Bands you kick yourself for not getting in to sooner.

[Grand Moff Tim]

That ever happen to you fellas?

And no, I don't mean you heard a band for the first time way after they became relevant and wished you had heard them sooner.

I mean you were fully aware of the band, probably had even heard of a few of their songs, for YEARS before you gave them a proper chance?

An example fo' y'all:

I was recently on a southern rock kick, being a long time fan of bands like Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. When I looked up the genre online for other similar bands, one band that kept coming up was ZZ Top.

Obviously I've known about them since before I even started playing guitar (and I started playing in '95), but in my mind ZZ Top was famous for two things: Beards, and 80s synth-rock driven songs like this:






So I couldn't help but wonder wtf they were doing on so many "must have" lists for southern rock.

But then I actually checked them out for realsies, and gave a good listen to gems like this:



I mean come on. That shit fucking rules. Not only is Billy Gibbons a fucking master of blues rock guitar, but the rhythm section (Frank Beard and Dusty Hill) has that shit on lockdown.

As an added bonus, here's a ZZ Top song with some of the filthiest fuzz I've ever heard on a lead guitar, and a fan-made video that will make you hungry as fuck. You have been warned:







So what about you duders? Ever been surprised by a band you had always just kinda... dismissed? Wanted to punch yourself in the eyeballs once you caved?

Share.

Be verbose.

DO IT.

 

[sleightest]

Devin Townsend

 

[gunch]

Being the hound for (TICKNICKLE) dirty angry powerfrown music with groove I felt like an idiot for just now giving bands like Bone Dance and Burnt By the Sun a fair shake

 

[Cnev]

Swans. The Seer, which was released last year, was my introduction to them. How I managed to miss their 30 years of music making prior to that is beyond me.

 

[zakattak192]

The Melvins
Yob
Ghost
Cathedral
Emperor
Mastodon

There's a lot more, I just can't think of em right now.

 

[GizmoJunior]

I'd heard of Opeth and even listened to a few of their songs but never really sat down and had a good listen. A few weeks ago my friend was putting some music on my iPod, he's a huge Opeth fan, and insisted that I get Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries. For some reason it just hasn't clicked before but now I really enjoy me some Opeth.

 

[ghostred7]

Opeth for me.

@OP/Tim - check out "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" ....I covered that in an old band and we made it flippin heavy and it still worked for the Southern Rock fans we were playing to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzZcBceUZJw

 

[JLP2005]

I'd heard of Opeth and even listened to a few of their songs but never really sat down and had a good listen. A few weeks ago my friend was putting some music on my iPod, he's a huge Opeth fan, and insisted that I get Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries. For some reason it just hasn't clicked before but now I really enjoy me some Opeth.

I come to this forum all the time because I value the opinions of other folks when it comes to sorting through all the high-gain bullshit, but let me just tuck that respect away for a minute and say this:

Blackwater Park is the best metal album ever, ever made. Sure, there are great albums out there, but they don't even come close to this masterpiece of an album. It has absolutely everything someone wants from a metal album. Think about it.

It is progressive metal. - The phrasing and composition is top notch
It is sludge metal. - Repetitive, thick riffage
It is thrash metal. - Bleak. 'Nuff said.
It's stoner metal. - Main riff in title track.
It's doomy at times.
It's death metal. (Obviouuuus)
It's black(ish) metal. - Bleak again
It's alt-rock. - Harvest/Patterns in the ivy
It is expressive and soft. (see above)
It is heartfelt. (The entire album)
Brutal as fuck vocals - It's Mikael Akerfeldt we're talking about here, c'mon.
Soft as fuck vocals. - Same as above.

I consider it the inarguable pinnacle of metal.

You can flame me. You can neg rep me. But, as I said, it's inarguable to me.

Hmm, but to contribute...


Mastodon, probably. They went on tour with Opeth for the Heritage Hunter tour, and a whole contingent of Opethians like myself got butthurt because the music wasn't even remotely what we had expected. I, with others, dismissed Mastodon as 'just another metal band'. I gotta say I was wrong about 'em. I fucking can't tell you how big a breath of fresh air they were when I finally dove into their discography. Sure, Brent Hinds is a fucking shithead and a total washout, but you could say the same about many, many, many musicians.

So, Mastodon.

 

[guitarister7321]

Red Seas Fire. I just got into them this week despite seeing their name everywhere for like the past year.

 

[Projectdream95]

The Safety Fire. I saw them open up for Periphery and Protest the Hero last year and they put on a hell of a show



Very unique prog metal. The vocals may be a turn off, but once you get used to them theyre great

 

[Rosal76]

Rush. Back in the 80's-90's, I had heard many of their songs on the radio, knew who they were but could not analyze (as a musician) their musicianship. As the years went by, I started to learn about theory and what all the progressive bands were doing in their music and that made me appreciate Rush even more.

 

[Nats]

Rush and the Melvins so I could have seen them when they toured together. I already know that would have been my favorite show of all time if I actually went. I want to invent a time machine just for that. And to get another shot with Suzie....

 

[blaaargh]

I just started getting into Gaza a couple weeks ago, and then they go and break up on me. All the dudes in my band went and saw them with Code Orange Kids, Young and In The Way, and Full of Hell last year, and I'm still kicking myself for not going.

 

[Zer01]

Every band I've ever liked turned to crap 5 minutes after I got into them. No joke. It goes all the way back to Metallica. My first exposure was Justice.

 

[wankerness]

Call me crazy, but I almost prefer getting into bands that have been around for a long time just so I have more stuff to listen to right away instead of having to spend all those agonizing years between albums waiting for the next one! And broken-up bands are even better. There's no sense of anticipation or disappointment when you have their whole discography from the start!

I like plenty of current bands, too, I just see plenty of upsides to getting into now-defunct bands and not really any negatives other than "can't see them live."

 

[Joose]

@OP: ZZ Top was my first concert when I was 12 haha.

Bands for me... hmm, well 1 off the top of my head is Meshuggah. Not until Obzen.

 

[7JxN7]

The Ocean

 

[JLP2005]

The Ocean

Just found out about these guys two days ago and I agree--really solid playing. If you're into that stuff, try Kongh and this amazing french progsludge Hacride -- I'll link, em:

Hacride - A World of Lies - YouTube

Kongh - Counting Heartbeats - YouTube

 

[bulb]

GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST GHOST

 

[JLP2005]

^ Would never have really figured you were a ghost fan. They were amazing live!