Metal as a genre can be traced back to the UK in the 1960s. Its roots lie in British blues and rock, and the term ‘heavy metal’ comes from the sound of steel factories. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath very often receive credit for being the first metal bands. While many of the most popular metal bands come from the West, many Eastern metal bands have combined Western elements within their own cultures. Often combined with traditional instruments such as heavier guitars, drums, and bass. Here’s a look at 6 metal bands from across the world.
New Delhi, India- Bloodywood
A combination between nu-metal, folk, and rap, Bloodywood features Karan Katiyar on guitar and flute, Raoul Kerr’s rapping and Jayant Bhadul’s vocals. On tours, the band also features Vishesh Singh on drums, Sarthak Pahwa on dhol (a double-sided drum), and Roshan Roy on bass.
Bloodywood started through Anti-Pop Vol. 1 (2017), featuring heavy metal covers of songs like “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift, and even “BAD” by Michael Jackson. Later on in 2018, Katiyar and Bhadul released a metal version of the song, “Ari Ari,” a Punjabi folk song originally named “Baari Barsi,” which featured Kerr, who would go on to become a permanent member of the band. Famous Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz, goes on to promote “Ari Ari” in an interview from loudersound.com. “We were excited because metal bands in India don’t get attention like that at all,” said Katiyar. He also stated that, “at the end of the day, we want to create a positive impact with our music.”
In 2022, Bloodywood released Rakshak, their first album with completely original music. According to Last.fm, the album’s most popular tracks were “Gaddaar” and “Machi Bhasad.” Most recently, after signing with Fearless Records, Bloodywood released “Nu Delhi.” The band has announced their second tour, “THE RETURN OF THE SINGH,” around the EU and UK for 2025.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil- Sepultura
Sepultura was formed in 1984 and released 15 studio albums—their first album, Morbid Visions, released in 1986. Originally a black metal band, Sepultura has many genres associated with it, such as thrash and groove metal. The current lineup features Derrick Green on vocals, Paulo Xisto Jr. on bass, Andreas Kisser on guitar, and Greyson Nekrutman on drums. Sepultura’s original lineup, however, consisted of Max Cavalera on guitar, Igor Cavalera on drums, Wagner Lamounier on vocals, and Paulo Xisto Jr. on bass.
Sepultura has been around for 40 years, releasing 15 albums under several record labels such as Nuclear Blast, SPV, and Roadrunner. Their most popular song, according to Spotify, is “Roots Bloody Roots” from their 1996 album Roots. In the year 1991, in an interview that took place at Disposable Underground, Max Cavalera said, “we are on a band that grows, but we don’t forget our roots.”
In 2020, the band released possibly their final studio album Quadra. Sepultura is now on a farewell tour, Celebrating Life Through Death, traveling all around the world, celebrating 40 years of their band.
Seoul, South Korea- Madmans Esprit
Pioneers of their self-described “depressive suicidal blackened pop,” Madmans Esprit is inspired by visual kei and black metal. Although described on their website as a solo project of Kyuho, the group’s vocalist. The band also features Juho and Somyul on guitar, Geon on bass, and Limu on drums. Regarded as “completely outstanding” by EN CORE and “Full of life (and death)” by Angry Metal Guy. Madmans Esprit is possibly Korea’s most popular metal band to date.
Madmans Esprit released their first EP, I Just Want to Sex with You, in April of 2011. Followed by their first full-length studio album Nacht on Oct. 6, 2014. Their most popular title on Spotify, “Suicidol” was released with the album Glorifying Suicide in 2019, accumulating over 1 million listens.
Despite being based in South Korea, Madmans Esprit’s audience is largely outside of the region. In an interview with Jrock News, Kyuho said, “more than 95% of our audience is from outside of Korea. We are happy to perform in Korea too, but we’ve always been aiming for overseas activity.”
Madman’s Esprit’s progressive/black metal fused with visual kei visuals and lyrics in Korean, English, Japanese, and German has attracted many fans. After a successful European tour in October, Madmans Esprit has announced its 2025 Latin America tour.
Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia- Creative Waste
Creative Waste performed the first public metal concert in Saudi Arabia in 2019, but their first album, Slaves to Conformity, dates back to 2012. Featuring Abdulaziz Al Bayyat on bass, Fawaz Al-Shawaf on guitar and vocals, Talal Al-Shawaf on drums and vocals, and Hussain Akbar on guitar. Creative Waste has a grindcore sound and has been around since 2002.
Creative Waste got its start like many other bands in the 2010s; through the internet. In an interview with the World Metal Congress, the guitarist and vocalist of the band, Fawaz, said, “we didn’t get much sleep and…the internet. We recorded our first demo with the help of Kamal, a good friend, he helped us record our first demo in late 2004, early 2005. We put it out there on forums.” Without a label, the band relied on the internet and their connections in order to book and advertise their shows. “We just put it out there on MySpace, whoever shows up. You know what? Let’s go to New York on a whim. And suddenly now we have shows,” said Fawaz.
Creative Waste released their most recent album, Condemned, in 2020. Its records would sell in Saudi Arabia despite its harsh style and lyrics.
Tokyo, Japan- LOVEBITES
The female power-metal band LOVEBITES have been around since 2016. Featuring Miyako on guitar and keyboards, Fami on bass, Haruna on drums, Midori on guitar, and Asami on vocals. The band currently have a total of 10 albums (6 of which are live), and 4 EPs.
LOVEBITES released their first EP, The Lovebites EP, on May 24, 2017, and their first album in October of the same year. Shortly after, they won the title of Best New Band in 2018 at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.
In an interview with Guitar World, Midori said, “it’s not always easy because metal is not a mainstream genre in Japan. But I feel that the prejudices to the word ‘metal’ have eased in the last few years, which is a great sign for the future.” LOVEBITES’s newest live album, No More Tragedy, releases on March 5th, 2025.
Milton Keynes, UK- TesseracT
Photo: Stéphane Gallay, sous licence Creative Commons (CC-BY) (Stéphane Galllay; sous licence Creative Commons (CC-BY))
From the motherland of metal, TesseracT have been paving the way for progressive metal since 2003. The band features Acle Kahney and James Monteith on guitar, Jay Postones on drums, Amos Williams on bass, and Daniel Tompkins on vocals. Past members include Ashe O’Hara, Julien Perier, Abisola Obasanya, and Elliot Coleman. A review of the band’s 2023 album War of Being from Proghurst stated, “TesseracT has become one of the most influential bands in the scene over the last decade.” TesseracT has released 5 studio albums to date. Their first, One, was released in 2011 and was nominated for Best New Band in Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods awards. Additionally, they won the Progressive Music Award for New Blood in 2012.
The band has released a VR and desktop game on Steam named after their 2023 album War of Being. Its official kickstarter describes it as, “filled with surreal landscapes, characters, and mysteries.”
TesseracT will embark on an EU and UK tour in January and February of 2025.
