And I decided to register just because of this thread
But first: Amon Amarth are amazing. Dont believe me, watch Wrath of the Norsemen DVD, I challenge you to find ANY OTHER death metal band that can put on a 2.5+ hour long concert. Do it.. I dare you.
Second: Whomever said Nuclear Blast sucks... sucks.
Anyway, on with the list of stuff to listen to, why? Because I said so. (oh, and unless I specify albums / eras, anything they have put to CD/Tape/w/e is good enough)
Absu
The Abyss (Yet another Tagtgren side project)
Agathodaimon
Alkonost
All Out War
Amon Amarth (of course)
Amorphis
Apocalyptica (especially since they have moved past their "cover band with cellos" route on to composing)
Arch Enemy
Arkona (the russian one, not the polish one, I havent listened to the polish band yet)
Astrofaes
At The Gates
Behemoth
Beneath The Massacre
Between the Buried and Me
Bile (the band from Holland, not the industrial thing from NY)
Black Dahlia Murder
Black Label Society
Blind Guardian
Blood Has Been Shed
Bloodbath ----------------- (who are a EUROPEAN DEATH METAL SUPER GROUP, just FYI)
Bolt Thrower
Borknagar ------------------- (although I did prefer Vortex on vocals, I do like everything)
Caedere
Cephalic Carnage ---------------- (amazingly nice guys, plus, no concert is ever the same)
Children of Bodom
Cthonic -----------------------(AMAZINGLY talented black metal out of Taiwan)
Clutch --------------------(not technically metal, but I dont care, still amazing.)
Crematory
Cryptopsy --------------- (RESPECT THE FLO... DO IT.)
Death --------------- (RIP Chuck)
Demons & Wizards ---------------- (Because even Power Metal needs its super group)
Destruction ----------------- (One of the big three Euro thrash)
DevilDriver ---------------(Never were "Nu-metal" never will be "nu-metal" and will always bring a good pit)
Dimmu Borgir ---------------- (waah waah, they are over-produced they arent black metal.... stfu and die.)
Down
Drudkh
Dying Fetus
Emperor
Eyehategod
Falkenbach
Fear Factory
Finntroll ------------- (Are amazing... stfu)
Folkearth
Fortid
Gardenian
Gojira --------------- (equal parts amazing and awsome)
Gorgoroth
GWAR
Helheim
High On Fire
Hypocrisy
Immortal
In Extremo ------------- (I prefer their older stuff, such as Verehrt and earlier, but its all good)
In Flames
Kataplexia
Katatonia
Kilgore
Kovenant (formerly known as Covenant)
Kreator ------------ (one of the other big three of euro-thrash)
Krisiun
Lacuna Coil ------------ (will always be better than their crappy american knock offs Evanesence)
Lamb of God
Leave's Eyes
Machine Head
Månegarm
Marduk
Mastadon
Mayhem ----------------- (again, I prefer the older stuff, De Mysteriis and Live in Leipzig, but its all decent)
Meshuggah
The Midget Who Stole God's Map of the Universe
Moonshine
Moonspell
Motörhead
Mudvayne ------------- (LD50 was amazing, everything else, not so much)
Nailbomb
Nile
Old Man's Child
Opeth
Pain ------------- (yet another Tagtgren side project)
Pig Destroyer
Pro-Pain
Rammstein ------------------ (I still like them, I could care less what you think, Rosenrot was a good album)
S.O.D.
Samael
Satyricon
Sentenced
Sepultura --------------- (I prefer the stuff when Max was still the singer)
Sig:ar:tyr
Sinergy
Six Feet Under
Sodom --------------- (the third of the "big three" of euro thrash)
Soilent Green
Soilwork ------------------- (Incredibly hit & miss with their albums, most of their albums, IMO, have sucked, but they occasionally hit the mark with a good song or three, and live, they are amazing)
Soulfly ------------- (now that theyve found their niche)
Stahlhammer
Static-X ----------------- (no, my name doesnt come from this band, but honestly, most of the stuff since "Machine" has been sub-par, IMO)
The Sword
Sword of Darkness
System of a Down ----------------- (the fact that probably 90% of the people who do, have, or will listen to their music, dont understand the message they are trying to convey is awsome)
!.T.O.O.H.!.
Theatre of Tragedy ------------------ (Honestly, I hate everything from Musique onward, but thats me)
Therion ---------------- (because opera + metal is weird... but it works)
Thrudvangar
Tiamat
Type O Negative
Týr -------------------- (and honestly, they DO take themselves seriously, and the subject matter of their songs seriously, Im sorry whomever it was that thinks they are cheesy never bothered to listen to the lyrics)
Vader
Venom
Walhalla --------------- (because having a euro death metal super group and a power metal super group wasnt enough, gotta have the viking metal super group too)
Woden
Yellow Machine Gun
3 Inches of Blood