I'm looking for more metal bands that have a bassist that does more than just hit root notes.

Mudvayne and Nuclear Rabbit are the first that spring to mind.

Anyone else?

If you don't listen to Tool, definitely give them a listen. Their bassist, Justin Chancellor is one of the best bassists in the modern rock scene, IMO.

Not really sure how many consider them "metal" but John Myung from Dream Theater definately hits more than root notes.

Primus is one too.

Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is not a strictly root note player.

Steve Harris usually hits just the roots but he does it pretty well

check out psyopus they are unreal

Big Business is one.

+1 for Tool!

Wait Spanky you live in BR and you didnt go to the Tool SHow last month??

check out psyopus they are unreal

I'd have to agree that Psyopus are unreal, but I don't know if he's leaning towards that kind of a crazy tech prog metal thing.

Spanky, you should definitely give them a listen though.

Peace

-Benny

I don't know that one could call them "metal" but I'd have to throw in Lightning Bolt. Brian Gibson makes my head hurt in the best way possible.

Zero Hour

Troy Tipton tears it up

There's lots out there, it all just depends on how heavy you want to go. But if you want something more progressive I would check out Scott Krall of Into Eternity on their first 3 albums, or Thomas Miller and Michael Lepond of Symphony X.

Since listening to Tool I can say my approach in my 'Heavy Metal' band has changed with regards to how I fill my parts out in a band with just one guitarist. I'm using chords and pedals and a few more effects (verb/delay/chorus) and I find him to be a really tasteful player. Also I've now got a lighter pick in my arsenal that I can really attack the strings with and it helps with the chords and punctuation on the notes. I heard somewhere Justin uses a .71?

Michael LePond of Symphony X
Joey Vera of Fates Warning

Winger

Dysrhythmia, a local NYC band.

http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband

Crazy player with sick tone.

I'm sorry, but you just can't go past Martin Mendez, who plays for Opeth. I would rate him as probably one of the best progressive death/heavy metal bassists of all time.

Sean Malone is the man you want to hear. Sean Malone is probably best known for playing on "Focus" by Cynic, but he also appears on the first Aghora album (where is playing is better than "Focus" IMO) and albums by Gordian Knot. The third Between The Buried and Me album is also worth checking out, even though they're more of a metalcore band. I can't remember the bassists name on that album though.

I know that this stuff is a bit dated but,

Steve D'giorggio from Death, particularly Individual thought patterns

Scott Malone from Cynic , unfortunately they only released one album Focus. If you can find it grab it!

I also agree with Steve Harris as an excellent choice :) . Two albums come to mind, Killers and Powerslave :bassist:

Wait Spanky you live in BR and you didnt go to the Tool SHow last month??

Haha No.

I'm actually from Lafayette, but I live in BR now. :D Small world, eh.

Dash Arkenstone from Horse the Band is pretty intense. check out anything off of 'the mechanical hand' or 'pizza.' if you're not familiar with them you probably won't like them at first. horse is amazing on all fronts, one of the few hardcore bands (and bands in general) that really forged a completely new sound.

Cool. I'm actually familiar with a lot of these bands, but when I was trying to explain to my band that I didn't just have to play root notes, I could only remember a few.

Go fig.

I'm sorry, but you just can't go past Martin Mendez, who plays for Opeth. I would rate him as probably one of the best progressive death/heavy metal bassists of all time.

Little Martin is a fantastic player. His work right throughout his time in the band since Still Life is very impressive. Another bass player who fits perfectly with a band, really grooves on his lines and knows when to play unison riffs or a more melodic underlying melody. He has a really smooth, round but tough Fender Jazz tone (Macrus Miller Bass I think recently?) that compliments Opeth's guitars very well IMO. His fills are also full of style and he is very competent live performer (how he can play some of those lines with all that hair swaying violently from side to side with the pulse astounds me haha, he must have quite a strong neck :bassist:

Little Martin is a fantastic player. His work right throughout his time in the band since Still Life is very impressive. Another bass player who fits perfectly with a band, really grooves on his lines and knows when to play unison riffs or a more melodic underlying melody. He has a really smooth, round but tough Fender Jazz tone (Macrus Miller Bass I think recently?) that compliments Opeth's guitars very well IMO. His fills are also full of style and he is very competent live performer (how he can play some of those lines with all that hair swaying violently from side to side with the pulse astounds me haha, he must have quite a strong neck :bassist:

Not too be a jerk, but I hate how people loose their loads over Mendez. Opeth's old bassist, Johan Defarfalla, could play cricles around Mendez and wrote WAY more interesting basslines.

Not too be a jerk, but I hate how people loose their loads over Mendez. Opeth's old bassist, Johan Defarfalla, could play cricles around Mendez and wrote WAY more interesting basslines.

I don't think I am calling Martin the best player in the world, and Johan may be able to beat Mendez in a bass-off have written more interesting bass lines in your opinion but I just like how Martin fits with the sound and feel of the band on everything post Still Life.

Dysrhythmia, a local NYC band.

http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband

Crazy player with sick tone.

+1 on this. Colin Marston is a very adroit player. He is also a member of 'Behold, the arctopus', a band in a vein similar to the above.

Primus is one too.

You can't really define Primus.

I mean it's heavy riffs with funk bass lines.

Not too be a jerk, but I hate how people loose their loads over Mendez. Opeth's old bassist, Johan Defarfalla, could play cricles around Mendez and wrote WAY more interesting basslines.


I disagree. No that Defarfella wasn't a fantastic bassist, but I couldn't rate one above the other. I listen to songs like Advent etc. and I'm blown away, but then I listen to something like Baying of the Hounds which is so full of subtle hints of musical genious, I don't think its fair to rate one any higher than the other. They both where great. Hell, Opeth just plain rule.

All mentioned already, so I'll just +1 Sean Malone (Cynic), Steve DiGiorgio (loads of stuff, I recommend Control Denied), and whoever you fancy from Opeth (its all good).

Tony Choy from Atheist is another good player- two-hand-tapping-tastic!

Randy Coven with ARK. Supreme Melodic Progressive compositions and performances

Randy Coven with ARK. Supreme Melodic Progressive compositions and performances

This man just nailed it. Check out ARK. Incredible stuff.

I'm sorry, but you just can't go past Martin Mendez, who plays for Opeth. I would rate him as probably one of the best progressive death/heavy metal bassists of all time.

Yep. Can make a good melody every time. Mixed perfectly. Knows what to play and what NOT to play. I love everything he's ever written for Opeth.

I disagree. No that Defarfella wasn't a fantastic bassist, but I couldn't rate one above the other. I listen to songs like Advent etc. and I'm blown away, but then I listen to something like Baying of the Hounds which is so full of subtle hints of musical genious, I don't think its fair to rate one any higher than the other. They both where great. Hell, Opeth just plain rule.

I see it as two different players that both fit the band equally well- it's just that Defarfalla had a less subtle presence, you know? I love them both though.

Also-

Ron Royce of Coroner
Ralph Hubert of Mekong Delta (The bass part on "Shadow Walker" is soooo catchy)
Doug Keyser of Watchtower
Roger Patterson and Tony Choy of Atheist

etc etc etc

Dysrhythmia, a local NYC band.

http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband

Crazy player with sick tone.

+1

I love these guys. They do some realllly interesting stuff.

Steve Harris does alot of that galloping root stuff but has some good lead bass lines too.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned:

Cliff Burton or
David Ellefson yet.

They both have some great basslines to me that aren't just root notes. Also, fwiw, a player who doesn't play just root notes isn't exactly progressive by definition. Sure he's not as simplistic but there's a wide range of players between a Tom Araya and a John Myung...

It cracks me up when people recommend someone checks out Tool, as if they haven't already been shoved down everyones throats.

I'm still dropping Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree's name - not strictly a "metal band" but a progressive band with heavy influences over the last several albums. He's a master of playing to the song when it's not not defined as "pumping 8ths" - perfectly intonated fretless Wal and upright lines on their earlier work, an amazingly full sound from his EB/MM Bongo on their "Arriving Somewhere..." live DVD (a must purchase, trust me on this) and the classic Spector sound with a touch of distortion on their latest, "Fear Of A Blank Planet". Check out "Hatesong", the middle section of "Don't Hate Me", the studio version of "Buying New Soul", and "Way Out Of Here" off the new album for starters.

Lars Norberg of Spiral Architect if pretty bad-ass too. i'm really not much for their singer, but the bass is very cool.

The Bass player from the band Candiria, Michael MacIvor, has always laid down some pretty crazy progressive/jazz lines beneath all of the madness.

It cracks me up when people recommend someone checks out Tool, as if they haven't already been shoved down everyones throats.

In their defense (as if they need it..), they're all very talented and so on.

Hey guys, hold up on that Opeth stuff. After DeFarfalla's depart, I believe it was actually Mikael Akerfeldt (the GOD) who wrote the basslines, 'cause at that time (when they were recording the MAYH album) Mendez was relatively new to bass, and also needed time to adjust to Opeth's sound. It started from Damnation where you can actually hear Mendez, and now he's become pretty good at the bass.

In their defense (as if they need it..), they're all very talented and so on.



Yeah, but my point is:

Have you guys heard Nirvana yet?
Have you guys heard The Beatles?
Have you heard Bach yet? He's got some wicked bass lines.


Tool is very very popular, and Justin is one of the most discussed bassists on this forum. They're not really all that underground anymore, there is no need to recommend them.

Fear Factory - mental bass riffs

He is Legend - crazy solo`s

Rage against the machine - Good ideas, well executed too!

Incubus - i know not heavy but the new bassist is amazing!

One Minute Silence - This is mindblowing stuff!

Hope that helps you out a bit!

love and bass

john

Fear Factory - mental bass riffs

He is Legend - crazy solo`s

Rage against the machine - Good ideas, well executed too!

Incubus - i know not heavy but the new bassist is amazing!

One Minute Silence - This is mindblowing stuff!

Hope that helps you out a bit!

love and bass

john

The original Incubus bassist (forget his name) in terms of tone and originality was immense. Really interesting ideas and melodies and such a powerful live tone, the band have never been the same since he left imo....

The original Incubus bassist (forget his name) in terms of tone and originality was immense. Really interesting ideas and melodies and such a powerful live tone, the band have never been the same since he left imo....
Dirk Lance was a very open bass player, slapping and playing funky lines often. The new dude is a terrific fit for the new Incubus sound, but he's more of a smooth, traditional player. Both are great and deserve mention, though Incubus is hardly metal (anymore, their earlier stuff was quite heavier).

Check out Dennis Pepa of Death Angel. Everything from The Ultra-violence to The Art of Dying.

Dirk Lance was a very open bass player, slapping and playing funky lines often. The new dude is a terrific fit for the new Incubus sound, but he's more of a smooth, traditional player. Both are great and deserve mention, though Incubus is hardly metal (anymore, their earlier stuff was quite heavier).

yeah i totally agree both musicaly amazing bassists but in there own leagues!

They lost the bassist that took them to the next level in the Metalscene

but they have gained a phenomenal talent - this new guy will propel Incubus to being the band they have always seeked to be - with this new style of sound incubus can keep making music until they are old and grey and avoid looking like the ever so common "Old washed up metalers!"

a much better move incubus

much better!

Felipe Andreoli from Angra is one killer player. He does a lot of Yngwie-type runs on bass....certainly one of the fastest I've ever heard.

Arif Mirabdolbaghi of Protest The Hero is awesome, although they're not exactly traditional metal. Kenny Aerhart was great on The Human Abstract's record Nocturne, but they have a different bassist now, and haven't recorded anything with him yet. So I'm curious to see what their next cd will sound like.

Protest the Hero, Between the Buried and Me

It cracks me up when people recommend someone checks out Tool, as if they haven't already been shoved down everyones throats.

Tool?

I absolutely love Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne. +1 on John Myung as well, though Dream Theater is more prog than metal.

Bob Daisley.

Tool?



You really think Tool is still "underground?"


Never mind, I'm done discussing it.


Was Ephel Duath discussed in this thread? First band I ever heard that fused jazz and metal while doing justice to both genres.

No no.... nevermind.

Protest the Hero,

bunch of hack morons running **** scales...untalented

Stefan Fimmers from NECROPHAGIST (http://myspace.com/necrophagistde)
Check out the tapping run a little ways into "Stabwound"

Lars Norberg from SPIRAL ARCHITECT (http://myspace.com/unofficialspiralarchitect)

Im not much for that tone but it doesnt get any more Prog than this

You really think Tool is still "underground?"




No, not by a longshot. But I can tell you that a lot of people haven't bothered to look past the overplayed singles. I believe it is worth mentioning.

Vortex from Dimmu Borgir is pretty good
he has some nice runs here and there

old bassist for disturbed is killer, check out their first two albums

Alex Webster, Cannibal Corpse.

I don't like the band's lyrics and a good part of their music, but he sure is a great bassist - and gets to show it.

bunch of hack morons running **** scales...untalented

Obviously you didn't hear and finger tapping and slapping?

check out psyopus they are unreal

IMO, Psyopus is a symphony of jumbled effects and NOTHING that resembles song structure or a "coming together", dubbed over with a drunk screamer - yes I've seen them live.

Give me your opinion, I'll give you mine. ;)

Hey guys, hold up on that Opeth stuff. After DeFarfalla's depart, I believe it was actually Mikael Akerfeldt (the GOD) who wrote the basslines, 'cause at that time (when they were recording the MAYH album) Mendez was relatively new to bass, and also needed time to adjust to Opeth's sound. It started from Damnation where you can actually hear Mendez, and now he's become pretty good at the bass.

Martin Mendez had been playing bass way before he joined Opeth.

Felipe Andreoli from Angra is one killer player. He does a lot of Yngwie-type runs on bass....certainly one of the fastest I've ever heard.

He might be the fastest, but his tone is definately the worst.

Since listening to Tool I can say my approach in my 'Heavy Metal' band has changed with regards to how I fill my parts out in a band with just one guitarist. I'm using chords and pedals and a few more effects (verb/delay/chorus) and I find him to be a really tasteful player. Also I've now got a lighter pick in my arsenal that I can really attack the strings with and it helps with the chords and punctuation on the notes. I heard somewhere Justin uses a .71?

Justin uses 1.0 mm

Iron Maidens Steve Harris plays some of the most melodic stuff for a metal band. No strict roots stuff. Alot of his stuff follows guitar leads and alot of his stuff is the melody. You must check out most of the earlier compositions off of the first 2 albums. You'll be amazed.

my recent favorite has been joe lester from intronaut. he's not real out front of the mix on the two eps, null and void(brilliant!) but if you really listen to what he's playing, it's downright amazing.

omfg!!! Arent you all forgetting something? :eyebrow: THE WIGGLES!!!!!!! :hyper: The hardest and heaviest of all hard and heavy bands :cool:. Honestly, whats this world coming to :rolleyes:

Cannibal Corpse
Behold the Arctopus

You really think Tool is still "underground?"


Never mind, I'm done discussing it.


Was Ephel Duath discussed in this thread? First band I ever heard that fused jazz and metal while doing justice to both genres.

The Painter's Pallet is one of the best albums ever written in my opinion.

Dash Arkenstone from Horse the Band is pretty intense. check out anything off of 'the mechanical hand' or 'pizza.' if you're not familiar with them you probably won't like them at first. horse is amazing on all fronts, one of the few hardcore bands (and bands in general) that really forged a completely new sound.

I was gonna mention him.
We opened for them last week. That guy is UNREAL. He's so fluid WHILE jumping and running around.
He's also a really nice guy, although he pretty much never talks.

For those interested, he has a lot of really sick parts on their new single, "Murder".

I hope nobody's mentioned Fieldy yet :hiding:

Alex Webster - Cannibal Corpse

Dan Briggs - Between The Buried and Me

Scott Krall - Into Eternity

Micheal Lepond - Symphony X

Eric Langlois - Cryptopsy

Michael Nicklasson - Dark Tranquility

Rick Woods and Travis Martin - See You Next Tuesday

Vortex - Dimmu Borgir

Brandon Giffin - The Faceless

Tim Ward - The Fall of Troy

Matt Williams - He Is Legend

Mike Starr and Mike Innez - Alice In Chains

James McDounough - Iced Earth, Megadeth

James Lomenzo - Megadeth, Black Label Society

Doug Pinnick - King's X (not really "heavy" but innovative)

Yngwie's playing on Rising Force is pretty baddass too...

I know some of these were already stated but that's ok...

Listen to System Of A Down's self-titled album. Shavo has pretty unique basslines throughout the whole album, specifically Spiders and Mind.

Also, Les Claypool with Primus and other funk metal side projects. Buckethead himself is a pretty interesting slap bass player too.

And finally Steve DiGiorgio of Death and Sadus.

Listen to System Of A Down's self-titled album. Shavo has pretty unique basslines throughout the whole album, specifically Spiders and Mind.

Also, Les Claypool with Primus and other funk metal side projects. Buckethead himself is a pretty interesting slap bass player too.

Buckethead?

Buckethead?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=agvuueA25gc

Listen to System Of A Down's self-titled album. Shavo has pretty unique basslines throughout the whole album, specifically Spiders and Mind.

Also, Les Claypool with Primus and other funk metal side projects. Buckethead himself is a pretty interesting slap bass player too.

And finally Steve DiGiorgio of Death and Sadus.

+1, forgot about DiGiorgio- he is a badass. He also was/is in Testament...

I learned a lot from peete steele of type o..chords, melody's, rakeing and that sort of thing.....A LOT of Metal players(myself included)apply Billy Sheehan's Tech's to there craft if you were intereseted in back tracking it..also Ross dolan of immolation..even though he double's most of the guitar..just playing in that rythm section is sick enough....also zach in cephalic carnage is quite fierce......

check out adagio or angra. theyre sick!

Cynic and Spiral Architect.

sleep terror, dream theater, and rush

Spiral Architect is soo sick