My Top 10 Singers & Bands (2.0)

Welcome back fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

The first list I ever did on this blog was my original top 10 singers & bands list, but since then my musical tastes have expanded quite a bit. I’ve discovered new bands, and at the same time rediscovered older musicians who have since become favorites of mine. Everybody on my 2014 are still people I enjoy, but today I want to talk about some other bands or singers that tickle my fancy. So without further delay, here are 10 more singers & bands that I like. Let’s begin!

10) Queen (Song/Song)

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s getting into bands long after their heyday. That, or getting into a band my folks like years after they tried to introduce me to said group. Case in point is the iconic British titan known as Queen, and I can understand why some of you might get mad at me for putting them here. I do admit I’m exceptionally picky when it comes to what I like from these guys, and if I’m being a little more honest, I only really like the group’s final 2 albums with Freddy Mercury (Being near death’s door brings out the artist in some). That being said, I’m kinda glad I finally began listening to Queen. While I might not ever be a hardcore fan, I can definitely say I enjoy them a lot on a casual level, and who knows. Maybe I’ll get into them a little more down the line.

(Also, it didn’t help the fact that I got to see a Queen + Adam Lambert early last month. Definitely a fun & illuminating experience.)

9) Turmion Kätilöt (Song/Song)

If there’s one thing I can appreciate in the world of Heavy Metal (Or music in general), it’s the phenomenon that is the “Cult” band. Whether they’re from the states or from abroad, I always enjoy a group that has a smaller or more obscure following, as it makes for a more intimate experience when I listen to them. Chief among them is the Finnish industrial giants Turmion Kätilöt, and it’s all thanks to an old acquaintance of mine that I became introduced to them in the first place. Coming from someone that’s a die-hard Rammstein fan, I find that these guys are a fantastic alternative to not only them but more established Industrial Metal bands. Combining dark sensuality with a heavy dose of Shock Rock, Turmion Kätilöt have managed to stick around for over a decade and a half, and it’s always surprising to see who knows of them. I’ve been listening to them since 2007, and it’s 2019....so it’s safe to say they’re permanently among my favorite bands.

8) Judas Priest (Song/Song)

If you recall my original list, you’ll remember me putting these Heavy Metal titans in my honorable mentions section, citing that I’m incredibly picky about what I listen to from them. I still stand by that 5 years later, but now I’m considerably more adventurous about what I listen to from Judas Priest. My comfort zone is still their heyday in the 1980s, not to mention their brief presence in the 90s & from 2005 & onward, but now I’m far more curious about their origins in the 70s than ever before. Maybe I’ll get some time to listen to stuff from that decade when I get some!

7) King Diamond (Song/Song)

A relatively recent newcomer to my musical tastes, and for the longest time I blame the vocal work of the king himself as the reason for why I stayed away for so long. A few years prior I had got my feet wet with Death Metal & Black Metal, but Kim Bendix Petersen’s heavy usage of falsetto always turned me off. Come 2016, and I finally sat down to listen to his 2nd release, Abigail. I definitely enjoyed it, yet still didn’t feel compelled to listen to anything else. Ironically enough, it would take the intervention of metal elitest & Trump dick sucker Razorfist, as he put out a Metal Mythos (Which you can watch here) on the man conveniently on my birthday earlier this year, and when I was done things finally clicked for me. Incredible instrumentation, vocal work like that of a badass demon, wonderful atmosphere & storytelling, and one of the few times I like anything horror related. Now, I thoroughly enjoy the work of this awesome Danish man, and with The Institute coming out next year, you can bet that I’ll be sticking around the King Diamond camp for a while longer.

6) Moonspell (Song/Song)

What Type-O Negative was to American Gothic Metal (Ironic, given that Pete Steele actually didn’t like that term), Moonspell is to European Gothic Metal. Heavily inspired by their counterparts in the states, Fernando Ribeiro & friends I might actually like more than Peter Steele! Though he’s not as physically impressive, Fernando easily has mastery over everything gothic that comes his way, especially when Moonspell decides to go sensual. You know that you’ve done something right as a band, when your home country releases a series of stamps celebrating successful iconic bands.....and you’re one of them. I sincerely hope them come stateside again, cause I want to see them the first chance I get!

5) Metallica (Song/Song)

And here we reach a tough spot. I was considering putting Metallica bit higher on the list, but I had to take a step back & be a bit more objective. Their first 5 records are some of the most iconic Thrash Metal albums ever released to the public, and their the ones I hold close to my heart (Especially And Justice For All & The Black Album). Sadly, once it went past 1991, that’s where it all seemed to go downhill for the band. Death Magnetic & Hardwired To Self-Destruct certainly had some nice tunes, but they in no way hold a candle to anything off of Kill Em’ All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, and the two mentioned above. As such, Metallica makes it right smack dab in the middle of this list. However.....

4) Kreator (Song/Song/Song)***

I like albums all over the career of these Teutonic Terrors! It did take me a bit long to get into these guys in comparison to Metallica’s first 5 releases, but once I got a connection I found my bond with Kreator to be far stronger than that of one of the American cornerstone of Thrash. Millie Petrozza generates so much force with his voice and his guitar work, and the rest of the band aren’t slouches by any means. This band isn’t afraid to go a bit darker that most other Thrash Metal groups (Though I think Sodom and possibly Destruction), they’re also not necessarily afraid to experiment as well. Though almost all of their output from the 90s wasn’t looked upon as well as that of the 80s and the 2000s/2010s, I still find it to be a fascinating time for Kreator. Regardless, these guys have become one of my foundations for my love of Thrash Metal, and I bet they are for some of you as well.

3) Korn (Song/Song)

I’ll state the following until the day I die: I feel bad for Nu Metal! Thanks in part to rapid commercialization (Even more so than Hair Metal), a notorious reputation among certain bands, Woodstock 99, the list can go on. Once it reached the mid/late 2000s, most bands in the style were gone, or were reduced in terms of popularity. Not only that, once it actually reached the early 2000s, the original wave of Nu Metal was all but gone, and the 2nd wave seemed to take over & disappear just a few years later. However, despite all this turmoil within Nu Metal, Korn has managed to live through it and still continue to be a shockingly consistent band. Despite some roadbumps of their own, they really are one of the few classic Nu Metal bands that still continue to make great albums, and once Brian Welch came back, they really felt like their old selves again. I was considering putting Korn at the number 2 spot, but it just barely missed the mark. Still, these guys are one of the big staples of Nu Metal, and after all this time.....I still have a soft spot for them. 

2) Septicflesh (Song/Song)

Now we’re in the home stretch. I will admit, figuring out how the order of my number 2 and my number 1 were going to be was difficult. To me, I had to weigh “Clicking For Me” and “Emotional Value”, and those are some pretty big factors to figure out which is more significant. Ultimately, emotional value won out over something clicking in my head, but don’t take that to mean I think any less of this icons of the Greek Death Metal scene. Long before I even gained any appreciation for Septicflesh (And by extension Death Metal), I didn’t feel as much revulsion towards the few tracks I listened to from them as opposed to other bands in their style. Come 2014, and after listening to their album Titan, I understood Death Metal and it’s fans much more than I once did. I know I’m repeating myself when I say I might not ever be a full-blown Death Metal fan, but Septicflesh (Alongside a few others) have shown me that maybe the style isn’t as bad as I once assumed.

Before we get to my number 1 band, I wanted to take a look at some honorable mentions among the bands I like. Let me make this perfectly clear: the following bands aren’t garbage by any means. These 3 groups are all legendary in various ways, but there’s at least one or two issues I have with them that keep them off the main list. With that said, here are some of my Heavy Metal honorable mentions.

HM1) Iron Maiden (Song/Song)

What Judas Priest was to my original list, Iron Maiden is to this list. I confess I’m far more of a fan of Bruce Dickenson’s time in the band, rather than anything from the Paul Di'Anno or Blaze Bailey eras. Not to say that those two were necessarily bad, but Bruce is just as good as them....and then some. From Number Of The Beast to Fear Of The Dark, and then Brave New World & Book Of Souls, I find myself far more attracted to these particular records than anything else. Sure, this might seem narrow-minded for some of you, but Bruce Dickenson has, had, and always will be Iron Maiden to me, and thus I find his time in the band to be the best.

HM2) Grim Reaper (Song/Song)

If there’s one issue with “Cult” bands, it’s that sometimes there’s usually a factor that prevents them from becoming more popular. In the case of Turmion Kätilöt, it the fact that they’re more European focused. With Grim Reaper.....it would have to be it’s reputation. For a long time, this little British band was the butt of a lot of jokes. Some people from my generation, in fact, might recall Beavis & Butthead just outright mauling them on TV. It’s only until recent years thanks to a resurrection of sorts (Read here) that the jokes have subsided, and people realize at just how good the band can be. Sure, the first album or so might not have aged well, but it’s a safe bet to say that every record they put out is fun to listen to. Their reputation still has some mud on it’s face, but in maybe a year or two more, maybe they’ll finally be recognized as the legends that they deserve to be.

HM3) Battle Beast (Song/Song)

I find it rather heartbreaking that I’m putting these guys here. I discovered them back in 2017 when they were one of the opening acts for Sabaton’s tour that year (Along Leaves’ Eyes), and immediately fell in love with them. They were the perfect blend of old-school vibes & modern day Power Metal sensibilities. Steel is restrained but fun, their self-titled album is phenomenal, and Unholy Savior provided much of the same as the record before it. Sadly, Bringer of Pain & No More Hollywood Endings (The latter of which I was genuinely excited for) didn’t have the creative force of founding member Anton Kabanen behind them. If anything, they sound far more commercial & less inspired than they once were. None the less, my heart still beats for their earlier work, and thus I can’t completely exclude them from my library.

1) Sabaton (Song/Song)

Funny story: I first found out about this band way back in 2010, but didn’t really become hooked until 2016 when The Last Stand came out. I simply could not understand how Power Metal and historical warfare could not only mix, but be a highly effective mix at that. One I understood the mix, I have let into my life one of the most important & special bands I’ve ever encountered. From Primo Victoria to The Great War, there haven’t been that many bands that have made me simultaneously laugh, smile, and cry. However, Joakim & friends have managed to accomplish this task easily, and not a day goes by where I listen to at least one of their songs. Hell, whenever I’m not feeling good, their music is always there alongside plenty other Power Metal greats. I look forward to many more years of these Swedish greats, and I think all of their fans do so as well.

And there were 10 more of my top ten singers & bands. Perhaps a more bizarre compilation of groups than the one I did in 2014, but my musical tastes have changed a lot since then. Trying new bands and rediscovering old ones has helped me expand my Heavy Metal tastes, and I look forward to expanding some more. There’s one more post I got for September, and then it’s the celebration of another spooky band for October. See you all soon!


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If you’re curious about what my original 10 singers & bands were, check out the link below:

My Top 10 Singers & Bands (2014 Edition)

Also, kinda broke the mold with Kreator's songs. Kinda wanted to show off a spectrum of tunes from them.