Transitioning From Metal

Oranssi Pazuzu's new album Mestarin kynsi made me think of a possibly interesting topic: What Metal bands have handled the transition from Metal to Non-Metal the most gracefully, and who crashed and burned the hardest?

A lot of bands grow out of or tire of the Metal genre over the years, so what are your favorite or most hated bands that just couldn't keep up the anger or aggression over the years?  

I'll throw in Opeth for my pick for a shaky but graceful transition, since I'll still be a die-hard fan for the foreseeable future no matter how many Progressive Rock releases they come out with.

Good topic! I'll have a think about this one, but my immediate reaction is to talk about Burzum. Sure, Varg's initial transition from black metal to dungeon synth was forced, due to his incarceration, but he's ended up moving on from metal anyway. I find all of his non-metal releases to be fairly unlistenable. They swing between utterly boring and grating on the senses, with only the occasional hint of the genius that produced such incredible albums in the mid-nineties.

On a side note, isn't the new Oranssi Pazuzu still metal though? I see that most people would select Psychedelic Metal if it were indeed a thing. Who knows, it may become a thing after the band's success.

Anathema have always been a class act & are still a strong favourite of mine today. They're amazing artists regardless of what genre they might fit into.

Ulver are another one that springs to mind. They've made a reasonably good fist of all of their undertakings although I have to admit that I don't truly love anything I've heard from them since their metal days.

Ulver are another one that springs to mind. They've made a reasonably good fist of all of their undertakings although I have to admit that I don't truly love anything I've heard from them since their metal days.

I can't say I like everything they've done, but occasionally they still create releases that really work for me. I've a huge fan of Perdition City and A Quick Fix of Melancholy in particular.

If any of you are thinking of bands that started as gothic death-doom but slowly (d)evolved into alt-prog rock, here are a couple of them; Anathema and The Gathering. While both of these bands disappoint heavier fans by not having their darker metal sound anymore, you know who might like their lighter rock sound? MY MOM!! Seriously, my mom's never really a fan of metal, but she's OK with softer rock sounds.

Unlike Daniel, I stopped really enjoying Anathema's work quite some time ago. I've always had time for The Gathering though, at least I did while Anneke was still part of the band. I think I listen to their non-metal albums more than the metal ones, simply because they can be played while the family is around.