Heaviest Music... that isn't Metal.

[II2]

Now now, metal's fine and I love me some Meshuggah and old Metallica, but seeing as there's so many headbangers here, wouldn't it be interesting to try and find genuinely heavy music that isn't ostensibly "METAL"?

Fun challange, right?

I'm not saying that it has to be free from crunchy guitars, but in fairness, I think most of us generally know "metal" when we here it. Let's reach outside the trappings of that perticular genre and see what's the heaviest we can drag up! Electronic, orchestral, freejazz, spoken word, punk/industrial/goth, post-rock, noise, whatev's... SUBMIT YOUR FAVORITES:

To kick things off

Spoiler: Hehehehehehe....

I'll drip feed some more, soon. Post yours.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

I would propose listening to the something by Richard Wagner.
His works will blow your ears clean off and then some.

 

[Rawne1980]

I think besides metal that rock would be heaviest.

Spoiler

It doesn't get much heavier than that....

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Spoiler

Hardcore punk, t'aint metal. Although I find it hard to imagine there are many people that like it and don't like at least some metal.

The Prodigy are just awesome, I'd say they're pretty heavy at times to.

Spoiler

And totally mindfuckingly crazy-awesome live.

 

[BathorysGraveland]

Well, I'd imagine that some kind of extreme electronic genre would be the heaviest. A lot of it has sounded like very harsh, wall-of-noise stuff, so that would be my guess. Don't know anything specific to post, though. Isn't there actually an entire genre just called "noise"? I'd assume that would be heavy as fuck.

 

[II2]

I had a system error page when I tried to post this topic and when I managed to get it up and running... doublepost. Sorry about that. This will be the active thread, thanks to any mods who can close the other.

Well, I'd imagine that some kind of extreme electronic genre would be the heaviest. A lot of it has sounded like very harsh, wall-of-noise stuff, so that would be my guess. Don't know anything specific to post, though. Isn't there actually an entire genre just called "noise"? I'd assume that would be heavy as fuck.

Glad you mentioned that. Indeed, while probably the best known, Merzbow is prime example of that kinda sound. His album "Pulse Demon" is one of my favorites.

WARNING, this is a LOUD recording

Definitely not for everyone, but if you've got a grudge against your roommates, neighbors, or are just looking to meditate in the eye of the storm, it's a great record. He's done a lot of work, like... 60 albums a lot of work... but I feel this one really captures his brand of insanity at both it's most aggressive and also most tactile and meditative...

There's a rather odd underground concert scene for this kind of stuff in Japan. Some of the loudest concerts ever performed, usually up in the mountains, away from the cities, for small audiences given earplugs and LSD then hung from the ceiling and blindfolded as per "bondage concert" norms... The idea is a combination of hallucinogenic augemented sensory deprivation + sensory overload, where the world falls away and you become the sound as it it becomes everything.

 

[II2]

Hardcore punk, t'aint metal. Although I find it hard to imagine there are many people that like it and don't like at least some metal.

Agreed! It can get pretty bonkers and caustic. I find one of the most interesting periods to be in the early 80's, after the first wave of punk rock had launched and less clear ideas of what it was had become expected (see SWANS in my first post).

Amebix is a great example of heavy, crazy, crusty punk rock. I really like their stuff.

 

[Jazoni89]

That's Shoegazing pretty much...

Most of it is extremely loud, like for example in My Bloody Valentine concerts they give out earplugs to everyone to avoid the crowd getting tinnitus. The style of music is made by heavy reverb, and guitar delay which gives it it's constant droning sound. It's possibly more heavier than most metal is.


Noise Rock, and Noise Pop, the genres Shoegazing originated from also share the similar traits as Shoegazing albeit with less ethereal like vocals.

Spoiler

Seriously, no matter how much I love this music, i wouldn't want to listen to these bands full blast for hours at a time.

 

[AnarchistFish]

The Angelic Process. Heavy, overpowering shoegaze/drone.

And hardcore punk, obviously.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Ehem...


This is pretty much one of the main reasons Heavy Metal exists.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Vuvuzela music?

Seriously though;

Most shoegaze bands could quite likely liquify your eardrums if you listened to them for too long.

For example

Spoiler

Honorable mention for hardcore punk as well.

 

[MisterGobbles]

There's a rather odd underground concert scene for this kind of stuff in Japan. Some of the loudest concerts ever performed, usually up in the mountains, away from the cities, for small audiences given earplugs and LSD then hung from the ceiling and blindfolded as per "bondage concert" norms... The idea is a combination of hallucinogenic augemented sensory deprivation + sensory overload, where the world falls away and you become the sound as it it becomes everything.

That is literally the most brutal thing I have ever heard.

The music sounds like an MRI on several thousand doses of steroids.

I was just gonna say, like, Jane Doe by Converge (not technically metal), but I think this wins.

 

[Andy Shandy]

This song contains the most amount of Heavy I know.


Sorry, I couldn't resist =P (and allowed me to post a fantastic song)

 

[DoPo]

Well, Angerfist, I think all of it.

Spoiler: here is a sample

There is also a subgenre or rap called death rap.

Spoiler: It sounds sort of like this

 

[unoleian]

First thing that came to my mind is some of the crazy crap that came out of the jungle scene, especially once you start looking into breakcore.

I'm not the biggest fan of this stuff, but there is no denying it can be heavy as fuck.


edit-- replaced previous track. I had NO IDEA what it went into after the 4:00 mark, assuming anyone made it that far. I will keep a link to it, but won't risk embedding it here. I assume anyone won't make it that far, but you have been warned. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHgWX8kfc0M]

edit mk2-- As I move through the list of tracks in OP I see this ground is covered. There you go.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Well HORSE the Band can be considered 'Nintendocore' you could still call them metal but I reckon they count for this thread.


Also Gallows are hardcore punk:

Well, Angerfist, I think all of it.

Angerfist agrees

 

[zehydra]

Y'see back in the early 90's there was this genre called "grunge"

 

[Blackdoom]

I would say maybe Grindcore however that depends on whether you define it as punk or metal I would say that it has much more metal influence than punk but it is arguable.

Otherwise I would say some genre of punk maybe Hardcore, Crossover or Crust punk.

Another possibilty would be aggrotech. Which is essentially black or death metal but electronic music instead.
Might not be the best example of it but I am lazy.

Another possibility would definitely be Breakcore.
Again maybe not best example but can't find what I was looking for.