If you're feeling ultra-adventurous and have a great amount of brain power and attention to spare, try out Hymnen; the concept behind it is incredible, and the music therein is good when in the mood for it. Kontatke is probably a bit easier to get into. Also, dankrsta's reccs are vital, too.

Can. Way ahead of their time.

Maybe..Maybe not. I do know that Frank Zappa and Chicago's, Robert Lamm were influenced by Varese.
I myself, find John Cage's bio more interesting than Edgard Varese, Cage was a composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, ...
The era of David Bowie is modern, when compared with the era of Varses and Cage.

Rush (surprised no one has mentioned them)
Tool
Devin Townsend
Korn
Black Sabbath

No fair, you just stole my list!

Completely agree with you. I recently found out about them, and I found their album, Tago Mago, to be incredibly innovative and strangely modern-sounding.

Faust>Can

Miles Davis and Tom Waits.

They are the tip of the iceberg that I'm too lazy to uncover.

Yeah I didn't get into them till recently. Tago Magos my favourite. Brilliant, intricate rhythms and guitar slashes. You've got to be in the mood for the second side but 'Aumgm' always sounds terrifying.

Ooooh saucy! I won't knock Faust cos they're great too, but Can had Czukay/Liebezeit, for my money the greatest white rhythm section there's ever been.

Liebezeit is an awesome drum player, Future Days(my favourite Can album) has a pretty unmatched drum sound. Faust just made better music for me, Faust IV is an album like no other.