Best Extreme Metal Supergroups, Chosen by Earthburner

Who are the best extreme metal supergroups? Let’s see who each member of death-grind supergroup Earthburner picked!

The band features members of Broken Hope, Sanguisugabogg and Napalm Death, as well as a guest appearance from Immolation‘s blasphemous bellower Ross Dolan. Although guitarist Jeremy Wagner and drummer Mike Miczek (both of Broken Hope) formed the group in 2001, the band is just now releasing their first album.

They’ve recruited some other heavy hitters, too, and they all make their picks for their favorite supergroups.

But first…

What You Need to Know About Earthburner

New Album: Permanent Dawn (debut album)

Lineup:

• Vocals — Devin Swank (Sanguisugabogg, Tomb Sentinel, Skag, Dyskinesia)
• Guitar — Jeremy Wagner (Broken Hope)
• Drums — Mike Miczek (Broken Hope, The Atlas Moth)
• Bass — Tyler Affinito (Gloryhole Guillotine)
• Backing Vocals — Mitch Harris (Napalm Death, Menace, Brave the Cold, Defecation)

With a mix of veterans and relative newcomers, including the fast-rising, ultra brutal Sanguisugabogg, Earthburner intentions are clear — to make extreme music that they’re all a fan of, despite any generational gap.

Extreme music for extreme people, as Morbid Angel say.

“Broken Head,” one of the preview tracks off Permanent Dawn, is proof positive. Take a listen below.

“‘Broken Head’ talks about the constant drain in everyday life and how the pressure, stress and frustration can take a complete toll on somebody—and usually that anger is lashed out on people who don’t deserve an ounce of it,” vocalist and lyricist Swank asserts.

Earthburner’s debut album Permanent Dawn will be released on Nov. 8. Get your copy here and follow the band on Instagram, X, Facebook and Bandcamp.

Earthburner, “Broken Head”

Best Extreme Metal Supergroups, Chosen by Earthburner

DEVIN SWANK:

Aside from one or two roadrunner United lineups, here are some supergroups that I consider
badass…

All out grind ranging from members of Napalm Death, Brutal Truth and Melvins to name a few…

Hard hitting band that is essentially The Red Chord being fronted by Converge’s Jacob Bannon.

• Mr. Bungle (2019-present)

The return of Mr. Bungle back in its awesome format of heavy writing mixed with get down and dirty, almost lounge-like music. There’s some heavy vets in the mix, including Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. That dynamic duo thrown in with the spastic and always innovative Mike Patton is what I would consider a masterpiece.

A band like no other and Phil Anselmo like you’ve never heard him before. With members of Misery Index, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Cattle Decapitation you know definitely what you’re getting yourself into. And holy shit is it brutal!

MITCH HARRIS

Not much to explain on each of the supergroups I listed. They stand on their own. It’s
important to look back where the concept of project bands all started.

• S.O.D
• Meathook Seed
• Defeaction
• Menace
• Brave the Cold

JEREMY WAGNER

• Terrorizer (World Downfall-era only)

As a fan of death metal and grind — and of Morbid Angel and Napalm Death — at the age on 19, I was blown away when Terrorizer released World Downfall in November 1989.

I was in a record store called Slipped Disc Records in Valley Stream, New York. I bought Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness at that store on CD (as an import) and on the same day I bought World Downfall on CD. I was tipped off that this Terrorizer album was made of up guys who were in both Napalm Death and Morbid Angel—so I had to have it.

As I learned, it was vocalist Oscar Garcia and guitarist Jesse Pintado who founded Terrorizer and brought in drummer Pete Sandoval. The band disbanded when Jesse joined Napalm Death and Pete joined Morbid Angel, but thankfully, before they called it quits, Jesse, Oscar and Pete joined forces with Morbid Angel bassist David Vincent and record this masterpiece.

World Downfall is an untouchable gem and the greatest grindcore album, in my opinion. It’s one of the biggest inspirations to me as well and heavily influenced me—there’d be no Earthburner if it wasn’t for Terrorizer in 1989. So, I give special thanks to this supergroup.

READ MORE: Can You Guess the 14 Death Metal Albums From One Piece of the Cover Art?

• S.O.D. (Speak English or Die-era only)

When S.O.D. dropped Speak English or Die in 1985, I had literally just turned 15 and I thought Metallica, Slayer and Celtic Frost were the heaviest bands in the world. But when Speak English or Die came out, it blew away everything I’d ever heard before in terms of heavy riffs and tone and extremity.

That album, like Terrorizer’s World Downfall is a standalone gem that also had a profound affect on me. Later, when Nuclear Assault came around, I soon realized that S.O.D. was a supergroup made up members of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault.

This supergroup influenced me and Speak English or Die laid down the first “blast-beat” before grindcore made it famous. Charlie Benante is one of the sickest drummers on the planet and his efforts in S.O.D. shine and kill like no other. Then there’s riffs and that tone and that extreme attitude all around.

Meathook Seed’s first album, Embedded, was given to me by Obituary guitarist Trevor Peres. I loved it immediately. The mixture of industrial metal and death metal and other elements spun my head around.

The band, on that first album, consisted of Trevor Peres of Obituary, Mitch Harris of Napalm Death and Obituary drummer Donald Tardy. It’s interesting to hear Trevor Peres being the lead vocalist as he was always known as a guitarist in Obituary. This is a very special supergroup to me and I wish they’d have done consistent albums.

Defecation are a very special supergroup from 1987 as it’s just two guys and not four or five or more.

Defecation were formed by then Righteous Pigs guitarist Mitch Harris while he was still in high school and then Napalm Death drummer Mick Harris. The pair had been friends and made this genius band and album, Purity Dilution, which was an early record for Nuclear Blast Records.

Mitch Harris did the guitars, bass and vocals for the band and Mick Harris did drums and some vocals, too. Defecation are not only a killer “supergroup” but they also really flew the “deathgrind” flag that Earthburner also flies. So that means a lot to me as well and it’s why I love this group.

• Team Jordison (specifically, the track “Annihilation by the Hands of God” from Roadrunner United):

The song features drummer Joey Jordison of Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse guitarist Rob Barrett, Deicide vocalist Glen Benton and ex-Death/ex-Obituary guitarist James Murphy on lead guitar.

The backstory on Team Jordison… I loosely quote my friend and former Roadrunner A&R god Monte Conner here in some words he shared with me. He had the idea of four “team captains,” as he called them, each of whom would write and produce four songs using a five-member band that included themselves.

When you added in a different singer for each track that would give you nine musicians per team and 36 in total. THAT was an event.

Who to pick as the captains? It was actually not that hard for Monte. They had to be seasoned vets from classic Roadrunner bands, who were the chief writers in those bands and who would command respect. Dino Cazares, Robb Flynn and Joey Jordison were obvious picks.

In the case of Joey, not only was he in the biggest metal band on Roadrunner, but he was also a huge fan/historian of the label who lived and breathed Roadrunner red.

I found the Team Jordison supergroup of writers—Jordison, Barrett, Benton—to be one of the greatest supergroups I’ve seen. AND, they wrote the sickest song for Roadrunner United IMO. “Annihilation by the Hands of God” just crushes!

Spastik Children was a very raw, fun side project with some well-known musicians: Cliff Burton on bass and vocals, James Hetfield, (alias “Bobby Brady”) on drums and vocals, Kirk Hammett “Goddamn It” on bass, Jim Martin of Faith No More on guitar and vocals, Fred “Mad” Cotton (alias “Johnny Problem”) on lead vocals and James “Flunky” McDaniel (alias “Slucky McDonald”) on guitar.

Onstage, almost every band member of Spastik Children used an alias name. Though they never made an album, they do some shows in the Bay Area in the ’80s.

After Cliff Burton died, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted took over the bass duties. They had songs such as, “What’s That Smell,” “Let Me Flush,” and “Ballad Of Harold O” among others.

I wish they’d done an EP or album — and that I could’ve seen them live — but thanks to the internet, you can hear them live. Spastik Children are a supergroup unlike any other.

MIKE MICZEK

Sepultura and Fudge Tunnel. Goddamn. One of the most aggro albums of the ’90s. “Wasting Away” is aggression defined. “Sick Life” is so damn tough. Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide indeed.

I’m slightly biased here, because a good chunk of this band I consider dear friends/bandmates of mine: Stavros and Sanford to name two. Also this dude called Thurston Moore played on a record. What a time in American black metal.

If you haven’t realized I’m going to keep this list pretty Chicago centric, sorry you’re late to the party. Sanford Parker, Bruce Lamont, Mike IX Williams and Scott Kelly. Noisy motherfuckers with no drummer — “Dirt Poor and Mentally Ill.”

May Sanford never wear sleeves live.

It doesn’t get more Chicago industrial supergroup than Pigface. I think more people have been through that door than haven’t at this point.

Does the song “Suck” ring a bell?

I got to witness them rehearse back in 2019 before their last tour. Martin is a madman! I had the pleasure of working with him a couple of times. Go visit the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music on the south side and listen to his insane stories.

Hope Conspiracy, Converge, and Trap Them. HM2 [pedal] worship to the fucking MAX. I’m so mad my God Is War shirt got stolen on an Atlas Moth tour in Canada. Goddamn you Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Okay, one last Chicago band! Myself on drums with members of The Atlas Moth, Plague Bringer and Encrust. We recorded one album and put it out into the world after it all fell apart. If you can find it, jam it. I’m super proud of this swampy industrial sleeper.

A blackened collective ft. members of Amenra and Oathbreaker. Their last record was fantastic. Super dissonant, relentless and utterly eerie.

Denver’s heaviest: Blood Incantation, Khemmis and Primitive Man. Endless Wound is a direct hit to the jaw. Something about being a mile high makes your balls drop to the ground.

Is it a supergroup or just a side project? Either way, the end result of Dave Grohl and Kim Thayil laying down a bunch of metal jams and having the likes of Lemmy, Wino, Eric Wagner, King Diamond, Kurt Brecht, and Cronos to sing on them….you get my point!

TYLER AFFINITO

Nightmares Made Flesh was an absolutely essential album for me in high school. It was recommended to me by a friend who wasn’t super into death metal, but Bloodbath was always something we could come back to. Even to this day, Bloodbath’s output continues to impress.

My first exposure to this band was seeing them live at a fest on a friend’s recommendation. I actually had no idea about their pedigree until after the show ended and I hopped online to order their records. Nothing Violates This Nature is a frequent spin for me to this day.

Most of John Zorn’s work speaks for itself, but his collaboration with original Napalm Death drummer Mick Harris takes the cake. Is it jazz? Grind? Something to annoy your friends with? The answer to all those is a resounding “yes”. Give Guts of a Virgin a spin, I guarantee you’ll never hear anything quite like it.

Really only considered a “supergroup” if you’re a big grind nerd like me, ANb’s output is as impressive as it is humorous and confusing. For every ripper of a song, there’s an equal number of experimental tracks (most of which are under 30 seconds) that will make you do a double take. If you really want to destroy your concept of music, put on Altered States of America and turn it up all the way.

What can be said about Nailbomb that hasn’t already? Point Blank is a classic that bands are still trying to rip off to this day. They released one album, played one show and dipped. If you don’t think that’s the coolest thing ever then I don’t know what to tell you.