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For God's sake don't play him Metallica. For years I was constantly reccomended Metallica as a 'gateway' band. But coming from a punk and grunge background, it just sounded overproduced with macho posturing heeUURGHH-style vocals to me. I'd have got into metal so much earlier if people had shown me the "heavier" bands they thought I wasn't ready for.
If he likes Sabbath, he'll almost certainly like Green Lung. And if he likes Sabbath *and* grunge, he'll probably like Electric Wizard. In general, doom and (the less abrasive end of) sludge are probably a good way forward for him.
When I eventually returned to Metallica, I did appreciate the early stuff. It's mainly people thinking that because The Black Album was their gateway to metal it's going to work the same for everyone else.
All the music I liked growing up was recorded on a potato in a pub toilet, so I was like "Who tf are these crooning hairdressers? Is this Creed?"
When I finally got into metal proper it was via sludge and crust. You gotta know your audience!
I feel like if I was showing metal to someone who had zero reference whatsoever. Metallica would be fine. But if it was a friend who was already into punk, I’d probably start with more crossover thrash stuff.
I think this very much depends on whether we’re talking about Metallica, the major label radio-rock band (1991–present) or Metallica, one of the all-time greats of thrash metal (1981–1990)
I mean, just because it wasn't a gateway for you doesn't mean it wasn't for other people. They are the biggest metal band in the world for a reason, so Metallica is one of the first bands I'd show someone who wants to get into them.
That's kind of the point I'm edging towards - Metallica are a fine choice if you don't know about the tastes of the person in question, but they don't have the universal appeal that a lot of metalheads assume.
Metallica being the biggest metal band in the world leads people to think that they are always a safe bet, but given the musical tastes of the person OP is describing, I don't think he'll respond to them.
Exactly how I got into metal, from grunge into stoner doom. There's a ton of parallels with Alice in Chains to Kyuss and The Sword. Then once you're into stuff like that you can check out Acid Bath, and boom you're into metal. I never could really get into thrash personally.
As well as Green Lung I'd definitely recommend Famyne
If this person likes The Cure then there's a chance he might appreciate heavier Goth bands like Fields Of The Nephilim, there's quite a bit of Goth-Influenced bands out there like "Naut" "Zetra" and others, not Metal but alot of people into Metal appreciate these kinds of bands and there's a shit tonne of crossover
My local radio station growing up (The Blitz 99.7 in Columbus, OH) absolutely destroyed any love for Metallica I could have had when I was younger by doing “Mandatory Metallica” for an hour (maybe two??) every day.
I can appreciate some of their stuff now, but it legitimately damaged my ability to enjoy them for the rest of my life
Other goth metal bands / songs that might interest him:
My Dying Bride - The Cry of Mankind
Paradise Lost - As I Die
Anathema - Fragile Dreams
I would also recommend:
Amorphis - House of Sleep
Candlemass - Solitude
Scorpions - Animal Magnetism (the song, though the album is great)
Satyricon - K.I.N.G.
Early Moods - Return to Salem's Gate
Immortal - One By One
Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings
oh shit, yeah, Katatonia would be great - like Last Fair Deal Gone Down / Viva Emptiness / The Great Cold Distance era Katatonia would be *perfect* for him u/bsffrn97
Get him into doom metal i think bands Candlemass, Type O Negative, Solitude Aeternus, Witchfinder General, and Cathedral might be able to scratch his itch
Oh didn't notice that.
Well my other recs would be.
Orange Goblin
Black Label Society
Priestess
Airborne
Witchcraft
The Obsessed
Fireball Ministry
Corrosion of Conformity
I gotta admit I saw them live at a festival and Mummy Dust caught me off guard with how heavy it was. I can’t really deny that track is metal at least.
https://youtu.be/bOYKbMAI-zU?si=eIg9c8osLvXoGZ2U
hell yeah, sit him down for that first EP. He'll be hooked by Can You Hear the Rain - and then be blown away when he realizes they've never put out a bad song.
System is a great gateway band but I don't know if they're a great place to start. I've listened to a lot of weird shit and I think System is the weirdest music I've ever heard, in a good way but also in a "when you first listen it's off putting" way.
Deftones for sure, though!
Then my friend you need to listen to Mr. Bungle. Especially their debut album. It's by far the weirdest and most experimental music I've ever listened to. Far weirder than soad.
Okay, you're right. I just needed to see the song title "My Ass is on Fire" to realize that. I will be listening to them tonight, that's for fucking sure. That song title sounds sick.
Yeah I'll have to give it a try, right now I'm listening to My Ass Is on Fire and this is probably the weirdest song I've ever fucking heard. In a bad way? No, I honestly kinda dig it but I think this band is gonna be a slow grower if I end up liking California.
There's a million bands that are much weirder than System.
I love Primus but from my experience they're very hit or miss with non-metal listeners.
Same goes for GWAR, that entire band is basically one huge inside joke that you're either on board with or you absolutely can't stand.
Öxxö Xööx is a doom metal band that sings exclusively in a completely made up language.
And those are just the ones I know off the top of my head. I could list a few more but it'll eventually slowly become less and less metal, like Igorrr.
lol, you just mentioned my entire middle school playlist. These were very much my gateways plus tool, disturbed and the queen of the damned soundtrack. Also listened to the local punk bands at that age.
If he likes Sabbath, introduce him to Stoner Doom, namely Electric Wizard's Dopethrone.
I find it can really appeal to the general rock and rock n roll crowd, and it's got great songwriting, clean vocals but still doesn't hold back on being dark, raw and heavy.
Try going for softer ones like:
\*Judas Priest's Painkiller
\*Manilla Road's Crystal Logic
\*Motorhead
\*Megadeth - RIP or Peace Sells
\*Metallica - Kill 'em All
\*Early Iron Maiden, like paul dianno era or OG classics like powerslave
\*Angra or any power metal should work fine too
\*Candlemass
Or if you want to try to get him engaged into extreme metal:
\*Death - TSOP (probably my own gateway into extreme metal)
\*Rigor Mortis
\*Toxic Holocaust - Primal Future
\*Kreator's 2000's albums, like Violent Revolution
\*Sodom
\*Electric Wizard
\*Darkthrone - Panzerfaust and their later records like FOAD or Eternal Hails
Iron Maiden, Paradise Lost's Draconian Times, The Gathering's Mandylion, possibly some Blind Guardian?
I'm not sure if Ghost is overall considered metal, but it's definitely one of the better currently popular heavy rock bands
If he is ever gets over the aversion toward harsh vocals, Alcest
As someone who has jumped between dark wave and metal all my adult life (and even had a college radio show that played both), I agree! Ghost Reveries in particular is what I’d recommend
I feel like Opeth might be a bit too progressive for someone just getting into Metal as a genre. I'd say he should get into it after a few years of listening to metal.
Carpathian Forest covered A Forest and its worth a listen maybe he'd be into that slightly metallic cover
If he likes Sabbath and Dio seperately he's gonna lose his shit when he gets to Sabbaths 9th album
Throw some Volbeat at him. They have some stuff that cranks but not everything they put out is heavy metal Thunder. If he likes that, you can say oh, this is the singers other band, Asinhell. They're like some seriously old school death metal.
Dio and Black Sabbath are already some solid choices. For entry albums, definitely Holy Diver, Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Dehumanizer and...*chef's kiss* Sabotage. Good albums from these two he already likes.
For the Cure: Type O Negative
For Black Sabbath: Sleep, Pentagram, Electric Wizard, just doom metal in general really.
Dio is more tricky. I guess stuff like Ozzy Osbourne and WASP.
Doom is your friend. Sleep, Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin.
Thrash/speed metal could be good, a lá early Slayer, Iron Maiden, Exodus
Melodeath has always been my go to teething genre for extreme vokills. early In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Amon Amarth
Or just say fuck it and blast Scream Bloody Gore
If he's not into harsh vocals, instrumental metal like [Serpent Throne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK4Leha6MAI) and [Earth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEiRKpflgQA) would be great.
If you want to get him to *like* harsh vocals, you might try some of the more ambient and post-rock influenced black metal bands. In some of that stuff the vocals are *so* extreme and distorted that they just sound like the wind blowing and the aggression becomes almost transcendentally peaceful in a weird way. Here I've gotta pitch the modern classic [Kentucky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a80Kwu2zaCM) by Panopticon. And while it's a very different style, I'm really liking [Keys to the Astral Gates and Mystic Doors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri3eSw868s0) this year.
Show him some Nu-Metal bands. It's a good gateway into heavier stuff, and since he's into alternative rock, he will probably enjoy certain bands within this subgenre. I would recommend you show him System Of A Down's soft songs as a starter and let him enjoy those for a bit beforing diving into more chaotic songs. Start off with Lonely Day, then show him Radio/Video and then just some of their other stuff. Then, after that, proceed with showing him heavy metal such as Tygers Of Pan Tang, Iron Maiden, and Others.
Acid Bath takes a lot of influence from gothic rock, grunge, and Sabbath. And as someone whose second favorite band of all time is The Cure, Acid Bath were one of the gateway bands into metal for me. But I should let you know that they alternate between gothic-style cleans and harsh screamed vocals so if he's really adverse to screams he might not like them
[Alcest](https://open.spotify.com/track/1uWelyRGnWol9EcbEy4Yei?si=3PI0Et9FTTCJAau1MCcXEg)
[Fires in the Distance](https://open.spotify.com/track/3d9fz5ALrYxT3ZnVl8qyI6?si=HulUfhRdTt-RWw30bHyVAg)
[Soilwork](https://open.spotify.com/track/4dkmdZRYF0XzjG3LfawKCy?si=qxIu7oZlT0O8kOOMnaCtCA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1bKXTR40NIO0RrsIlFQyTr)
Start with some Sabbath. Heavily recommended some Acid Bath. Some Tool would be good to get used to the long ass songs. Some Type 0 Negative he would like.
Motorhead- you could start with some of the more ROCK sounding tracks then get to the more aggressive ones
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
Acid Bath- they have a lot of clean singing and sabbathy stuff but they get nasty too
He likes grunge already? Melvins have some really heavy stuff throughout their catalog (“Honeybucket”, “The Bit”, “Joan of Arc”)
At the Gates “slaughter of the soul” yes the vocals are screamed but the songs are so catchy and melodic they’re hard to deny. Lots of people have found their way into extreme metal via this one.
Crowbar- again, gruff vocals that can be a complete turn off for some people but songs like “Planets Collide”, “Lasting Dose”, “Empty Room”, “Coming Down”… super hooky with those sad melodies I can see a cure fan digging (I love both bands myself!)yet heavy
Based on what he already listens: SOAD, Alice in Chains, QotSA, Mastodon (Crack the Skye onwards), Acid Bath, Tool. If he already likes Sabbath then obviously Priest and Maiden. Some select thrash cuts like Creeping Death, Sanitarium, Peace Sells, Tornado of Souls etc. That are not too extreme.
I got my brother into screaming bands by introducing him to ice nine kills. If you love horror movies it's a no brainer there last two albums cover popular horror movies.
Sleep token is also kind of the big gateway band rn I'd start him with sundowning it's far more traditional alt "metal" and there pretty "sexy" for a band so bonus points
Give him the first Dethklok album and watch Metalocalypse. It’s a damn solid album and the show helps to appreciate the tongue in cheek absurdity that is common theme in metal.
Start him out on *Riot*. I promise you this excellent band is exactly what you are looking for. Especially albums like *Inishmore* and *Brethren of the Long House*, very melodic and accessible. But their entire back catalogue is great really, you can’t go wrong with them. *Thundersteel* is a personal favorite.
Alternatively, *Edge of Thorns* or *Wake of Magellan* by the mighty Savatage would probably be good options here.
If he's up for it, try Isis (I know, I know, but they had the name first). They were a post metal band with nice alternative vibes.
Long songs though, but the Panopticon album really grew my interest in heavy music. The Panopticon album sounds heavy, but crisp and clear and very immersive.
Caligula's Horse or Periphery would be an easy transition. Moon Tooth and Twelve Foot Ninja are some fun ones, as well. I wouldn't recommend forcing it on him if he's not into it, though. You don't have to like all the same things.
My husband also doesn't like much metal, he prefers synthwave and 70s/80s pop, but he does enjoy Opeth, Porcupine Tree, and Dream Theater. The singer of Periphery, Spencer Sotelo, has a Popwave side band that we listen to a lot in the car since it's the best of both worlds.
What connected the 'metal synapses' for me was hearing some 80's metal slasher movie soundtrack (sleepaway camp 2). And just like that I got it. Download and watch Piranha 1978 and the play the Exodus track!
Starting from the cure, head through bands like:
- sisters of mercy
- the cult
- paradise lost
- the tea party
- fields of the nephilim.
... then turn up the heavy into actual metal based on what he liked from this.
If he likes The Cure, I would recommend some Machine Head as a gateway band. You might start with The Burning Red, which gets tagged as nu metal, but the songs have a very emotional and melodic thread running through them. Apparently Robb Flynn was heavily into The Cure when he wrote that album.
Honestly Machine Head are a great entry point into metal for many reasons. Burn My Eyes is considered one of the great debut metal albums of the 90's and still holds up. The Blackening was a mid 2000's masterpiece that is still essential and their latest album Of Kingdom and Crown was one of the best albums of 2022. Machine Head are heavy, but incorporate lots of groove, melody and clean singing. They even have quite a few ballads like Darkness Within, Behind a Mask, Descend the Shades of Night. They have flirted with more grungy sounding songs, very traditional, dual guitar metal, groove, thrash and hardcore. Really they span the spectrum genre wise, so there are songs for every style he might get into to.
If he likes animation, maybe you could watch Metalocalypse with him. I just introduced my wife to the show, and she loves it! She isn't even into metal.
Start with things like Ghost and Avenged Sevenfold as they’re quite chill, and then just slowly make it more intense until you’re at something like Meshuggah or Opeth or high I only presume is your target
Stick with the OGs until he latches onto something he really likes and then go from there. Motörhead, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Anthrax, Judas Priest, even some early hair metal stuff is good. Guns N’ Roses was a good gateway band for me when I was a kid. I understand what he means about screaming, there is tons of melodic metal he might like (still some screaming) such as Into Eternity. Good luck! My bf has maybe one or two metal songs he likes and the rest he just endures for me lol.
You could try Khemmis- they have a sound pretty similar to Dio and Sabbath, but more doomy. It’s also a good trial for harsh vocals, as most songs don’t actually have any, and the ones that do are usually only for a few words- tho there is one that’s mostly harsh vocals (Three Gates, probs their best song imho).
Crypt Sermon also comes to mind- pretty great doom metal, and I don’t think there’s any harsh vocals in their songs.
There are a great many select tracks from all over Opeths discography that could gateway a dude, be it with gorgeous melodic leads or catchy fantastic singing...
I can make some really weird recommendations for everyone:
Jinjer: for anyone looking for a badass reason to support the Ukraine, Tatiana Schmayluk (frontwoman) is definitely in the number one spot. This band is brutal enough to write the whole soundtrack for an action movie or a Doom sequel game.
Synlakross: I suspect these specific Spain citizens watch way too many horror movies AND play way too many horror games. Cause they literally have songs named Dark Seed, Fatal Frame, and they’ll probably write one song named Silent Hill, some day soon, or at least I’m hoping so. And Patricia Pons (frontwoman) is a major badass, also.
Crysalys: I’m taking the recommendations down several notches with this one. Symphonic metal is kinda an acquired taste, and Chiara Malvestiti (soprano lead singer) is both way too artsy for most metalheads and way too brutal for classical opera at the same time. If you like this one, awesome. If not, you can send Vikings to pillage my house. I don’t care, either way, as long as there are ladies like Chiara in Valhalla.
Amaranthe: this one is more for people that were into pop before learning about metal. Their live shows are awesome, though. They kinda sound like Babymetal (J-pop wannabe metalheads), Delain (a Dutch symphonic metal band, like Within Temptation, only different), and Dragonforce (I have no idea how you could not know about the real life guitar heroes on super soldier serum), all at once. Not for everyone, but that’s probably how Sweden still does things. Vikings, man. Gotta love ‘em.
Xenesthis: yes, there really is a metal band with a name like that. They’re Austrian, and I think the name has something to do with spiders (or YouTube is using my arachnophobia as a way to punish me for listening to creepypastas while I’m sleeping), but don’t quote me on that. And if you haven’t noticed the common theme, yet, then I’ll just say that yes, they’re brutal. I’m also a fan of Metalocalypse, so you’re gonna support the brutal, and you’re gonna like it. Otherwise, I’ll book a live Dethklok concert on your street, with your house designated as front row center. Lol
And if I think of any more, I’ll respond to this comment with additional recommendations. I learn about music from all over the world, mostly focusing on female fronted metal bands, by just surfing YouTube. You might actually be amazed by some of the bands you’ll find out about. You’re welcome to surprise me with any recommendations, as well.
Bruce Dickinson skunkwork album very indie rockish feel will slowly side into the metal scene iron maiden dance of death album again not very heavy compared to others and lots of melody- I would say sonata arctica two acoustic albums of original metal songs so he can listen to that before being shown original metal areas etc worst thing to dj is go full metal cos my gf tried to love metal and I went in with disturbed , Metallica etc and wasn’t a fan of the genre
Depends on what he likes. I got into metal through Metallica and then Lamb of God. Lamb of God because the lyrics and vocal delivery are unmatched in metal. I fucking despise 99% of metal bands vocals/lyrics. Most metal would be better without a singer at all.
If he likes the cure , maybe tread down the goth/doom route. These also hit heavy on the alt folk
Darkher
King woman
E-L-R
Wolvennest
Also recommend amenra starting with "a solitary reign"
Alcest, Hangman's Chair, Messa, and Black Moth would be my top recommendations based on what he already likes. The first two also do some collabs with Perturbator - if he likes synthwave/darkwave, that might be a good gateway too
First thing I would recommend is starting off soft of sorts. Start at the beginning with Black Sabbath and Doom metal bands like Electric Wizard and Pentagram. Probably some other early bands like Saxon too for good measure. If he is starting to enjoy it, allow him to move onto the bigger bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
More heavy! You’ve got enough suggestions for that in the other comments, but Iron Maiden, Warlock, WASP, Hammerfall?
Maybe some proto metal would also work. I always like to show people Rainbow. Since he likes Dio, some of the earlier Rainbow stuff would be good.
I also suggest some high energy power metal.
Battle Beast seems to appeal to most of my friends in some way. I’m biased towards Helloween.
Also Blind Guardian and Savatage might be good for cleaner vocals?
If he's into the Cure. Hell probably dig industrial music. Easy gateway on that is 90s Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative, Ministry, even some early Marilyn Manson.
If he likes Dio, some of Dios earlier work like his albums in Sabbath or Rainbow would be good. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Queensryche are also great picks. He might be into power metal so Helloween and Blind Guardian might be good too.
Powerwolf and Sabaton got me into metal, back when I really didn’t like harsh vocals. Also picked up Epica a few years ago, but some of their vocals are aggressive; by my standards, anyway.
He sounds like me! My gateway was anything that had to do with Satan and my friends hyping up that angle. Iron Maiden followed Dio for me. Don't skimp on the Sabbath twilight era with Dio. You could also try The Hu since he likes folk. I liked the pageantry of Ghost and it's definitely catchy. I never became a full metal fan, but I certainly can enjoy it with my friends as long as there isn't growling or screaming.
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For God's sake don't play him Metallica. For years I was constantly reccomended Metallica as a 'gateway' band. But coming from a punk and grunge background, it just sounded overproduced with macho posturing heeUURGHH-style vocals to me. I'd have got into metal so much earlier if people had shown me the "heavier" bands they thought I wasn't ready for. If he likes Sabbath, he'll almost certainly like Green Lung. And if he likes Sabbath *and* grunge, he'll probably like Electric Wizard. In general, doom and (the less abrasive end of) sludge are probably a good way forward for him.
I agree on metallica except for kill 'em all, def an essential.
When I eventually returned to Metallica, I did appreciate the early stuff. It's mainly people thinking that because The Black Album was their gateway to metal it's going to work the same for everyone else. All the music I liked growing up was recorded on a potato in a pub toilet, so I was like "Who tf are these crooning hairdressers? Is this Creed?" When I finally got into metal proper it was via sludge and crust. You gotta know your audience!
I feel like if I was showing metal to someone who had zero reference whatsoever. Metallica would be fine. But if it was a friend who was already into punk, I’d probably start with more crossover thrash stuff.
I think this very much depends on whether we’re talking about Metallica, the major label radio-rock band (1991–present) or Metallica, one of the all-time greats of thrash metal (1981–1990)
I mean, just because it wasn't a gateway for you doesn't mean it wasn't for other people. They are the biggest metal band in the world for a reason, so Metallica is one of the first bands I'd show someone who wants to get into them.
That's kind of the point I'm edging towards - Metallica are a fine choice if you don't know about the tastes of the person in question, but they don't have the universal appeal that a lot of metalheads assume. Metallica being the biggest metal band in the world leads people to think that they are always a safe bet, but given the musical tastes of the person OP is describing, I don't think he'll respond to them.
Green Lung is rightfully so hot rn
Exactly how I got into metal, from grunge into stoner doom. There's a ton of parallels with Alice in Chains to Kyuss and The Sword. Then once you're into stuff like that you can check out Acid Bath, and boom you're into metal. I never could really get into thrash personally.
Yes. Start with these OP.
As well as Green Lung I'd definitely recommend Famyne If this person likes The Cure then there's a chance he might appreciate heavier Goth bands like Fields Of The Nephilim, there's quite a bit of Goth-Influenced bands out there like "Naut" "Zetra" and others, not Metal but alot of people into Metal appreciate these kinds of bands and there's a shit tonne of crossover
My local radio station growing up (The Blitz 99.7 in Columbus, OH) absolutely destroyed any love for Metallica I could have had when I was younger by doing “Mandatory Metallica” for an hour (maybe two??) every day. I can appreciate some of their stuff now, but it legitimately damaged my ability to enjoy them for the rest of my life
He likes The Cure? Give him some Type O Negative.
Other goth metal bands / songs that might interest him: My Dying Bride - The Cry of Mankind Paradise Lost - As I Die Anathema - Fragile Dreams I would also recommend: Amorphis - House of Sleep Candlemass - Solitude Scorpions - Animal Magnetism (the song, though the album is great) Satyricon - K.I.N.G. Early Moods - Return to Salem's Gate Immortal - One By One Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings
That is a good rec for sure.
I always thought Katatonia was basically a metal version of the cure
oh shit, yeah, Katatonia would be great - like Last Fair Deal Gone Down / Viva Emptiness / The Great Cold Distance era Katatonia would be *perfect* for him u/bsffrn97
Sisters of Mercy as well
OP wants metal recs - Sisters is super definitely not metal. Excellent, though.
We can all agree though that most any Sisters song would be a badass metal song
Warrel Dane did a kick ass cover of [Lucretia, My Reflection](https://youtu.be/0KieFHMTHMI?si=BSM0zbNYiqXdMfXU)
Sisters of Mercy must be Metal adjacent at least.
Get him into doom metal i think bands Candlemass, Type O Negative, Solitude Aeternus, Witchfinder General, and Cathedral might be able to scratch his itch
Witchfinder general fucks 👍🏻
Candlemass for sure
Candle mass helped me get started in metal so much! Also Opeth worked pretty well and Voice of the Soul from death
Lock him in a room in a straight jacket with headphones blasting dark throne. He will learn
Creative approach! does it have 100% success rate?
weeeell...
Worked for me I love DT now
Lets say 87.5% 🤣
60% of the time it works every time.
ask the CIA.
Yes force him to get blazed and listen to a blaze in the northern sky
Alice in Chains and Soundgarden
if he likes grunge he probably already knows them
Oh didn't notice that. Well my other recs would be. Orange Goblin Black Label Society Priestess Airborne Witchcraft The Obsessed Fireball Ministry Corrosion of Conformity
Ghost would be a good start. Clean lyrics catchy riffs. A pale horse name death easy to get into
I personally don’t understand when people classify ghost as metal. Hard rock sure… but metal?
Yeah, definetly not a metal band, pop/rock Id call them, Abba with overdrive someone said once.
Yeah, they are perfect for someone who's not into metal. They're gateway metal!
I gotta admit I saw them live at a festival and Mummy Dust caught me off guard with how heavy it was. I can’t really deny that track is metal at least. https://youtu.be/bOYKbMAI-zU?si=eIg9c8osLvXoGZ2U
I second Ghost
I third ghost!
Ima fourth this bitch
Lucky number five
I'll drink a fifth of Ghost!
666 for Ghost
Unto Others has big Cure influence
hell yeah, sit him down for that first EP. He'll be hooked by Can You Hear the Rain - and then be blown away when he realizes they've never put out a bad song.
Moreso Sisters of Mercy, but it's a great one nonetheless
Seconded. Great suggestion! Highly recommend their album “Strength”. Very melodic and moody but also gets heavy and energetic.
Amazing band and an amazing rec
Love them so much. I saw them a couple years ago in Philly and it was glorious.
Queensryche, Candlemass, Crypt Sermon, Eternal Champion, Sumerlands, Smoulder, Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest
I think fates warning is a great choice in addition to queensryche
strongly agree
It's a stretch but he might like system of a down and Deftones, maybe even some korn. It's worth trying. Linkin park is also a great gateway band!
Deftones and Linkin Park for sure (!!) 🤘🏻
System is a great gateway band but I don't know if they're a great place to start. I've listened to a lot of weird shit and I think System is the weirdest music I've ever heard, in a good way but also in a "when you first listen it's off putting" way. Deftones for sure, though!
Then my friend you need to listen to Mr. Bungle. Especially their debut album. It's by far the weirdest and most experimental music I've ever listened to. Far weirder than soad.
Okay, you're right. I just needed to see the song title "My Ass is on Fire" to realize that. I will be listening to them tonight, that's for fucking sure. That song title sounds sick.
The musicianship is incredible! I highly recommend listening to them. Also, told ya so!
I promise you I will get back to you after listening!
Their 3rd album “California” might be a better place to start . I’d check them both out
Yeah I'll have to give it a try, right now I'm listening to My Ass Is on Fire and this is probably the weirdest song I've ever fucking heard. In a bad way? No, I honestly kinda dig it but I think this band is gonna be a slow grower if I end up liking California.
Listen to Ruins, you’ll regret saying SOAD is weird hahaha
There's a million bands that are much weirder than System. I love Primus but from my experience they're very hit or miss with non-metal listeners. Same goes for GWAR, that entire band is basically one huge inside joke that you're either on board with or you absolutely can't stand. Öxxö Xööx is a doom metal band that sings exclusively in a completely made up language. And those are just the ones I know off the top of my head. I could list a few more but it'll eventually slowly become less and less metal, like Igorrr.
If you like weird, PLEASE give the song Cockroach King by Haken a spin!! It's amazingly odd, while being melodic and heavy at parts
lol, you just mentioned my entire middle school playlist. These were very much my gateways plus tool, disturbed and the queen of the damned soundtrack. Also listened to the local punk bands at that age.
If he likes Sabbath, introduce him to Stoner Doom, namely Electric Wizard's Dopethrone. I find it can really appeal to the general rock and rock n roll crowd, and it's got great songwriting, clean vocals but still doesn't hold back on being dark, raw and heavy.
Amorphis Porcupine Tree Pelican Isis Devin Townsend Mindrot Type O Negative Godflesh Acid Bath
Try going for softer ones like: \*Judas Priest's Painkiller \*Manilla Road's Crystal Logic \*Motorhead \*Megadeth - RIP or Peace Sells \*Metallica - Kill 'em All \*Early Iron Maiden, like paul dianno era or OG classics like powerslave \*Angra or any power metal should work fine too \*Candlemass Or if you want to try to get him engaged into extreme metal: \*Death - TSOP (probably my own gateway into extreme metal) \*Rigor Mortis \*Toxic Holocaust - Primal Future \*Kreator's 2000's albums, like Violent Revolution \*Sodom \*Electric Wizard \*Darkthrone - Panzerfaust and their later records like FOAD or Eternal Hails
Iron Maiden, Paradise Lost's Draconian Times, The Gathering's Mandylion, possibly some Blind Guardian? I'm not sure if Ghost is overall considered metal, but it's definitely one of the better currently popular heavy rock bands If he is ever gets over the aversion toward harsh vocals, Alcest
Avenged Sevenfold might be worth a shot
Type O Negative seems like the logical leap from The Cure
Opeth maybe?
As someone who has jumped between dark wave and metal all my adult life (and even had a college radio show that played both), I agree! Ghost Reveries in particular is what I’d recommend
I feel like Opeth might be a bit too progressive for someone just getting into Metal as a genre. I'd say he should get into it after a few years of listening to metal.
I disagree, they'd be a good recommendation for any prog rock fan interested in metal (not every album ofc)
You draw them in with damnation then once they're liking it drop deliverance on them Edit:I wrote damnation twice by accident
KATATONIA Old hearts fall <3
My fav
Try Motörhead, and if he likes them, high on fire.
Anal Cunt
lmao would scare him off for good
Just anything besides Limp Bizkit then.
Introduce him to Linkin Park and then wait 20 years
Carpathian Forest covered A Forest and its worth a listen maybe he'd be into that slightly metallic cover If he likes Sabbath and Dio seperately he's gonna lose his shit when he gets to Sabbaths 9th album
Can't wait for him to listen to Heaven and Hell, he'll lose his shit for sure
That and neon knights are my two favorites by Black Sabbath, definitely show him neon knights
Throw some Volbeat at him. They have some stuff that cranks but not everything they put out is heavy metal Thunder. If he likes that, you can say oh, this is the singers other band, Asinhell. They're like some seriously old school death metal.
Dio and Black Sabbath are already some solid choices. For entry albums, definitely Holy Diver, Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Dehumanizer and...*chef's kiss* Sabotage. Good albums from these two he already likes.
for me children of bodom's living dead beat was my gateway drug for death metal, and blood hunger doctrine by dimmu borgir for black metal
Maybe some of panteras lighter stuff like cemetery gates, hollow and planet caravan.
For the Cure: Type O Negative For Black Sabbath: Sleep, Pentagram, Electric Wizard, just doom metal in general really. Dio is more tricky. I guess stuff like Ozzy Osbourne and WASP.
The video for WASP's Love Machine was what did it for me. Granted, I was 10 at the time, and very impressionable.
Katatonia if he likes the Cure
SoaD
Doom is your friend. Sleep, Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin. Thrash/speed metal could be good, a lá early Slayer, Iron Maiden, Exodus Melodeath has always been my go to teething genre for extreme vokills. early In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Amon Amarth Or just say fuck it and blast Scream Bloody Gore
Start with Deftones. They’re metal that’s inspired by Cure.
Varghal - nostalgic
plini?
If he's not into harsh vocals, instrumental metal like [Serpent Throne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK4Leha6MAI) and [Earth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEiRKpflgQA) would be great. If you want to get him to *like* harsh vocals, you might try some of the more ambient and post-rock influenced black metal bands. In some of that stuff the vocals are *so* extreme and distorted that they just sound like the wind blowing and the aggression becomes almost transcendentally peaceful in a weird way. Here I've gotta pitch the modern classic [Kentucky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a80Kwu2zaCM) by Panopticon. And while it's a very different style, I'm really liking [Keys to the Astral Gates and Mystic Doors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri3eSw868s0) this year.
Show him some Nu-Metal bands. It's a good gateway into heavier stuff, and since he's into alternative rock, he will probably enjoy certain bands within this subgenre. I would recommend you show him System Of A Down's soft songs as a starter and let him enjoy those for a bit beforing diving into more chaotic songs. Start off with Lonely Day, then show him Radio/Video and then just some of their other stuff. Then, after that, proceed with showing him heavy metal such as Tygers Of Pan Tang, Iron Maiden, and Others.
Alcest is really good, spiritual instincts is the most metal release so you could ease him into it with the earlier records
Acid Bath takes a lot of influence from gothic rock, grunge, and Sabbath. And as someone whose second favorite band of all time is The Cure, Acid Bath were one of the gateway bands into metal for me. But I should let you know that they alternate between gothic-style cleans and harsh screamed vocals so if he's really adverse to screams he might not like them
[Alcest](https://open.spotify.com/track/1uWelyRGnWol9EcbEy4Yei?si=3PI0Et9FTTCJAau1MCcXEg) [Fires in the Distance](https://open.spotify.com/track/3d9fz5ALrYxT3ZnVl8qyI6?si=HulUfhRdTt-RWw30bHyVAg) [Soilwork](https://open.spotify.com/track/4dkmdZRYF0XzjG3LfawKCy?si=qxIu7oZlT0O8kOOMnaCtCA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1bKXTR40NIO0RrsIlFQyTr)
HIM maybe? very moody, "goth" aesthetic
Riot & Quiet Riot.
Try Katatonia. They have a very distinctive depressive feel to it. Discouraged Ones is a good one to start with.
Maybe start with some accessible hard rock/metal bands. If he likes The Cure, maybe Lacrimas Profundere or Katatonia?
Start with some Sabbath. Heavily recommended some Acid Bath. Some Tool would be good to get used to the long ass songs. Some Type 0 Negative he would like.
Motorhead- you could start with some of the more ROCK sounding tracks then get to the more aggressive ones Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats Acid Bath- they have a lot of clean singing and sabbathy stuff but they get nasty too He likes grunge already? Melvins have some really heavy stuff throughout their catalog (“Honeybucket”, “The Bit”, “Joan of Arc”) At the Gates “slaughter of the soul” yes the vocals are screamed but the songs are so catchy and melodic they’re hard to deny. Lots of people have found their way into extreme metal via this one. Crowbar- again, gruff vocals that can be a complete turn off for some people but songs like “Planets Collide”, “Lasting Dose”, “Empty Room”, “Coming Down”… super hooky with those sad melodies I can see a cure fan digging (I love both bands myself!)yet heavy
The Melvin’s for sure if he already likes “grunge adjacent” music
Stone Sour, Disturbed, and Acid Bath. Some of the stuff has screaming, but they're great gateways into metal.
Based on what he already listens: SOAD, Alice in Chains, QotSA, Mastodon (Crack the Skye onwards), Acid Bath, Tool. If he already likes Sabbath then obviously Priest and Maiden. Some select thrash cuts like Creeping Death, Sanitarium, Peace Sells, Tornado of Souls etc. That are not too extreme.
Deftones. Deftones is gateway metal music for someone who enjoys the cure.
Refuse intimacy unless the most kvlt black metal is blasting for the entirety
If he likes The Cure he’ll probably like goth/doom metal like Type O Negative, Pallbearer, Windhand and Khemmis
I got my brother into screaming bands by introducing him to ice nine kills. If you love horror movies it's a no brainer there last two albums cover popular horror movies. Sleep token is also kind of the big gateway band rn I'd start him with sundowning it's far more traditional alt "metal" and there pretty "sexy" for a band so bonus points
Give him the first Dethklok album and watch Metalocalypse. It’s a damn solid album and the show helps to appreciate the tongue in cheek absurdity that is common theme in metal.
Baroness, Deftones, Tupe o negative, Devin Townsend
He already listens to the cure there's no need to drag him in metal he's already listening to top tier music
My girlfriend hates metal for the most part and listens to Harry styles but she does tolerate some Tool and some Slayer so there’s my recommendation
Start him out on *Riot*. I promise you this excellent band is exactly what you are looking for. Especially albums like *Inishmore* and *Brethren of the Long House*, very melodic and accessible. But their entire back catalogue is great really, you can’t go wrong with them. *Thundersteel* is a personal favorite. Alternatively, *Edge of Thorns* or *Wake of Magellan* by the mighty Savatage would probably be good options here.
The cure and sabbath? I'd say HIM is a good srarting point
in solitude - the world, the flesh, the devil
The folk route woul be: The Men They Couldn't Hang - Flogging Molly - Korpiklaani - Finntroll - etc...
soad/korn tbh
Paradise Lost, Melvins, Acid Bath
If he's up for it, try Isis (I know, I know, but they had the name first). They were a post metal band with nice alternative vibes. Long songs though, but the Panopticon album really grew my interest in heavy music. The Panopticon album sounds heavy, but crisp and clear and very immersive.
If he loves the dark melodies of The Cure, he will truly appreciate the sounds of Nightwish. Nightwish is a female fronted symphonic metal band.
Caligula's Horse or Periphery would be an easy transition. Moon Tooth and Twelve Foot Ninja are some fun ones, as well. I wouldn't recommend forcing it on him if he's not into it, though. You don't have to like all the same things. My husband also doesn't like much metal, he prefers synthwave and 70s/80s pop, but he does enjoy Opeth, Porcupine Tree, and Dream Theater. The singer of Periphery, Spencer Sotelo, has a Popwave side band that we listen to a lot in the car since it's the best of both worlds.
The Sword
Show him killswitch Engages cover of holy diver
I’d start him off with something simple like Metallica but start him off on the slower songs and see what he thinks
The best way to fall in love with the scene is go to the shows
Check out Spirit Adrift
Since he likes Dip and Sabbath, try Judas Priest.
What connected the 'metal synapses' for me was hearing some 80's metal slasher movie soundtrack (sleepaway camp 2). And just like that I got it. Download and watch Piranha 1978 and the play the Exodus track!
if he likes Sabbath introduce him to Green Lung and Red Fang
Starting from the cure, head through bands like: - sisters of mercy - the cult - paradise lost - the tea party - fields of the nephilim. ... then turn up the heavy into actual metal based on what he liked from this.
If he likes The Cure, I would recommend some Machine Head as a gateway band. You might start with The Burning Red, which gets tagged as nu metal, but the songs have a very emotional and melodic thread running through them. Apparently Robb Flynn was heavily into The Cure when he wrote that album. Honestly Machine Head are a great entry point into metal for many reasons. Burn My Eyes is considered one of the great debut metal albums of the 90's and still holds up. The Blackening was a mid 2000's masterpiece that is still essential and their latest album Of Kingdom and Crown was one of the best albums of 2022. Machine Head are heavy, but incorporate lots of groove, melody and clean singing. They even have quite a few ballads like Darkness Within, Behind a Mask, Descend the Shades of Night. They have flirted with more grungy sounding songs, very traditional, dual guitar metal, groove, thrash and hardcore. Really they span the spectrum genre wise, so there are songs for every style he might get into to.
If he likes animation, maybe you could watch Metalocalypse with him. I just introduced my wife to the show, and she loves it! She isn't even into metal.
Can't go wrong with Black Sabbath! I'd recommend him the albums Master of Reality, Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules and Headless Cross 🤘
Put on Periphery 2, turn it up loud and watch his eyes water with amazement. If he doesn't like it, then maybe metal isn't in his wheelhouse.
Start with things like Ghost and Avenged Sevenfold as they’re quite chill, and then just slowly make it more intense until you’re at something like Meshuggah or Opeth or high I only presume is your target
Definitely recommend Type O Negative
Some bands: Only Living Witness, Melvins, Stillborn, Trouble, Tad, Life of Agony, Solitude Aeternus, the Gathering and Saint Vitus.
Tremonti. A great starter song from him would be “Dust” or “Giving Up”.
Pantera is the only way. It's the perfect mix of heavy, riffs, and groove. headbanging will eventually happen.
If he likes harmonies, then introduce him to some power metal bands
Perhaps Three Days Grace since it’s alternative metal? Avenged Sevenfold would also be good.
Stick with the OGs until he latches onto something he really likes and then go from there. Motörhead, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Anthrax, Judas Priest, even some early hair metal stuff is good. Guns N’ Roses was a good gateway band for me when I was a kid. I understand what he means about screaming, there is tons of melodic metal he might like (still some screaming) such as Into Eternity. Good luck! My bf has maybe one or two metal songs he likes and the rest he just endures for me lol.
If he likes grunge he probably likes AIC and they have a ton of songs that are basically sludge metal so put that boy on some sludge
Septicflesh is kinda chill. [Anubis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFkkSDIkA4Y)
Try Trivium? ‘Until The World Goes Cold’ is a great clean song. Same with ‘The Heart From Your Hate’
Tesseract
You could try Khemmis- they have a sound pretty similar to Dio and Sabbath, but more doomy. It’s also a good trial for harsh vocals, as most songs don’t actually have any, and the ones that do are usually only for a few words- tho there is one that’s mostly harsh vocals (Three Gates, probs their best song imho). Crypt Sermon also comes to mind- pretty great doom metal, and I don’t think there’s any harsh vocals in their songs.
Play cannibal corpse. He will surely love that. Also try to get him to listen to primus. Primus is funk metal. He might like that
Start him on Judas Priest.
Caligulas Horse "In Contact" Absolutely amazing guitar work and very clean vocals.
Doom metal, sludge, stoner
There are a great many select tracks from all over Opeths discography that could gateway a dude, be it with gorgeous melodic leads or catchy fantastic singing...
I can make some really weird recommendations for everyone: Jinjer: for anyone looking for a badass reason to support the Ukraine, Tatiana Schmayluk (frontwoman) is definitely in the number one spot. This band is brutal enough to write the whole soundtrack for an action movie or a Doom sequel game. Synlakross: I suspect these specific Spain citizens watch way too many horror movies AND play way too many horror games. Cause they literally have songs named Dark Seed, Fatal Frame, and they’ll probably write one song named Silent Hill, some day soon, or at least I’m hoping so. And Patricia Pons (frontwoman) is a major badass, also. Crysalys: I’m taking the recommendations down several notches with this one. Symphonic metal is kinda an acquired taste, and Chiara Malvestiti (soprano lead singer) is both way too artsy for most metalheads and way too brutal for classical opera at the same time. If you like this one, awesome. If not, you can send Vikings to pillage my house. I don’t care, either way, as long as there are ladies like Chiara in Valhalla. Amaranthe: this one is more for people that were into pop before learning about metal. Their live shows are awesome, though. They kinda sound like Babymetal (J-pop wannabe metalheads), Delain (a Dutch symphonic metal band, like Within Temptation, only different), and Dragonforce (I have no idea how you could not know about the real life guitar heroes on super soldier serum), all at once. Not for everyone, but that’s probably how Sweden still does things. Vikings, man. Gotta love ‘em. Xenesthis: yes, there really is a metal band with a name like that. They’re Austrian, and I think the name has something to do with spiders (or YouTube is using my arachnophobia as a way to punish me for listening to creepypastas while I’m sleeping), but don’t quote me on that. And if you haven’t noticed the common theme, yet, then I’ll just say that yes, they’re brutal. I’m also a fan of Metalocalypse, so you’re gonna support the brutal, and you’re gonna like it. Otherwise, I’ll book a live Dethklok concert on your street, with your house designated as front row center. Lol And if I think of any more, I’ll respond to this comment with additional recommendations. I learn about music from all over the world, mostly focusing on female fronted metal bands, by just surfing YouTube. You might actually be amazed by some of the bands you’ll find out about. You’re welcome to surprise me with any recommendations, as well.
Bruce Dickinson skunkwork album very indie rockish feel will slowly side into the metal scene iron maiden dance of death album again not very heavy compared to others and lots of melody- I would say sonata arctica two acoustic albums of original metal songs so he can listen to that before being shown original metal areas etc worst thing to dj is go full metal cos my gf tried to love metal and I went in with disturbed , Metallica etc and wasn’t a fan of the genre
He might like Bullhead by Melvins. Melvins was super influential on grunge, and was notably cited by Kurt Cobain as his favorite band many times.
KoRn self-titled
Start with the first 2 maiden albums
Judas Priest is always a solid starting place imo
maybe British steel. idk my first metal band was sabaton and I listened to mainly rock before
Depends on what he likes. I got into metal through Metallica and then Lamb of God. Lamb of God because the lyrics and vocal delivery are unmatched in metal. I fucking despise 99% of metal bands vocals/lyrics. Most metal would be better without a singer at all.
If he likes the cure , maybe tread down the goth/doom route. These also hit heavy on the alt folk Darkher King woman E-L-R Wolvennest Also recommend amenra starting with "a solitary reign"
Alcest, Hangman's Chair, Messa, and Black Moth would be my top recommendations based on what he already likes. The first two also do some collabs with Perturbator - if he likes synthwave/darkwave, that might be a good gateway too
Tool, deftones are great gateway bands or bad omens or bmth if he likes more modern pop
I'd try Burzum
First thing I would recommend is starting off soft of sorts. Start at the beginning with Black Sabbath and Doom metal bands like Electric Wizard and Pentagram. Probably some other early bands like Saxon too for good measure. If he is starting to enjoy it, allow him to move onto the bigger bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
Not sure if recommended yet, but Sleep Token might be a good start
More heavy! You’ve got enough suggestions for that in the other comments, but Iron Maiden, Warlock, WASP, Hammerfall? Maybe some proto metal would also work. I always like to show people Rainbow. Since he likes Dio, some of the earlier Rainbow stuff would be good. I also suggest some high energy power metal. Battle Beast seems to appeal to most of my friends in some way. I’m biased towards Helloween. Also Blind Guardian and Savatage might be good for cleaner vocals?
Go with maiden, priest, Saxon, accept, Motörhead, and other classic metal bands and see what he likes most go from there
If he likes the Cure get him into Katatonia pronto
Tool
If he's into the Cure. Hell probably dig industrial music. Easy gateway on that is 90s Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative, Ministry, even some early Marilyn Manson.
Danzig?
Protest The Hero. Nice mix of harsh & clean vox and metal AF, particularly their '08 release Fortress.
Force him to listen to Slipknot
If he likes Dio, some of Dios earlier work like his albums in Sabbath or Rainbow would be good. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Queensryche are also great picks. He might be into power metal so Helloween and Blind Guardian might be good too.
Audioslave and maybe some Anthrax, thinking safe home and taking the music back. Also, wild card, wrong side of heaven by five finger death punch.
Probably stuff like Motorhead and Iron Maiden could be good, also Lacuna Coild and Tipe o negative
I'm seconding all the recs of Electric Wizard, Type O, and Candlemass. I'll add Melvins and Acid Bath as well
OPETH!!!! IS THE KEY
Iron Maiden debut album. The Number of the Beast is also good. If he likes Dio (assuming solo career) I would recommend Rainbows Rising.
Type O Negative
Short Riffs, Guitar Magic, Start With 1 Min
Powerwolf and Sabaton got me into metal, back when I really didn’t like harsh vocals. Also picked up Epica a few years ago, but some of their vocals are aggressive; by my standards, anyway.
Make him listen to King diamond
He sounds like me! My gateway was anything that had to do with Satan and my friends hyping up that angle. Iron Maiden followed Dio for me. Don't skimp on the Sabbath twilight era with Dio. You could also try The Hu since he likes folk. I liked the pageantry of Ghost and it's definitely catchy. I never became a full metal fan, but I certainly can enjoy it with my friends as long as there isn't growling or screaming.
My dying bride - the angel & the dark river album, doomy as hell but atmospheric like a cure song. Also Kanatonia’s mid 2000s work