Deftones have been on a bit of a roller coaster the past decade or so. The band emerged in the nu-metal scene in the mid 90s, but around the turn of the century they began to branch out into more sonically adventurous directions, transforming their already unique sound into something one of a kind, and making every album a stepping stone for their natural progression. 2012’s Koi No Yokan saw the band receive an exorberant amount of attention in the media, and rightly so, as the album was nothing short of an accomplishment in many regards.
Chances are, if you’re into metal, your first love for a band wasn’t Gorgoroth or Suffocation. I’ve met a person or two who went from prog rock into tech death, but in actuality the majority of people in the metal community started with the basics: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and even hard rock bands that influenced the genre, like Van Halen. It’s almost like Metal 101, and everyone has to go through it at some point or another. And whether you enjoy the music or not, you can’t deny the influence on the genre, let alone how it has impacted the world.
Sometimes, when tours get announced, the lineup is just too good to pass up, even if you aren’t entirely familiar with the bands attached. I could argue that I enjoyed Intronaut and Scale the Summit as bands and that they’re great musicians, but improper timing on my behalf never allowed me to give the respective bands as much time as they deserved. I’m familiar with a good deal of their songs, and given the fact that they were all withstanding the staggering amount of music I’ve digested clearly says something about the quality of the bands as a whole.
Contrary to popular belief, metalheads are capable of enjoying music outside of the genre. As such, it’s sometimes difficult to find bands to enjoy that don’t fit into our comfort zone. Non-Metal for Metalheads is an attempt to bridge the gaps between genres a bit and show different bands that might be of some appeal.
Viking metal, that of sagas growled describing the gods and goddesses of the frozen wastes, battling monsters and each other, as well as the warriors who lived in that icy hel, is a thunderous and energetic metal style that has become very popular as of late. Currently leading the pack in popularity and in consistent output is Amon Amarth, who look, sound, and sing like we all feel a viking warrior should: powerfully! With their newest frozen slab of viking virtue, Jomsviking, they thoroughly cement their place in the metal god pantheon. Opening with the ominous first track, First Kill, they come flying at you as if they had landed a raiding party upon your shores. Galloping guitars, thundering drums, all leading to...
