Strapping Young Lad is win.
Let's rock this joint...
PROGRESSIVE METAL:
Children of Bodom - the perfect blend of growling vocals and progressive instrumentals
Dream Theater - gods of progmetal
Evergrey - dark and heavy
Symphony X - progressive with a neo-classical taste
POWER METAL:
Blind Guardian - fathers of power metal
Rhapsody of Fire - dragons, swords, and war - what more could you ask?
Sonata Arctica - coming into their own, giving Stratovarius a run for their money
Stratovarius - gods of power metal
CHICK-FRONTED METAL:
After Forever - earlier works were better, beginning to fall a little more mainstream now
Lacuna Coil - the chick knows how to ROCK
The Gathering - my favorite vocalist, though they're starting to fall more under Rock anymore
Tristania - beautiful, haunting, heavy
Within Temptation - really filling out their sound in the last few years
DARKER METAL:
In Flames - one of the foremost melodic death metal bands
Nevermore - progressive death metal, dark and depressing
Opeth - not only a beautiful logo, but beautiful music
Type O Negative - you can't have the perfect list without PETER STEELE!
p.s. OMGZORZ BURZUM AND BATHORY!!!