Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayvan Cowboy
Soo... Any of you guys got some good Avant-Garde metal up your sleeves for me?
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Here's a small list of bands and an appropriate album to start off with.
Sigh -
Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
Sigh originally started out as a black metal band from Japan but over the years morphed their sound into something completely different. The only thing really metal about this album is the vocals as the guitar and drums are more geared towards straight up rock. If you like Moog synthesizers then this is a real treat because they are featured prominently throughout the entire album. Absolutely stellar from start to finish and a real one of a kind album.
Arcturus -
The Sham Mirrors (2002)
Again another band that originally started out doing black metal but slowly moved towards a more grand sound. The addition of symphonic pieces, solos, unusual tempos, and the addition of clean vocals all came over time.
The Sham Mirrors was Arcturus at the peak of their career.
Mr. Bungle -
California (1999)
Normally I would recommend
Disco Volante first but as you are new to the genre it may be a little too much.
California (1999) was a far more accessible album for new fans, but it's just as insane as their other two albums.
Diablo Swing Orchestra -
Sing-Along Songs For the Damned and Delirious (2009)
This is a band out of Sweden that blends swing music, opera, and metal into one package. Their debut album was a little more heavy on the operatic side which is why I'm recommending their sophomore release because they really toned that aspect of the band down. The female vocalist also began singing in English and they added a male singing to create an interesting contrast.
Green Carnation -
Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)
A 60-minute metal epic. Features a wide array of musicians adding their pieces to an almost flawless album. Definitely an album you need headphones for.
Peccatum -
Lost in Reverie (2004)
A side project between Emperor's Ihsahn and his wife Ihriel. It's kind of a blend of symphonic metal, Gothic metal, industrial metal, and European classical. It creates a very dreamy atmosphere (hence the album name) and is one of those albums that so swiftly gets ignored by people. Definitely an album to listen to on a cold night.
Vintersorg -
The Focusing Blur (2004)
This is the most progressive and unique album by Vintersorg, who originally started out as a kind of blend of folk metal and black metal. This is their first album that was completely sung in English (so it's a good starting point for people who enjoy lyrics) and it's the album that contains the most experimentation.
Stolen Babies -
There Be Squabbles Ahead (2004)
A little band from California that mixes metal with cabaret and some industrial. One of the few female fronted metal bands that utilizes the guttural vocals found in the more extreme subgenres of metal, their vocalist is really underrated compared to some of the more popular female metal vocalists like Angela Gossow. What's more is the vocalist for Stolen Babies also plays the accordion... in a metal band.
Solefald -
In Harmonia Universali (2003)
Definitely Solefald's most ambitious work. The album is an incredibly eclectic blend of music and at any one moment could be blisteringly heavy black metal to free-range jazz to electronic. The vocals switch between the guttural vocal style of black metal to clean narration and the album is also a concept album about something to do with the Norse pantheon, but I haven't been arsed to find out the exact meaning.
Meshuggah -
Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
I wouldn't be surprised if you don't like this album at first. Unless you're pretty well integrated with extreme metal Meshuggah can be a kick to the gut and chaos on your ears. Despite that, Meshuggah stuck with what they were good at from their inception to now and have been honing their sound ever since. Off time signatures, custom 8 string guitars and basses, their sound really is something of itself. Again I would save this album for later, let some of the other ones sink in first.