BlutAusNerd

I'm not sure how often the label was slung around in the early 70's, but "heavy metal" is a term that goes back to the 60's. 1970 is probably the best point to look at for the year of its birth, but a lot of the progenitors died off in the early 70's. Priest came along aping up the Deep Purple template for heavy metal and adding a new dimension of class and technicality to heavy metal, whereas Motörhead pushed it into a more rough and dirty direction. They, like Priest, pre-dated the NWOBHM movement by a couple of years, as most bands were in the demo/first album recording phase by 1979, whereas Motörhead was dropping their 3rd (and 4th) albums. As the acronym stands for New Wave of British Heavy Metal, it seems that be indicative of just the new bands at the time.

That said, Motörhead's influence can't be overstated. They approached heavy metal from a rock and roll angle and with a punkish attitude, so they were one of the few unifying bands that fans from all across the spectrum could agree on. I also have immense respect for their career, in that they never sold out or compromised to try to be anything other than what they were, and continued to release solid albums until their end. They're one of the legends, that's for sure.

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Weirdly enough, I'm sort of in the mood for folk metal right now, which hasn't struck me for some time. Seeing as I've only ever posted one batch of videos here, I may as well do another:
 
Finntroll - Jaktens ho:
Finntroll is probably a super obvious choice, but I don't care, they're still one of my favorites in the folk metal genre. Their early work is their best work, especially this album, where the synthesis of aggression and goofy, fun as hell folk metal come together. Is it goofy? Fuck yes, but take off the corpse paint, remove the inverted cross from your sphincter, and try having some fun for once.
 
Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun:
Hades was one of the earliest viking metal bands, along with Bathory, Enslaved, Helheim, etc..., and are one of my absolute favorites. The sound here is quite simple and repetitious, similar to Bathory's Hammerheart, but the atmosphere here is just massive. This was recorded at Grieghallen in the early 90's in Norway, so it bears some sonic similarities to Norwegian black metal, but one listen to the folky melodies, riff structures, epic songs, and old-world pagan mood will tell you that this is viking all the way. They were more raw than most who followed, but in the best way possible.
 
Helheim - Av Norrøn Ætt:
Helheim is another one of those often forgotten early viking metal bands, along with countrymen Hades. The sound on their early works is akin to a more bombastic early Enslaved, with a bit more of a folk drive in their melodies and compositions. They were also more experimental early on, with some less straightforward passages found here than on an album like Frost. The drumming here is a bit sloppy, but I feel that the songs don't suffer from it. Definitely a great addition to the collection of any viking metal fan.
 
Hellveto - Zmiersch:
Hellveto is a one man symphonic viking/black metal band from Poland. Playing in this style and hailing from Poland may bring acts like Graveland to mind, but while I can definitely hear the influence, there is a lot more going on here than on the average Graveland song. Other than the keyboards, the pieces themselves tend to be fairly basic, but the strength of Hellveto is in weaving many layers together into a rich and beautiful tapestry, with some magnificent keyboard work being one of the highlights of the sound. Now, I love keyboards when done correctly, but seldom will you hear me describe them as one of the best parts of the band, but that's definitely the case here. In conclusion, this is more symphonic and layered than your typical viking metal album, but it still retains all of the epic feeling and rousing atmosphere of a more basic release despite its more elegant approach.
 
Isengard - Hostmorke:
Isengard was a fairly short lived project from Fenriz of Darkthrone. Isengard wasn't massively different from Darkthrone musically, but the biggest difference has got to be Fenriz' clean baritone vocals. Also, while you can still hear plenty of Celtic Frost and other influences in the riffs, they're constructed with a more folky outlook and fit the vocals well. One of the more black metal entries on this list, but the feeling evoked here is much more folk oriented than standard black metal, so I felt it belonged here.
 
Kampfar - Heimgang:
Kampfar is another of Norway's early entries into viking/pagan metal, and are one of the few from that time that still exist in a largely unchanged way (Helheim, Enslaved, and Hades all became much more futuristic and modern sounding). I use the term "pagan metal" to differentiate this from viking metal, as this doesn't feel as grandiose and epic as viking metal, but also uses just as much, if not more, folk influence in their melodies. Pagan metal aesthetically shares the most with black metal among these genres in structure and technique, but as you can tell, this has much more in common with Moonsorrow than Darkthrone. Anyway, Kampfar is a simplistic, but rewarding band that should win over both black metal and folk metal fins with their catchy riffs and melodies, regardless of what you want to call them.
 
Kivimetsän Druidi - Shadowheart:
Kivimetsän Druidi is a Finnish (unsurprisingly) folk metal band with a bit of a different take on the formula. Most folk metal either focuses more on the black/death side of the side, while others opt for a more melodic and symphonic/happy take, while these guys mash both together. The result is kind of chaotic, but has a great way of combining the fun aspects of folk metal with a larger metal base to sink your teeth into. Lots of blastbeats and speedy passages contrast the keyboard and clean female vocal driven sections, and it really makes for a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
 
Mithotyn - In the Sign of the Ravens:
Mithotyn were yet another great early Swedish viking/folk metal band, and one that is too often relegated to a historical footnote due to the success of Falconer, the band that they would form after Mithotyn's demise. Falconer isn't bad, sort of a power/folk metal hybrid, but I vastly prefer Mithotyn's more raging formula. You can hear some power metal in the sound as early as their debut here, which set the apart from the pack and gave them a more accessible identity to their peers, without sacrificing the more extreme vocals and drumming. As usual, if you like the style you should find plenty to enjoy here, but this would also be a good gateway band for those into the less harsh sounding side of folk/viking metal to cut their teeth on.
 
Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja:
Moonsorrow is one of the most well known and respected names in viking metal for a good reason, they're one of the most consistent and awesome bands in the genre. While the genre is known for building an epic atmosphere of grandeur, Moonsorrow takes it t another level, with a sound that's as engrossing as it is massive. Heavy riffs, excellent keyboards, and simply stunning songwriting across their entire career. Even when writing sprawling epics, some of which are over 30 minutes long, there is so much to hear and indulge in that my attention never wanders. Simply one of the masters of their craft, every viking metal fan should have own their whole discography IMO.
 
Suidakra - Crogacht:
Suidakra are a bit unusual for a folk metal band, as using a melodic death metal base to integrate folk influences upon doesn't happen very often. However, they do so quite impressively, with excellent musical chops, seamless integration of folk melodies into their guitar and bass lines, awesome acoustic breaks, and a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. The folk metal used here is of a more Celtic variety than the typical Scandinavian sound that you would hear, adding another element of originality to their already varied and unique sound. I could definitely see this being a good fit for both fans of folk metal and melodeath.

Agalloch - The Mantle:
Agalloch are a dark/folk metal band from the USA, specializing in making very moody and serene sounding music. Their sound is akin to a mixture of Ulver's Bergtatt with bands like Opeth, Katatonia (Brave Murder Day), and Anathema (The Silent Enigma), though they definitely expand upon these influences. There are lots of acoustic guitars, clean vocal passages, and beautiful sections to contrast the harsh dark metal vocals and riffs. A very captivating band, and this is my favorite album of theirs. This is much more somber and serious sounding music than that created by most jovial and upbeat sounding folk metal bands, and I quite enjoy it.
 
Asmegin - Hin Vordende Sod & So
Asmegin are a Norwegian folk metal band that combine black/death metal with more traditional folk metal, to a pretty unique effect. Most folk metal bands have a power or black metal back drop, but hearing the lower vocals and heavier riffing of Asmegin painting across their folk canvas isn't very common, but they execute it well. Especially of note here are Lars Nedlund's clean vocals, which are wonderful as always, but that's not to say that the harsh vocals are bad. Good stuff here, though I can't comment on their second album.
 
Bathory - Twilight of the Gods
Bathory are most well known as a black metal band, however, they were also the first viking metal band starting with Hammerheart, and were one of the earliest metal bands to incorporate folky influences into their music. Their sound here is slowed down a great deal from their black metal period, focusing on an epic heavy metal base, but made even more grandiose. There are lots of acoustic guitars and folky melodies here, in addition to the pagan/viking imagery. Bathory were one of the best metal bands ever, and being innovators and masters of two very different styles (black and viking/folk metal) would count as one of my reasons why they're so highly revered.
 
Borknagar - Empiricism:
Borknagar are one of the best known folk metal bands from Norway, and are also one of my favorites. Their early sound was much more black metal aligned, when Garm of Ulver was their vocalist, but he was replaced by Vortex (Dimmu Borgir), and then Vintersorg. This is from their first album with Vintersorg, who was also instrumental in making their music much more progressive, and increasing the presence of clean vocals. Vintersorg's clean and harsh vocals are both great, and provide an additional layer of awesome over the complex, progressive folk metal on display here. This is top notch stuff, and though I don't have all of their albums, I can say that I love all that I've heard from Borknagar.
 
Crimfall - As the Path Unfolds:
Crimfall are a Finnish symphonic folk metal band, which emphasize heavy usage of keyboards and female vocals, but there are still harsh male vocals to offset this. They're not the heaviest folk metal band out there, but their compositions are engaging and their music is definitely well performed. This would definitely be good for power and symphonic metal fans who don't mind harsh vocals and folk music mixed with the aforementioned styles, or people into more keyboard heavy folk metal bands like Turisas.
 
Cruachan - Tualha na Gael:
Cruachan are one of the more well known folk metal bands out there today, but their sound has certainly changed since this, their debut album. The production here is not very good, but buried beneath a crappy mix is a actually a very good black/celtic/folk metal hybrid, and the black metal element would be phased out of this band's sound almost entirely after this album. I haven't heard more than a few songs from the band's newer sound, but from what I remember, I definitely liked this style better. This is well written black/folk metal, with a pretty solid integration, as opposed to black metal bands that use random folk passages between songs.
 
Einherjer - Blot:
Einherjer are one of many Norwegian viking/folk metal bands, but are a bit different than many of their peers, as they don't have anywhere near as much black metal in their sound as many others. The vocals could certainly fit the bill, but the musical backdrop is more akin to heavy/thrash metal, with a few progressive and technical touches, and would end up starting a thrash metal band after Einherjer disbanded. This is good stuff though, very catchy and memorable folk/viking metal, and with enough originality and variety to stand out from the pack.
 
Ensiferum - Ensiferum:
Ensiferum are a very well known folk metal band, and while I do feel that they're overrated, I still like some of their music. Their debut, in particular, as a pretty catchy and fun folk metal album, with the base of their sound lying in the realm of harsher power metal ala Children of Bodom and melodeath. Their melodies here are pretty well written though, and actually remind me of melodies that Amorphis frequently uses (not surprising as they covered an Amorphis song later on), which can't really be a bad thing. Not my favorite band, but they have their moments, and their debut probably contains more of them than any of their other albums.
 
Enslaved - Frost:
Enslaved are often grouped into the black metal category, and while that's not entirely incorrect since they do have a great deal of black metal in their sound, they were actually one of the first viking metal bands. Bathory would be the first to claim that epic, triumphant viking sound, but Enslaved coined the term on this, their second album Frost. While the vocals, production, and some of the instrumentation may remind you of black metal, the gallop of these riffs, the native Norwegian melodies, and strong pagan imagery paint a much more viking picture. It's also worth noting that Enslaved are probably my favorite metal band all things considered, with stunning songwriting, a totally original and constantly evolving sound (becoming much more progressive starting with their fifth album), and a startlingly consistent track record. These guys come with the highest recommendation, all of their albums are great IMO, and you can see many of them on my top 10 lists throughout the years.
 
Falkenbach - ...Magnr Blandinn Ok Megantiri:
Falkenbach are one of Germany's oldest folk/viking metal bands, and also one of the most respected in the entire genre. They don't do anything wildly different from many of their peers, but they do still have their own identifiable sound, and are experts at crafting engrossing and epic songs that conjure images of viking ships and massive battles. Not really much else to say about this band, except that I would definitely call them essential for any folk/viking metal fan.

Re: Funeral Doom Some of the newer, more melodic acts like Shape of Despair and Ahab are great, but I like the otherworldly feel of Skepticism, Thergothon, Worship, Esoteric, Evoken, Hierophant/Catacombs, a bit better. Funeral doom is awesome, with an atmosphere unlike any other form of music.

Fabulous Disaster. That bizarre riffing and drumming cadence combined with those venomous Zetro vocal lines trumps the more straightforward assault of Bonded By Blood for me.

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Re: Candlemass Epicus is their best, but Nightfall is so close it's unreal. It takes a special band to release a masterpiece of that caliber, let alone 2 with 2 different vocalists. Brilliant band, one of the best metal acts out there, doom or otherwise.

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Or whatever the chemical was that they put in the water to turn the freaking frogs gay.

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Re: Gorgoroth Firstly, Ghaal didn't start the band, and was their 3rd or 4th vocalist. This was established when he tried to kick the founding member Infernus out of his own band, which was ludicrous, and the courts obviously ruled in Infernus' favor. As far as their music goes, Pentagram is phenomenal, Under the Sign of Hell is excellent, and the rest of their stuff is good. They've never made anything bad, but they've also never lived up to the lofty heights set by their debut. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

There's a lot of truth to this, but music is very personal, and the attachment that we feel to it and the artists that create it can feel a bit like a friendship. I see both sides of it, but I think Lemmy would appreciate some decorum and just having some sex, drugs, and rock n roll in his honor rather than mourning.

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I don't think any of them are OOP, but they're not stocked seemingly anywhere. We never had trouble getting copies of The Eternal Idol, Born Again, or Forbidden when I worked at the record store, but they would just sit on the shelf as people passed by them for other things. I still have a few gaps to fill in myself, but it's usually because they're out of sight, out of mind. It is a shame, I would never put them over their prime era, but most of those albums are pretty good.

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My Arms, Your Hearse is my favorite Opeth album, so I'll second its endorsement. It has some vague progressive tendencies, but is a lot more loose and aggressive sounding than their later efforts. It's just excellent all the way around, When is just about as good as it gets.

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MDF 2014, no question. I shared a bunch about it on another thread here somewhere.
 
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Re: Satan I love Court in the Act, one of my favorite NWOBHM albums. If you dig the album, check out Blitzkrieg, the band the vocalist Brian Ross went back to after the album. Most of them also did an awesome album as Blind Fury before returning to the name Satan for their second album. I've heard good things about their Pariah project, but that shit is really hard to find, even more difficult than Satan's albums. A couple of them also started Skyclad, the first folk metal band, and I absolutely love their early albums. Good bunch of musicians, check out everything they've done. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

Re: Deep Purple!!!

Hmm... Metal Church wasn't really thrash anymore by the time Mike Howe joined, and while I would have picked different albums for most of the band's you listed, none of these bands would occupy my Top 10 thrash list at all. Off the top of my head, mine would probably look like this:
Coroner - Punishment for Decadence
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends
Realm - Endless War
Voivod - Killing Technology
Razor - Violent Restitution
Vektor - Black Future
Holy Moses - Finished With the Dogs
Znöwhite - Act of God
Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death
Sabbat - Dreamweaver
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How did I miss this thread? I have a few to contribute, I'll have to do so when I get some time.

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What happened to the original Dragonforce vocalist? Did he go so far away?

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You caught me, lol.

Moonspell - Wolfheart
Type O Negative - World Coming Down
Virgin Black - Elegant... and Dying
Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell
Cradle of Filth - Cruelty and the Beast
Septic Flesh - Ophidian Wheel
Tristania - Beyond the Veil
Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium
Paradise Lost - Icon
Funeral - From These Wounds

That's just off the top of my head. I may have missed something, but this should be mostly representative of how I like gothic metal to sound.

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Re: NWOBHM for the beginner
Never understood this mentality, Lightning To the Nations is a great NWOBHM album.

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The crossover band from Connecticut, no question.

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I read about this the other day and posted it elsewhere. It's pretty meandering and hollow, and while I'm sure it could be developed and improved, I don't think it can ever compare to what a human can write when raw emotion is poured into it.

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