This is my next top-10 list, this time rating groove metal albums and bands. As usual there is one record per band that gets to represent them as a whole, as good as it's possible. This particular genre was quite a challenge to put a list for. I love groove metal, which mostly reigned in the mid-90's, but this metal genre is probably the hardest genre to find good bands within. Believe me, I've listened to almost every single groove metal band that you can find out about, especially from the 90's, and it's really no wonder that most of them went by (totally) unnoticed - because most of them suck. But anyway, I manged to make a top-10 while even naming a few honorable candidates. Here it is:
#10: Farmer Boys - Countrified (1995)
My last spot was the most difficult to place, as usual. There are several album that are pretty equal to battle for this position, but I ultimately went with this one. This is a band whose name and lyrical themes aren't to be taken too seriously, obviously. Despite the shitty band name, the music on this debut of theirs is solid. It's kind of a gothic groove metal album. Think if The Gathering played groove metal, and you should quite nail it, I believe. That's why I gave this one the last spot on my list - because it's more unique than it's last-spot opponents.
#9: Hate Squad - I.Q. Zero (1995)
This album might be wrongfully placed on this to some metal purists, as it's a very hardcore-thrashing album, but I am not that conservative. I still think this album, and the band, fits in the groove folder. This is quite an intense album with lots of groovy hardcore-influenced thrash-riffing, a little like "Cowboys From Hell"-era Pantera. This album has got many solid tunes that gets me moshing and banging my head. The opening track is a neat underground 90's classic called "Not My God", which has later been covered by some modern, shit 'core band.
#8: Lamb of God - Wrath (2009)
One of the few modern bands that carry on today with what Pantera reigned with in the 90's. Again, some purists might not agree with the inclusion of LoG on this list. Many people consider them metalcore, but really. I've discussed this matter a number of times with my buds and we all agree on that Lamb of God is a groove metal band, not a metalcore one. Why? Well, metalcore to me is shit like Devildriver, All That Remains and whatever they're called - shit that I genuinely don't like. I don't think, at least I don't hear it, that LoG sound like them other metalcore bands. LoG is groove, and this album blew me away when it dropped in early 2009. I remember the day I bought it, like in the first week after its release. Good times, and groovy times as well.
#7: Fear Factory - Demanufacture (1995)
Here we've got a real 90's classic. This album was a pretty big success back in the mid-90's and one of Roadrunner Records' best-selling bands at the time, I believe. FF is categorized as industrial metal and they have a lot of those sound effects and atmospheres, but they're essentially a groove metal band musically. Focusing a lot on fast, machine-like and groovy drum rhythms, accompanied with great rhythm riffs and angry as well as clean vocals, FF is a good start of what would really influence the metalcore bands of the last ten years and more. But this was still the real deal back in the day. It's a damn good record. Unfortunately, FF didn't really keep up with any quality releases like this in the future, but this is enough of a great legacy, I guess. Their debut before this album is good as well, with more of a death metal sound.
#6: Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
Sweden's Meshuggah, my kinsmen, is a truly unique band. Playing a groovy thrash/death kind of metal style with a lot of weird time signatures that I can't even discuss details about (because I know nothing about that stuff), they take their sound a make it sound huge. This album is a perfect record that stands the test of time. I was very modern and groundbreaking back in its day, but it's still just as fresh today. This album is one heavy motherfucker, and I suggest you put this on when you're fucking pissed off. You won't be disappointed!
#5: Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power (1992)
My favorite Pantera record for many years now, VDOP took the sound they introduced on the mighty "Cowboys From Hell", dropped the power metal influences and made it all more brutal and heavy oriented. The result is a perfection of groove metal. This is probably one of the, if not the most, obvious choice you can go with if you wanna discover the groove metal genre. Featuring classics like "Walk", "This Love", "Fucking Hostile" and "Mouth For War" that I take for granted that you all are familiar with, says enough. I don't need to give this album any boost. You should already know it.
#4: Coroner - Grin (1993)
One of my favorite bands, especially in the thrash metal folder, Coroner ended their full-length album span with this one. While their earlier releases were technical thrash, this one is certainly more groove oriented. However, they do not take a cheap shot at playing Pantera wanna-be's, but rather do it their own way with their unique sound and style. The result is great, and while many of their fans consider this album to be their least good, I can't agree with that. It's not their best, but not their least good either. It is, however, probably their most interesting record musically, as it's the most different album of their career. They would release a compilation album in 1995 with a few new tunes, which sound very much like the material on this masterpiece, if you're interested.
#3: Exhorder - Slaughter In The Vatican (1990)
Exhorder is a band that I give a lot of rightful credit to. Most metalheads haven't heard about them. What's sad about this great band is that they're more famous for being inventors of the style that Pantera got their breakthrough with. Many people including myself have researched within this matter, and Exhorder's late 80's demos clearly shows that Pantera must've "stolen" their sound, and simply got their stuff out first. Pantera became huge, Exhorder went by unnoticed. Such a shame, because this fucking album is of some crushing quality metal that Pantera never even were able to touch. This album is a groovy thrash classic like nothing else!
#2: Machine Head - Burn My Eyes (1994)
This is one of the genre's definite classics. To my ears, I've always thought that Machine Head sounded like a more hardcore-influenced, and maybe even groovier, version of Pantera. With drums inspired of jazz, funk and hip-hop, they get a kind of groove going that no other band here really has. With heavy riffing, angry vocals, and great compositions, Machine Head made their best record already from the start. I know some people might disagree with me on this, while many will agree as well, but I really prefer the sound they had going here than later on in their career. This is nothing less but a must-have for all metal fans. It's just that good. A classic.
#1: Face Down - Mindfield (1995)
My winner of this genre. This is an album I've reviewed here before as I like this band very much. Coming from my homeland Sweden, Face Down is something of a Swedish Machine Head (they were even called Machine God until "Burn My Eyes" was released in 1994), clearly drawing influences from them, Sepultura, Pantera and Slayer. The difference between Face Down and Machine Head, and the other bands of the genre as well, is that FD has a lot of that sweet Swedish death metal ingredient in their music. This, in my opinion, makes their music even heavier than the others. Essentially this is a groovy thrash/death album, also sporting some obvious industrial influences with its samples and keyboards, and the result is crushing! I simply love this damn album. It's awesome.
Honorable mentions:
Grip Inc. - Power Of Inner Strength
Sepultura - Chaos A.D.
White Zombie - Astro-Creep: 2000
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