The Grooviest Metal Bands of All Time
A list of top metal bands that put a boogie in your headbang
It’s easy to write groovy riffs and beats in metal. However, in order to truly captivate headbangers, the grand challenge lies in dropping grooves that leave them no choice but to bop while being starkly original in the process.
Many factors play into a band establishing their signature manner of grooving. One determinant is their home region.
A trained ear can guesstimate with general success where a metal band hails from based on its delivery — they have that New York bounce, that band has that Tampa grime, this band has that Euro sliminess, and so on. In the majority of cases, it’s unavoidable for artists to have their cultural influences infiltrate their writing.
It takes a special level of innovation to write memorable grooves, breakdowns, and beatdowns in metal because the genre has become oversaturated with them. It’s not enough to simply palm-mute notes in a sequential rhythm to a funky drum beat; you gotta give grooves a unique flavor, baby!
Here are the master chefs comprising my top-5 list of grooviest metal bands of all time, blessing the metal community with their distinctively delicious moshable goodness:
