"Big Four" of other metal genres.

Ok, since we have the big four of thrash metal, what other genres do you think have a big four? These genres would include heavy metal, speed metal, glam metal, doom metal, death metal, black metal, grindcore, groove metal, gothic metal, industrial metal, progressive metal, power metal, symphonic metal, and folk metal. Take your picks.

Prog metal:

Rush
Queensrÿche
Fates Warning
Dream Theater

kmorg wrote:

Prog metal:

Rush
Queensrÿche
Fates Warning
Dream Theater

This. Though I hate DT and can't get into Rush, thus my not-so-big 4 (last 3 are "bigger", but not faves)

Fates Warning
Queensryche
Savatage
Threshold/Elegy/Psychotic Waltz

Speed: Scanner, Rage, Killers (Fra), Helloween/Running Wild(?)

Power: Vicious Rumors, Metal Church, Running Wild, Titan Force

Thrash: Overkill, Xentrix, Metallica, Kruiz (Russian speed/thrash)

Way too many subgenres, don't have the patience. LOL.

going by sales & popularity, i would say...

death metal:
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide

black metal:
Emperor, Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal

grindcore:
Napalm Death, Nasum, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Anal C*nt

Granddaddies of metal:

Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
Black Sabbath
Alice Cooper

death metal:

Death
Morbid Angel
Obituary
Cannibal Corpse

NWOBH

Iron Maiden
Saxon
Def Leppard
Raven

Well, that depends on what constitutes a 'big 4'...the ones who had the most record company muscle behind them? The ones who had the biggest/most influential single records (which can sometimes also be enhanced by their presence in the media)? Or just the pioneers of a certain style? etc, etc.

mc666 wrote:

going by sales & popularity, i would say...

death metal:
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide

Beat me to it!

Glam/hair

Def Leppard
Bon Jovi
Poison
Motley Crue

(if you want to count GNR as glam, i guess they could replace bon jovi on that list)

Death Metal - Cannibal Corpse, Death, Entombed, Morbid Angel

Black Metal - Mayhem, Immortal, Dark Funeral, Marduk

Doom Metal - Candlemass, Trouble, Cathedral, Solitude Aeturnus

Power Metal - Blind Guardian, Helloween, Rhapsody, Savatage

Grind - Napalm Death, Nasum, Terrorizer, Assuck

Folk Metal - Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Moonsorrow, Alestorm

metalhead777 wrote:

mc666 wrote:

going by sales & popularity, i would say...

death metal:
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide

Beat me to it!

What about Death?

Required Fields wrote:

metalhead777 wrote:

mc666 wrote:

going by sales & popularity, i would say...

death metal:
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide

Beat me to it!

What about Death?

just like the big 4 of thrash, there would always be disputes as to what band should be there & what band shouldn't.

according to Nielson Soundscan...

bands by sales:
CANNIBAL CORPSE: 558,929
DEICIDE: 481,131
MORBID ANGEL: 445,147
SIX FEET UNDER: 370,660
OBITUARY: 368,616
DEATH: 368,184
NAPALM DEATH: 367,654
CARCASS: 220,734
ENTOMBED: 198,764

albums by sales:
MORBID ANGEL - "Covenant" (1993): 127,154
DEICIDE - "Deicide" (1990): 110,719*
DEICIDE - "Legion" (1992): 103,544
OBITUARY - "The End Complete" (1992): 103,378
CANNIBAL CORPSE - "The Bleeding" (1994): 98,319

Well, I think I'll put my own big fours of genres to see what people think.

Heavy metal

Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Black Sabbath
Deep Purple

Speed metal

Motorhead
Venom
Accept
Anvil

Glam metal

Motley Crue
Poison
Twisted Sister
Def Leppard

Doom metal

Candlemass
Trouble
Pentagram
Saint Virus

Death metal

Cannibal Corpse
Death
Morbid Angel
Deicide

Black metal

Mayhem
Gorgoroth
Emperor
Dark Funeral

Grindcore

Napalm Death
Pig Destroyer
Agoraphobic Nosebleed
Anal C*nt

Groove metal

Pantera
Sepultura
Lamb of God
Machine Head

Industrial metal

Ministry
Godflesh
Fear Factory
Rammstein

Gothic Metal

Type O Negative
Lacuna Coil
Theater of Tragedy
Tiamat

Progressive metal

Dream Theater
Opeth
Devin Townsend
Mastadon

Power Metal

Hammerfall
Helloween
Sonata Arctica
Dragonforce

Symphonic metal

Nightwish
Haggard
Epica
Rhapsody of Fire

Folk metal

Skyclad
Finntroll
Moonsorrow
Eluveitie

NWOBHM

Saxon
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
Raven

(yeah, some may disagree with Judas Priest as "Technically" part of the wave)

THRASH pt. II

Overkill
Death Angel
Testament
Exodus

CHRISTIAN METAL

Tourniquet
Stryper
Demon Hunter
Underoath

PUNK (original)

Social Distortion
The Vandals
Sex Pistols
The Clash

PUNK (second wave)

Rancid
the Offspring
Green Day
NOFX

GLAM

Ratt
Poison
Motley Crue
Bon Jovi

SHOCK

KISS
Alice Cooper
Marilyn Manson
Rammstein


(No list is in any particular order)

ok, I WILL say it is a crime to omit WatchTower from the Prog Metal lists (INVENTED "tech" metal), and Stratovarius or Labyrinth from the Power Metal lists (helped usher in more interesting and spacey keyboard textures before anyone else).

Power Metal
Hammerfall
Helloween
Blind Guardian
Gamma Ray


Heavy metal
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Black Sabbath
Kiss


Glam metal
Motley Crue
Ratt
Cinderella
Hardcore Superstar


Progressive metal
Shadow Gallery
Crimson Glory
Rush
Threshold

CHRISTIAN METAL
Tourniquet
Stryper
Saint
Deliverance

mc666 wrote:

Required Fields wrote:

metalhead777 wrote:

mc666 wrote:

going by sales & popularity, i would say...

death metal:
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide

Beat me to it!

What about Death?

just like the big 4 of thrash, there would always be disputes as to what band should be there & what band shouldn't.

according to Nielson Soundscan...

bands by sales:
CANNIBAL CORPSE: 558,929
DEICIDE: 481,131
MORBID ANGEL: 445,147
SIX FEET UNDER: 370,660
OBITUARY: 368,616
DEATH: 368,184
NAPALM DEATH: 367,654
CARCASS: 220,734
ENTOMBED: 198,764

albums by sales:
MORBID ANGEL - "Covenant" (1993): 127,154
DEICIDE - "Deicide" (1990): 110,719*
DEICIDE - "Legion" (1992): 103,544
OBITUARY - "The End Complete" (1992): 103,378
CANNIBAL CORPSE - "The Bleeding" (1994): 98,319

Cannibal Corpse has passed the million mark in sales since those stats were printed, I remember reading.

I wonder what Death's sales are at now. They seem to have become more popular since Chuck died of cancer.

Also, why is Deicide's debut denoted with an asterisk? Is it because it's the best selling debut in the genre?

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

ok, I WILL say it is a crime to omit WatchTower from the Prog Metal lists

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Well, that depends on what constitutes a 'big 4'...the ones who had the most record company muscle behind them? The ones who had the biggest/most influential single records (which can sometimes also be enhanced by their presence in the media)? Or just the pioneers of a certain style? etc, etc.

I had essentially the same question. I would vote "influential" as being the true deciding factor. Album sales are generally irrelevant data when trying to judge the merits of an artist...after all the general public has been proving for decades that the biggest sellers are also often the lowest common denominator musically.

Prog metal: FATES WARNING, DREAM THEATER, WATCHTOWER, QUEENSRYCHE
Doom metal: CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETERNUS, TROUBLE, PENTAGRAM
Death metal: DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, SUFFOCATION

(Agree with SD, my determining factor was influence)

Stoner/Doom

Sabbath
Trouble
Pentagram
Kyuss

I think the big four of all metal should be:

Spinal Tap

Dethlok

Cannabis Corpse

and

Lawnmower Deth

Influence is of course important, but album sales and popularity was what made the original Big 4.

That said, how can Watchtower beat Rush in either case!

Quote :

PUNK (original)

Social Distortion
The Vandals
Sex Pistols
The Clash

No Ramones? Pffft.

kmorg wrote:

Influence is of course important, but album sales and popularity was what made the original Big 4.

That said, how can Watchtower beat Rush in either case!

Well, Rush would sort of be to the prog metal list what Rainbow might be to the power metal list. Or how Motorhead isn't in the big 4 of thrash but Metallica would likely be a lot different without Motorhead. Certainly in the top of helping to birth the style, but once the style is there in a basic form, and new bands are easily labeled strictly whatever that is, it's theirs. WT is *underrated* in that realm, which we see proof of in this thread.. but any band that plays anything technical metal knows both albums back to front. Starting with Death, Cynic, Believer, Atheist, Sieges Even (it's not impossible FW was also influenced as there are many shades of it on 'Perfect Symmetry'), on to Spiral Architect, Extol, Twisted Into Form, Behold..The Arctopus, Power of Omens, Gorguts, Zero Hour, Exivious, Necrophagist, Augury......... you can still trace almost the entire framework back to 'Energetic Disassembly' and 'Control And Resistance'.