Heaviest

While "Heavy" isn't a black and white description, I'd say overall Pantera or Meshuggah packs the most punch for me. Voted the latter.

Definitely Meshuggah... the heaviest band I've ever listened to.

Opeth next, then Gojira.

I'm with MAVIIIVAM. As much as anyone might like Lamb of God, they are far from the heaviest thing on the universe. Maybe heavy for their contemporaries and modern metalcore bands, but that's not really saying much.

Hehe . . .

I think we're getting off track here .

I think many of us can list a Ton O Bands that have excellent Chops and are Crazyly Complex
and Technicaly brutal . . .
But I "think" the original idea was "How Heavy can it get" as in H E A V Y (<-say that with the
most awful low Death Metal vocals, then splatter your face with blood or sweat ) like . . .
SCARY Heavy!


So for the squeemish (like me!) Try not to look at this cover (the original
cover for the previous album was even more gross!):
This Track just starts off like a terrible Nightmare and Vile Vocal sounds!

(On "Headphones" you may want to turn all the lights out )
Now keep in mind this was released in 1989, Carcass was already being
established as one of the 1st Grindcore/Gore Metal/Crust Bands and this
album featured Drummer Ken Owen "changing his style of drumming
completely, implementing a new style of double-bass drumming absent
from the band's earlier offerings".
Also featured was "3 types of Death Metal/Cookie Grunts" that included
screaming!
I had read somewhere, ironicaly as I described the same to friends;
(Paraphrasing)"The Band described they wanted the music to ask the
Question, what would a Body's Organs sound like if it were done through
Metal Music?"
No one was writing Lyrics like them, full of unpronounceable organs and
medical procedures, they set a standard for Gory/Medical lyrics to come:
http://darklyrics.com/lyrics/carcass/symphoniesofsickness.html#1
But for their last 3 albums, did away with the "Gore" as many bands began
to create a "Genre" and Carcass became more "Death Metal" but with an
awesome battery of Technical brilliance that yet again, set a standard for
extreme Death Metal, this time with worldy topical lyrics but written in a
very unique way. This was the era of Carcass I was more into, but fans
would be split by the old Carcass and the new (Until their last album
"Swan Song").
Read Bio from Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcass_(band)
I would have put up the studio version of "Exhume to Consume" but no-one
has the Track with the original "Prelude" from the "Grindcrusher
Compilation" which is like a spiral down to your worst nightmare hell, though
its on this Live Vid on their re-union Tour in 2008:

(You may want to hear the Studio Version, but the "Original"
recording has a more "disgusting" type of vocal track ).


. . . I love the smell of Napalm in the morning!
2 Brutal Tracks from the other Grindcore Godfathers! Napalm Death!
1988 folks . . .

(I sometimes wonder if they are really reciting the lyrics ).
When I 1st heard this in 89 I was like "W T F!!!???" I really had to step back
and take it all in, as Napalm would influence many to come after.

The more albums came, the more they would progress into a tight but
HEAVY Death Metal outfit, always with prolific Lyrics about the World
and its "real" horrors (and a bit more intelligable).  But many hardcore fans
longed to hear the Napalm of old, so for the last few albums they went
back to the Grindcore, but with longer tracks.
2006 album "Smear Campaign":



Now heres another Band who went on to influence just about every
Industrial Metal/Noise Band, as well-as many Post-Metal of today.
Godflesh!  Again, I was in a WTF is this !? state of mind Just Heavy as a
Heavy Thing could be, "Lets see how heavy we can get for 1989":


These 3 were just soo BRUTAL for the day, and soo many have picked up where they left off,
but I love to go back and listen to the ones that helped make it all happen . . .

. . . Bang On!






Edited by MAVIIIVAM - 20 Aug 2010 at 2:32pm

my vote will go to the mighty Lamb of God, the most brutal yet technical metalcore/groove metal band I know of (and they can if they will pull of as technical songs as Meshuggah at any time, plus some of their songs is quite epic, like Walk with me In Hell...

Meshuggah has won, hands down. They really are a sonic assault on your senses I do not think even in 50 years they  will they make the Easy Listening section at the cd shop  I still have not heard the Live one from late last year but I have heard really good reports about it from friends I know. Of course they are Fans. Also thanks to MAVIIVAM for the Gorod sample above. Never heard them before and they sound WICKED

"!Jugu Music!"  - "Hahahahaha! What is JUGU Music Andre' ?" - "You know! "JuguJuguJuguJuguJuguJugu
JuguJuguJugu!!!"  -My friend Andre' Marins (from Brazil) that I used to work with at Tower Records in
Santa Monica Calif.

The Mad Swedes for me Byjiminy!
I've been a Fan of the Meshuggahners since "Destroy Erase Improve" came out, as a Co-worker
who was into Industrial Metal thought he'd hand it over to me, "You may like this".
1st 20 seconds of the song "Future Breed Machine", my mouth was agape and INSTANT fan.
Have followed them (and went backwards) ever since, as well- that type of Metal/Prog Metal/Math
Metal .

I agree with the accessment of "What is HEAVY", but I think the consenses here is the brutality
(If i'm not mistaken). Meshuggah sounds to me like 1000 catapolted Tiger Tanks hitting the
ground one after the other with the beautiful melody of 50cal. Vulcan Cannons shooting at them
as overlaid Guitar Riffage .
Goilira is pretty damn heavy too, but what I like is that "shuggah is also "Groovy", gives you plenty
of time to headbang yet breaks your neck with a left turn!  Its what they do within 4/4 .

I'll go with Time Sig about Pantera, but as far as "Far Beyond Driven" and maybe even "The Great
Southern Trendkill". But "Far" is like, "We've taken it to the limit, where do we go from here?".
Find the song "Slaughtered" . . . talk about a song that takes a left turn at Riff Brutality!
This album has it all, Heavy Dirge, Thrash de-tuned Riffage, Brutality, Complexity and even a
re-make of "Planet Caravan" (as Sabbath's, "smokey" and mellow).

I'm a HUGE Nevermore Fan too, though most songs wont be as heavy as these guys, but go
listen to Albums "Dead Heart in a Dead World" and "Enemy's of Reality" . . . good stuff!

In Love with Death.
Death, Schuldiner was a genious and influenced many a band, "Human" is probably
their heaviest album (imo) but "Individule Thought Patterns" and "Symbolic" are my Faves
because of their technical brilliance, Gene Hoglans drums are awesome on them.  And the
Guest Guitarists are extra special.

Sepultura was pretty heavy for the time, (one of the most)!  "Beneath the Remains" , "Arise"
were also a bit technical too, Igor Cavelera really shined on the drums, as well as on "Chaos AD".

BIG Opeth fan!!!
I think their 1st 3 albums are the heaviest, "Still Life" is the real beginning of their Prog leanings
(and thats a good thing too).  They just have all the right combinations for me.

"Soul of a New Machine".
There is the 1st album of Fear Factory that seems to be missed when anyone thinks of FF.
This was an all out Death Metal album, NO solos, just brutal riffs, short songs and Death Metal
vocals, I prefer it over "Demanufacture", but its still a great album.  After that I lost interest.

Anthrax are awesome, but not as heavy as all the above.  I love every album (and EP) up till
"Persistence of Time" (which is realy technical!) .

A few oldies that still hold up as well (But may be heavier than all on the list):
ANY Napalm Death Album . . . these guys set the standard for Heavy with Brutality.
Carcass- Reek of Putrifaction & Symphonies of Sickness, these 2 albums make Cannibal Corpse
sound like Pop Music (JUST A JOKE!!!) Ultra Heavyness times the power of 500. Fast to
"disgustingly" sludgy, psychotic, and much like a slaughtering machine made up of 1000 lined
up butcher knives . . . and thats just "Musically"! (Though "Tools of the Trade" thru "Swan Song"
are my faves, "Heartwork" is in my Top 10 Death Metal Albums of all time).
Godflesh- Streetcleaner.  Talk about an influencial band for many "Post-" Band (Metal or otherwise)
and Industrial-Metal, constant barrage of Giagantic Guitar Riffs chopping away at any ear within a
100 Mile radius!

Now if you are talking "Wall of Heavy Sound",  Sunn- 0))) is particularly scary, avant-garde (eh . . .
sort of) and just . . . i dont know .

Heres 3 of my fave Meshuggah songs that I can think of on the Brutal/Heavy side (Dont cheat!
Listen all the way through!!!)

This is the song I listen to when Fucked-up people ruin my day!
Soul Burn- keep listening as the middle cries for vengeance!

(Fave songs: Future Breed Machine, Acrid Placidity and Sublevels but
is my fave album, 2nd may be "None").

Sane-

(Fave Songs: Sane, New Milenium Cyanide Christ and Elastic).

Obzen-Tomas Haak's little "burst" of Drums in the middle with the China
Crash's are just amazing.

(Fave Songs: Bleed, Obzen, Dancers to a Discordant System).

Also recently, been thoroughly enjoying Gorod-Process of a new Decline:
"Disavow your God"

I like these guys because not only are they technical as F! but still aggressive
and groovy, totally different than Meshuggah but just as heavy and grooveladen.

Necrophagist is another like that as well, just add "Neo-Classical" into the mix!
Obscura is another band of that ilke as well.  Nile is pretty heavy too!



Edited by MAVIIIVAM - 18 Jul 2010 at 7:16pm

Gotta say Meshuggah - the riffs are off the planet

Though they are not in general the heaviest band, Dark Suns blast beat section of "The Chameleon Defect" feels like death by hailstorm. My favorite ultra-heavy moment.

Edited by Negoba - 11 Apr 2010 at 7:50pm