Ordkløver

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.

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.

Coppelius are a Berlin chamber-metal ensemble formed in 1997 who replace guitars and bass with cello, double bass, two clarinets and harpsichord, performing in top hats and tailcoats as a troupe of named Victorian/steampunk personas. Taking their name from the sinister toymaker of E.T.A. Hoffmann's 'Der Sandmann,' the band builds full theatrical stagings around dark-romantic themes across seven studio albums released since 2007 on F.A.M.E. Recordings.

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.

Aberrant Vascular is a Helsinki, Finland project built in 2003 around opera vocalist Vladimir "Lumi" and keyboardist Heikki "Mr. Rych" Pöntinen, releasing a single album, Aegisthus (2012), that layers operatic vocal theatrics over trip-hop beats, industrial synths and guitar riffing. It has been namechecked alongside Arcturus, Solefald, Vulture Industries and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum for its bombastic, genre-blending approach, though reviewers note the metal riffing itself stays fairly conventional under the vocal pyrotechnics.

Kettle Cadaver were a deathrock/industrial metal band from Temecula, California, active from 1995 until 2017, led by vocalist Edwin Borsheim. The band became notorious for extreme, self-harming stage shows -- Borsheim was known for stapling his lips shut, cutting himself, and nailing wood to his body -- drawing comparisons to GG Allin; this history is documented in the 2016 film Dead Hands Dig Deep. Their catalog, including Halloween (1996) and Horronomicon (1995) on Horror Rock Records, has been tagged across databases as deathrock, horror punk, and avant-garde metal. Borsheim died by suicide in June 2017, coinciding with the band's end.

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.

Polkadot Cadaver is an American avant-garde/alternative metal band formed in Rockville, Maryland in 2007 by ex-members of Dog Fashion Disco, and stylistically a close continuation of that band. Their 'schizophrenic musical madness' shape-shifts between thrashing metal, folk-pop, experimental rock and darkly comedic theatricality across albums like Purgatory Dance Party, Sex Offender and Echoes Across the Hellscape. Clutch's Neil Fallon guested on their 2013 record.

Kiryū (己龍) were a Japanese visual kei act founded in 2007 around a concept of 'Japanese terror' and 'painful nostalgia,' pairing heavily stylized angura-kei stagecraft with a folk-metal-inflected sound rooted in traditional Japanese aesthetics. Fronted by vocalist Mahiro Kurosaki alongside guitarists Takemasa Kujō and Mitsuki Sakai, bassist Hiyori Isshiki, and drummer Junji Tokai, the band charted repeatedly on Japan's Oricon Indies chart and played Nippon Budokan before entering an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2023.

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Lies of the Machine were a Budapest, Hungary avant-garde/symphonic steampunk metal band, active 2013-2020, built around a concept world ruled by a 'Machine Lord' and blending symphonic and folk metal with industrial, thrash and cabaret elements. Their sole full-length, 'Freakshow' (2016), pairs clean vocals from Dauda Judit with the varied melodic/aggressive vocals of Buza 'Don' Balázs, and the band staged elaborate steampunk/circus ('psychocircus') live shows.

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