After ending up listening too many cookie cutter metal albums lately I just thought it would be interesting to hear if there's any great metal bands or/and albums you guys consider particularly creative and unconventional, anything but cliche-ridden and same old. I would think this kind of stuff is very niche and difficult to come by unless you know beforehand where or what to look for.

Oh boy oh boy, I really like this! *Long Post Ahead*

Let me start with a few suggestions of bands/albums that I consider quite original and certainly not "cookie cutter". You might know some of these, obviously, and others maybe you won't! Let's kick the obvious ones out first... I mean the big ones, the unholy trinity of being wacky:

Primus - Frizzle Fry
Primus - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese
System Of A Down - Mezmerize
System Of A Down - Toxicity
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity

Yeah, ok.. Maybe everyone knows Primus, SOAD and KGLW. But did everyone actually give 'em a listen? Those three bands are immensely popular yet you certainly can't call them cookie cutter or boring. Being original, experimental and different is their entire schtick and they succeed at it. I'd say anyone should start there.

Then for the less obvious stuff. I'll just give the genre for each and do my best to give a lot of different styles so everyone may find something they'll enjoy (in any case, none of the following are boring or by the number and you don't have to take it from me, just go and listen. You wanted originality, take it!):

- - - - - -

Zeal & Ardor - Devil Is Fine (Black + Alternative)

Beyond - Quantum Bummer (Progressive + Thrash)

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omnisicent (Progressive + Industrial)

KEN Mode - Mennonite (Noise + Hardcore)

Mutoid Man - Mutants (Sludge + Alternative + Progressive + Hardcore)

Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die (Djent + Alternative + Instrumental)

Children - Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World (Progressive + Thrash)

Infectious Grooves - The Plague That Makes Your Body Move... It's The Infectious Grooves (Alternative + Funk Rock)

Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury (Avantgarde + Jazz + Technical Death)

Horn Of The Rhino - Summoning Deliverance (Sludge + Doom + Death)

Tomahawk - Anonymous (Alternative + Experimental Rock)

Torche - Harmonicraft (Sludge + Stoner + Hardcore)

Prong - Beg To Differ (Groove Thrash + Industrial + Crossover)

Cynic - Focus (Progressive + Death)

Sarmat - Determined To Strike (Avantgarde + Jazz + Technical Death)

Alien Weaponry - Tū (Groove Thrash)

Dirty Shirt - Freak Show (Alternative + Crossover + Folk)

Babymetal - Babymetal (Melodic Death + J-Pop + Alternative) yes.. I did that.

Scars On Broadway - Dictator (Alternative + Hard Rock) ..from SOAD to SOB.

Shrüm - Red Devils And Purple Ringers (Sludge)

Voice Of Baceprot - Retas (Alternative + Nu + Funk Rock)

White Ward - Futility Report (Black + Post-Metal + Jazz)

- - - - - -

Ok.. I think I'll stop there for now, 28 is good. That would be a sick idea for a list though hahaha. I'm sure you'll find at least one band or album you'll like in there right? Those bands just don't do things like the others... Sometimes it works, sometimes it pisses people off

Have Fun!!!!!!

Just in case Guib's recommendations weren't enough, here are some more:

Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew (Avant-garde / psychedelic black metal)

Urfaust - Ritual Music For The True Clochard (black metal with great vocals and atmosphere)

La Torture Des Ténèbres - Civilization Is The Tomb Of Our Noble Gods (Black metal / noise)

Albino Slug - Albino Slug (Doomish avant-garde metal)

Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters (the forefathers of avant-garde bm)

Darklord - Symphony Satanikka (mix of Brutal Death and Symphonic Black which somehow works really well)

Phlebotomized - Immense, Intense, Suspense (Progressive / slightly avant-garde death metal with violins)

Dark Tribe - In Jeraspunta - Die Rückkehr Der Tollwütigen Bestie (unhinged black metal with demented vocals)

Arizmenda - Stillbirth In The Temple Of Venus (psychedelic black metal)

Painkiller - Guts Of A Virgin (avant-garde / grind, a slightly more atmospheric Naked City)

Graal - Sigullum Naturae (incredibly unique avant-garde metal)

Kaatayra - Inpariquipê (mix of brazilian folk and black metal)

Rotting Sky - Sedation (black metal / noise)

Timeghoul - 1992-1994 Discography (incredibly forward thinking progressive dm)

Chryst - PhantasmaChronica (very unique avant-garde bm)

Carnival In Coal - Fear Not (over the top avant-garde metal)

Direwolf - Beyond The Lands Of Human Existence (progressive and strangely technical black metal, very unique)

O.L.D. - The Musical Dimension Of Sleastak (avant-garde / industrial metal)

Those are some great creative bands, thanks!

I'll add some easy picks to the list:

Voivod - Any album. Voivod has always been very, very creative and think outside the box kind of band.

Sigh - Again, any album. Sigh was probably the first ever avant garde black metal band I ever heard, and they blew my mind. Imaginary Sonicscape was my introduction to the band.

Oranssi Pazuzu - This is a kinda no-brainer, pretty popular band.

Unexpect - In A Flesh Aquarium. I don't personally enjoy this band at all, but they are very unique and very extreme.

Lye By Mistake - Arrangements For Fulminating Vective. This is some progressive mathcore, very chaotic and surprisingly fun stuff.

Spastic Ink - Ink Complete. Progressive instrumental fusion metal. Anything with Ron Jarzombek is always creative and out there, the man has his very own and unique way of playing guitar.

Sadist - Tribe. This album is full of twists and turns. It's labeled "technical death metal", but the execution is anything but conventional: at times it sounds like any other death metal album, then suddenly the atmosphere changes completely and all the cheesy synths kick in. I think Tribe is amazingly fun and unique album.