Your top three

Suffocation-Great persona on stage, being the great death metal band they are. Their setlists of songs was the one of the best chosen out of an yband I have seen. Every song was excellent. No screw ups or anything, the crowd was very responsive to them.

I saw them a bunch of times and they have always pulled off a good show.

byrne said:
Kreator
Saw them on their first tour of Aus only late last year. Was crammed up against the front fence, I was so close to Mille, the sweat from his face was almost dripping on me. Killer setlist and his vocals for a guy 23 years or so down the track, were absolutely amazing. Was AWESOME!

I saw them once and it was last year and they did a pretty good job. But those fuckers didnt play "Ripping Corpse" or "Under The Guilotine". It's their finest material.
 
Opeth - "Nice guy metal" it may be, but it always helps me to enjoy a show when all the band members are smiling and the frontman has a great, positive attitude (at least he did 4 years ago when I saw em). Maybe it's just me but I found shows like Suffocation were kind of spoiled when the frontman was talking about killing me if I dated his daughter. Just play your music guys and keep your lame comments.

Kreator - Again, energy was enormous, and the song introductions were just so over the top and THRASH you had to laugh. Any band taking themselves that seriously should be commended. The soloing was insane and the huge crowd and the fact it was their first tour here ever helped to create an unforgettable atmosphere

Dismember - FUN FUN FUN. They played for only about 60 people and put in a massive performance nonetheless. Everyone in the band was smiling at us, making horns including the drummer and with the stage at ground level, it turned out to be a really personal performance which helped the "old-school" atmosphere.


(If I had to choose 4, i'd pick Soilwork - Yeah, it's hard to believe, but they were energetic as hell, and they really ripped up the stage, even with their newer songs.)
 
1349- For brining something new and unique to Black Metal

Taake- Simply for being the funniest thing since Ducklings.

Darkthrone- for having all the classics
 
Dismember - No band can cause headbanging live as these guys. They've got many great songs to choose from and they are great on stage. Funny and boozed as hell usually.

Vader - Probably Death Metal's most tight performers considering how many gigs they do per year and how damn good they've always been when I've seen 'em.

Nevermore - Last time I saw them they pulled off a pretty much flawless setlist of good song choices. Incredible band on cd, and incredible live.

Honorable mentions: Kreator, Grave, Candlemass
 
Slayer - Amazing performers. The sound on the albums is perfect, but nothing compared to the sound of a Slayer live show.

Dark Tranquillity
- Really intimate with the crowd, and the crowd gets really intimate with it. Lots of energy, and the songs are all written to be performed live.

Suffocation
- When the show/crowd is just as brutal as the music being played, you know you're in for a good time with this crushing performance.
 
Good call on the Cathedral chaps. Lee Dorrian poked me in the fucking eye during his bizarre doom dance, covering Sabbath - Lord of this World at Bradford Rios in 1995.

True.
 
Putrescence - The music isn't much beyond your usual goregrind affair, but the banter makes up for it. Imagine a fat, drunk lead vocalist staring into space with a sailor hat on opening the set over guitar feedback by saying "If you've ever thought about killing yourself... tonight is the night" in total deadpan. Also introducing songs with things like "we are called Drowning Pool... this next song pertains to bodies hitting the floor." Other antics I have witnessed include throwing a half full bottle of beer into the crowd in the middle of a song (to get people to stop moshing? who knows, it was funny).

I actually know that the singer posts on the Relapse message board and is a total asshole.
 
Maybe it's just me but I found shows like Suffocation were kind of spoiled when the frontman was talking about killing me if I dated his daughter. Just play your music guys and keep your lame comments.

Frank Mullen's in-between song banter had me in stitches! Lame comments? Get yourself a sense of humour.