Top 10 Countries With the Most Metal Bands Per Capita (2016)

This is a list of the countries with the highest density of metal bands per capita. The data from http://i.imgur.com/zRDq4.png is from 2012 and is not accurate enough to create a reliable list. Therefore, I collected more recent data from sites like Metal Archives.

Some information:

I excluded very small countries with populations under 100,000 because adding or removing just one band would significantly affect the rankings. In my opinion, the Metal Archives data is not precise enough for such small populations.

Liechtenstein would probably rank 4th or 5th, either after or before Norway, and Monaco would likely fall between Greece and Denmark.

Here are some of the close contenders (the metal bands per capita ratios are very similar):

11. Austria
12. Germany
13. Czech Republic
14. Slovenia
15. Portugal
16. Switzerland
17. Hungary
18. Belgium
19. Chile
20. Italy
21. Slovakia
22. Canada
23. Croatia
24. Australia
25. Poland
26. USA
27. New Zealand
28. France
29. United Kingdom
30. Spain

Source: http://www.metal-archives.com/browse/country, Created on 3/21/2016
The Top Ten

  1. Finland

    Finland is number one, with around 3,400 metal bands for its population of 5.5 million! The metal scene is well-established here, and many bands are internationally well-known.

    Finnish metal is most popular for its power metal, melodic death metal, and folk metal.

    Some of the best-known bands include Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Insomnium, Lordi, Kalmah, Finntroll, Sonata Arctica, Amorphis, Demigod, Stratovarius, Korpiklaani, Omnium Gatherum, Ghost Brigade, Swallow the Sun, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Sinergy, and Apocalyptica.

    I love this list, and I'm not surprised Finland is at number one! I wrote somewhere that probably 50% of the Finns are in metal bands and the other 50% are metal fans. Of course, it was a joke, but it wasn't far from the truth.

    I would like to point out that Finland has a very high living standard and has often been the number one best country to live in, according to different objective indicators. I don't think these indicators included the great metal scene though, haha.

  2. Sweden

    Sweden is number two, with around 4,080 metal bands and 9.8 million people. Like Finland, the metal scene is well-established and internationally appreciated.

    Swedish metal is most popular for, well, you guessed it, melodic death metal. Other styles are also prominent but not as prevalent as melodic death metal.

    Some of the best-known bands are Opeth, At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Meshuggah, Dissection, Dismember, Bathory, Entombed, Watain, Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, HammerFall, Therion, and General Surgery.

    This list proves one of my personal observations on metal music: metal is popular in developed countries. Metal isn't popular in Africa. Metal isn't popular in the southern states of the US. There, you have blues and so on.

    Scandinavian countries have well-developed societies and well-developed metal scenes at the same time. I don't think this is a coincidence.

  3. Iceland

    This is a small country with around 330,000 people. Still, Iceland has slightly more than 100 metal bands, putting it at number three in metal bands per capita.

    I'm not too informed about Icelandic metal, so I can't provide much information. However, I heard that bands like Zhrine, Sólstafir, Svartidaudi, Severed Crotch, and Wormlust are well received.

  4. Norway

    Norway is number 4 with around 5.2 million people and 1,500 metal bands. The metal scene here is also quite established, but more in the black metal direction.

    Some of the best known bands are: Dimmu Borgir, Burzum, Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone, Enslaved, Immortal, Gorgoroth, Ulver, Satyricon, Wardruna, Sirenia, and Funeral (except Funeral, Sirenia, and Wardruna, all of those are black metal though).

  5. Greece

    Now we come to countries where metal isn't as well established as in countries one through four, but Greece still has a significant scene. The country has nearly 11 million inhabitants and around 1,770 metal bands.

    Some of the best-known bands are Septicflesh, SlavEATGod, Nightrage, Rotting Christ, and Nightfall.

  6. Denmark

    Artillery, anyone? They're from Denmark.

    Denmark has around 860 metal bands and 5.8 million people living there. (5.7 million people if we do not count the Faroe Islands and Greenland, but that won't change the ranking.)

    Some of the best known bands are: Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Illdisposed, Týr, and Volbeat.

  7. Estonia

    Estonia is a relatively small country with about 1.3 million inhabitants and 180 bands. I've never heard of any band from there, but surely there is a significant metal fan base.

    After some research, I found several bands that are mostly known in the underground scene: Metsatöll, Paean, Talbot, and Herald.

  8. Luxembourg

    Luxembourg is a small country, with around 563,000 people and 80 metal bands. There aren't many, but there are still some decent bands.

    I don't know much about metal from Luxembourg, but these bands seem to be well received: Scarred, Scarlet Anger, Abstract Rapture, and Funerarium.

  9. Malta

    Malta is a small country with around 445,000 inhabitants and 60 metal bands.

    Some recognized bands include Beheaded, Abysmal Torment, Weeping Silence, and Slit.

  10. Netherlands

    The Netherlands has around 17 million people and 2,100 metal bands. The country's larger size means the metal scene is bigger, though it isn't ranked very high here.

    Some of the better-known bands are Epica, Pestilence, Within Temptation, After Forever, Delain, The Gathering, Sinister, God Dethroned, Gorefest, Legion of the Damned, The Monolith Deathcult, and Heidevolk.