Text written by WikiSister Renata Carvalho for the column Scream For Me, WikiBrother
For years, the death of metal has been predicted; various changes in the dynamics of show business and in the musical genre itself, coupled with a certain tendency towards complacency on the part of the most pessimistic fans, seem to put the survival of the style in jeopardy.
The truth, however, is that year after year a new crop of names from all subgenres of metal emerges, breathing new life into the style and adding new faces and names to the tree. Some bands with more than a decade on the road and more than five albums under their belt continue to rise and are already capable of at least one of the following feats: playing shows in arenas, lending their name to cruise ships, touring through various countries on different continents, or appearing at several major European festivals, such as Jinjer , Sabaton , Soen , or Dynazty .
There doesn't seem to be so much a real problem of the "death of the genre," as the national and international concert schedule, as well as the creation and return of renowned festivals in Brazil, show, but perhaps a certain disinterest on the part of fans of the genre in keeping up with the latest news through the numerous means currently available.
We still have traditional magazines dedicated to metal covering both well-established names and promising newcomers, as well as independent creators across all social media platforms daily churning out content from all eras of metal and hard rock, including up-and-coming bands, not to mention the easy access to music since the advent of YouTube and streaming platforms.
Here is a list of newer bands with few albums in their catalog, all released less than five years ago, that deserve attention:
1 – Jelusick – hard / prog / heavy metal
For fans of Van Halen, Nevermore, Animals as Leaders, Alice in Chains.
Highlight: “Reign of Vultures” ( Follow the Blind Man , 2023)
Who doesn't already know vocalist Dino Jelusick , the Croatian sensation who has become a recurring figure on rock and metal news websites since taking on the role of keyboardist and backing vocalist for Whitesnake David Coverdale 's farewell tour ?
Young, but already with a considerable amount of work on his resume, Dino presents his original work in the band that bears his surname and features Ivan Keller (guitar), Luka Brodarić (bass) and Mario Lepogavlec (drums), creating a sound that ranges from hard rock to prog metal, with diverse influences in between. With their debut album released in September, the band has received very positive reviews.
2 – Ad Infinitum – modern melodic metal
For fans of Within Temptation, Amaranthe
Highlight: “Marching on Versailles” ( Chapter I – Monarchy , 2020)
For fans of symphonic bands with female vocals, Ad Infinitum is a great choice; born in 2018 as a solo project by vocalist Melissa Bonny , who is also responsible for the guttural vocals on the songs, the band also features Adrian Theßenvit (guitar), Niklas Müller (drums), and Korbinian Benedict ( bass).
With their third album in production, Ad Infinitum is one of the most promising bands in the genre today, participating in tours with names like Amaranthe and Beyond the Black, as well as being part of the lineup of major festivals across Europe.
3 – Bloodywood – nu / folk metal
For fans of Lorna Shore, System of a Down
Highlight: “ Aaj” ( Rakshak , 2022 )
Hailing from Delhi, India, comes the band chosen as one of the 12 bands to watch in 2022 by Metal Hammer . Playing a sound that blends nu metal with folk elements from Punjabi culture, the band, formed by main composer Karan Katiyar and vocalists Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr , has had an exciting journey recounted by the band themselves in an entertaining documentary on their YouTube channel. It all began with their performance at Wacken Open Air in 2019, with musicians Sarthak Pahwa (dhol), Roshan Roy (bass), and Vishesh Singh (drums) joining to handle the pressure at the time. The result was a success.
4 – The Damnation – thrash metal
For Megadeth fans , Crypta
Highlight: “Grief of Death” ( Way of Perdition , 2022 )
First on the list is the Brazilian band formed by Renata Petrelli (vocals and guitar), Aline Dutchi (bass) and Ellen Tavares (drums), one of the revelations of national metal last year, with a sound composed of various metal subgenres, influenced by bands such as Kreator, Megadeth and Testament.
5 – The Hu – folk metal
For fans of western rock,
highlight: “This is Mongol” ( Rumble of Thunder , 2022)
Cinematic. That's how you could describe this new band from Mongolia that produces breathtaking music videos and composes songs with a slight soundtrack feel – and no, that doesn't mean it sounds like Hans Zimmer . Formed by Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar (morin khuur, khoomei vocals), Nyamjantsan “Jaya” Galsanjamts (tumur hhuur, tsuur, khoomei vocals), Enkhsaikhan “Enkush” Batjargal (morin khuur, khoomei vocals) and Temuulen “Temka” Naranbaatar (tovshuur, backing vocals) in 2016, the band has risen rapidly due to its unique sound and identity.
6 – Electric Mob – hard rock
For fans of Inglorious, Extreme, and blues rock.
Highlight: “Saddest Funk Ever” ( 2 Make U Cry & Dance , 2023)
Another national gem, Eletric Mob is a Curitiba-based band that irresistibly blends rock, blues, talent, and good humor. Probably better known here as "the band from the video with Boça," the group, formed in 2016 and composed of Renan Zonta (vocals), Ben Hur Auwarter (guitar), Yuri Elero (bass), and André Leister (drums), has won fans in the European and American markets, promising to be a great exponent of Brazilian rock abroad. Their second album, called 2 Make U Cry and Dance, was released this year and is worth a listen – or several.
7 – The Resonance Project – prog metal
For fans of Devin Townsend, Tesseract
Highlight: “End of Time” ( Ad Astra , 2023 )
Representing progressive metal on the list is the duo formed by Yas Nomura (guitar and bass) and Lang Zhao (drums), creating a highly technical, atmospheric, and very enjoyable sound. The duo invites names like Felix Martin, Chase Bryant, Bubby Lewis , and the Brazilian Mateus Asato to participate in some of their songs, resulting in quite varied influences in their sound.
8 – Myrath – prog / melodic metal
For fans of Orphaned Land, Ayreon
Highlight: “You've Lost Yourself” ( Shehili , 2019 )
With a sound similar to Orphaned Land, and formed in 2001 by then 13-year-old Malek ben Arbia , the band went through several lineup changes until reaching its current formation consisting of Malek (guitar), Anis Jouini (bass), Morgan Berthet (drums) and Zaher Zorgati (vocals), with the occasional help of producer Kevin Codfert on keyboards.
The band rose to fame opening for Symphony X on a tour of England in 2016. Currently producing their sixth album, Myrath performed in Brazil for the first time in May – and we hope they return soon!
9 – Dordeduh – atmospheric black / folk metal
Ihsahn
fans : Highlight: “Descânt” ( Har , 2021)
This Romanian band, formed in 2009, brings together musicians Hupogrammos (vocals, guitar, and keyboards), Flavius Misarăș (bass), Sol Faur (guitar, sharing keyboards and other instruments with the lead vocalist), and Putrid (drums and other percussion instruments). They present an atmospheric, modern black metal with folk influences. The band has two albums in their discography, with HAR , from 2021, being the most recent, available on all digital streaming platforms.
10 – Manntra – industrial / folk metal
For fans of Samael, In Extremo
Highlight: “Ori Ori” ( Monster Mind Consuming , 2021 )
Another gem from Croatia, Manntra was formed in 2011, and features Marko Matijević on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Zoltan Lečei on bass, Andrea Kert on drums, Dorian Pavlović and Barren King on guitar (who also plays keyboards and folk instruments) in its current lineup. The band's sound is predominantly industrial metal, with folk elements.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
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