Im going to recommend Zu...

it's kind of technical death metal meets skronky downtown NYC jazz, at other times Godflesh with John Zorn on saxophones...

65daysofstatic maybe can fit in here. It's a great and weird mix of post-rock/post-metal. The drummer is just insane.

Stolen Babies are good,if you don't mind screaming female vocals.

Diablo Swing Orchestra and Mirrorthrone are my favourites though!

Age Of Silence. One of the most awesome and hilarious projects out there in their combination of lyrics and music. En par with Arcturus if you ask me. Albeit their completely different style.
Also I'm stunned that nobody has mentioned Winds so far. Awesome band.

And then there's the occasional avant garde-ish album by bands you wouldn't expect like Emperor's Prometheus or Opeth's Watershed in to some extend.

I'm glad you posted that question because I caught some tips from other people's replies, having gotten more into that stuff myself lately. I also have some bands and albums to suggest. Some of the stuff I like has already been mentioned so I will focus on things I didn't see already posted..

*The Secret Chiefs, especially the album "Book of Horizons;"
*Green Carnation - I just discovered them but I like some of their stuff a lot, some albums more than others;
*Virus, "The Agent That Shapes the Dessert," otherwise I think they're more of a jazz band;
*Ephel Duath, crazy complicated kind of shit and too weird to just be "prog metal;"
*Time of Orchids, especially earlier stuff - really weird, a criticism would be that they seem too focused on being weird, but they have some really successful stuff. Later stuff is more avant-rock. Go for the album "Mellonwhisper;"
&
*Therion album called "Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas." Their other stuff is really different from this, it's sort of the weird awkward adolescent phase of them between being a death metal band and becoming an epic symphonic metal band, but it's hands down my favorite album by them.

So those are my findings for now. Let me know if you find anything nobody's mentioned that sounds interesting.

Oh one other thing, I just heard an album by Unexpect and yeah they fit the description pretty well, though for some reason I wasn't really into it. For the same reason I never really liked Mr. Bungle. But if YOU like Unexpect, I'm sure you would like Mr. Bungle, if you haven't checked them out ever. Unexpect definitely *has* checked them out, that much is very clear to me.

As far as why I don't like that stuff, it seems more like a contest for how many strange things can be thrown into the music, and I listen to it and I'm just like, "well yeah, congratulations that was really weird and seemed really hard to play." But I can't find any reason why I'd want to hear it. Same criticism I was eluding to about Time Of Orchids, but their stuff seems a little more conceptual to me so I let it slide.

The bands/albums I listed seem more like they are actually trying to get something across instead of just impress me with how weird they can be. All in all it can be hard to hone in on avant-garde bands you like because if there was something in particular that avant-garde music had in common it wouldn't be avant-garde, it would just get a name and become a genre.

Written by whatsacow on 18.03.2010 at 03:22

I'm listening to Thy Catafalque atm, they arent bad.

I was just going to post them, they have put up their albums for free download from last.fm. It is the brainshild of the keyboard player from another Hungarian band called Gire who are also somewhat avant garde although much more straight forward and acessible than Thy Catafalque are, and you can easily tell that it is the same keyboard player as he has a very distinctive and instantly recognisable sound (a very rare quality indeed). The Gire album is also available for free download from last.fm and is exceptionally good, pity that it will be their only album as they split up just after it was released.

Try Naked City, i added them to the band suggestions some time ago.

Two very different songs from Polkadot Cadaver:
Bring Me the Head of Andy Warhol
Chloroform Girl

I can tell they have been exposed to Cardiacs...

Avantgarde is kind of a weird genre term to me. There are a lot of bands i consider avantgarde that some might call something else. I for one consider Agalloch avantgarde but it seems they get tossed in the folk/pagan/black metal category by others.
Also check out Virgin Black.

Written by Guest on 09.05.2011 at 07:17

Avantgarde is kind of a weird genre term to me. There are a lot of bands i consider avantgarde that some might call something else. I for one consider Agalloch avantgarde but it seems they get tossed in the folk/pagan/black metal category by others.
Also check out Virgin Black.

I find avant garde is usually slapped on bands that critics cant think of a genre for. For example, drone metal and post metal were once considered avant garde.

I think avant garde is a very broad category. The term avant garde means experimentation and something new. So i think you can slap the genre on any band that is experimenting with their music I guess. Still I'm sure that is up for debate.
Anyway you are looking at bands that experiment with the metal genre I would suggest
Ihsan's -after album, its sorta similar to Ephel duath(painters palette) Incorporates a lot of sax in there.
Freak neil inc is another band that comes to mind.
Apart from some of the ones mentioned I can't think of anymore.

Oh and i wouldn't consider meshuggah avant garde.
Have you seen the amount of math metal and djent in the market today?

Written by Kennoth on 28.09.2010 at 04:55

It's a really broad genre. I'm very interested to hear some good avant-garde/experimental bands, but from what I've caught on (Meshuggah, iwrestledabearonce) I'm not satisfied.

Meshuggah and iwabo are not avant garde. iwabo is craptastic deathcore with jazz influences and Meshuggah started off as progressive thrash but have since moved more into the realm of progressive math metal. Sprirt Molecule has a good point, look at all the math and djent bands that have seemingly just come out of the wood work in the past few years claiming that Meshuggah are gods and inspired their entire existence...

Try Kellermensch's self-titled debut. It's a kind of Rock'N'Roll (if you think Neil Young'ish) with some classically influenced passages and a very raw and tight bass foundation. They incorporate both clean singing (not the whiny kind) and growling/screaming (handled by their organ player). It's a very interesting band that I'm not fond of labeling genre-wise. I'll just say it's good music.

I dont about this but Mick Kenney's (Anaal Nathrakh) Professor Fate sounds preety wierd like (according to last.fm discription) cinematic music put to drums

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

To me the hardest genre to define. Anyway, THE avant-garde album for me will always be "Into the Pandemonium" by Celtic Frost. It's a crazy album and the one that introduced me to the music.

If you're interested in something totally epic and not so much metal (more symphonic rock) but insanely experimental I suggest anything by Devil Doll.

I'll second Arcturus. They fuse black metal and avante-garde elements in a great way.

Written by Metal_4Ever on 12.09.2011 at 07:24

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Blackfield? Really? That alternative pop/rock band? It's not even prog (the kind of stale traditionalist prog PT play), just plain old pop/rock for stadiums, albeit with a slightly alternative, atmospheric angle. There is absolutely nothing avant-garde, experimental or even unusual about them. Stop trying to justify your music taste by attributing snobbish and incorrect labels on your favorites. >_>

Written by IronAngel on 16.09.2011 at 12:57

Written by Metal_4Ever on 12.09.2011 at 07:24

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Blackfield? Really? That alternative pop/rock band? It's not even prog (the kind of stale traditionalist prog PT play), just plain old pop/rock for stadiums, albeit with a slightly alternative, atmospheric angle. There is absolutely nothing avant-garde, experimental or even unusual about them. Stop trying to justify your music taste by attributing snobbish and incorrect labels on your favorites. >_>

To be fair they are listed as Progressive/Avantgarde Rock on their profile page. Never heard the band so I have no idea if that's correct or not.

Written by R'Vannith on 16.09.2011 at 13:11

Written by IronAngel on 16.09.2011 at 12:57

Written by Metal_4Ever on 12.09.2011 at 07:24

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Blackfield? Really? That alternative pop/rock band? It's not even prog (the kind of stale traditionalist prog PT play), just plain old pop/rock for stadiums, albeit with a slightly alternative, atmospheric angle. There is absolutely nothing avant-garde, experimental or even unusual about them. Stop trying to justify your music taste by attributing snobbish and incorrect labels on your favorites. >_>

To be fair they are listed as Progressive/Avantgarde Rock on their profile page. Never heard the band so I have no idea if that's correct or not.

Theyre like Porcupine Tree in that regard, becaue PT have some amazingly progressive songs, and they have some very poppy tracks. Blackfield alternate weird and pop stuff.

Written by whatsacow on 23.09.2011 at 12:15

Written by R'Vannith on 16.09.2011 at 13:11

Written by IronAngel on 16.09.2011 at 12:57

Written by Metal_4Ever on 12.09.2011 at 07:24

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Blackfield? Really? That alternative pop/rock band? It's not even prog (the kind of stale traditionalist prog PT play), just plain old pop/rock for stadiums, albeit with a slightly alternative, atmospheric angle. There is absolutely nothing avant-garde, experimental or even unusual about them. Stop trying to justify your music taste by attributing snobbish and incorrect labels on your favorites. >_>

To be fair they are listed as Progressive/Avantgarde Rock on their profile page. Never heard the band so I have no idea if that's correct or not.

Theyre like Porcupine Tree in that regard, becaue PT have some amazingly progressive songs, and they have some very poppy tracks. Blackfield alternate weird and pop stuff.

Sounds like something I should check out then as I'm a big PT fan (who are anything but "stale traditionalist prog" )

Written by R'Vannith on 23.09.2011 at 13:16

Written by whatsacow on 23.09.2011 at 12:15

Written by R'Vannith on 16.09.2011 at 13:11

Written by IronAngel on 16.09.2011 at 12:57

Written by Metal_4Ever on 12.09.2011 at 07:24

Bands I like playin avantgrade: Blackfield, Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Blackfield? Really? That alternative pop/rock band? It's not even prog (the kind of stale traditionalist prog PT play), just plain old pop/rock for stadiums, albeit with a slightly alternative, atmospheric angle. There is absolutely nothing avant-garde, experimental or even unusual about them. Stop trying to justify your music taste by attributing snobbish and incorrect labels on your favorites. >_>

To be fair they are listed as Progressive/Avantgarde Rock on their profile page. Never heard the band so I have no idea if that's correct or not.

Theyre like Porcupine Tree in that regard, becaue PT have some amazingly progressive songs, and they have some very poppy tracks. Blackfield alternate weird and pop stuff.

Sounds like something I should check out then as I'm a big PT fan (who are anything but "stale traditionalist prog" )

Well it is Steve Wilson's other band lol.

Written by whatsacow on 23.09.2011 at 18:30

Well it is Steve Wilson's other band lol.

Can't say I enjoyed his work all that much with his other bands, like "No-Man". Hopefully Blackfield will be better.

Written by R'Vannith on 24.09.2011 at 04:11

Written by whatsacow on 23.09.2011 at 18:30

Well it is Steve Wilson's other band lol.

Can't say I enjoyed his work all that much with his other bands, like "No-Man". Hopefully Blackfield will be better.

Blackfield is better than No-Man imo, but nowhere near as good as porcupine tree.

Amazing avant band: Rain Delay

They're from Serbia, use rockin male and female vocals, and just released a brilliant album you can download free from their site: HERE.

It's their 3rd album and the first two are amazing also but each very different. They explore with each release and never get stale. Check them out or come awards time you'll wish you had

Hi everybody ! If you like MrBungle/fantomas, devin townsend or Dillinger escape plan maybe you'll like the band 6:33 !

http://fr-fr.facebook.com/6h33official
www.myspace.com/6h33


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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MeGyXWKMtXo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Krallice

^ I still don't understand why anyone would want to subject themselves to Krallice. They're devoid of all the good qualities of music in general, like personality for starters. They can play their instruments well but can't write good songs for toffee and their sound is extremely unsatisfying to my ears, neither harsh nor melodic enough. Amongst the most overrated bands of recent years, especially considering they've been around for barely a few years.