Kettle Cadaver

Winny Puhh are an Estonian punk/metal band formed in 1993 in Põlva, known for a berserk visual spectacle: wolfman masks, spandex wrestling gear, and a custom rigged drum kit that spins two drummers through the air simultaneously. Their 2013 Eesti Laul performance went viral and led to an invitation to perform at Rick Owens' Paris menswear show.

Ordkløver is a music-and-poetry project begun in 1999 by Düreforsög vocalist Boris Schiøler alongside bandmates Nis Bysted and Andreas Hauer-Jensen. Its sole release, Byen Buldrer ("The City Rumbles", 2005, Escho), pairs Schiøler's phonetic poetry with rock guitar and drums and an eight-voice choir, described by reviewers as sounding like "intoxicated monks and/or sea pirates."

Maïsman is a Grenoble collective built around a fictional vegetable-superhero mythology, pitting its titular hero against the villain 'Méchant Man' (voiced on record by Lofofora's Reuno) across two concept albums, Le Plus Grand des Super-Héros (2006) and Le Retour de Méchant Man (2010), blending funk, new wave, synth-pop, hardcore and alternative metal. Live, the project stages a full theatrical production — characters, costumes and sets, a Star Wars/Disney pastiche — making the show, as much as the genre-shifting studio sound, its defining trait.

Cleveland's Mushroomhead formed in 1993 and built a reputation on horror-movie masks, a rotating cast of vocalists trading rap, croon, and growl, and a sound Wikipedia characterizes as alternative/industrial/nu/experimental metal steeped in hip-hop, gothic rock, and techno textures. Their theatrical stagecraft and 'X Face' branding are frequently noted as predating similar imagery used by Slipknot. Longtime vocalist Jason Popson also fronts the extreme metal project Pitch Black Forecast alongside former Strapping Young Lad/Death drummer Gene Hoglan.

Solitaire/Unravelingplay in the dock

SpotifyYT Music

compare profiles →

Stolen Babies are an American experimental/avant-garde rock band formed in California in 2001, built around Dominique Lenore Persi's accordion and theatrical vocals in a 'dark cabaret' meets prog-metal frame. Twin brothers Rani and Gil Sharone anchor the rhythm section; influences include Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle and Fishbone. They released There Be Squabbles Ahead (2006) via No Comment/The End Records.

Negative Øhio is a noise/experimental duo of Gigakoops (Ohio) and Nightmare Lyre (Norway), begun in 2016. Self-tagged across an eclectic sprawl — jazz fusion, industrial, dark ambient, digital hardcore, queercore, dada, and avant-garde metal — the project favors abrasive, self-consciously limitless production married to absurdist, Dada-inflected humor.

Melted Bodies are an avant-garde metal quartet from Los Angeles who fuse thrash/death-metal riffing with pop-leaning synths, programming and post-punk elements. Frequently compared to System of a Down and Mr. Bungle, they pair theatrical, satirical vocals with body-horror multimedia and chaotic live shows. Their debut album is Enjoy Yourself.

Dakrya are a theatrical/avant-garde metal band from Athens, Greece, founded in late 2004 by classically trained keyboardist Sophia Charalampous. Crime Scene (2010) was recorded in Sweden with producers known for work with Diablo Swing Orchestra and Dark Tranquillity.

7000 Dying Rats are a long-running Chicago 'comedy grind' collective, active in various lineups since 1992, built around joke song titles and a deliberately rotating cast of 30-plus contributors rather than a fixed band. Their records (Fanning the Flames of Fire, The Sound of No Hands Clapping, Season in Hell) mix grindcore/noise aggression with tasteless, cult-favorite humor. The most notable alumnus is drummer/vocalist Weasel Walter, who passed through the Rats between stints leading The Flying Luttenbachers and later drumming for Behold... The Arctopus.

Train Come To Town . . . Make Town Dirtyplay in the dock

BandcampSpotify

compare profiles →

Made Out of Babies were a Brooklyn noise-rock/sludge quartet active 2004-2012, fronted by the extraordinary Julie Christmas, whose lurching between whisper and shriek gave the band its volatile character. They released Trophy (2005) and The Ruiner (2008), with the Steve Albini-recorded Coward (2006) widely rated their high point; early records came out on Neurosis's Neurot Recordings. The lineup drew from the wider New York heavy underground, with guitarist Brendan Tobin (Red Sparowes), bassist Eric Cooper, and Christmas also fronting Battle of Mice.