10 Most Influential Metal Albums Of The 2010's
10) Rings Of Saturn - Lugal Ki En (2014) - Greatly impacted deathcore, shifting the genre to a more technical and progressive approach. The popularization of inhumanly fast spacey guitars and machine-gun speed drums in deathcore can largely be credited to Lugal Ki En. Bands such as Shadow of Intent, Aversions Crown, Oceans Ate Alaska, and A Wake In Providence showcase attributes that can be traced to Rings Of Saturn's 2014 record.
9) My Ticket Home - Strangers Only (2013) - It can be debated what the first nu-metalcore album was but this one had the first significant impact. From the aesthetic to the sound itself, this record feels genuinely from the late 1990's, something that is extremely popular right now. Some other bands to take on this style soon after include, VCTMS, Afterlife, Darke Complex, Blood Youth, and DED, as well as many others.
8) Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (2012) - This record fully cement Gojira as one of the main influencers in metal. With L'Enfant Sauvage, Gojira began to increase their use of progressive and atmospheric tendencies and showcase their ability to write not just stunningly technical or heavy songs but beautiful catchy tracks as well. Gojira's impact can be heard in dozens of bands including Thy Art Is Murder, Fit For An Autopsy, Through The Eyes of the Dead, and also just the overal guitar tones used in metal today.
7) Knocked Loose - Laugh Tracks (2016) - Knocked Loose has been largely responsible for a recent uptick in the popularity of the hardcore scene. Few hardcore bands have ever garnered such a buzz, arguably not since the prime of Hatebreed. While it hasn't been long enough to really see what bands they influence yet, their effect on the size and buzz around the scene has already been greatly felt.
6) Dance Gavin Dance - Acceptance Speech (2013) - It is difficult to pick just one Dance Gavin Dance record but here we chose Acceptance Speech because at this time is when the band really began to establish a cult-like status. The band did perhaps the best job of blending poppy high-pitched vocals with chaotic post-hardcore, something that would be done by several bands afterwards, a couple of which being Issues and Cat Company.
5) Issues - Issues (2014) - The main Contribution Issues has maid to the metal scene is the use of R&B style vocals. Previously this style of vocals were not accepted by many, and it ways they still aren't fully but now bands such as Oceans Ate Alaska, Born of Osiris, and Shokran can be heard using these style of vocals.
4) Emmure - Speaker of the Dead (2011) - Some might be surprised to see a band as polarizing as Emmure on the list but they undoubtedly deserve to be. Whether you love or hate the style now known has beatdown hardcore/deathcore, nearly every single band in it's scene draws inspiration from Emmure including; Spite, Alpha Wolf, InVisions, Dead Crown, Traitors, Sworn In, Dealer, Gift Giver, and Varials.
3) Architects - Lost Forever // Lost Together (2014) - The 2014-2017 time period is when Architects truly become a huge arena worthy metalcore act, due in large part to this album. With each album the band shifted from their original mathy metalcore style to a more post-hardcore influenced approach and Lost Forever // Lost Together was a great crossing point establishing them as one of the most influential metalcore bands of all-time.
2) Bring Me The Horizon - That's the Spirit (2015) - While many fans were divided on this record, there is no doubt that Bring Me The Horizon inspired dozens of bands to use more pop and electronics in their music. Shortly you'll see why this summary is so short.
1) Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal (2013) - With Sempiternal Bring Me The Horizon made themselves the single most influential metal band of the decade. You can literally make an entire list of bands that now sound like Bring Me The Horizon, some include; Dayseeker, Bad Omens, Underoath, The Word Alive, Thousand Below, Drag Me Out, and Shinedown.
