Five bands you feel are underrated and why...

tohostudios wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

My favorite is Cultasaurus Erectus

For anyone delving into BOC beyond the "hits" , I'd recommend starting with Spectres followed by Agents Of Fortune, then Mirrors. If you like those then seek out Imaginos and Fire Of Unknown Origin. If you acquire all those, by then you're hooked and just buy up the whole damn catalog.

With BOC, I think it's more case dependent on what your individual likes are. that's why I say start at the beginning then move through the rest.

There are a bunch of great bands listed but no one has listed...


STEELHEART!!!!!!!

Vocals, fretwork, hooks, looks, cheesey songs, fantastic production!!

jettafiend wrote:

There are a bunch of great bands listed but no one has listed...


STEELHEART!!!!!!!

Vocals, fretwork, hooks, looks, cheesey songs, fantastic production!!

I would agree with that. Good stuff!

exact33 wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

There are a bunch of great bands listed but no one has listed...


STEELHEART!!!!!!!

Vocals, fretwork, hooks, looks, cheesey songs, fantastic production!!

I would agree with that. Good stuff!

I would add my seal of metallic approval on that too!

And also, the band they were in before they were Steelheart: Rage of Angels. My goodness that was some insane glam metal!

Metallic Blaze wrote:

exact33 wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

There are a bunch of great bands listed but no one has listed...


STEELHEART!!!!!!!

Vocals, fretwork, hooks, looks, cheesey songs, fantastic production!!

I would agree with that. Good stuff!

I would add my seal of metallic approval on that too!

And also, the band they were in before they were Steelheart: Rage of Angels. My goodness that was some insane glam metal!

indeed! Rage of Angels was a great release.

exact33 wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

exact33 wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

There are a bunch of great bands listed but no one has listed...


STEELHEART!!!!!!!

Vocals, fretwork, hooks, looks, cheesey songs, fantastic production!!

I would agree with that. Good stuff!

I would add my seal of metallic approval on that too!

And also, the band they were in before they were Steelheart: Rage of Angels. My goodness that was some insane glam metal!

indeed! Rage of Angels was a great release.

That is not a release that I have been able to track down yet, I am still prowling for a reasonably priced copy.

Yeah, it's mega-rare. They need to rerelease it.

Did anyone mention , Rage?

The German metal band.

They are one of my favorite bands and I think they are easily on par with the likes of Megadeth. In fact I have always considered them to be Germany's own version of Megadeth. Both bands kinda do the same thing - speedy songs, intricate solos, a multitude of different types of catchy riffs etc.

I own ALL of their albums. Yes it sounds maybe astonishing because their stuff is near damn impossible to find except for maybe a small batch of newer albums. In any case I love their stuff so much but I am amazed at how underrated they are and have remained.

By my count they have about 18 studio albums? I could be off by a few but in any case a very extensive catalog. Despite line-up changes, Peavy has been consistently releasing albums in the band's near 3 decade career. There's a Rage album being released nearly every year or two years.

So with all that said, Rage are still to enter the consciousness of most metalheads. It's a shame that poor distribution and poor label promotion has left this band struggling and on the outskirts rather than in the same circles of bigger names like Megadeth.

Rage is a good choice. Running Wild and Grave Digger as well.

RAVEN - if it wasn't for that damn Metallica band and the whole thrash scene exploding, RAVEN was just about to become the next big thing after they released the ALL FOR ONE LP.
Most into underground metal, into headbanging music, were introducing Raven to those that only knew more well known bands like Judas Priest.

MACE - clean and cutting fast metal influenced by punk. Second album took too many years to be released and suffered from poor production and songs not as great as the debut.

BEYOND - This Toronto band kept progressing from dirty Sodom/Nuclear Assault thrash in the late 1980s into a speed/thrash metal machine similar to Megadeth. They blew it though.
In 1989/90 when they changed style into alt rock, thinking that thrash was dead and released their debut (and only) LP. Think it was maybe a year later when the founder Paul Garvey calle dit quits and moved to L.A. to become a painter / artist. (Last I heard he moved to England and was working with some band mates from Los Angeles , from his band after Beyond, called Dark Room.)

LETHAL AGGRESSION - they were one of the first crossover bands and had songs and energy as great as S.O.D. and The CRUMBSUCKERS.
(I was also a huge fan of NYC MAYHEM but they were even further away from what the average thrash metaller probably liked, and they eventually turned into a full HC band Straight Ahead.)

WARFARE - they had the connection with VENOM and Neat records, but 1/2 the time, Venom fans I talked to hated Warfare records, even though they were fast and dirty too, saying they were "too punk".

I agree RW and GD are great too but it really irks me when they are put side by side with Rage.

Running Wild and Grave Digger are both early forms of German power metal - I love both but Rage simply does not belong in this so called trio.

The only thing Rage has in common with those two bands is the various members that have come in and out of the band. Soundwise, it is a completely different experience.

Rage is akin to Megadeth both in the instrumental delivery and the type of themes involved. Rage has social commentary whereas Running Wild and Grave Digger are pure fantasy based. The instrumental delivery too in those bands shares nothing in common with Rage.

I'm just saying that I think people over the years made a judgment call on Rage, lumping it with power metal bands when I think the band stands on its own and has probably more in common with thrash/heavy metal in general than power metal.

Alex Dee Rokket wrote:

I agree RW and GD are great too but it really irks me when they are put side by side with Rage.

Running Wild and Grave Digger are both early forms of German power metal - I love both but Rage simply does not belong in this so called trio.

The only thing Rage has in common with those two bands is the various members that have come in and out of the band. Soundwise, it is a completely different experience.

Rage is akin to Megadeth both in the instrumental delivery and the type of themes involved. Rage has social commentary whereas Running Wild and Grave Digger are pure fantasy based. The instrumental delivery too in those bands shares nothing in common with Rage.

I'm just saying that I think people over the years made a judgment call on Rage, lumping it with power metal bands when I think the band stands on its own and has probably more in common with thrash/heavy metal in general than power metal.

I never really thought RW and GD were underrated, at least in the metal world.

Some I haven't seen mentioned yet:
Fifth Angel. Their two albums were both solid slabs of metal. They had great hooks, and I don't know why they were never bigger than they were.

Heaven's Gate. They were a German power metal band, but without all of the flowery keys. The vocals are great as well.

Omen. A great traditional metal band from the mid 80's, they never really made it into the mainstream, not unlike Armored Saint.

I'm going to add two bands that have been around for over 20 years but have never got much recognition (the only way I have become aware of them is because I got their albums in blind buys several years ago):

Domain-German's Domain is very rarely mentioned here let alone other places despite being around for over 20 years. They were a highly talented melodic hard rock band and an above average Euro-power band (with two seperate line-ups). My knowledge of their music these days is nil (I haven't heard the latest line-up) but I really like what I do know. Maybe it's the all the line-up changes but there have been other bands that went through several line-up changes and have thrived.

Axxis-Another German metal band that started as melodic hard rock band and progressed to a Euro-power band. And just like Domain, these guys have been around for over 20 years yet you don't hear much about them. I know the vocalist has an unusual voice but that hasn't stopped many long running bands from being well known. They were good enough to be allowed to open for Helloween and Gamma Ray when they did their tour.

Now, I understand in some European circles these guys have a big following but for some reason it hasn't translated into a following in the metal community as a whole.

Demon (UK)- I think they're the most underrated band ever. In the 80's, a lot of metalheads didn't understand their change of direction that started with The Plague which was moving away from heavy metal and toward progressive/hard rock like Rush and Wishbone Ash. They had a good following with their first two excellent and straightforward NWOBHM albums, and then they suddenly switched labels and took a completely new approach. What a lot of metalheads don't realize is that those hard/prog albums are absolutely some of the best the genre had to offer, and what they also don't know is that the band went back to playing heavy metal in the late 80's, and it was some of the best metal ever made. Taking the World by Storm from 1989 is the greatest metal album (actually, the greatest album period) I've ever heard.

Helix (Can)- Unfortunately, Helix got a bad reputation for being the epitome of cliche and uncreative hard rock. Well, they weren't very original in the 80's, but despite that they managed to create some of the hardest-driving and catchiest music of that era. Also, their first two albums are less glam-influenced and are in no way cliche, being very creative examples of hard rock music.

Whiplash (US)- This classic thrash metal band was a little bit too rough and crazy for a lot of thrashers. I think the vocals turned them off. I don't really know, but they should have made it bigger, because their first two albums are some of the fastest and most exciting records that thrash has to offer.

Anvil (Can)- Well, after the movie they're gradually moving away from being underrated, but these guys have a really unique and passionate sound and some absolutely crazy drumming. It's got a really wild, sex-crazed feel to it that's just about as fun as heavy metal can get. I think a lot of metalheads saw them as being too crazy and preferred the darker bands, sort of like what happened to Raven.

Fist (Can)- Another heavy rock band from Canada? Wow, it looks like metalheads overlook the Canadian scene. It's easy to see why these guys were overlooked. They were mostly an 80's band, but they played with keyboards that sounded right of Uriah Heep or Deep Purple. They were just too late for that style of hard rock, and it's unfortunate because they played it really well.

good bands there mountain. welcome to HoM btw.

Thanks, it seems like a really cool place.

mlotek wrote:

WARFARE - they had the connection with VENOM and Neat records, but 1/2 the time, Venom fans I talked to hated Warfare records, even though they were fast and dirty too, saying they were "too punk".

I'm a massive Venom fan, but I think Warfare were great. Although, I do prefer Venom.

Metal-On-Metal wrote:

Omen. A great traditional metal band from the mid 80's, they never really made it into the mainstream, not unlike Armored Saint.

I'm guilty of forgetting them too, Their debut is one of the best metal albums!

mountains wrote:

Helix (Can)- Unfortunately, Helix got a bad reputation for being the epitome of cliche and uncreative hard rock. Well, they weren't very original in the 80's, but despite that they managed to create some of the hardest-driving and catchiest music of that era. Also, their first two albums are less glam-influenced and are in no way cliche, being very creative examples of hard rock music.

Whiplash (US)- This classic thrash metal band was a little bit too rough and crazy for a lot of thrashers. I think the vocals turned them off. I don't really know, but they should have made it bigger, because their first two albums are some of the fastest and most exciting records that thrash has to offer.

Anvil (Can)- Well, after the movie they're gradually moving away from being underrated, but these guys have a really unique and passionate sound and some absolutely crazy drumming. It's got a really wild, sex-crazed feel to it that's just about as fun as heavy metal can get. I think a lot of metalheads saw them as being too crazy and preferred the darker bands, sort of like what happened to Raven.

Fist (Can)- Another heavy rock band from Canada? Wow, it looks like metalheads overlook the Canadian scene. It's easy to see why these guys were overlooked. They were mostly an 80's band, but they played with keyboards that sounded right of Uriah Heep or Deep Purple. They were just too late for that style of hard rock, and it's unfortunate because they played it really well.

Nice. I'm not all that familiar with Demon & Fist, but Whiplash, Anvil and Helix are all great IMO!

Welcome the HoM board!

Mine would be:

King's X
Galactic Cowboys - All have that heavy melodic groove sound.
Atomic Opera

Exhorder - Their would be no Pantera, Down, or New Orleans Metal sound if not for these guys.

Manowar - They have made a lving being a cliche' yet I still like them! LOL

BONUS BAND! - Overkill - How did these guys not make along the lines of the big 4 -They are killer The Blitz is one of the best drummers ever!!

Rigor Mortis-Always thought of these guys as "Slayer with a sense of humor". Their debut album, yes I bought the LP in 88, is one of my top five thrash albums.

Powermad-melodic thrash with clean vocals, "Nice Dreams" should have made these guys huge.

Vio-lence- "Eternal Nightmare" is another top fiver for me, but as someone said in an earlier post Sean's vocals were a real deal breaker for most. Machine Head occasionally captures some of the Vio-lence magic.

Uncle Slam- crossover thrash/punk ala DRI & Suicidal Tendencies.


Sabaton- Yes, a modern band. I'm not completely stuck in the old days. Prog/power/symphonic/etc. What ever label the kids are using these days, I call it Hero Metal. Every song is about WWII, another passion of mine. "Coat of Arms" should be the national anthem of Greece.

CRIMSONMASK wrote:

Powermad-melodic thrash with clean vocals, "Nice Dreams" should have made these guys huge.

Couldn't agree more with this one.

Pelican