Extreme brotherhood: 10 metal bands with siblings
Any metalhead knows that the camaraderie in metal is second to none. Any time you go to show, you feel like you’re a part of one big family, even though you’ve never met anyone there. However, for these bands, the brotherhood of metal goes far beyond just camaraderie: It’s in their blood. Here are 10 bands that have literal metal brothers in their ranks. A family that slays together, stays together, right?
Read more: 10 best metal albums of 2017, so far
Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan)
Perhaps the most famous brother duo in all of metal history, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul of Pantera were a lethal combo. Dime completely reinvented the way metal guitar could be played, and with his brother manning the cannons behind him, it’s no wonder Pantera, and later Damageplan, would become considered legends in metal. Dime was taken from us far too soon when he was shot at a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004, but his legacy will live on forever.
Chris and Willie Adler (Lamb Of God)
One of metal’s most notable juggernauts, Lamb Of God owe much of their gritty, groove-driven style to the brothers Adler. Chris Adler has garnered a reputation as one of metal’s most respected and sought-after drummers, having performed with Megadeth, Testament and even Protest The Hero, while his brother Willie is one of two riff masters in Lamb Of God. The two complement each other like fire and brimstone and are the prime reason for Lamb Of God’s general badass-ery.
Mario and Joe Duplantier (Gojira)
Gojira have quickly become one of metal’s most respected and influential bands, and all of their earth-shaking music is the product of brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier’s incredible songwriting prowess. Joe’s riffs crash upon the ears like a leviathan slamming down on the surface of the ocean and are complemented perfectly by Mario’s bulldozing swing behind the kit. Gojira have become more accessible over the years, with their most recent effort Magma marking their most successful record to date; but they haven’t sacrificed their crushing heaviness for any sort of sellout status. Quite the contrary, the brothers Duplantier are proving that extreme metal can appeal to the masses, too.
Max and Igor Cavalera (Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy)
Hailing from the tropical nation of Brazil, Max and Igor Cavalera couldn’t have predicted the unstoppable force they would become when they started Sepultura back in the ‘80s. The world had never before heard metal that was so primitive and so savage. Their Brazilian heritage informed the way they approached metal, a quality that came to a bloody head on the band 1996 record Roots, which marked the final Sepultura album with both brothers. However, the two can still be heard bashing skulls in together in Cavalera Conspiracy, a project that evokes those early days when the world was theirs for the taking.
Doc and Dallas Coyle (God Forbid)
The only guitarist duo on this list, Doc and Dallas Coyle of God Forbid were truly some of metal’s most adept axe-slingers, displaying a mastery and interplay on their instruments reminiscent of names like Hetfield and Hammett or King and Hanneman. The band unfortunately split in 2013, and only Doc played on their final record, Equilibrium; but one listen to the records with the brothers Coyle, and it’s baffling as to why this band didn’t gain more notoriety. For my money, God Forbid’s magnum opus was Earthsblood, a modern-day metal classic that shows Doc and Dallas’ fretboard domination at its very best. We can only hope that God Forbid—and the brothers Coyle—someday grace the stage with their presence once again.
Waclaw “Vogg” and Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka (Decapitated)
Vogg and Vitek of Decapitated were no older than 19 and 17, respectively, when they unleashed their debut record Winds Of Creation in 2000. It would be appropriate to call them musical prodigies, but then again, their adeptness at writing some of the most savage death metal ever laid to tape made them even more notable. The brothers’ penchant for creativity, virtuosity and ass-shaking groove would develop with each subsequent album, with 2006’s Organic Hallucinosis marking an innovative turning point for the band, not to mention all of death metal. Sadly, we’d never get to hear another record with the brothers again, as Vitek’s life was claimed by a tragic accident in 2007; but Vogg carries on the legacy started by he and his brother in the modern-day iteration of the band, which is still going strong.
Joey and Robby Baca (the Contortionist)
Combining ethereal ambience with interplanetary heaviness, the Contortionist are one of progressive metal’s most promising acts, propelled by the jazz-infused guitar playing of Robby Baca and tasteful drumming of his brother Joey. While their humble beginnings saw them leaning more toward the deathcore end of the spectrum, the band’s most recent album, Language —and their upcoming Clairvoyant—shows a band moving well beyond the boundaries of their own sound and evolving into something entirely their own. The Baca brothers have really come into their own as musicians, which in turn has helped the Contortionist come into their own as a band.
Anders and Jonas Björler (At The Gates, the Haunted)
With Anders on guitar and Jonas on bass, At The Gates defined the Gothenburg sound and, in turn, became one of death metal’s most legendary acts. 1995’s Slaughter Of The Soul influenced scores of bands, even outside of the death-metal scene, and it was Anders and Jonas’ razor-sharp riffs, infused with rich melody, that made that album such a bona fide masterpiece. Though the band were on hiatus for quite a few years, they roared back onto the scene in 2014 with At War With Reality, which picked up right where Slaughter left off.
Dave and Joe Haley (Psycroptic)
John and Donald Tardy (Obituary)
One of the original pioneers of that Florida death-metal sound, Obituary have been making heads roll for over 30 years. What’s more impressive is that brothers John and Donald Tardy have been there since the very beginning, an impressive feat considering how some siblings can barely stand to be in a room together for more than five minutes. It must be the death metal that sustains their relationship because the band’s self-titled album released this year is just as good as—if not better than—their classic records. If both were actually born in a swamp, it wouldn’t be surprising, considering how filthy good they are.
Who should be added to the list? Sound off in the comments.
