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Death

Death has been the answer to every recent question on here 😂

Thats why Death is a goated band

That was my first thought too

Death was my first thought too

Every band is going to have clunkers sometimes (including the ones I list), but for the most part I particularly like these: TOOL Black Sabbath Rammstein

+1 for Rammstein. Funny, dark, shocking...

Black Sabbath was a good one I didn’t even think about that. But I put most Tool cuz sometimes they write unintentionally goofy lyrics. Plus the pot is such a goofy ass song in general

I mean it would be goofy if they didn’t base it off of a real life court case

Yeah, all these bands have some stupid lyrics (like Sabbath rhyming masses with masses...). The TOOL lyric "calm as cookies and cream so it seems" pisses me off, partly because it's stupid and partly because Maynard's delivery is annoying lol.

The masses lyric is genius. It's two different words with different meanings that sound the same and paint a perfect picture and allegorical simile.

I feel like I always see people complaining about this lyric. I get the rhyme isn’t that clever but I feel like the meaning and the imagery, that you mentioned, is so much more important.

Knowing maynard he probably does it on purpose though

I know Maynard is awesome too. I just don’t get how they can write all timers (lyrically) and then drop in the goofiest lyrics in the middle of two brilliant lyrics

A lot of Tool's stuff is very tongue-in-cheek, and pretty often boils down to either a dick joke or a sex joke. Also Rosetta Stoned exists. If that's not goofy lyrics, I don't know what is!

I always thought it was “messes” like mess halls.

That is horrendous Some tool lyrics really resonate with me and I think they’re kinda badass. But that last album was pretty cringe in general

We just gonna forget about the time Black Sabbath rhymed tequila with tequila? Nah, they got some great lyrics, but it varies between album. Paranoid? Vol. 4? Dehumanizer? Good stuff. Technical Ecstasy? Never Say Die? Forbidden? Ehhhh...

It was Ian Gillan tbf so I'll give my approval 👍

Generals gathered in the masses just like withches at black masses

Maybe Im not enough of a tool to understand, but I don't understand a single lyric made by tool.

That’s cool. Imo everybody overhypes the importance or lyrics anyway.

Deathspell Omega ( my fav ) Cynic Agalloch Vektor Gorguts Opeth Neurosis Edge of Sanity Selbst Mglá and many more ...

Vektor songwriting session be like https://preview.redd.it/ncp3sio4hd9d1.png?width=1400&format=png&auto=webp&s=c21413fff1f5f685b6a5a9cec35ed85b8a57c808

And it works really well

This is a damn decent list. Agalloch, Vektor, and Mgla are incredibly good picks.

Tool Meshuggah The Ocean Katatonia Periphery Soen Woods of Ypres

Meshuggah has words?! I genuinely never noticed

I know you're at least half joking but I listened and read the lyrics to Nothing this morning. I'd recommend these two: Closed Eye Visuals and Spasm. > I'm forever devoured by the closed eye visual delusion >A twirling visual overload - Explosions of terror and beauty >Colors of fear and pain within clash into unanything >(A spectra-organic frenzy setting fire to the neuro-highways of mind >Revolving me away from time. A soul now rendered unassigned)

Ok so I put on Closed Eye Visuals, and was reading the lyrics and when the words were there to follow along with I could understand everything he was saying. But the second I looked away, the words became gibberish to my ears. Kinda reminds me of the first time I read A Clockwork Orange. While I was reading it all the insane slang made sense, but as soon as I put the book down I couldn’t recall any of it.

lmao

Then the entirety of Dancers to a Discordant System are superb

Periphery, Rush, and Devin Townsend. My lyrical trifecta.

I listed S.Y.L. but it really is a stand in for all of Devin‘s work.

Fuck yes 🤘

Iron Maiden

Maiden is kind of a wildcard when it comes to lyrics. They cover the entire spectrum from top notch lyrics to pure cringe

I get it. You run the gamut from. "Hallowed Be thy Name" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" to "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter". Mostly good, but some bad, admittedly.

Always been a fan of Deftones - Chino's lyrics as he does a lot of abstract poetry that leaves it to the listener to determine their own meaning.

If you can get past him moaning I guess

That's the best part

So much moaning

Yet still not enough

Not metal, but Rush all day every day

“If you choose not to decide, you’ve still made a choice” blew my mind when I first heard it

Cradle of Filth - dude's a true word-smith.

Scrolled down way too far before finding this comment. Such impressive poetry.

Skyclad is another band with a lyrical approach that is very similar, yet also very different. In fact, Martin Walkyier's work in Sabbat (UK) was one of Dani's personal influences. When comparing the two, they are both very well-read individuals who loves to reference the Western canon. And they both love wordplay and making puns. But while Dani's lyrics are amoral, escapist, takes place in a sort of an inverted fantasy version of the real world, and are very excessive, both when it comes to the romanticism and sexual themes, Martin's lyrics are moralistic, often political and usually takes place in the real world. (Though one where fantastic occurrences sometimes take place.) I like both a lot, but I would rank Cradle of Filth higher. Cradle of Filth probably have wider appeal as well, both musically and lyrically. But I do think quite a bit more people would enjoy Skyclad if they became acquainted with them. Unfortunately, the band and Martin parted ways in 2001, but they released a lot of albums together before that.

both bands helped me learn english when I was an early teen. I love how you compared them

Try track four, coffin fodder. It sounds horrible but it’s actually quite beautiful.

Especially Dusk and Her Embrace

Acid bath rules

Kinda cringe and edgy

But we love them for it

Yep

"Eat my dead cock" & "Eat my cold shit" in the same song...

1. A Perfect Circle 2. Metallica 3. Wuthering Heights 4. Bloodywood 5. Bullet for My Valentine. Honorable mentions for **The Enigma TNG** and **Nitroverts**, since idk if they qualify as metal... as well as **Dreams in the Witch House**, since I'm not sure if they're a band, or if they just get together for that rock opera.

Uhhhh, Bullet? I mean their later albums sure, but their old stuff...? Not sure about that one chief.

Fucking meshuggah, look at this shit: The struggle to free myself from restraints becomes my very shackles.

To live through ones own shadow Mute and blinded, is to really see Eclipse the golden mirror And the reflection is set free

I'm listening to mind's mirrors rn lol

I'm forever devoured by the closed eye visual delusion A twirling visual overload - Explosions of terror and beauty Colors of fear and pain within clash into unanything (A spectra-organic frenzy setting fire to the neuro-highways of mind Revolving me away from time. A soul now rendered unassigned)

Surprised I didn’t see The Black Dahlia Murder here (RIP Trevor).

Great storyteller

Absolutely. Great lyricist. Rip

I said it and then scrolled down too far to see I wasn’t the only one. Dude’s vocabulary was unmatched.

I know people like to clown on a few of Hetfield's lines a lot, but when his lyrics are good, they're really good. Especially 90s era Metallica. The Outlaw Torn, Bleeding Me, Fixxxer, The House that Jack Built, The God That Failed, etc.

Honestly both Metallica and Megadeth got significantly better at lyrics in the 90s IMO. Load and Youthanasia were probably the peak of both bands' lyrics.

I don't think he is much of a poet, but his lyrics was always an important part of the band's music. And in retrospect when I compare them to a lot of other thrash metal bands, I really appreciate how varied they are when it comes to the topic of the lyrics.

I love the lyrics Metallica had in the 90s because they feel extremely personal

Pig destroyer has weirdly great lyrics for a grindcore band, also magrudergrind

Had to scroll down too far to see Pig Destroyer. Their lyrics are so well written

They’re really well written i saw someone call the poetry and i agree, but tbh i can never understand what they’re about or what they mean/signify

Meshuggah, Mudvayne, Cult of Luna, Nevermore, Dream Theater, Necrophagist (Epitaph), Clutch, Cynic, Opeth

I'm a DThead, but I think a good 70% of their lyrics aren't that good, not bad either, they are kinda just there . Early DT has peak lyrics btw

With you on early DT. On the other hand, I once heard someone say "The lyrics from Black Clouds and Silver Linings were dug up from the deepest darkest pits of stupid" and I have to agree

By the grace of god above everyone survived HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Give Chad Grey credit for making “I just want to run around, fly kites, wrestle, jump and play” sound metal as fuck.

the black dahlia murder

Agreed. Trevor was a death metal poet.

The Window creeps me the fuck out every time.

GOJIRA.

Totally, big agree

Shadow of Intent

System of a Down

My cock is much bigger than yours I love soad but they either have the weirdest most random lyrics or the best lyrics no in-between 😭

Serj always said they could write songs about anything and they certainly did lol

[удалено]

Except jailbait. I can do without that song

Converge Jacob Bannon deserves a lot more credit than he gets as a lyricist imo

He'd probably get more credit if anyone understood what the fuck he was singing. A lot of the time he doesn't even seem to follow the lyrics.

You’re right :(

Between the buried and me

First ones that came to mind for me are Black Sabbath, Lamb of God, and Marilyn Manson\* \*Sometimes

Yes dude. Randy is top 3 when it comes to lyricism

Steel Panther😎

God-tier parody.

Soen and Haken probably are my favorite metal lyricists right now Also good ol Devin Townsend but thats a given

Archspire Cattle Decapitation Bad religion (punk but they’re one of my favourites) Ulcerate Artificial Brain Anaal Nathrakh (when there are actually words lol) Mgła

Trivium

Pantera has some soul crushing lyrics like in hollow and cemetery gates, also have kickass songs like walk and drag the waters. Also Power Trip just had a really great writing style with lots of commentary on war and government without being very explicit, which is where I think a lot of lyrics go from cool to cringe very quickly.

Opeth (minus heritage)

Iron maiden, nightwish, elvenking, blind guardian, and avenged sevenfold come to mind.

Cradle of Filth lyrics on early albums were written well. I stopped listening after a while so no idea if they kept it up. Just have to get past the whole romanticizing goth thing. But ya, Death is the no brainer answer for me.

Insomnium, Behemoth, Eluveitie, Hellyeah and Korn.

This is a stupid take in my opinion, like sure most bands will have songs with little to no meaning. But I think majority of groups have songs that actually mean something and aren’t just stupid shit that sounds good with the instrumentals. Idk I listen to a lot of music just for the fact that it means something to me, so maybe I am biased.

It’s generic, but cemented.. Black Sabbath. Geezer is a Word Wizard haha 🤘

I love Jinjer. The song Perennial in particular.

Mgłas lyrics are fucking poems

Whores, simple and misanthropic but relatable

Someone asked me what a theme song for me would be and 3 whores songs cane right to mind

Death Black Sabbath Iron Maiden Blind Guardian Iced Earth Dio Opeth Tool (I don’t really count them as metal though…progressive rock, really)

I had to scroll way too far to see Blind Guardian mentioned.

Honestly I always thought Dani Filth wrote a lot of fun lyrics. I haven't listened to anything recent from them though.

NIN, Ministry

Rotting Christ

Insomnium

Iron Maiden

i think i gravitate towards metal because i dont give a shit about the lyrics

Nevermore

CARCASS. Their pitch black wit will have you grinning ear to ear as you reach for a dictionary trying to decipher the other half of the song.

Nevermore, absolutely.

MIZMOR

Stone Sour

Id add slipknot aswell

metallica, a7x, and tool are the first three bands that come to mind. best examples i can think of are fade to black, cosmic, and schism

[This album](http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/blacktongue/nadir.html)

slough feg

Yeah, they have many that are interesting. It helps that the main guy is a philosophy professor. Definitely a band that deserves more exposure. Who doesn't love beautiful twin-guitar harmonies!

Melechesh Symphony X Shylmagoghnar Septicflesh Doomsword Pallbearer

Saint Vitus

Dying inside is heavy stuff

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum for the heady poetry. Impaled for the nerdy puns. Demilich for the WTFs.

Primus

Opeth

Death Opeth Mastodon Gorguts Tool Mgla

Death, Converge (some of the best tbh), Opeth, Gojira, Tool

Skyclad had a lot of good/fun lyrics in the 1990s. Martin Walkyier's lyrics were a big part of the appeal to me back then. I still like the band even though he's not in it, but lyrically not as much.

Silent planet

The groups with peak lyrics: · Cormorant · Horrendous · Agalloch · Ludicra · Coheed and Cambria · Opeth ·Pallbearer and the one most people glaze over that's annoying is... DARK TRANQUILLITY. All of these are special, but the lyrics to DT's ‘Lethe’ stick in the mind when listening to that song. That closing verse especially: “Hold me near, my one friend and guide as I drown through your fingers, drown through your love for you are the life that I hate you are my... you are my Drag me down, in passionate sighs with the ocean above me and flames in my eyes and grant me a life I can live” Go back and hear Lethe — and tell me I'm wrong. 

Machine head/ Robb Flynn is incredible. Burn my eyes Tear at the skin The crawling beneath will begin Side by side Pounding the heretic drums as we rise or we fall And all these scars The nightmare it calls The fear and betrayal begin We’ve come so far The shit we ingest With a mouthful of spit and protest He is really good at telling a cohesive theme/story lyrically. Where the song has something. I miss that from a lot of metal bands. Of course MH has their lyrical stinkers like most bands that have been around that long or experimented a lot, but the vast majormajority are very well written and also have great vocal hooks with the delivery.

Cradle of Filth. You can say what you want about the band but the lyrics are legit poetry.

Protest the Hero has the best lyrics hands down. The whole Kezia album is a lyrical masterpiece; so underrated.

Type O Negative

Rage Against the Machine. They get their point across well.

The Dillinger Escape Plan

100%

Iron Maiden, their ability to tell a story with their lyrics is unmatched

Autopsy

Ovid's Withering At The Throne Of Judgment Wretched And hell followed with

Teitanblood

Nomeansno

Black Sabbath

Insomnium, Behemoth, Eluveitie, Hellyeah and Korn

Opeth, Killswitch Engage, TOOL

Elvenking, Wind Rose and Twilight Force are among my favourites with lyrics

Anyone else very rarely pay attention to lyrics?

I don’t pay attention on first listens. If I end up really liking a song tho I’ll typically look them up.

Imo slayers lyrics for Relentless are the best. They're an ode to the life of Jeff Hanneman written by Kerry King. If you haven't take a sec to read them. Story of a man who did shit his own way

TOOL Black Sabbath Pupil Slicer Early Metallica

Death, Tool 90% of the time, and not always Metal but anything Landon Tewers does.

Thou Mizmor

I always loved darkest hour's lyrics. Especially their first few records.

Fantomas. Its basically Mike Patton doing death metal scat and it kicks ass

Not a huge fan of them anymore, but objectively it's Rammstein

CC

Once again, death.

Opeth Gorguts Cradle of Filth Black Sabbath (Ozzy & Dio eras) Sanguisugabog 🤣

Nine Inch Nails and Dance Gavin Dance. The latter's lyrics aren't great but Jon's lines are funny af

Be'lakor has an interesting choice of words and they way they're structured. Beautiful poetry.

Entombed, Sabbath (Dio Years).

Sentenced, Kataronia, Nightwish, Blind Guardian

Aephanemer, Cradle of Filth, Theatre of Tragedy

Skyclad Cradle of Filth My Dying Bride Bal-Sagoth These four are all great and also British. For a Non-British band you could throw Summoning from Austria in there, but in this context that would be cheating, as they don't write the lyrics themselves, but instead repurpose poetry. That's not a bad idea though, and more metal bands could have benefited from that approach. Especially bands from Non-English speaking countries using English lyrics.

Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, anthrax I’d say. This is generally speaking, obviously all these bands have not great lyrics at times.

Hatebreed

Wilderun

Nevermore. Kind of depressing but I appreciate most of their lyrics.

Weezer

Nice, obv

Tool Opeth And that’s all I got

Monster Magnet 🖤🤘

Dark Tranquillity has some really good ones. "Remain In The Unknown" is a particular favorite of mine in lyrics. Plus, Stanne's cleans are the sexiest goddamn thing.

Mgła, Opeth has some goodns and white ward had some really good lines

Angelmaker

I know the name of the band sucks but Every Time I Die raised the bar and it has been untouched since. Such an underrated band in a metalhead‘s eyes; or ears therefore.

Draconian

Opeth has great lyrics, they look like they took them straight out of something Shakespeare wrote

I really need to start getting into the lyrics on Meshuggah.

Basic answer but Metallica. Disposable heroes is gut wrenching. Bleeding me has great lyrics too. For more extreme metal my vote goes to mgla

you think you know who i am all i know is i love to kill face down, dead on the ground, find me before another is found what is more metal/horror movie than that?

Slayer. Acid Bath. Tomahawk. MINISTRY. Clutch. Gojira Megadeth (military intelligence, two words together that don't make sense)

Mgla

Savatage Testament Overkill

Borknagar!!! They sing about nature

Clutch. Great lyricist.

MINISTRY. Slayer. Acid Bath. Gojira. Mr. Bungle. Clutch.

Ministry, Acid Bath and Gojira? Nice