The Best Metal Albums For People Who Don't Like Metal

Are you enchanted by the power of heavy metal but can do without all of the screaming and noise? Here are a few metal albums you should definitely check out.

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Via deafheavens.bandcamp.com

Black metal isn't usually known for its beauty. But then again, this isn't your run of the mill black metal album.

This record doesn't skimp on the brutal heaviness or blast beats that fill black metal, but it borrows plenty of cinematic prettiness from post-rock, as well as shoegaze's thick, lush textures. Black metal tends to keep its pedal all the way to floor, but this disc isn't afraid to let its heaviness breath.

And besides, the title track is as beautiful and moving as music gets.

Russian Circles - Empros

Via russiancircles.bandcamp.com

A lot of people have a hard time getting used to the screamed vocals in metal.

Russian Circles circumvents that problem by foregoing vocals altogether (the one exception is the acoustic "Praise Be Man," which repeats the title a few times).

This record finds Russian Circles blending post rock's rise-and-fall instrumental structures with heavy metal's pounding drums, thundering bass, and fiery guitars.

ISIS - Panopticon

Via discogs.com

No, this isn't a metal record from the terrorist cell. But these post-metal pioneers don't take any prisoners either.

The first few moments of this record feature Aaron Turner's guttural screamed vocals, but that's a little deceptive. Most of the album is completely voice-less. The arrangements are patient and deliberate, swelling rather than building.

But don't think for a second that means this record is gentle. This packs just as much power as a death metal album.

Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Âme

Via alcest.bandcamp.com

Deafheaven got a lot of attention for melding black metal with shoegaze and post rock. But in France, Alcest has been playing that game for a while.

However, Alcest comes at it from the other end: often, this feels more like a post rock record that dabbles in black metal than the other way around. Niege's vocals are primarily clean, though his screams are as harrowing as black metal traditionalists.

This record is the perfect blend of melodic composition and dynamic heaviness, without scaring any metal newcomers.

Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

Via frankmaddocks.com

Deftones' personal brand of alternative metal has always been more melodic than their nu-metal compatriots. Their sonic palette stretches far beyond the boundaries of their genre.

But Saturday Night Wrist finds them exploring their fascination with non-metal music more than any of their other releases. "Cherry Waves" is a perfect emulation of early 90s shoegaze. "Pink Cellphone" is a completely electronic exploration of trip-hop. The instrumental "U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start" combines elements of jazz and math rock in a thick atmosphere.

The group does get a bit riffy here, but the melodic tracks dominate the track list.

Lantlôs - Melting Sun

Via lantlos.bandcamp.com

Hailing from Germany, Lantlôs first two albums were almost strictly black metal (featuring the screamed vocals of Alcest's Niege). For their third album, the entirely clean vocal duties were handled by band leader Markus Siegenhort.

This record takes metal's textures and heaviness and spreads them liberally across more traditional songwriting. This album hits like a ton of bricks, but it's comfortable enough that you won't mind lying there as it crushes you.

Baroness - Purple

Via metalinjection.com

Metal has often been accused of being self-serious. While there's some truth in that, none of it is found here.

Purple is an undeniably heavy record, but in doing that, it doesn't forget to have fun. This record is progressive doom in its strictest sense, but it borrows plenty of tropes from 80s arena rock hair metal.

Just watch this video for "Chlorine and Wine" and try to keep yourself from smiling.

Palms - Palms

Via popblerd.com

What could be better than a supergroup?

Palms features three members of ISIS (again, the metal band, not the terrorists) with Deftones frontman Chino Moreno. On this record, Palms traverses through the ambient elements that they flirted with as ISIS, accompanied by Moreno's soaring voice.

This is maybe the softest record you could call metal, but there's still plenty of heaviness here to keep the metalheads satisfied.