Top 10 Metal Bands That Should Reunite

by Invisible Oranges staff

Metal bands have been reuniting left and right, going on cash cow tours, and generally plundering that part of our consciousness marked "nostalgia." But what if dead bands could actually still be relevant? We compiled a list of 10. These were our criteria: (1) the band must be split up or inactive for some time; (2) the band could still contribute positively if it reformed today (thus, no bands that split up because they should have); and (3) it must be physically possible for the band to reunite (i.e., no deceased members, thus excluding Bathory, Death, Gorguts, and so on). Since the annals of metal are littered with dead bands, this is not a definitive list so much as a wish list. What bands would you like to see rise from the dead?

10. Warhorse

Formed in 1996, this Worcester, MA trio helped push the way for doom's prominence in metal. In resistance to black and death metal's popularity at the time, Warhorse began in bassist Jerry Orne's hands. Former vocalist Krista Van Guilder's bluesy singing contradicted Warhorse's grave riffs. After her departure, Warhorse let loose, redefining their thick groove and proving doom metal can be heavier than black and death metal combined. Warhorse peaked in 2000-2001, signing with Southern Lord Records and touring with the UK's Electric Wizard - a bittersweet climax that left them unconscious to this day. – J.B.

Warhorse - Doom's Bride

9. Capharnaum

This could happen: drummer Jordan Suecof could convince his guitarist brother Jason to take a break from producing gazillion-selling metalcore bands like vocalist Matt Heafy's (Trivium), as well as guitarist Alex Vieira and bassist Mike Poggione to stop mucking around in "not gazillion-selling metalcore" Cannae and "farm team for better death metal bands" Monstrosity, respectively, in order to make another head-twistingly technical and awesome death metal record like 2004's Fractured, which featured some of Jason's best production before he started compressing the snot out of everything and making more money. Or it could not. – C.L.

Capharnaum - Fractured

8. Blasphemy

These Canadian black metal elitists lived and breathed Satanism. Blasphemy lived up to their fanatical pseudonyms, like vocalist Nocturnal Grave Desecrator, each created during members' ritualistic initiations into the band. Vandalizing cemeteries and creating riots at shows cemented Blasphemy's extreme reputation. Formed in 1984, these war metal maniacs tested their sanity for over a decade, but only through a few releases. Their last activity was 2002's Live Ritual: Friday the 13th, a vinyl-only release limited to 666 copies. Realistically, their reformation depends on former guitarist Deathlord Of Abomination And War Apocalypse, who's currently active in black metal band Revenge. – J.B.

Blasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom

7. !T.O.O.H.!

Few metal bands make me smile not out of derision - !T.O.O.H.! were the best at it. These Czech lunatics played quirky, technical death metal that sounded like it was fronted by Beavis' Cornholio alter ego, with occasional interruptions by caveman arguments and Viking chants. A truly unique band, struck down in their prime for the worst reason: the music industry. !T.O.O.H.! were signed to Elitist, the Earache sublabel run by Lee Barrett. See here for his account of the sordid story behind the disappearance of this band from Earache (and of its final album from store shelves). – C.L.

!T.O.O.H.! - Analyza Zahnedy

6. Dystopia

After eight long years of inactivity, these Bay Area crusties finally released a self-titled album as a farewell gift to fans. Formed in 1991, this drug-propelled four-piece didn't stop to take a break for six years. From their indefinite demise in 2001-2008, the last-known lineup played occasional reunion shows, but then closeted their activity for good. The key to Dystopia's legacy is their politically and socially sarcastic lyrics. Dystopia's demise arose from constant drummer problems, prompting Dino Sommese's departure for Asunder shortly afterwards. But maybe with a shot of heroin, Dystopia's sizzle could come back to life. – J.B.

Dystopia - Learning with Intent to Fall

5. Premonitions of War

With a dizzyingly revolving door of lineups, Ohio's Premonitions of War were more of a collective than a band. But like Napalm Death, personnel merely served the mission: scorching the earth. PoW's grindcore delivered both one-minute beatings and daisy cutter bombs of sludge and noise. 2004's Left in Kowloon was a hole so black, Stephen Hawking would blanch. Members eventually jumped ship for Walls of Jericho, Burnt by the Sun, Through the Eyes of the Dead, and Ramallah. Now that the latter is dormant, hopefully these [insert derogatory name for Ohio denizens (election ruiners?)] can gang up again. – C.L.

Premonitions of War - Mother Night Revisited

4. 13

Born in 1990 as guitarist Liz Buckingham and drummer Ellen Mieczkowski, 13 rode the tide from Celtic Frost's golden years, plunging ever deeper into metal's dark swamps. Buckingham's belly-rumbling riffs would later flavor Sourvein and Electric Wizard. Alicia Morgan, former girlfriend of Eyehategod's Mike Williams, led 13 as one of the first female metal vocalists capable of a strong scream that mediated between masculinity and femininity. 1992's three-track tape demo was their best work. Five years after their inception, 13 parted ways. Buckingham would need the extra drive to bring back 13's hairy gut in full force. – J.B.

13 - Black Sunday

3. Weakling

Aquarius Records said it best: "Despite their local, non-forested, non-wintry origins, Weakling was a band capable of destroying the best Scandinavia has to offer (as we witnessed upon two occasions, when Weakling had the honor of opening the San Francisco shows by Norwegians Mayhem and Enslaved, and proceeded to make both bands look like punk rockers in comparison!)" Pre-millennium tension, anger, and sadness disappeared down the black maw of Weakling's only album, 2000's Dead as Dreams. Afterwards, they exploded – John Gossard joined Dystopia drummer Dino Sommese in Asunder, and Josh Smith returned to his main gig, The Fucking Champs. – C.L.

Weakling - Cut Their Grain and Place Fire Therein

2. Thorr's Hammer

Thorr's Hammer made the best of their six weeks together. Although Norwegian foreign exchange student Runhild Gammelsaeter (a.k.a. Ozma) stayed only briefly in the States, her doom metal band was more than just a high school project. Thorr's Hammer's recordings from the winter of 1994-95 would later be the first of Southern Lord's re-releases. Greg Anderson, Stephen O'Malley, Jamie Sykes, and James Hale frothed together a slothful sound that'd forge projects like Khlyst, Khanate, Burning Witch, and Sunn O))). A short-lived doom phenomenon, Thorr's Hammer birthed the genre's most precious contributors, making the band's reformation very probable. – J.B.

Thorr's Hammer - Norge

1. Godflesh

This kindler, gentler Justin K. Broadrick isn't cutting it. Jesu started out so promisingly, like Godflesh but with light and shade. Gradually, the shade disappeared. Now, Jesu challenges nothing but the laws of friction. Not to wish unhappiness on him, but Broadrick's best work came from it. As he said, "Fear is a really important factor in what we do. Godflesh is scared music, which is why it's so strong - we're always trying to bring those feelings up to the surface." Godflesh practically drenched us in them. The war against the machines - ourselves - was never more pitched. – C.L.

Godflesh - Merciless