Best British Metal

London, England (1975 - Present)

One of the most successful and influential bands in the heavy metal genre, selling over 80 million albums worldwide. The band has so far released fifteen studio albums, four “best of” compilations, nine live albums and four limited boxed-sets. They have also won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement in 2000.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Suffolk, England (1991 – present)

Extreme metal band. The band's musical style evolved from black metal, to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles. Their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily influenced by gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Birmingham, England (1968 – present)

In the early 1970s they were the first to pair heavily distorted, sonically dissonant blues-rock at slow speeds with lyrics about drugs, mental pain, and abominations of war, thus giving birth to generations of metal bands that followed in their wake. They are often credited with creating the heavy metal genre as well as the doom metal genre.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Bradford, England (1990 – present)

Doom metal band that was at the forefront of the English Doom movement in the early 90s that included such bands as the former label mates Anathema and Paradise Lost. Formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, they are known for their slow yet extremely heavy riffs and haunting lyrics. Relentlessly slow, thick, heavy chords allied with remarkably morose lyrics make My Dying Bride a unique proposition and certainly a challenge to the listener.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Halifax, England (1988 – present)

One of the premier bands of the death doom metal genre. Pioneered the sound of early gothic metal. In the late 1990s they evolved to a more mainstream synth rock style, only to come full-circle back to their doom metal roots on recent releases.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Yorkshire, England (1993 - Present)

Extreme metal combining elements of black metal, symphonic, and classical music. Vocalist/lyricist Byron Roberts, who came up with the idea for the band around 1989, took the name ‘Bal-Sagoth’ from a Robert E. Howard short story “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth”.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Liverpool, England (1985 – 1995, 2007 – present)

Grindcore/melodic death metal band formed by Napalm Death guitarist Bill Steer together with drummer Ken Owen in 1985 and is considered by many to have been one of the most influential and talented bands within the extreme metal scene.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Coventry, United Kingdom (1986 - Present)

One of the world’s most consistent and enduring death metal bands. Has weathered the best and worst of times in the genre’s history without giving in to commercial temptations or altering its sound. The fact that they were unusually blessed with a steady lineup throughout much of their career contributed to this stability, and though they were rarely bestowed much praise for their efforts, Bolt Thrower gradually established itself as one of the best death metal bands ever to emerge from England, and the earth for that matter.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Liverpool, England (1990 – present)

Primarily known as one of the pioneering and leading death doom metal acts, incorporating growling, poetic lyrics and complex arrangements into the traditional doom riffage. Later in their career, beginning with “Eternity”, they moved away from this sound into more melodic, atmospheric rock.

Three best albums in my opinion:

Birmingham, England (1981 – present)

Grindcore/death metal. Although other groups had previously played fast and aggressive music, Napalm Death is credited with defining the Grindcore genre through its fusion of punk and metal musical structures, aggressive playing, fast tempos, and deep guttural vocals. The group coined the term ‘Grind’ to describe the music they played in reference to the sound of American post-punk group Swans.

Three best albums in my opinion: