Good bands thread

[Markness]

This is an idea I’ve had for a while. I will make a thread about a band I like and post to see if anyone is familiar with them as well as showcase some of their music.

The first band will be Swans. Formed in New York in the early 80’s and existing in various incarnations, band leader Michael Gira has always been the soul of the project. It’s a vehicle for his creativity and he’s managed to have plenty of fellow musicians go along with him. Despite many different musical directions, some things have been constant with the music which would be immensity and unconventionality.

Original intense era along with the early Jarboe era:

I can’t post more than five videos per post so I’ll have to break up the eras.

 

[Markness]

Second and last Jarboe era:

Personal note: This is the first Swans song I ever heard.

Choosing the last of this era was a hard decision since the album it comes from is meant to be listened to as a whole.

 

[Markness]

Rebirth and current era:

Another hard choice since it has a similar motif to Soundtracks for the Blind.

Personal note: My absolute favorite Swans song. It helps that before I saw them perform it when I got to see them live back in 2016, I met Michael Gira before the show.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

The only "experimental" bands that I found interesting,...that later became mainstream,...were Pink Floyd and Genesis. To each, their own.

 

[Markness]

The only "experimental" bands that I found interesting,...that later became mainstream,...were Pink Floyd and Genesis. To each, their own.

Michael Gira is actually a fan of Umagumma era Pink Floyd. Swans had a brief moment of mainstream attention but it was short lived. I’m just glad Michael Gira never artistically compromised.

 

[Markness]

Similarly to Swans, Chicago’s Ministry were formed in the early 80’s and have been led by a singular force, that being Al Jourgensen. Starting as a synth-pop/new wave act, Ministry later pushed the envelope by mixing industrial sounds with electric guitars and biting social commentary. Wonder where Prong, NIN, Fear Factory, Marilyn Manson, and Rammstein got some of their inspiration to mix synths and guitars from? Ministry is one of those bands.

Original synth pop/new wave album and more industrial sounding new wave album:

 

[Markness]

Full transformation into industrial metal:

 

[Markness]

Last regular industrial metal album and more thrash metal influenced era:

 

[Markness]

Current era that is still thrash influenced:

 

[WolfSpirit]

If I were to choose my favourite bands, I'd have to go with the 80's and 90's country/country rock groups (and sometimes supergroups) Restless Heart, Desert Rose Band, and of course, Alabama.