Top 10 Best Groove Metal Bands
Pantera was an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. The band started out as a glam metal act in the 1980s with little success. After discarding their original lead vocalist and enlisting Phil Anselmo, the band signed a major record deal with... read more Always will be #1. No band has achieved what they did with how heavy they got. Metallica (though not groove) got lighter with each album. In contrast, Pantera got heavier with each one and still maintained their groove and bad-assery. Their riffs make you move and are catchy as hell. They had the most real lyrical content.
Vinnie's machine gun drumming and constant tempo grooves, Phil's intense and diverse vocal performance, Dime's soaring soulful guitar solos, and skull-crushing, gut-ripping riffs, along with Rex's perfect tone and support over Vinnie's drumming and under Dime's guitar wizardry, made them exceptional. Pantera were not just the blueprint for groove metal but for all of modern metal. No one comes as close to them.
Getcha pull. Pantera forever.
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler. I do acknowledge that Pantera is the one who brought groove to popularity, but I have one word for you - Ruin. The energy of that song at live shows, or even listening to it at home with headphones on, is unbelievable, especially after Chris' god-like drum fill, and the tempo just ramps up. I have many Pantera songs in my library, but personally, I feel that the energy of Pantera doesn't match that of LoG. Just my opinion.
This is my first groove metal band. I don't know much about Pantera and others below. The vocals and the drum work are different and amazing. Guitar riffs make you jump like anything. Try out their "Walk With Me in Hell" for vocals and guitar, and "Laid to Rest" for drum work.
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce. They have received great critical success especially for their album "The Blackening" which is considered a modern metal... read more You know, Pantera created groove metal, but Machine Head took it to another level. You can't compare The Blackening or Burn My Eyes albums with any other groove metal albums.
"Burn My Eyes"
"Unto the Locust"
"The Blackening"
"Supercharger"
Machine Head is one of several bands I really enjoy listening to. They are tough and melodic at the same time. Unbelievably cool.
All these top ten bands are very good metal bands, but The Blackening album has pushed it to the next stage.
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Their first album, Morbid Visions presented a proto-black metal sound with Wagner Lamounier of Sarcófago. Sepultura's sound varies by the album, from thrash metal, groove metal, and even death metal. Sepultura is so much better than most of these bands. Pantera is awesome. Lamb of God is deathcore, Machine Head is technical thrash, DevilDriver is cool, and 5FDP is metalcore.
Ridiculously groovy, fantastic lyrics, great energy. The Cavalera brothers take the name and set the bar for many bands to come.
With or without the Cavalera Brothers, still the best! I really like Derrick Green. Can't say the same of the drummers after Igor.
Gojira is a progressive metal band from Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and rhythm guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on lead guitar, and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass. This is the band that got me into metal music. As much as I respect other death/groove metal bands (the subgenres that seem to appeal to me the most), I have to say Gojira is my favorite by far. I like them better than Pantera and Lamb of God, for example. Their rhythm is as good as flawless, and their style is unique, heavy, and very technically advanced for just four people, in my opinion.
This is by far one of the best metal bands of all time. The guitar is meticulous, as are the double bass drums. Amazing band, and the sound that comes from only four band members is simply addicting. I can listen to every album every day and still shake my ass to them. From Mars to Sirius and L'Enfant Sauvage are the top two in my opinion, but I love all of them the same. No other band comes close to their sound either.
Five Finger Death Punch, often shortened to Five Finger or Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2005, the band's name comes from the kung fu movie The Five Fingers of Death. My favorite metal band ever. They manage to be fast and heavy and still vary their music every few seconds. They also manage to be on the heavier side of metal without resorting to screaming through every song. Ivan Moody's incredible vocals are what set FFDP above bands like Sepultura and DevilDriver, in my opinion. He screams when it counts and only when it counts.
That combination of fast, hard, varied metal and a mix of screamed/sung vocals is also the recipe that sent Pantera and Slipknot (sorta) to the top of the heap. I wish more 'any'-core metal bands would take notice and produce recognizable vocals.
And a final note: nearly all their songs are 3-4 minutes long, not 5-6. It's wonderful.
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band that was formed in 1989. During the band's career, it has released nine full-length albums and has evolved through a succession of styles, including industrial metal, death metal, groove metal, and thrash metal. Awesome band. Reinvented metal in the 90s, bludgeoning a stagnant scene. Between FF, Sepultura, and Pantera, the genre we all love has been given new life.
They are just an awesome band, full of heavy riffs, and skull-crushing drums and bass.
Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1998 by Zakk Wylde. I like Pantera a lot, but they're way overrated. BLS is definitely my favorite groove metal. And they excel at bluesy stuff too.
The ultimate groove metal band. Should be number one. They are in my book.
White Zombie was an American heavy metal band that formed in 1985. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band, and was known for its later heavy metal-oriented sound. People like to say that Exhorder was the first groove metal band. While they had demos in the '80s, they didn't adopt the groove metal style until the '90s. Honestly, I could barely call their first album groove metal. White Zombie released an EP in 1989, a year before Exhorder's first album.
I believe putting this band below FFDP is a true sin. Satan is disappointed... or something like that. At least make this band higher than Rob since this IS his band.
I believe Rob Zombie and White Zombie set the standard for this genre.
DevilDriver are an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann, bassist Diego "Ashes" Ibarra and drummer Austin D'Amond. One of the most underrated bands among the heavy hitters. They are newcomers compared to other established metal bands, but their grooves are so addictive, and they never lack punch!
Dez Fafara and his brother are amazing the way they play slow to heavy metal. Listening to DD, it's like you're unleashing something that will destroy others.
Awesome brutal drumming.
Heavy riffs and awesome brutal solos.
Great vocals.
All over one of the most brutal bands in groove metal.
Meshuggah is a Swedish progressive metal band from Umeå, formed in 1987. They are often considered the fathers or founders of the djent metal sub genre due to their use of downtuned guitars. They are also known for their song “Bleed”, which is known for its extremely complicated instrumentation,... read more This list is so bad. Why is Slipknot on the list? They are just a scene band that was inspired by the worst genre of music, crossover thrash, and then made it worse by adding emo lyrics and ripping off Korn and Sepultura.
However, these guys are the most technical out of the lot. I will have to admit that LoG and Fear Factory are heavier because they were inspired by death metal, but these guys and Pantera were influenced by thrash metal, which is far superior.
Really underrated, they should be in the top ten. Amazing drum skills and guitar lines, and the vocals are awesome! But Lamb of God is my favorite groove metal band, and Gojira comes in second place. Pantera is too overrated for being the best groove metal band. And also, Slipknot isn't groove metal. They are nu-metal and heavy metal.
Corrosion of Conformity is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina formed in 1982. For almost the majority of its existence, the band has consisted of guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean, drummer Reed Mullin and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Pepper Keenan. Most awesome old-school band ever! And their album Animosity sounds so original, and the vocals sound amazing.
Volbeat are a Danish heavy metal band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll, heavy metal and rockabilly. Really, they are growing in the desert of metal music. Anyway, now all metal fans need new creation in music composing. I know that Volbeat steals many riffs from other metal monsters, but they did the best with them. I hope to see them greater than now, because they can do that. Lovely band with nice vocals. Hail Poulsen.
Sounds like Elvis and Johnny Cash meet Metallica. Great use of harmonies vocally and instrumentally. They have a classic rock and metal fusion sound that can't and shouldn't be ignored.
I like Volbeat, but this is not groove metal. It's something different, but not hard enough and far too slow and pop-ish. I pretty much agree with everyone who thinks this is a bad category for Volbeat.
Chimaira was an American alternative metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group was a notable member of the New Wave of American Alternative Metal scene. Chimaira features energizing and neck-breaking grooves, as well as recognizable influences from thrash metal in most of their songs, which makes them a god-tier groove metal band.
Simply amazing. Perfect groove metal band. No one got even close to them. The question should be, "Best 9 groove metal bands after Chimaira."
Chimaira are simply beasts. If you're looking for the best brutal groove metal band, you have found them!
Nevermore is an American progressive metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from various styles such as power metal, modern hard rock, classic heavy metal and technical thrash metal. The band has been on hiatus since 2011, due to personal issues between... read more Warrel Dane is one of the best metal vocalists to grace this earth in recent years. Jeff Loomis is a monster at guitar. What more needs to be said? Nevermore should be on this list.
Exhorder is an American metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are credited as the purveyors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God, White Zombie, and Machine Head. I absolutely agree, Exhorder should definitely be #1, with Pantera and Fear Factory as #2 and #3, in that order. The song (Cadence of) The Dirge from The Law (1992) was ahead of its time and still blows my mind. I truly regret that there won't be a new Exhorder album this year. Exhorder was ahead of its time, period. They could have definitely become one of the greats. In my opinion, they still are, for founding the genre and feel.
Exhorder should be #1, or at least in the top 5, though I can see why they're not. Unfortunately, not a lot of people have heard of them, so the Cowboys from Hell get the spot, which I can't get mad at.
Crowbar is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, characterized by their extremely slow, low-keyed, heavy and brooding songs that also contain fast hardcore punk passages.
Hellyeah is an American heavy metal supergroup, consisting of Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray, former Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell, bass player Kyle Sanders, guitarist Christian Brady and former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul. HellYeah's Blood For Blood is some of the best I've heard since Pantera's Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power. Chad Gray can scream like no other, and his vocals have grown tremendously since Mudvayne. HellYeah puts on a kick-ass live show! They should definitely be in the top ten!
Blood for Blood is out of control. Nothing like Demons in the Dirt. Scratch a Lie off Undeniable is also kick-ass. They should be top 10. They are my number 1.
Way, way too low. Easily top 10. It's Chad Grey and Vinnie Paul (rest in peace), for Christ's sake!
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor.
Helmet is an American alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member.
The original inventor of groove metal, everyone else followed.
Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker.
Mudvayne was an American nu-metal/alternative metal band that was formed in Peoria, Illinois, in 1996. Originally from Bloomington, Illinois, they are known for their sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks, and uniforms.
Primus is an American funk metal band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. Les Claypool is regarded as one of the best bassists of all time for his slap-bass ability in notable songs like "My Name Is Mud",... read more