Darker and more menacing than Tool?

November 11, 2011 6:50 AM

Who's darker and more menacing than Tool? No ROHHROHHROHHROHHHHH death metal recommendations, please. Otherwise, go nuts.

Genre-wise, I know about Sigur Ros and such, and that's great... but what I'm specifically fishing for here is harder stuff. Certainly no more "mopey" than Tool, and no less menacing. I realize Tool is sort of one-of-a-kind, but they release albums too slowly :) ...so I figure even if there isn't a good response to this question, it was worth a shot.

posted by AugieAugustus to media & arts (54 answers total)

Hmm, SunnO))) might be what you're looking for. (Name is supposed to look like the Sun logo, hence the 'O)))'
posted by hellojed at 6:54 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Nick Cave's Murder Ballads is one of my very favorite albums. Is this the sort of thing you'd like?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:55 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ah, I should add this link as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdeqvhxu7iI&feature=related
posted by hellojed at 6:55 AM on November 11, 2011

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a lot like Sigur Ros except brazenly apocalyptic where Sigur Ros is uplifting.
posted by griphus at 7:03 AM on November 11, 2011 [8 favorites]

Forgot the link.
posted by griphus at 7:05 AM on November 11, 2011

Neurosis were incredibly dark and menacing on their classic "Souls at Zero" and "Enemy of The Sun" albums; their later stuff veers more into post-rock territory but still has an edge at least as dark as Tool's. Example.
posted by nowonmai at 7:18 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Also there's Japan's Mono (not to be confused for the UK trip-hop group from the mid/late-90s.)
posted by griphus at 7:26 AM on November 11, 2011

When I'm in a Tool mood, I also reach for Helmet' 'Meantime'. Some King Crimson may suit you if you're looking for the complicated side of things, also maybe Fantomas.
posted by mkb at 7:33 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Rage Against the Machine Maybe. Or The Melvins. Is Metallica too rowrow?
posted by Gilbert at 7:44 AM on November 11, 2011

Demdike Stare's Triptych will keep you in instrumental menace for a long time.

The Swans in general, but particularly Soundtracks for the Blind

My favorite doom band, UFOMammut completely avoids cookie-monster ROHHROHHROHHROHHHHH, and is closer to Tool than those.
posted by bendybendy at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2011

Swans
Foetus
posted by davebush at 8:06 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

What about something like 7 Angels, 7 Plagues?

Also some people like:

Mastodon
HEALTH
Battles
there are a couple more that I'll post when I can think of them.
posted by _superconductor at 8:09 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also I just realized that a lot of the stuff from 7 Angels, 7 Plagues is pretty rohrohroh. Ignore please.
posted by _superconductor at 8:10 AM on November 11, 2011

Gary Numan's later albums. "Pure" and "Exile" in particular.
Amon Tobin's "Out From Out Where" is full of musical bad things about to happen though it's all very orchestral.
Skinny Puppy is just amazingly vile in a very practiced way. I'd suggest "Last Rights", "The Process", or "Mythmaker".
Thought Industry, "Short Wave On A Cool Day".
Porcupine Tree.
posted by egypturnash at 8:12 AM on November 11, 2011

I don't know much about this genre but I enjoy Tool and am reminded of System of a Down and A Perfect Circle and enjoy them too.
posted by like_neon at 8:14 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Godflesh?
posted by infinitywaltz at 8:14 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Residents have some downright...misanthropic? stuff.
posted by ian1977 at 8:21 AM on November 11, 2011

Nadja.

Sleep.

Seconding Demdike Stare, although the genre is a little different.

If you want to look into noise with no vocals or beats, Kevin Drumm might have something for you.
posted by Adventurer at 8:28 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

You want the band Brand New.
posted by jbickers at 8:31 AM on November 11, 2011

Isis (dark, less dark), Russian Circles.
posted by matlock expressway at 8:32 AM on November 11, 2011

Borknagar.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:37 AM on November 11, 2011

What about Ministry or any of their label mates or side projects: 1,000 Homo DJs, etc. Foetus is a good call. KMFDM. Einsturzen Neubaten (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). Basically, go Wax Trax.
posted by spicynuts at 8:39 AM on November 11, 2011

2nding sleep. not nearly as artsy but heaavy maan
posted by ghostbikes at 8:41 AM on November 11, 2011

Godflesh is a good call! Also, Revolting Cocks. Front 242. King Diamond is downright fucking spooky.
posted by spicynuts at 8:42 AM on November 11, 2011

I don't know how anyone could leave out NIN. They've been around as long, and imho at least until Trent's last record or so, always been more interesting sonically and harmonically than most any other 'heavyish' or 'dark' projects I've heard of - as well as bringing the catchy along with the noise. : ) In a bajillion interviews, he cited the Wax Trax bands as some of his biggest influences.
posted by bitterkitten at 8:48 AM on November 11, 2011

If you're counting electronics, then COIL, COIL, and some more COIL. There's a lot.
posted by mkb at 8:58 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

I LOVE Nick Cave but I'm looking for dark AND heavy-in-a-Tool-sense and Nick is rarely that (esp. on Murder Ballads).

I also LOVE Porcupine Tree and they ARE often heavy enough, but not often dark enough.

NIN is a good call, though I find their shtick tiresome after prolonged exposure. Mastodon's kind of rohroh. (Who knew a Scooby catchphrase could be applied to such concepts?) Ministry's not a bad call, but again, often rohroh.

I will be checking out some of these others that I'm unfamiliar with and reporting back. I knew I could count on plenty of options! \m/ ^_^ \m/
posted by AugieAugustus at 9:00 AM on November 11, 2011

Seconding coil. Very good stuff if you can still find it.
posted by dgran at 9:04 AM on November 11, 2011

Ok, what you really need to listen to is Baroness.

Amazing, and while sometimes they teeter on the edge of rohroh, the music composition is ridiculous.
posted by _superconductor at 9:48 AM on November 11, 2011

Altar = Sun 0)))) + BORIS. They once almost collapsed a building with their unique brand of super heavy.

You said no RARARRAAHAHHARA metal, but try Wolves in the Throne Room, anyway. The vocals are kind of buried and there's a lot of swirly dark majesty.
posted by GilloD at 9:53 AM on November 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Bloody Panda
posted by rhizome at 9:56 AM on November 11, 2011

Maybe you'll like something out of this agglutination of sudge/ prog metal/ post hardcore, though they all hit just around the bullseye in one way or another:

Isis / Craw / Time to Burn / Isthmus / DAMAD / Kylesa / Eagle Twin / Howl / 400 Blows / Wolvserpernt / Keelhaul / Kyuss / The Ocean / Cave In / Rosetta / Pelican / Acid Bath / and seconding Neurosis, Envy, Mono, etc etc.
posted by milquetoast at 10:27 AM on November 11, 2011

as others have said, Boris.

maybe The Jesus Lizard? Then Comes Dudley, Boilermaker

Big Black is dark and menacing. Kerosene, Racer X, Jordan, Minnesota (a very disturbing song indeed)

maybe STNNNG? Grand Island, Neb
posted by namewithoutwords at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2011

Maybe Strapping Young Lad? I'm going to quote wikipedia here, because I am awful at describing music "...music is characterized by the use of complex time signatures, polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and Wall of Sound production." and "Containing elements of death metal, thrash metal, black metal, progressive metal and industrial metal"

Here's a song from their 1997 album "City"

I'm going to second Neurosis, especially their 2001 album "A Sun That Never Sets". The closing song
posted by lizjohn at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2011

Came to second The Swans, Coil (though Musick To Play In The Dark, while a-MAZING, might be too moody/atmospheric for you), and Skinny Puppy. Don't listen to much King Crimson but they were a huge Tool influence, so that might be something.

Too bad Maynard seems happier making wine than music.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2011

On preview, I want to nth neurosis
posted by lizjohn at 10:29 AM on November 11, 2011

Oh! And Einstürzende Neubauten, as was also mentioned earlier. Great stuff. Also great live shows, if you can catch one.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 10:32 AM on November 11, 2011

The Paper Chase!
posted by mmmbacon at 10:50 AM on November 11, 2011

And The Paper Chase frontman's new project, The Nighty Nite
posted by mmmbacon at 10:51 AM on November 11, 2011

Opeth's Damnation album would probably fit; it's a fantastic album - very melodic, but dark and moody - no growling/shouting/screaming/'rohroh' either, unlike earlier albums
posted by Chunder at 11:10 AM on November 11, 2011

You really, really need to listen to Swans Are Dead--it records two of their final tours, and is super-heavy in ways that their ery work was not. The early albums can be almost unlistenable for their screaminess (try Public Castration Is a Good Idea to get a sense of that era)--but for me, Swans Are Dead is the ultimate Swans experience. Try this version of Not Alone (it builds).
posted by Kafkaesque at 11:28 AM on November 11, 2011

Have you tried the String Tribute to Tool? May not be quite what you're looking for, but is an interesting take on their music and might be a worthwhile short-term placebo for the Tool fix.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:29 AM on November 11, 2011

I don't even like metal, but I do like Tool and I also love Sleepytime Gorrilla Museum. They are hard but also very virtuosic and their music is through composed in that way that makes Tool so great.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:40 AM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

A Perfect Circle
posted by amro at 1:23 PM on November 11, 2011

Electric Wizard are really heavy and the vocals are less prominent in the mix than most metal. They are stylistically similar to Sleep and OM in that stoner sludge/downtuned bass assault.

You may also enjoy Thorr-Axe, a more thrash style stoner band from Indianapolis.

I share your disdain for Cookie Monster and/or Banshee vocals. Feel free to memail me for more suggestions, these were off the top of my head.
posted by schyler523 at 1:54 PM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also, Nthing Sunn O))) and adding The Sword and Black Mountain.
posted by schyler523 at 2:06 PM on November 11, 2011

Joy Division
posted by oceanview at 2:22 PM on November 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

You may enjoy Maynard James Keenan's side project, Puscifer. I haven't yet heard the most recent album, but songs like The Humbling River, Indigo Children, or Momma Sed have part of that dark sound. Just avoid some of their earlier jokey/twangy songs, like "Cuntry Boner"-- they opened with these in a sort of Hee-Haw-ish parody when I saw them live in 2009, and a good portion of the audience literally walked out of the show (rewarding the rest of us with a perfectly sublime set of the "real music" twenty minutes later).
posted by turbomellow at 4:09 PM on November 11, 2011

Check out Pombagira.
posted by lamp at 4:18 PM on November 11, 2011

My friends look at me funny but I like Alter Bridge. Dark and melodic.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:48 PM on November 11, 2011

Nthing Godflesh and Jesu. So good.
posted by ifjuly at 9:38 AM on November 12, 2011

And maybe select This Heat like "Horizontal Hold."
posted by ifjuly at 9:39 AM on November 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, you know what I just thought of? You were saying Ministry's often a bit much, but definitely check out the album Filth Pig. It's slower, more atmospheric without sacrificing the heaviness, and more the vocals are more "bellowed" than "barked," not to mention suffused with reverb. In particular, I think you might like "Welcome to the Fall" or the cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay, Lady, Lay."
posted by infinitywaltz at 5:23 PM on November 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

par exemple.
posted by ifjuly at 6:07 AM on November 14, 2011