Denmark is not exactly a big nation in the history of heavy metal and hard rock. But recently some interesting talents have come from this country, though we can’t identify a specific sound or a predominant genre. Quoting big names like Volbeat or Mnemic should give you an idea. Other important names are Hatesphere, Illdisposed, and Mercenary who made significant contributions to the death / thrash / melodeath realms. In some cases you can detect a strong Scandinavian influence, especially with Mercenary.
While looking at Denmark’s lineup of talent, you may recognize a series of really good industrial metal bands who deserve to be pushed forward. So let’s take a look at some of the most interesting, heavy industrial stuff coming out of Denmark.
Mnemic is one of my favourite Danish metal bands. They deliver a destructive mix of industrial metal and groove metal with modern progressive elements. Sort of like Meshuggah and Fear Factory had a baby. They’ve released five albums (all through Nuclear Blast Records) since their foundation in 1998. The last one, “Mnemesis”, came out in 2012. This band headlined the 7th edition of the Euroblast Festival and have toured with bands such as Metallica, Deftones, Machine Head, Meshuggah, Arch Enemy, All That Remains, Fear Factory, The Haunted, Soilwork and God Forbid. Unfortunatly they went through a lot of line up changes and now only one of the original members is still in the band. But they can still bring some incredible music. I’m especially a fan of their furious second album “The Audio Injected Soul” from wich the following song “Deathbox” was taken. Check ’em out!
Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes
Another Danish band that really deserves to be discovered is Raunchy. They’ve always delivered a modern industrial metal sound with heavy electronic influence since their inception back in 1994. They’ve released five album with their label Lifeforce Records. The last one, “A Discord Electric”, came out in 2010. They were recently joined by the new vocalist Mike Semesky. Yeah, you read correctly, the former vocalist of The HAARP Machine who recorded the amazing vocals of their beautiful 2012 debut “Disclosure”. The band is currently working on new material with Mike at the helm. This means some amazing music might be coming out soon! The song below is called “Warriors”, taken from their forth album “Wasteland Discothque” (released in 2008), one of their biggest successes.
Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes
The Interbeing is a younger band, formed in 2006, that released their debut full-length album “Edge Of The Obscure” in 2011. These guys bring some heavy groove, supported by a modern metal sound and industrial elements. Their music is surrounded by a dark sci-fi, futuristic atmosphere as a catalyst for the heaviness. This sound was largely appreciated, especially by the european djent scene and the album was well received thanks to intelligent promotion on YouTube and social networks. Check out their album and check out their latest music video for the song “Shadow Drifts”.
Links: Facebook // Twitter // Bandcamp
There is a lot more good music coming out of Denmark. For example there’s a great progressive/power metal scene and a large number of folk metal bands, so we might come back here very soon. Stay tuned! Also, check back next week for our return to France and the second part of our local exploration!
-MATTIA
