Top 10 Countries with the Best Bands

Some countries just seem to have music in their DNA. You can probably think of a few where it feels like every garage has a drum set and every other person knows someone in a band. From gritty underground scenes to global stadium tours, certain places just crank out one great group after another like it's no big deal. But when it comes to deciding which country does it best, that is where you come in.

You've heard the songs, memorized the lyrics, maybe even argued over which band had the better album or who should have headlined that festival. Now is your chance to take that music obsession and put it to good use by voting for the countries you think produce the most iconic, influential, or just plain awesome bands.

Keep in mind, this is not just about who has sold the most records. It is about legacy, creativity, and the sheer volume of talent coming out of each place.

The Top Ten

United Kingdom

The USA has produced historically superb bands, as have many other countries, but the answer to this question is always pretty obviously the UK from the sixties onwards. What distinguishes British bands since then is their continual barrier-breaking creativity in all genres.
I'm not including soul, R&B, or hip-hop, as the USA clearly leads in these. I'm Italian, so no bias really. We love melody, and if you strip away all the heaviness from a track (not that you would), what is at the center is often the most beautiful melodies. They have had the secret ingredient of sweet and sour together since Beatle days.

This country has given great bands for rock and roll/classic rock: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals, The Kinks. For hard rock/heavy metal: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Nazareth, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Queen, Cream, UFO. For punk: The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Adicts, Generation X. For alternative rock: Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Muse, Bush. For thrash metal: Seventh Angel, Evile. For prog rock/metal: Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull. For metalcore: BMTH.
There are many bands in the UK, much more than the ones I wrote. This is the best country in music, no doubt about it.
United States

Britain created rock and metal, and America improved upon it and made it what it is today. Black Sabbath and The Who laid the foundation for metal. Then, guitarists like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen created a new lead style, along with singers like Ronnie James Dio, making it what it is. Motorhead laid the foundation for thrash metal, and the Bay Area took it to the extreme and made it great.
Thank you, Britain, for creating America as well as rock, but God bless America. You have made rock and the world great.

This country has given great bands for rock and roll/classic rock: CCR, Bob Dylan. For hard rock/heavy metal: Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, BOC, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, KISS. For punk: Ramones, Rise Against. For alternative rock: Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters. For thrash metal: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Tourniquet, Testament, Deliverance. For prog rock/metal: Dream Theater, Becoming the Archetype, Queensrÿche. For metalcore: AILD, TDWP, August Burns Red.
Since the earliest time, the USA has given great types of music, and it still is giving them.
Sweden

Quite a few internationally successful bands for such a small country. However, they take the Eurovision Song Contest far too seriously.

Sweden has given many rock/metal artists: Yngwie Malmsteen, Sonic Syndicate, Arch Enemy, Blindside, Dark Tranquility, Jerusalem...
Germany

This question is very easy for me because my favorite bands are from Germany. Tokio Hotel, Cinema Bizarre - what could be better than German bands? It's sad that I'm far from the country because I want to move there and live. I would get the chance to meet more amazing musicians.

Rammstein, Blind Guardian, Kreator, and Helloween, just in metal...

Rammstein is the best. Helloween is just great. Germany has its own genre of music, Neue Deutsche Härte. The fun doesn't stop there. The best of all are the big four of German thrash: Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard.
Finland

I'm from America, and I say that when looking at Finland, we don't have anything that even touches the epic levels of Nightwish and Sonata Arctica.
Sorry to my fellow Americans, but Nirvana and Blink-182 can't even compete.

Finnish bands are too good. You can listen to bands like Poets of the Fall or The Rasmus. They have got talent.

The best here is Children of Bodom. Other great bands are Hanoi Rocks and Nightwish.
Canada

All I can say is that there are so many great music talents that have come out of Canada that I wouldn't be able to refer to all of them.

Rush is the best here. Other great bands are Neil Young, Anvil, Exciter, Helix, Nickelback, and Steppenwolf...

Sum 41, Nickelback, Billy Talent, Alexisonfire, and many more bands in Canada produce good music.
Norway

Most black metal bands are Norwegian, with Gorgoroth and Mayhem being the most popular.

M2M is a great band with many beautiful songs.

Come on, guys, you can't forget Burzum, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, and Darkthrone in black metal.
Australia

Surely top 10 at least!
AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, INXS, Jet, Men at Work, Powderfinger, The Angels, Hunters and Collectors, Crowded House, Icehouse, Silverchair, Little River Band, Australian Crawl.
That's a fair amount of quality bands if you ask me.

Australia has some of the most iconic songs from Hunters and Collectors, Men at Work, Mental As Anything, Jet, Gangajang, Daddy Cool, Cold Chisel, and Australian Crawl. I could go on.

AC/DC is the best from here.
Other great bands are Mortification, Wolfmother, Rose Tattoo, Parkway Drive, and I Killed the Prom Queen.
Italy

Lacuna Coil, Rhapsody of Fire, Macbeth, and so on...
France

As far as French bands go, pretty much everyone's familiar with the likes of Daft Punk, Air, and Justice (whose new album is out this week). But that's not all there is to French music. The country has given rise to a number of fascinating musical movements over the years, from the modern chanson of the 1960s through the coldwave of the 1980s (check out this excellent compilation if that genre interests you, by the way) and the more recent explosion of French dance music.

Daft Punk. That's all I have to say.

The Newcomers

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Mongolia
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Jordan

The Contenders

Denmark

More quality bands than any other country on this list except maybe the UK, France, and America.

Denmark gave us Mew, and I honestly believe they're one of the best bands of all time.

We have awesome music here! For example, Aqua, Nephew, and Adele, just to name a few, and our rock music rocks!
Brazil

A great variety of rock music, but the English language is more popular than Portuguese, so some translation is needed!

Our rock is authentic and good, but few bands play in English, and it's not too popular right now.
My suggestions:
Massacration (it's comic but good)
Mamonas Assassinas (it's comic but good)
Ira
Legião Urbana
Raul Seixas
Argentina

Like that unknown genius that never had the chance, if only these bands could have the media support to be listened to around the world! Give it a try, dear reader, and be my guest on YouTube following the guide above. You won't be disappointed.

Argentina and Chile's music have a lot of emotion. That's a plus.

Highly underrated. Never seen anything like it.
Ireland

At least third place. Amazing musical heritage. The rest of the world should feel lucky that the Irish stepped up to the mark, above and beyond that of such a small nation, as usual.

I would say third after the United Kingdom and USA. U2, Thin Lizzy, and The Pogues are among the best in the world.

U2, Thin Lizzy, The Cranberries, The Pogues, Van Morrison. The list goes on. Ireland should have been third.
Philippines

Unfortunately, many people from foreign countries don't know our other bands like Wolfgang, Parokya, Yano, Rivermaya, Pupil, Itchyworms, and other bands. Please give our music a try. :) I recommend Wolfgang and Eraserheads for foreigners because they have songs in English.
Japan

12012, Abingdon Boys School, Beat Crusaders, BORN, Bump of Chicken, D'espairsRay, Dir En Grey, DOES, the GazettE, Girugamesh, Green, Maximum the Hormone, Miyavi, MUCC, Nightmare, Orange Range, -OZ-, Penpals, the Pillows, Radwimps, Uverworld, Yuki Kajiura.
The Visual Kei scene isn't restricted by genre. Bands and singers are mostly free to experiment. I think they have some of the best musicians in the world. For the most part, you'll never get bored listening to a band's discography. Styles vary so much, you won't find yourself thinking that you've been listening to the same thing over and over again. So refreshing.

People always vote for their own country. I am from the US, and I think Japan has amazing talent. Their best bands include the GazettE, X Japan, Versailles, Dir En Grey, Maximum the Hormone, and MANY others.
Please, give this country a chance. Even though some of the bands are part of the Visual Kei scene, which many foreigners don't understand, please look that up before criticizing. It's about the music, not the looks, and Japan has great rock and metal, even though J-pop is more famous than J-rock.
Netherlands
Poland
Northern Ireland

We are a small country, but look at our talent! Snow Patrol, Van Morrison, Stiff Little Fingers, and Ash all came from a country of less than 2 million!
Turkey
Bangladesh

Yes, my country sure has really good music artists. But the problem is you can't find most of the albums, singles, songs, etc., here. Plus, no online platform exists here. The new generation has to listen to pirated songs. Believe me, I would love to listen to the music of my country. But this is not possible for us.

This country has numerous and diverse rock and metal bands.
You can give these bands a try:
Classic rock: LRB, Feedback, Arc
Pop rock: Miles
Hard rock: Warfaze
Prog rock: Artcell
Psychedelic rock: Meghdol, Shironamhin
Metal: Cryptic Fate, Minerva
Alt rock: Black, Aurthohin
Belgium
South Korea

The Korean Pop Wave continues to grow and succeed because younger fans around the world appreciate it. This should be in the top 10 because lots of boy bands, girl groups, coed groups, and rock bands have gained fame and success!

FT Island is one of the absolute greatest rock bands in my opinion. Some of the best vocals I've ever heard. Day6, Say Yes, and CN Blue are also very good.
Spain

Great bands in Spanish like: Rata Blanca, Tierra Santa, Mago de Oz, Hombres G.
Switzerland