THE 50 GREATEST METAL BANDS EVER
AS VOTED FOR BY YOU!
50 KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
The ultimate melodic metalcore band
Not only have Killswitch been bringing us the best in melodic metalcore since 1999, they’ve blessed us with two amazing frontmen. Starting out with Jesse Leach, we got the now-classic album Alive Or Just Breathing. Switching over to Howard Jones, we got the truly stunning The End Of Heartache – not to mention a much-loved revival of Dio song Holy Diver. When Howard left in 2011, many assumed the Massachusetts heavyweights were done, but the surprise return of Jesse injected new life into the band and they continue to go from strength to strength.
Throughout the turmoil, they’ve also had guitarist and secret weapon Adam D, whose puerile humour belies sharp songwriting and production skills.
Whether you’re Team Howard or Team Jesse or simply both (the pair shared vocals on big ol’ brodown The Signal Fire from last year’s Atonement), nobody does it like these guys.
ESSENTIAL ALBUM: The End Of Heartache (2004)
49 HELLOWEEN
Pioneering German power metallers paved the way
Let’s face it: you just can’t fuck with Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part II. Hailing from Hamburg, Helloween were one of the biggest metal bands of the 80s, and their influence has trickled down to everyone from Dragonforce to Nightwish, and even Fozzy frontman/wrestler Chris Jericho (his name actually comes from Helloween’s debut album, Walls Of Jericho). Sadly, that classic Keeper… line-up fractured soon after the album’s release in 1988, leading to increasing tensions in the band, numerous personnel changes and hit-and-miss experimentation with their sound. But in 2017, much to the fans’ surprise and delight, original guitarist Kai Hansen and vocalist Michael Kiske joined the current incarnation of the band for the Pumpkins United World Tour. It lasted for 14 months. A new album is currently in the works, due for release sometime later this year, and we’re expecting great things from the band who set the gold standard for power metal.
ESSENTIAL ALBUM: Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part II (1988)
48 NINE INCH NAILS
The captains of industrial
When Trent Reznor started his furious one-man industrial project in the 1980s, few could have predicted his transformation to acclaimed soundtrack composer. Throughout the 90s, his angst-fuelled anthems and unsettling ambient outings plumbed the darkest depths of human nature, reflecting his unique artistic impulses and an addiction to drugs. The 00s have seen a calmer Trent – clean, married with children, fit and healthy – and a corresponding work ethic when it comes to his music, which nevertheless continues to explore breakdown and unease. In 2016 he brought Atticus Ross on board as the only other full-time member, and the pair’s award-winning atmospheric soundtrack work on the likes of The Social Network and Gone Girl has bled into NIN’s music. The surprise release of Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts in March showcases that gut-wrenching happy/unsettling dynamic that NIN straddle so well.
ESSENTIAL ALBUM: The Downward Spiral (1994)
47 TRIVIUM
Florida’s finest just won’t quit
Few bands have persisted as strongly as Trivium, and fewer still have come back after twice losing momentum. Shogun (2008) compensated for The Crusade (2006), while 2017’s The Sin And The Sentence course-corrected them after Vengeance Falls (2013) and Silence In The Snow (2015). The Sin… showed what they can really do when they get in a room and write uninhibitedly, without overthinking it, and this year’s What The Dead Men Say looks set to continue their winning streak. Meanwhile, Matt Heafy has become one of metal’s brightest and most-likeable personalities, now at ease with the role of frontman instead of tripping over his ambitions. His second job as a Twitch streamer has seen him putting out fun, zeitgeisty covers and introducing Trivium to a cohort of gamers. They are a true 21st century metal band and, only in their mid-30s, have many great years ahead.
ESSENTIAL ALBUM: The Sin And The Sentence (2017)
46 FAITH NO MORE
The oddballs who helped define the 90s
When Faith No More released Sol Invictus in 2015, the metal world rejoiced to have such a distinctive talent back in its ranks. Our love affair had started in the early 80s, but really ramped up when Mike Patton joined in ’88 and the band became an unstoppable force, hitting paydirt with the song Epic and quickly conquering MTV and the charts. Their particular brand of funk metal seemed like something that could only happen in the 90s – a fusion of slap bass, attitude and mega-riffs that often veered into uncharted territories. When they disbanded just 10 years later, it felt like they’d gone before their time. It was a brilliant surprise, then, when they embarked on a reunion tour in 2009. There’s no sign of a followup to Sol Invictus, but we’re happy to see them back on the road.
ESSENTIAL ALBUM: The Real Thing (1989)
FROM THE ARCHIVE
45 IN FLAMES
Swedish melodic death metal innovators
When In Flames released Reroute To Remain in 2002, a bunch of keyboard warriors waged war on the band for veering away from the Gothenburg sound and writing a bunch of shining hooks. They had even toured with Slipknot – the sellouts! Metal Hammer got in on the act, going to their rehearsal studio to grill them about it four years later, following 2004’s Soundtrack To Your Escape and 2006’s just-released Come Clarity. The band were self-assured and content, as they should have been – they’d had it right all along. This was the album that introduced them to a bunch of keen young metal fans, putting them on an upwards trajectory. In 2020, they continue to innovate and even have their own festival held in an actual castle. Meanwhile, the trolls are probably still sitting idle in their pants.
Were you hurt by people thinking your last two records had seen you stray from ‘the path’?
Anders Fridén (vocals): “No. I get hurt by people not understanding our purpose, or when they use our voice to say, ‘This is why the band decided to use this because…’ they have no clue!” Most of the time we laugh. If you like what we do, great. If you don’t, there’s shitloads of other bands for you to listen to. I don’t care.”
But did you get disappointed when your favourite bands evolved? Do you understand why people thought those records had done that, and maybe why this record [Come Clarity] is you coming back to them?
Anders: “I do understand, in that I did get disappointed when some of my favourite bands made a record I didn’t like. The difference is though, I didn’t go on their website and talk shit about them. I didn’t care. I listened to something else. This work represents where we are today, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. I think this album strikes a perfect balance between melody and aggression. If people don’t like it, I don’t care!”
It seemed like people almost resented you for having ambition. For wanting to evolve…
Björn Gelotte (guitars): “Er… er, how do I answer that? Do I need to?”
It’s up to
