I'd recommending listen to Swans... just about the most powerful, transcendent, dark band I can think of. Ranges from drone metal in the early days to folk to ambient to post rock... medium to slow tempos, wildly epic songs / albums. Michael Gira sounds a bit like Leonard Cohen...

I can't even describe it.

But get "The Great Annihilator" and after a while you might understand.

Great selection, I was thinking of suggesting the same!

First and foremost, try Tom Waits. He's not metal at all, but he can get quite heavy. And melodic.

And you can't go wrong with bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin

Soilwork and Disarmonia Mundi is quite melodic. In Flames might be worth checking out too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKoqGKu ... PL&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKZBFts4 ... 7F&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnIPvSj0ySk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDgEB5MN ... re=related

The new Cynic album is really cool too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fhVLykF3nU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeqKkIzM ... re=related

Sybreed - Antares
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nu1vu7h ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxQBH-fY ... re=related

Cradle of Filth has some really cool songs. I only know the album Dusk And Her Embrace though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYh2kz00 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RHkLZk0 ... re=related

Hope some of it is something you find worth listening to. GL

As mentioned above. Cynic's last one is amazing on every level. Even the packaging and artwork is tremendous.

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=91

When it comes to Cynic, I'd recommend Focus over Traced in Air. It's slightly heavier, but much better overall. TIA is still good, though.

I've never met anyone who immediately liked metal vocals. Every metalhead I know had a difficult time adjusting to growls and screeches. Listen to bands like ISIS, Opeth, and Katatonia that have a lot of singing and softer stuff mixed in, and I think you'll inevitably move into some heavier stuff.

When it comes to Cynic, I'd recommend Focus over Traced in Air. It's slightly heavier, but much better overall. TIA is still good, though.

I've never met anyone who immediately liked metal vocals. Every metalhead I know had a difficult time adjusting to growls and screeches. Listen to bands like ISIS, Opeth, and Katatonia that have a lot of singing and softer stuff mixed in, and I think you'll inevitably move into some heavier stuff.

I like focus better aswell but the original poster mentions specifically that harsh vocals are a problem. Truth be told, I'd rather listen to Death's Human.

My mom, believe it or not, is a pretty big fan of The Dev. She likes some metal, always been a fan of Megadeth, nothing extreme though.


Maybe you should try some of the melodic styles of power and thrash metal? Give Megadeth a spin, "Rust In Peace" or "Youthanasia" are great places to start. The former being one of the greatest and most technical thrash albums of all time, and the latter being where they started to drift towards the hard rock side of their mid-career sound.

Or try some Symphony X, I haven't listened to them a whole lot, but I really enjoy the album "Paradise Lost", has awesome guitar and keyboard work, and a great singer.


You could also check out some Nightingale. "The Closing Chronicles" is my favorite album. They aren't aggressive at all really, but very heavily influenced by classic and prog rock. Dan Swanö has such an amazing voice.

Or try some Symphony X, I haven't listened to them a whole lot, but I really enjoy the album "Paradise Lost", has awesome guitar and keyboard work, and a great singer.

PL is probably Symphony X's worst album, in my opinion--I much preferred The Divine Wings of Tragedy or The Odyssey when I was a real fan. Now I'm just a very occasional listener. Anyway, I'm not sure that the poster would be interested, since he doesn't care much for virtuosity in his tunes, and that's what Romeo's all about.

When it comes to Cynic, I'd recommend Focus over Traced in Air. It's slightly heavier, but much better overall. TIA is still good, though.

I've never met anyone who immediately liked metal vocals. Every metalhead I know had a difficult time adjusting to growls and screeches. Listen to bands like ISIS, Opeth, and Katatonia that have a lot of singing and softer stuff mixed in, and I think you'll inevitably move into some heavier stuff.

I like focus better aswell but the original poster mentions specifically that harsh vocals are a problem. Truth be told, I'd rather listen to Death's Human.

Oh god! I love Death. I think they are the ones that got me into the Heavy music.
I had always liked Metallica, but Dream Theater made me like good musicianship. Death completed it for me.
They had the harsh vocal styles, but could play very well. They got me into Death metal for sure.

Opeth was a big part too. I went to see them with Dream Theater and fell in love with them.
Between The Buried and Me is good, but is chaotic. Might not be a good first choice.
Colors is a great album though. God like IMO.

Now, Warning are a long shot, they are a UK doom metal band that put out two albums and are now broken up, but I had to rec them solely on the fact their album Watching From A Distance is probably the most significant musical experience I've ever had (with Ocean Machine being a very close second, sacrilege I know). They are heavy with a lot of melody, and their music is so rediculously melancholic, it is simply crushing. It's one of the rare albums that could actually make me well up with tears.

+ infinity

The broken youtube link in my post was supposed to be to "Faces" from that same album. And yes, when I first heard Faces I started to cry

Watching From A Distance is by far my most favourite album of all time.

YES YES YES YES !!!!

ME = Prince addicted

I started with Micheal jackson, go into Queen, then move to Guns & Roses, drop it for Prince, fly to dream theater, steve vai and finally Devin !
But I forget a lot of band, including all Prince derivative or someone notable like Dave stewart.

Usally when someone ask me what are you listening to ?
I reply : "From morning musume (J-POP) to Heavy metal, and everything between !"

but these days I'm most into Perfume or Namie Amuro, when it comes to JPOP... and I'm sure devin loves jpop ? what do you think ? Sure devin is in love with japan somehow...

On the subject of SymX

I think Paradise Lost is easily their best album... for so many reasons.

Guitar work, keyboard work, drums, vocals, production, and obviously the amazing, well put together, incredible song writing...

But i got into SymX later rather than earlier... just after the release of PL. When i get into bands, i almost always check out the newer stuff before anything, and then follow them from then on (obviously "back tracking" and buying past albums, which i never usually enjoy as much).

But bands that i got into from early stages of their career and then followed, i have ended up prefering older stuff, so i can see where people may be coming from, saying older stuff is better.

But in general, SymX in my oppinion are peaking right now

Personally, I listen to plenty of classic/symphonic/progressive metal, and even some thrash metal, but no extreme/death/black metal for me, other than SYL. For some reason, I find other screamy music to be inaccessible and somewhat fake- SYL, however, seems both genuine and somehow not threatening. It still can't compare to Dev's solo projects for me, though. And I do listen to plenty of non-metal music, especially Pink Floyd and new age pianist George Winston, as well as a host of classic rock, alternative, and video game music (nerd)- those aren't so much my favorites though.

On the subject of SymX

I think Paradise Lost is easily their best album... for so many reasons.

Guitar work, keyboard work, drums, vocals, production, and obviously the amazing, well put together, incredible song writing...

But in general, SymX in my oppinion are peaking right now

To each his own, but I have to disagree. PL is so forgettable, in my opinion. The guitar, keyboard, drum, and vocal work are consistently impressive on every Sym. X album, and it's somewhat of a selling point of theirs, so PL doesn't stand out in that respect. Their writing took a big step down for the album, I think: reusing old licks (but who doesn't), aiming for a straightforward power metal vibe, forsaking dynamics and musical expression in favor of what will sell. It was a big disappointment.

Oh, and there's no epic. That's where Symphony X shines--the 20-minute suites. They're telling me they couldn't put something incredible together out of a story as epic as Milton's? I don't buy it, given "TDWoT" and "The Odyssey." Finally, I hate the production/mixing on that album. The whole thing sounds like it's been EQ'ed until everything is the same--that is, 10. Loud may be fun, but I prefer to hear a bit of dynamics.

But, personal gripes, all. Again, to each his own.

I agree that Dev has essentially ruined most music for me with his brilliance, but a few others had a hand.

Dimebag for one...

Chuck from Death was a brilliant metal-melodist.

Just about anything that has to do with the original members of Cynic (re: Focus '92). Their new album is phenomenal as well. You get a metal fix as well as... just a constant flow of fresh air... that's all I can say to describe it. Gordian Knot with Sean Malone and Sean Reinhart and a slough of other notable musicians doing instrumental prog. Aghora with Sean Malone and Sean Reinhart, jazzy sort of ethnic metal with some beautiful female vocals (Santiago Doblez is a brilliant phraser on the guitar as well). Aeon Spoke with Paul Masvidal which is not metal at all, its kind of soothing soft rock and really hits some emotional chords... a sonic sigh if you will. And again Death... one of Death's albums had the percussion of Sean Reinhart and guitar work from Paul Masvidal and they really nailed it.

Hope it helps, cya.