- 6/18/2025
From progressive masterminds to symphonic innovators, join us as we explore the most groundbreaking metal acts of the new millennium! These bands have pushed boundaries, redefined genres, and created entirely new soundscapes. From technical virtuosos to theatrical performers, these artists represent metal's exciting evolution.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unique and thrilling
00:13metal bands to be formed since the 2000s.
00:2520. Bring Me the Horizon
00:35They may not be as metal as they used to be, but Bring Me the Horizon is where extreme
00:40meets commercial appeal. The British outfit didn't have much of the latter in their early
00:44rendition of melodic death chord. With encouragement from producer Frederick Nordstrom, they gradually
00:50adopted a more mainstream, alternative sound behind Oliver Sykes' powerful shrieking.
01:02They've been gradually skewing toward rock and pop ever since, and yet BMTH have earned consistent
01:08acclaim in fandom for experimenting with their always intense style.
01:20They've also claimed many accolades along their climb up the charts, and with the occasional
01:25return to extreme metal. BMTH shows the creativity and range seldom heard in an extreme act this hot.
01:3219. Lorna Shore
01:50Something about being named after one of Batman's girlfriends sets the tone for this New Jersey group's dark contrasts.
01:56After cutting their teeth on more orthodox metalcore, Lorna Shore began combining symphonic and blackened death metal in a way that's both haunting and harrowing.
02:06Anchoring it all is an unforgivingly technical rhythm driven by drummer Austin Archie's rapid-fire double bass. It's all so beautifully brutal, captivating critics with elaborate compositions and bleak philosophical lyrics.
02:28The band then became a viral sensation after the Spotify hit to the Hellfire was named the best metal track of 2021 by Loudwire.
02:37With more accolades from there, Lorna Shore is being hailed as one of the most notable names of contemporary deathcore.
02:51Deathcore
03:0118. Death Clock
03:03They're the most powerful force in metal, at least on TV.
03:10Berkeley-educated comedian Brendan Small created the virtual band Death Clock as the focus of Metalocalypse. Both the twisted animated sitcom and its soundtrack were praised for their spoof of mainstream death metal tropes and the music industry.
03:29Of course, Small's satire is so credible because his musicianship is so genuinely epic.
03:47With drummer Gene Hoagland as the only other consistent studio member, Death Clock has really built a serious fan base and topped charts. Their live performances are also a must-see spectacle, with much stricter safety measures than the concerts on the show.
04:03Although Metalocalypse was cancelled in 2013, Death Clock continues to rule and riff on the world of metal.
04:15We call out to the beast of the sage who come forth and join us. This night is yours. Because one day we will all be with you in the black and team. One day we will all go into the water.
04:2917. Volbeat
04:39Rock and roll has evolved considerably through the years, though you wouldn't know it from hearing Volbeat. Dominus frontman Michael Paulson formed the more old-school heavy metal project after growing weary of modern death metal.
04:52He went so far as to incorporate elements of groove, hard rock and even rockabilly. The skilled musicianship of Paulson's commanding vocals somehow make it all work.
05:02Volbeat has thus achieved great commercial and critical success, especially in their native Denmark. They're practically darlings at the Danish Music and Metal Awards, on top of the many international honors.
05:12Even though their eclectic sound has softened a bit over time, Volbeat remains a favorite among hard rock and metal traditionalists.
05:24Even though their eclectic sound has softened a bit over time, Volbeat remains a favorite among hard rock and metal traditionalists.
05:3116. Spirit Box
05:42Courtney LaPlante told Loudwire in 2023 that she doesn't care about genre. This seems to be the philosophy on which she and her guitarist husband, Mike Stringer, founded their band after they left I Wrestled a Bear once.
06:0317. Spirit Box
06:12Spirit Box is a mind-bending blend of modern metal styles mixed with electronics and contemporary R&B. The progressive product caught metal fans' attention with particular praise toward LaPlante's stellar clean and harsh vocals.
06:26The band was blowing up charts even before the release of their first full album in 2021. Since then, they've been nominated for two Grammys and won two heavy metal awards. There may be no fitting Spirit Box in a box, but audiences are liking what they hear.
06:5015. While She Sleeps
07:01There's been no rest for one of the UK's leading metalcore acts since they won the Kerrang! Award for Best British Newcomer in 2012. This was just the culmination of While She Sleeps'
07:20cult following after years of touring the scene. They stood out for representing the full, confrontational intensity of the genre's hardcore punk roots, while creatively incorporating melodic and electronic elements.
07:33This modern sound and its organic progression across a regular output have earned the band consistent acclaim and a passionate fanbase. And yet, inconsistent sales lead some to still consider them a cult sensation. Everyone can at least agree that there's no sleeping on While She Sleeps, as if anyone could with their dynamic noise.
08:0114. Alter Bridge
08:08By the time they first disbanded in 2004, Creed was one of the biggest acts in post-grunge. The instrumentalists rode that momentum into bridging, as it was a
08:31were, alternative metal and hard rock, with Miles Kennedy as their new voice.
08:36The former Mayfield 4 frontman was a mostly cult figure, praised for his distinct, powerful vocal style and showmanship. After Alter Bridge made him a megastar, while showcasing the full measure of the band's technical range and ability, the old-school musicianship with a modern sound became a
08:43seems to exhilarate listeners more and more with each record.
08:50Alter Bridge
08:51And with millions of them sold worldwide, Alter Bridge has been sold worldwide.
08:57Alter Bridge is still going strong as a staple of 21st century rock and metal.
09:04Alter Bridge
09:05And with millions of them sold worldwide, Alter Bridge is still going strong as a staple of 21st century rock and metal.
09:11Alter Bridge
09:12And with millions of them sold worldwide, Alter Bridge is still going strong as a staple of 21st century rock and metal.
09:24Alter Bridge
09:25Number 13. Epica
09:31To grasp the meaning of it all
09:35To overcome my limits
09:39After leaving After Forever, Mark Jansen built a new sound around his vision of symphonic metal for heavier listeners.
09:46Led by his harsh vocals and Simona Simone's stunning soprano, Epica finds harmony in grand classical drama and the intensity of various forms of extreme metal.
10:08This drastic yet ingenious juxtaposition marked a breakthrough in the band's already challenging niche.
10:14Simone's alone became one of the genre's most revered and sought-after voices.
10:19All the while, Epica's critical and audience reception earned them the Buma Export Award for the top-grossing Dutch band in 2015.
10:37True to their name, the band represents the creative and influential height of symphonic metal as we now know it.
10:44Trying to keep yourself apart on this street
10:51Number 12. Ginger
11:01Over the years, the Ukrainian group Ginger has replaced all of the founding members, but they have incredibly never lost the uniquely blended sound that distinguished them in metalcore.
11:11Fire!
11:13The band is walking around
11:15There's no way out you never found
11:18Tatiana Shmaliuk is especially recognized as one of the most versatile and visceral vocalists in this male-dominated genre.
11:26And with many more genres packed into progressive songwriting, fans never know what to expect.
11:32The band is further noted for backing up their impassioned political themes.
11:44After going on hiatus to focus on humanitarian work during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ginger were designated cultural ambassadors by their government.
11:52They thus began a long-term tour in 2022, continuing to push the boundaries of their arts and activism along the way.
11:59Destroy your work! Destroy your work! Destroy your work! Before I drive mine!
12:08Number 11. The Contortionist
12:11A variety of modern metal subgenres bent to form the Contortionist early on.
12:24The Indiana Ensemble won immediate praise for their experimental and intellectual approach to progressive deathcore.
12:30Over time, however, they've gained much more esteem for defining their own unique sound.
12:44The juxtaposition of prog rock and ambient elements with still pretty extreme metal would make an impression on many artists within the scene.
12:53The Contortionist's sophisticated songwriting and musicianship has unfortunately resulted in a limited output through the years.
13:08Moreover, their niche aesthetic hasn't seen that much commercial success outside of certain rock circles.
13:14But as far as their artistry and influence reach, the Contortionist continues to captivate their following.
13:21Number 10. Archspire
13:30This Vancouver five-piece may be the very pinnacle of technical death metal today.
13:42Archspire's ridiculously complicated and cosmic songwriting is not just mind-bending, they are all true virtuosos.
13:50Performing on a level and a rapid tempo that hardly seems real.
13:55With evidence in monstrous live performances, they've achieved a commercial success rarely seen with metal this extreme.
14:09They've also won some of the candidates' highest awards in the genre.
14:18But programming team data bots may have delivered the highest honor when they used Archspire to train an AI neural network that's been streaming since 2019.
14:28The band literally plunges the depths of the mind as one of the most exciting and unpredictable machines in tech death.
14:55Number 9. Animals as Leaders
15:14After pushing progressive metal to the extreme with Reflux, guitar virtuoso Tosin Abbasi did the same to jazz with Animals as Leaders.
15:23The instrumental three-piece soon banged heads with experimental time signatures, blistering riffs, and contrasts between drastic distortion and bright leads.
15:42This mind-bending style would come to be called djent.
15:45Of course, Abbasi just thinks this is a crude term for heavy music too sophisticated for classification.
15:51He, Javier Reyes, and Matt Garstka influenced the new era of elevated metal while achieving great critical and commercial success.
16:08Abbasi is even widely recognized as one of the greatest guitarists today.
16:12At least, metalheads and music snobs could agree that Animals as Leaders just plain rule.
16:22Number 8. Tesseract
16:27True to their name, the English ensemble Tesseract spent years developing new layers and shapes for their progressive metal.
16:43Finally, in 2011, the album One introduced the world to their polyrhythmic grooves between the harshest and cleanest tones.
16:51The deep lyrics and Daniel Tompkins' either serene or screaming vocals rounded out what critics would cite as a paradigm shift in metal.
17:08Between Ash O'Hara and Tompkins' return, these djent pioneers have earned consistent acclaim for their sweeping and chanting pushes of sonic boundaries.
17:26While it can be argued that Tesseract are a bit niche for wider mainstream recognition, they have left a lasting impact on progressive music.
17:34Granted, nothing quite sounds like their beautifully controlled chaos.
17:46Number 7. Bad Omens
17:56The tone of all modern metal may be set by Bad Omens.
18:00The Virginia industrial metalcore phenoms may be young, but Noah Sebastian's expressive songwriting screams to a whole new generation.
18:08And the mix of elaborate breakdowns and pop hooks is just as resonant with critics.
18:13Bad Omens quickly became rising stars on the charts and have collaborated with the likes of hyper-pop star Poppy and Corey Taylor of Slipknot.
18:29Certainly, the 2022 single Just Pretend Going Platinum is no small feat for a racket so big.
18:43The band's twisty style has been validated by the metal community as much as the public.
18:48With a steady output, accolades, and a dedicated fanbase, it looks like a bright future for the Bad Omens.
18:55Number 6. Trivium
19:05Just when it seemed proper thrash metal was a thing of the past, Florida's Trivium rebooted it for a new millennium.
19:19Most of the band were still teenagers when their debut album displayed the confrontational songwriting and killer musicianship of the genre's golden age.
19:28But with their particularly hardcore, scream-driven style, they helped bring metalcore to the mainstream.
19:42Trivium has since continued to evolve in exciting ways, while consistent commercial performances has thus been inconsistent.
19:50Reliable praise from fans and critics have earned them plenty of accolades.
19:55Frontman Matt Healy even won the highest honor at Metal Hammer Magazine's Golden Gods Awards in 2006.
20:01It's the least Trivium deserves for their contributions to both classic heavy metal and the new wave.
20:16Number 5. Architects
20:26How fitting of a name for the British band that helped design metalcore as a progressive art form.
20:32Architects, initially, had a more traditional sound, but their melodic and mathematical influences made them stand out.
20:39As they've gradually adopted more progressive elements, their contrasts between the heavy and the emotive have crafted a style unlike anything within their circle.
20:55This has made the band uniquely successful and influential.
20:59They have topped charts and won scores of awards while undergoing frequent personnel changes.
21:13It was uncertain if they could come back from guitarist Tom Searle's passing in 2016.
21:19But the highly prolific architects have persevered as one of the most dynamic and heavy figures in modern prog metal.
21:26Number 4. Periphery
21:43From their namesake to the center of the metal world, Periphery have always been outsiders.
21:49Visionary guitarist and producer Misha Bulb Mansour leads the massive ensemble with an elaborate tapestry of tones, rhythms, and genres.
21:58With Spencer Sotelo's insane vocal range on top of that, they were touring with some of the biggest names in prog metal before their first album.
22:14Periphery formally ushered in the age of djent with that 2010 gem and arguably ended it with the 2023 album, djent is not a genre.
22:24There is no truly describing the band's innovative style or quantifying its influence.
22:36Periphery's seemingly unstoppable rise in creativity and popularity just solidifies them as one of the most defining figures in modern metal.
22:45Periphery's
22:53Between the Buried and Me
22:55Between high-minded proggers and metalcore adrenaline junkies, one band reigns supreme.
23:08North Carolina's Between the Buried and Me blasted out of the 90s with a cosmic cacophony of hyper-technical extreme metal.
23:15No less elaborate than their genre-bending compositions are profound concept albums, usually consisting of full-length suites.
23:31They have the phenomenal musicianship to back up their constantly evolving ambitions, plus the loyal fanbase to boost them up.
23:38Ever since critics declared 2007's colors to be one of the great metal albums of the modern age, BTBAM have become one of the most important figures of heavy progressive music.
23:49Of course, few of the many talents they've influenced can measure up to their scope of creativity.
24:05I've suffered once again in transparency.
24:142.
24:15Ghost
24:23There's nothing wrong with a little eccentric showmanship, but the Swedish project Ghost put classic,
24:29versatile virtuosity at the center of their otherwise unpredictable brand.
24:34They've experimented with many forms of heavy metal, rock, and even pop through the years, earning consistent acclaim and many awards.
24:48Their reputation was further boosted by dazzling live performances, irreverent themes, and an elaborate lore.
24:55This is supported by the band members' anonymity, their consistent frontman having undergone numerous changes in stage persona.
25:03It wasn't until a royalties dispute in 2017 that Tobias Forge was unmasked.
25:16By then, the world had embraced the genius behind the gimmicks, with each album climbing higher on the charts.
25:21Ghost continues to haunt the masses with their music and mastery.
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25:48It doesn't get much more singularly metal than Mastodon.
26:03Even then, the American foursome have brought just about every variety of subgenre and lyrical
26:08content to their complex, progressive-infused symphony of rage.
26:20With the perfect balance of explosive musical capabilities, unshakable hooks, and long-term
26:26concepts, they were certainly the right band at the right time.
26:29Their success in the charts has amassed a loyal global following.
26:40They won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance and are regarded by some of the top publications
26:46in metal as one of the best examples of the genre in the 21st century.
26:50At the very least, the highly influential Mastodon kicked off the new millennium by setting its
26:55creative and commercial standard.
27:05Which bands do you think best exemplify this millennium of metal?
27:10Belt it out in the comments!
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