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Now that we have a thread where we can trash overrated metal bands/albums, here's a thread where we can praise the most underrated metal bands/albums.

I think that Anubis Gate are a very underrated, and overlooked, progressive metal bands with four releases behind them (three of which are really strong) - especially their two latest albums, the aci-fi themed concept albums "Andromeda Unchained" and "The Detached" are really worth listening to. Anubis Gate consists of experienced and skilled musicians who have a flair for composing complex, unisual but yet catchy tunes.

The thrash band Artillery are also a very underrated. Having released the technical and influential (among metal musicians at least) album "By Inheritance", they certainly deserve more attention from the public than they get right now.

Similarly, the British thrash metallers in Xentrix are incredibly underrated, having released a handful of quite original thrash albums - unfortunately, people were more interested in hearing them covering the Ghostbusters theme song than pleaying their own material.

Anvil, they gave Metallica the influence.

Sword's Metalized and Sweet Dreams - killer power metal from Canada that never really got the recognition they deserved.
Living Death's Protected From Reality - excellent German thrash that fell under the radar.
Any handfull of semi-obscure NWOBHM bands (ie: Trespass)
Restless - We Rock The Nation - Great traditional German hard rock/metal.
I'm sure there's a ton of others that I can't really think of right now.

I used to have 'For Whose Advantage' on cassette. remember liking it, years since I heard it though

'Shock Tactics' by Samson is pretty underrated. just before bruce dickinson left for Iron Maiden. I don't really like any of Samson's other LPs.

Deviated Instinct 'Gutteral Breath' is great, not many people have heard it.

I think the German thrash/speed band Assassin got a pretty raw deal. They were just as good as other German bands like Destruction, Sodom, and Kreator, or American groups like Exodus or Nuclear Assault, but got kind of lost in the shuffle. They felt more like Anthrax than anything else, with their sloppier thrash style (the other German bands tended to have a tighter, cleaner sound than their cousins from the U.S.), and less serious/somber attitudes (they wrote a song about junk food, for pete's sake), although they did touch upon war/politics like pretty much EVERY freakin' thrash/speed band of the era, but they got kind of missed by the Americans, and, like I said, they didn't really fit in with the other German groups, so they sort of got lost in the shuffle.

I also agree with you guys who said Artillery and Anvil (although Anvil are, thankfully, finally getting some recognition thanks to all the hype about Anvil: The Story Of Anvil and the way VH1 has been promoting the thing pretty much nonstop on some of their channels). I especially like Anvil, and actually think they should've been just as famous as some of the bigger thrash bands of the 80's. Technically they were part of that strain of post-NWOBHM American "power metal" that ultimately evolved into thrash, although they were one of those groups who didn't go into thrash themselves, which is ironic, considering I think that they were one of the thrashiest pre-thrash groups going, and songs like Metal On Metal, though called "power metal" (not to be confused with how we typically define "power metal" nowadays: i.e. Statovarius, Blind Guardian, etc.) are really proto-thrash.

Staying on the topic of thrash/speed metal, I would've liked to see more accolades for Agent Steel, Hirax, and Holy Terror as well. And getting off the topic of thrash and dipping into death metal for a minute, I love Impetigo, and I think they too often get forgotten as a HORROR band (not a "gore" group) in favor of purely gore-oriented bands like Cannibal Corpse (ugh). I'm actually a really, really big fan of death metal (mainly early 90's), but, conversely, I don't like "gore" bands. HORROR, yes. Gore, no. There's a difference, you know? And speaking of death metal, just though I'd throw out a quick complaint and say that whoever started this new freaking "slam metal" trend needs to be freakin' gutted. Devourment sucks. Nuff said.

I agree. I love the "Metal on Metal" album; there's not one single weak song on it. "This is Thirteen" is also an ass-kicker!

 As a King Diamond fan, I choose to defend what I consider to be his most underrated album: The Graveyard.

 Sure, it's no Abigail or "Them",  but it still has some great memorable songs (i.e. Black Hill Sanitarium, Heads on the Wall, Digging Graves, Meet Me at Midnight, the list goes on.). The only song that I would consider weak on the album is the track "Voices". It just sounds like some bad broadway knock-off. Otherwise, the rest of the album is a classic.

 If you ever pick this album up, I guarantee the song "Digging Graves" will be stuck in your head (not that it's a bad thing.).

I think Head on was actually their 2nd album and Shock Tactics was their 3rd. their first album I don't think even had bruce dickinson on vocals so I think they dis-owned it. might be wrong about that but anyway. - talking of bruce dickinson I should mention Iron Maiden's other singer Blayze Bailey's first band Wolfsbane. their album "Down Fall the good Guys" is a hard rock/metal classic, they never really got too well known though

Oh yeah, I love that album. Espcially "Black Hill Sanitarium" is a magnificent track.

Coroner. they did some pretty sick technical metal that didn't forget how to rock

Dunno if we're talking strictly 'lesser known' style bands, but, a few more widely known bands I feel don't get enough credit:
Anthrax
White Zombie
Discharge (although, well, they could be called punk, but had some thrash)
Trespass


A few others I can think of, but names escape me now.  Some would disagree about the first two, but they don't get a lot of credit.

Yeah I remember Wolfsbane from their first album "Live Fast, Die Fast". It wasn't too shabby, really. I remember reading an interview with them in Metal Hammer many years back and they joked that Blaze could sing for Maiden because he looks quite a bit like Bruce Bruce. Kind of a shame, really. He should've stuck it out with his first band in my opinion.

Manowar (pure and simple, the corniest, the MOST METAL!!!)

Lard (basically the band Ministry from by Jello Biafra)

Spazztic Blurr ("If you're serious, you lose")

I agree. apparently he didn't even tell the rest of the band he was leaving, and only told them they'd split once he'd joined iron maiden. I don't really like any of the albums he did with Iron maiden though. his voice was right for Wolfsbane but not for them, I mean can you imagine going to see Iron Maiden and Blaze Bailey singing tracks like Number Of The Beast?

I remembered another band who's first 2 albums I really like, and that's Love/Hate. they went off the boil a bit afdter that but their 1st two albums have some corkers on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_JylOn4IvM

Fozzy is a pretty decent band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUSEmnYIne8

They're not 'hardcore', or 'thrash', but they're harder than 'hard rock.' 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHQ08wxo_Y

Some I liked and thought were underrated...

Flotsam and Jetsam
Armored Saint
Dark Tranquillity
Sentenced
Protest the Hero
Galactic Cowboys
Himsa