The Best Bands at the Moment

(By Melody Werner)
I've been a metalhead ever since I could remember. I grew up on the mainstream alternative rock and metal of the 2000's, stuff like Disturbed and Three Days Grace. Since, my tastes have vastly matured, they have widened to include other genres, and I have veered far into the underground that I never would've known of then. That's not to say that I'm a hipster--as you'll see, some of my picks here are very popular at the moment in metal circles.

There are a number of legendary bands like Testament, Mastodon, Judas Priest, and Metallica who continue to kick ass in the current scenes they exist in--I want to focus on the bands that are the ones showing how rock and metal can grow in a time when these genres lurk in the cultural shadows. Besides, enough ink has been spilled talking up those bands anyways.

So this is not an exhaustive list of the finest bands out there now. If you're big into rock or metal, you'll also recognize that bands have been omitted, such as Code Orange and Rivers of Nihil. Now, I like what I've listened to of theirs, they're very cutting edge and deserve mention in any list of this type. That said, due to Blogger's tagging limitations and my own frayed attentions, I figured I'd keep it to my personal favorites at the moment, for now. I'll do similar posts in future.

 

Who's the best heavy metal band right now? Battle Beast is definitely way, way the fuck up there. And Noora Louhimo is, holy fucking shit, one of the best leads in metal. Strong enough a vocalist to snap any of the "women can't do metal like men can" sexist dweebs in two. Lovely synths dance along phenomenal instrumentals, their music goes as hard as Sabaton and is as catchy as Judas Priest. Yet it feels unique--partially thanks to Noora, partially thanks to those synths. Just a stellar, stellar band.

Zeal & Ardor blew me away with Stranger Fruit, an album where visionary vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Manuel Gagneux weaves a tragic tale of oppression. Blistering instrumentals and demonic screeches soar, but serene interludes help it feel fully realized and like a hauntingly beautiful epic.

Nova Twins got the Tom Morello co-sign for good reason--they truly are a vastly underappreciated rap metal duo who've brought the heat with a number of absolute fucking bangers.

Black Sites definitely hearkens back to the days of Judas Priest and other heavy metal legends--yet their polemical, poetic lyrics feel very of the moment, and the aggressive, varied playing sells those lyrics. And their tunes remain thoughtful, while being incredibly catchy too. Ragers like "To the Fire" and "Feral Child" are great catharsis.

Reason Define is a brand of heavy metal that is less in line with a Judas Priest, and reminds me more of Alter Bridge. Their hooks on In Memory... are of comparable quality to great shit like "Isolaaaaaatiiiion!" But their lyrics are revealing, vulnerable, and the badass shredding elevates them sonically. I think they've got a masterpiece in them, and seeing how they're not a bunch of chuds has made me happy to have bumped them, even if it's just on this teensy tiny site.

I know what you're thinking--"Matthew likes Ghost?" And, I must confess... I do. Sure, this must come as a true shock to you if you knew I only gave Meliora a 10/10 and have continually gushed over their eccentric Satanic, Beatles-ian pop rock. But think of it this way--they're an excellent band with an astounding level of showmanship.

Loathe are a deeply Deftones inspired outfit, which you can easily tell from listening to their latest album. They're so good, they got the co-sign from Deftones's Chino Moreno, which is pretty dope. As with Deftones, their music is grand, beautiful, concussive--but darker than the band that inspires them so. Definitely looking forward to wherever they go next.

Moron Police began as an outrageous joke band whose popularity was mostly cordoned off in Norway elementary schools, which'd play one of MP's tunes for kids to dance to. However, with their third album (A Boat on the Sea), they took things in a more lush, intellectually stimulating direction--confronting themes of imperialism, and Norway's complicity in the War on Terror. They still make bops, it's just not the kinda stuff any government would integrate into schooling on any level.

Whether it's twee psych rock or calamitous thrash metal, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have gotcha covered. Often tackling environmentalist themes with sincerity and imagination, they're a band everyone wants to root for, for good reason.

Algiers take punk music in a decidedly more soulful direction, infusing gutsy punk lyricism with gorgeous gospel passages that lead to progressive tunes that are consistently interesting. Even when they're doing a banger, the songwriting is subversive, politically-charged, and thoughtful. Big W.

Thundermother is basically sold as a feminist AC/DC or Motörhead, which makes sense--they rock just as hard ("Whatever" is such a barn-burner), but they also can pull of sensitive ballads like "Sleep." (Btw, the inclusive, empowerment themes they employ are great to see as well.)

Johnny Manchild and The Poor Bastards are a jazzy ska/alternative rock band bolstered both by Johnny himself, and The Poor Bastards who bring the great brass playing. Johnny's lyrics are often sensitive, thoughtful; the backing instrumentation provides songs like "The Message" and "Valencia" with tremendous verve.

THE FEVER 333 gets lots of Rage Against the Machine and Linkin Park comparisons thrust upon them, but the desperation in Jason Aalon Butler's vocals, LA riots inspired lyrics, and more modern vibe makes them stand out as their own. JAB's perspective is different from, but not incompatible with, that of Zack De La Rocha and his ilk. And I'm glad to see someone continuing to fight the good fight.