The Heaviest Heavy Metal?
November 24, 2014 3:34 PM Subscribe
What are the loudest, shrillest, most brutal metal albums of all time? I want cacophonous, demonic noise. The hardest of the hard stuff. It doesn't have to come from any particular metal subgenre, and it doesn't even have to be stuff you've liked. As long as it is being as extreme as possible.
Request for clarification: do you mean 'demonic' literally?
posted by box at 3:44 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 3:44 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
May I suggest Mayhem - The dawn of the black hearts? Warning: The cover art is a gruesome image of the singer taken moments after he committed suicide.
posted by tecg at 3:48 PM on November 24, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by tecg at 3:48 PM on November 24, 2014 [3 favorites]
"Nattens Madrigal" by Ulver. Particularly hilarious when compared to some of their later stuff, which is classical/ambient/etc.
posted by jbickers at 3:56 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by jbickers at 3:56 PM on November 24, 2014
Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion
Slayer's Seasons In The Abyss
Voivod's Nothingface
Black Sabbath's Master of Reality
Slipknot's Iowa
posted by KingEdRa at 4:54 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Slayer's Seasons In The Abyss
Voivod's Nothingface
Black Sabbath's Master of Reality
Slipknot's Iowa
posted by KingEdRa at 4:54 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
I hesitate to even mention this band, but anything by Anal Cunt.
posted by dortmunder at 4:56 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by dortmunder at 4:56 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
For hardest of hard, there is only ever one choice. Cacophonous, shrill, brutal, and absolutely life-alteringly good: Gorguts.
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 5:12 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 5:12 PM on November 24, 2014
I don't know how this holds up to what others will suggest, but I think Animosity's Animal is pretty extreme. I might be a metal wimp, though.
posted by klausman at 5:36 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by klausman at 5:36 PM on November 24, 2014
Slayer's Reign in Blood is considered (by some) to be the heaviest album of all time.
posted by alex1965 at 5:38 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by alex1965 at 5:38 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cannibal Corpse, hello...
Seconding Slayer, Voivod, and Masters of Reality. I'm partial to South of Heaven but Seasons is good too.
Deicide
posted by natteringnabob at 5:40 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Seconding Slayer, Voivod, and Masters of Reality. I'm partial to South of Heaven but Seasons is good too.
Deicide
posted by natteringnabob at 5:40 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Much of Norwegian black metal is so extreme as to be virtually unlistenable. Check out In the Nightside Eclipse, by Emperor.
Also, in the TV series Homeland, a prisoner was being psychologically tortured by making him listen to the song "Orphan" by the grindcore band, Gridlink.
posted by alex1965 at 5:48 PM on November 24, 2014
Also, in the TV series Homeland, a prisoner was being psychologically tortured by making him listen to the song "Orphan" by the grindcore band, Gridlink.
posted by alex1965 at 5:48 PM on November 24, 2014
Slayer? Voivod? BLACK SABBATH? Please. They might as well be Taylor Swift. You want Gorguts, Pig Destroyer, maybe some Deathspell Omega. Older Norwegian black metal too, and try Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge (Jane Doe is just pure compound-fracture raw-nerve brutality in a way that most trve metal only plays at). If you want to feel more depressed than you ever have before, lock yourself indoors on a stormy day with lights off playing Despond by Loss.
posted by The Michael The at 6:17 PM on November 24, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by The Michael The at 6:17 PM on November 24, 2014 [6 favorites]
Noise musician Merzbow's album inspired by death metal, Venereology, probably fits the bill.
posted by coleboptera at 6:34 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by coleboptera at 6:34 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hatebeak is the world’s preeminent black metal band fronted by a parrot
posted by Sophont at 6:55 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Sophont at 6:55 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Try some delicious Encenathrakh. Composed of Mick Barr, Colin Marston (of Gorguts and others), Weasel Walter, and Paulo Henri.
posted by jbullion at 8:00 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by jbullion at 8:00 PM on November 24, 2014
Bert and Ernie. (Actually 'Last Days of Humanity').
EXTREME RICE GUY. (Actually Buckethead).
posted by Drexen at 8:56 PM on November 24, 2014
EXTREME RICE GUY. (Actually Buckethead).
posted by Drexen at 8:56 PM on November 24, 2014
Awful name, but the music is loud and obnoxious: Anal Cunt
I want cacophonous, demonic noise.
Even though it's not metal you might want to try Test Dept's album Beating the Retreat too.
Oh! and hey I'm not the only one ...
posted by squeak at 9:01 PM on November 24, 2014
I want cacophonous, demonic noise.
Even though it's not metal you might want to try Test Dept's album Beating the Retreat too.
Oh! and hey I'm not the only one ...
posted by squeak at 9:01 PM on November 24, 2014
Kevin Drumm's Sheer Hellish Miasma destroys most of this list. For something more "musical" (in addition to Whitehouse, mentioned above--WRIGGLE LIKE A FUCKING EEL!), there's always Death Grips...
(on edit: sorry, don't see titles so I didn't realize you'd specified metal. None of these are "metal," thank goodness)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:18 PM on November 24, 2014
(on edit: sorry, don't see titles so I didn't realize you'd specified metal. None of these are "metal," thank goodness)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:18 PM on November 24, 2014
are you looking for metal specifically or would you be into punk/ hardcore? Maybe stuff like Fugazi or Minor Threat would fit the bill...
posted by mdn at 11:19 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by mdn at 11:19 PM on November 24, 2014
Would something like Aggressive Dog Attack do the trick? Brutal Noise from the squats of the Philiipines
Or maybe something like Stalaggh Metal/extremenoise made with the patients of a mental health hospital?
posted by fido~depravo at 2:27 AM on November 25, 2014
Or maybe something like Stalaggh Metal/extremenoise made with the patients of a mental health hospital?
posted by fido~depravo at 2:27 AM on November 25, 2014
I'm going to go old school here, but anything live by Motorhead would probably work, you just have to play it loud enough. No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is a great album.
posted by carter at 5:56 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by carter at 5:56 AM on November 25, 2014
Another perennial favourite of mine is Extreme Noise Terror/Only In It For The Music.
Also, not sure how experimental you would want to get with this, but SPK/Slogun has a pretty good beat to it.
posted by carter at 6:11 AM on November 25, 2014
Also, not sure how experimental you would want to get with this, but SPK/Slogun has a pretty good beat to it.
posted by carter at 6:11 AM on November 25, 2014
Oh, also Discordance Axis, Knut, and Behemoth.
posted by The Michael The at 7:11 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by The Michael The at 7:11 AM on November 25, 2014
I've always been partial to Death's Leprosy album.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 7:13 AM on November 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 7:13 AM on November 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Auckland, New Zealand’s Ulcerate are pretty brutal. Best drums in the business, I reckon. Try "Vermis", the title track from their fourth album, on for size and see if you like it.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 7:23 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by soundofsuburbia at 7:23 AM on November 25, 2014
Seconding black metal. I don't know the bands, but I do know the few times a friend had me try to listen to it my ear drums were cringing away.
posted by Hactar at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by Hactar at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2014
Marnie Stern if you like shredding on the guitar and lots of wailing...Transformer is the only song I have but every time it comes up in shuffle I'm like this is awesome!
posted by sexyrobot at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by sexyrobot at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2014
Brujeria. Warning: graphic Narco lifestyle stuff within.
posted by kuanes at 9:53 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by kuanes at 9:53 AM on November 25, 2014
Player - Angel of Theft is Amon Tobin (and Ghostbeard) remixing Slayer, making the source material even more intense.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:17 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by filthy light thief at 10:17 AM on November 25, 2014
Nthing Dillinger Escape Plan. Their last few albums have some interestingly non-metal moments, but the true metal is just unrelenting, exhausting stuff. Bonus points to them for using real drum sounds and not sample-replaced blast beats (not that there's anything wrong with that). Really, "Calculating Infinity" is the most unrelenting, I think. And I really like their newest, "One of Us Is the Killer."
Also, "Terrifyer" by Pig Destroyer, yes.
While not nearly as cacophonous, highly recommend anything by Neurosis (especially the albums "Through Silver in Blood" and "Times of Grace"). They are the original drone metal, and IMHO, still the best at it. Very heavy.
Last one: give "Within Dividia" by The End a listen.
posted by doogan nash at 10:45 AM on November 25, 2014
Also, "Terrifyer" by Pig Destroyer, yes.
While not nearly as cacophonous, highly recommend anything by Neurosis (especially the albums "Through Silver in Blood" and "Times of Grace"). They are the original drone metal, and IMHO, still the best at it. Very heavy.
Last one: give "Within Dividia" by The End a listen.
posted by doogan nash at 10:45 AM on November 25, 2014
A little bit late to this, but there are some good answers here, although I think a little bit of refinement of the question would help. Are you looking for "heavy" as in "stuff that feels like it's punching you in the gut when you listen to it"? Or do you just mean something so actively listener-hostile that it almost hurts your ears to listen to? Do you want discordant, or just brutal?
There are a couple different areas you could go with this. Several people have mentioned old Norwegian black metal, and that's a good start for the "simply unpleasant to listen to" flavor, but it's probably not going to fill the need if you want "brutal". For a good entry point into old school black metal, maybe try Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon album, perhaps starting with Unholy Black Metal. Sargeist and Tsjuder also make good candidates here. Note that in addition to fervently anti-Christian sentiment there is a strong strain of national socialism in a good bit of (especially early) black metal that may be troublesome for some. There's plenty without that, though.
Some of the more modern black metal bands branch out a little in sound, but are also harsh. There's the very well regarded Deathspell Omega, for example, or for even more extreme, Anaal Nathrakh, although they push genre boundaries a bit.
If you're more in the mood for something that's just downright brutal, rather than being as audibly unpleasant as possible, you might want to look more at djent bands as epitomized by Meshuggah. There's also the appropriately named "brutal death metal" field populated by the likes of Devourment or, for an older strain, Suffocated. Suffocated begins more of a genre drift again, though.
In general, you'll find that once you get into death metal the subgenre lines get really blurry. One vector for "heavy" is technical death metal -- very fast, technical guitar work and an overall sound that can really cross your eyes when you listen to it. An early sample of this style can be found in Cryptopsy although, again, they can sometimes also fall into the "brutal" category. More purely technical (and, perhaps, purely unpleasant) would be bands like Braindrill, whom even as a fan of extreme metal I find almost overlwhemlingly claustrophobic to listen to, or Decrepit Birth.
One of my recent favorite ultra-heavy bands for destroying my hearing after a bad day of work has been Dragged Into Sunlight, whom I don't even know how to classify, but I like it a lot.
Anyway, extreme metal is a vast field, with a lot of different sub-genres and general genre smudge. This is but a quick sample of some of my favorites, sure to be incomplete, and plenty of people are going to disagree with my breakdown of who fits into what category, or who the examplars of any given sound are. Maybe this will give you a bit more to sample, though. You might also be satisfied with the more "well known" of death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse. However, no one who's in to extreme metal is going to classify Slayer, however much they rock, as the outer limits of heavy any more. Sorry. :)
posted by jammer at 11:41 AM on November 25, 2014 [5 favorites]
There are a couple different areas you could go with this. Several people have mentioned old Norwegian black metal, and that's a good start for the "simply unpleasant to listen to" flavor, but it's probably not going to fill the need if you want "brutal". For a good entry point into old school black metal, maybe try Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon album, perhaps starting with Unholy Black Metal. Sargeist and Tsjuder also make good candidates here. Note that in addition to fervently anti-Christian sentiment there is a strong strain of national socialism in a good bit of (especially early) black metal that may be troublesome for some. There's plenty without that, though.
Some of the more modern black metal bands branch out a little in sound, but are also harsh. There's the very well regarded Deathspell Omega, for example, or for even more extreme, Anaal Nathrakh, although they push genre boundaries a bit.
If you're more in the mood for something that's just downright brutal, rather than being as audibly unpleasant as possible, you might want to look more at djent bands as epitomized by Meshuggah. There's also the appropriately named "brutal death metal" field populated by the likes of Devourment or, for an older strain, Suffocated. Suffocated begins more of a genre drift again, though.
In general, you'll find that once you get into death metal the subgenre lines get really blurry. One vector for "heavy" is technical death metal -- very fast, technical guitar work and an overall sound that can really cross your eyes when you listen to it. An early sample of this style can be found in Cryptopsy although, again, they can sometimes also fall into the "brutal" category. More purely technical (and, perhaps, purely unpleasant) would be bands like Braindrill, whom even as a fan of extreme metal I find almost overlwhemlingly claustrophobic to listen to, or Decrepit Birth.
One of my recent favorite ultra-heavy bands for destroying my hearing after a bad day of work has been Dragged Into Sunlight, whom I don't even know how to classify, but I like it a lot.
Anyway, extreme metal is a vast field, with a lot of different sub-genres and general genre smudge. This is but a quick sample of some of my favorites, sure to be incomplete, and plenty of people are going to disagree with my breakdown of who fits into what category, or who the examplars of any given sound are. Maybe this will give you a bit more to sample, though. You might also be satisfied with the more "well known" of death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse. However, no one who's in to extreme metal is going to classify Slayer, however much they rock, as the outer limits of heavy any more. Sorry. :)
posted by jammer at 11:41 AM on November 25, 2014 [5 favorites]
Oh, let me add one more personal recommendation which isn't maybe as superficially extreme as the others, but which I really like for a general atmosphere of dark, sodden, miserable heaviness:
Every single thing Evoken has ever done. For me it's perfect "hating the world on a dark rainy night" music.
(Hi, Ephelump Jockey! Thanks for the kind words!)
posted by jammer at 2:54 PM on November 25, 2014
Every single thing Evoken has ever done. For me it's perfect "hating the world on a dark rainy night" music.
(Hi, Ephelump Jockey! Thanks for the kind words!)
posted by jammer at 2:54 PM on November 25, 2014
You might like to try:
Strapping Young Lad
Brutal Truth
Portal
Dodecahedron
Author & Punisher
Mayhem
posted by Boxenmacher at 8:08 PM on November 25, 2014
Strapping Young Lad
Brutal Truth
Portal
Dodecahedron
Author & Punisher
Mayhem
posted by Boxenmacher at 8:08 PM on November 25, 2014
Absolutely seconding Portal: that kind of cosmic horror transcendental death metal is some of the heaviest going. Members are also in a band called Impetuous Ritual who are similarly twisted.
In general, grindcore is what I always recommend for 'loud, shrill and brutal' - GridLink have already been mentioned (their latest, and final, album is one of the finest metal records released this year) but you should check out Brutal Blues and the new Full Of Hell/Merzbow collab.
The most frightening band I've heard all year, however, is Hexis.
posted by macdara at 5:19 AM on November 27, 2014
In general, grindcore is what I always recommend for 'loud, shrill and brutal' - GridLink have already been mentioned (their latest, and final, album is one of the finest metal records released this year) but you should check out Brutal Blues and the new Full Of Hell/Merzbow collab.
The most frightening band I've heard all year, however, is Hexis.
posted by macdara at 5:19 AM on November 27, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by xil at 3:40 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]