Verified answer

Dream Theater

Opeth

Children of Bodom

Well I am not too sure what he means by that. In my opinion that album still had a lot of Blues Based riffs. I am not talking about right out classic blues elements but some of those riffs still included a lot of Pentatonic based riffs and solos. In my opinion an album that was released the same year Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden even though heavily punk influenced was more defining for the heavy metal genre. I think the early Maiden Years had a lot to do with where Metal was going onward from that. Don't get me wrong JP was just as involved with that but with Maiden also being in the picture that same time it kind of goes against what Ian is stating

ill give u a list of todays innovating metal bands from each metal subgenre's

Dimmu Borgir and Immortal are the innovators of today's black metal

Lamb of God and Devildriver are the innovators of today's groove metal

Cannibal Corpse are the innovators of today's death metal

The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying are the innovators of today's metalcore

Metallica and Slayer was and still are the innovators of thrash metal

Hatebreed and Sick Of It All are the innovators of todays hardcore

Mastodon and EyeHateGod are the innovators of today's Sludge Metal

In Flames and Children Of Bodom are the innovators of today's Melodic death metal

Korn and Disturbed are the innovators of today's Nu-metal

System Of A Down are the innovators of today's Alternative metal

and i pretty much mentioned most of the metal genre's

Dream Theater

Mantic Ritual

Agalloch

Mastodon, simple as that. Awesome music, heavy, progressive, meaningful. They have 4 concept albums and they are all awesome. Check out the songs...

March of the fire ants

Mother Puncher

leviathan

Blood and thunder

Aqua Dementia

Naked Burn

Wolf is loose

Bladecatcher

Capillarian crest

The Last Baron

lol i gotta stop-- you can check out any song rly, If you like a few, you'll learn to love them all

Opeth

Meshuggah

Dream Theater

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Decapitated

Ayreon

Nevermore

Mastodon

Psycroptic

Skyclad

Equilibrium

Tyr

Ensiferum

Ihsahn

and 10 years ago I would have said In Flames and Cryptopsy.

I personally think Volbeat are the new innovators. They figured a way to bring rock n roll back to its roots but keep it metal at the same time. Here's an example-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mV_HHL-h6g

The "Big Four" of last decade, as many people like to call them, Opeth, Mastodon, Converge and Isis are considered the biggest innovators of heavy metal of our time. I myself agree, as these bands all released quality albums that changed the way I think about Metal.

Opeth - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loGXDKEwFZs

Mastodon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=labytsb3gfI

Converge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38m1NXeQP4E

Isis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qz8e7pgy_Y

Keep it Heavy \m/

Dream Theater

Opeth