Top 10 Countries With the Most Metal Bands Per Capita (2016)
This is a list of the highest density of metal bands per capita. The data from http://i.imgur.com/zRDq4.png is from 2012 and not accurate enough to create a list. Therefore, I collected more recent data from sites like the Metal Archives.Some information:
I excluded tiny countries with less than 100,000 inhabitants because adding or removing just one band would significantly affect the ranking, and the Metal Archives are not that precise, in my opinion.
Liechtenstein would probably rank 4th or 5th after or before Norway, and Monaco would be between Greece and Denmark.
Furthermore, here are the contenders (the metal bands per capita ratios are very close, though):
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
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city, forming a larger metropolitan area with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, and Vantaa. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns; Finnish, alongside Swedish, are the official languages. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal ...read more. Finland is the number one with around 3,400 metal bands per 5.5 million people living there! The metal scene is quite established here and many are internationally well known.
Finnish metal is most popular for their Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal, and Folk Metal.
Some of the best-known bands are: 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.
Best countries ever. Love all Nordic countries from Chile.
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe.
It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund. At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10 million. Sweden is number 2 with around 4,080 metal bands and 9.8 million people. Like in 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 here, but not 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 the 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.
Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the only part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence ...read more. This is a very small country with around 330,000 people. Still, they have slightly more than 100 metal bands, which puts them on number 3 of metal bands per capita.
I'm not so informed about Icelandic Metal, so I can't tell you much about it, but I heard bands like: Zhrine, Sólstafir, Svartidaudi, Severed Crotch, and Wormlust are well received.
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign and unitary monarchy in Northern Europe whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula plus the island Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard.
Oslo is the capital of Norway. Norwegian is the official language of Norway.
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, featuring thousands of islands. The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions, and has a population of approximately 10.7 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest ...read more. Now we come to countries, where metal isn't that well established like 1-4, but still have a big scene. Greece has nearly 11 million inhabitants and around 1,770 metal bands.
Some of the best-known bands are: Septic Flesh, SlavEatGod, Nightrage, Rotting Christ, and Nightfall.
Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany. ...read more. Artillery anyone? They're from Denmark.
Estonia is a rather small country and has about 1.3 million inhabitants & 180 bands, but I never heard of any band from there. Surely there is a big metal fan base though.
After some research, I found some bands, which are merely known in the underground scene:
Metsatöll, Paean, Talbot, Herald
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the four official capitals of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg) and the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbors, making it a mixture of French and German cultures. It has three official languages: French, German, and the national language of Luxembourgish. Luxembourg is a small country with around 563,000 people there and 80 metal bands. There are definitely not much, but still some decent bands.
I don't know much about metal from Luxembourg, but these seem to be well received:
Scarred, Scarlet Anger, Abstract Rapture, Funerarium
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Malta is also a very small country with around 445,000 inhabitants and 60 metal bands.
Some recognized bands are: Beheaded, Abysmal Torment, Weeping Silence, Slit
The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country located in north-western Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces, and borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coast-line to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium in the North Sea. The country's official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland. Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish are recognised regional languages, while Dutch Sign Language, Sinte Romani, and Yiddish are recognised ...read more. The Netherlands has around 17 million people and 2,100 metal bands. Since the country is bigger, the metal scene is also bigger, although the country 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.