast beats that aren't inferior to bullet shots and tremolo picked riffs which sound like they have been created in the pits of Hell itself, Marduk is all about brute and raw Black metal. The album 'Panzer Division' is considered to be the benchmark of heavy fucking Black Metal, but I prefer Opus Nocturne which was released in 1994 since it had the right amount of dark atmosphere mixed with insane brutality.




8. Watchtower

Genre : Technical Thrash Metal


The inventors of the Technical metal sub genre, these guys had a huge thrash influence which gave their brand of Technical metal a very thrashy feel. They were far ahead of their peers when it came to composition and song structure and it shows in the music. The music is technical as hell and Jason McMaster's vocals aren't bad. Too bad that they released only 2 full length albums, both of which were masterpieces in their own right.




7. Green Carnation


Genre : Progressive Doom Metal



They're more Progressive than Doom, however with added elements of Gothic metal, this band sure knows how to create some awe inspiring music. Their album Light of Day, Day of Darkness has only one song which is one of the longest and most epic songs ever created. At a playtime of over an hour, this song is a musical orgasm for all Prog heads.




6. Mahavishnu Orchestra


Genre : Jazz / Fusion Jazz

I think of this legendary band and I think about the genius of John McLaughlin. This band literally fused Jazz and Rock to form Jazz fusion in the form that we see other bands performing today. McLaughlin's double neck guitar and Billy Cobham's influential jazz drumming made them the force that they were in the 70s. The first 4 albums were recorded by the original lineup and these are the albums that define the quintessential Mahavishnu Orchestra.



5. Saturnus
Genre : Melodic Doom/Death Metal

This Danish band has sorrow as their main subject matter in the lyrics. The guitar tone usually has this ultra melodic feel to it and the doomsy drumming simply adds on to musical climaxes of the highest order. Christ Goodbye from their debut album 'Paradise Belongs To You' is undoubtedly their masterpiece and the 2nd album Martyre is no slacker either. Their music is in the vein of bands like Katatonia, Anathema & My Dying Bride, however Thomas Jensen's unique vocal style really puts Saturnus in the list of my favourite bands.



4. Kauan


Genre : Folk/Doom Metal
Kauan is the brainchild of Anton Belov and has the beautiful Lyubov Mushnikova (Yes, I love that last name) on the violin as the only other member of the band. They have no peers in the music industry. Kauan's brand of Folk metal has a very subtle doom touch to it. Mushnikova is outstanding on the Violin and Belov is great on everything else. Lumikuuro is their debut album and also the album which I like the most. The track Villiruusu is my favourite Kauan song and begins with a haunting Violin piece which only gets better as the song progresses. The 2nd album didn't impress me as much as Lumikuuro did, however the band is too good to not feature in my top 5.



3. Blackstratblues

Genre : Blues/Instrumental Rock

I've been a Zero fan since 2005 when I first saw them live at the Pune leg of Campus Rock Idols and what struck me most about the band was the calm and understated virtuosity of the maestro, Warren Mendonsa. He went on to form his solo project Blackstratblues based in New Zealand and I'm so fucking glad he did. His brand of Blues can soften the toughest Metalhead and be loved by the casual Bollywood listener too. He likes to call his style as 'Good honest music' and I don't disagree one bit. My favourite Blackstratblues' song is a tie between Anuva's Sky and Bombay Rain.



2. Agalloch


Genre : Atmospheric Folk/Doom/Dark Metal


I might get a lot of flak for including this band in a 'not-so-well-known' list, but hey, this is my list and I'll do whatever the fuck I want to. Agalloch are popular now but weren't when I first started listening to them in  2007. And scores of people have tried to classify this band, but all have failed. They aren't doom, they aren't black, they're more of a concoction of all the best parts of Metal. Try to find similar sounding bands at your own peril, because you will find none. From the eerie, chill-inducing melodies of She Painted Fire Across the Skyline to the sheer mesmerising harmony of Our Fortress is Burning, Agalloch is the benchmark of sounding cold and haunting without being classified as Black Metal.



1. ColdWorld


Genre : Atmospheric Black Metal


Only 1 full length album by a band that has only one member and it makes to the top of my list? Fuck yeah, it does! Ever since I first listened to the kold as fvck album Melancholie², I knew that this was the band for me. It sets the benchmark for Atmospheric/Ambient black metal with themes of Winter, Depression, Grief, etc. Some people classify it as a Depressive Suicidal Black metal band because of the themes of songs like Suicide, This Empty Life, Tortured by Solitude and others, but if you're a trained listener of DSBM, you would know the difference between a band like Nocturnal Depression and ColdWorld. G.B. is the guy who's the everything of ColdWorld and I worship this guy for the music he creates. He hasn't put a wrong step so far with the two records (TheStarsAreDeadNow is the EP released before Melancholie²) and I hope he releases at least two more frostbitten albums before calling it a day.