When you think about it. Most metal bands out there have ridiculous names, it's the music they produce that matters.

I mean, Cannibal Corpse... Really?....

Cannibal Corpse is a good name. It's not about being credible to the non-metal masses, but about sounding cool or having a cool meaning to it. Then there's sillier, embarrassing names, which is what this is about.

Yeah I disagree with Cannibal Corpse as well. It's easy to remember, looks cool in writing, sounds awesome and just has that certain ring to it... Like Brian Slagel says on the Centuries of Torment DVD "Cannibal Corpse is something you could say when you pick up the phone"
Also it's a pretty funny reinterpretation of zombies.

Gory Blister is possibly one of the worst names I've come across. I mean, I'm sure something got lost in translation, but... damn.

Yep. Poo band, but if the name is catchy and easy to remember then it's a success, unlike this:

http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Iron_Rainbow/3887

I realize that it's meant to be a shout out to classic bands, but no, just no.

I think what makes metallica a shitty name (to me, at least) is that it's a completely made-up word.

Genitorturers is a dumb name, imo.
cattle decapitation. Great band, not so great name.
I think hypocrisy is a pretty mediocre name also. It just doesn't sound metal to me at all.
pig destroyer. 'nuff said.
old man's child.
pantera
blood red throne
symphony x
gojira. I love the band, but the name just makes me laugh every time.

And of course my own band, Only a Shadow Remains. After years of failing to think of a band name, I settled on that, and my mom told me she liked it shortly before she blew her brains out. I kept the name because it has some meaning to me now - namely that, after a person dies, memories and whatnot fade away and only a shadow of that person remains.

Hypocrisy is an excellent name. Sadly Tägtgren's idiocy in the early 00s and several other uninspired releases from mid 90s onwards tarnished the name somewhat.

Well it sounds cool, but the meaning of the name just doesn't seem that metal to me.

By the way, that quote in your sig - what's it from? I've been meaning to ask you.

I think Sunn could be an alright name, but Sun O))) just kinda grates on my nerves. I understand that the O))) is supposed to represent the logo on the old Sunn amps, but I hate having something there that you just don't pronounce.

I can see where you come from, but I disagree. When I discovered the band, I assumed it to be critical towards christianity in particular, religious hypocrisy being something I learned to be quite a popular theme in extreme metal.

My signature is a line from a 1927 movie Noidan Kirot (Witch's Curses) translated into English from Finnish. The film is more interesting than enjoyable, but that line was memorable.

I've always pronounced their name as "sunn o".

...

Some of the worst band names in my opinion are those that use common/generic words such as Danger or Damnation. Lots of bands tend to use the same name and it makes it rather difficult for people to find the band and distinguish it.

Also any band name starting along the lines of Dark "anything" or Pagan "anything" or Satan/Satanic "anything" is bad and rather lazy of the band to use in my opinion.

As far as Cannibal Corpse goes, while I consider them a terrible band I think the name is good and as has been pointed out, easy to remember and it also fits the band well.

Pagan Satan would be an awesome band name.

Not sure if this one has been mentioned, but the band Covered in Shit is surely something to laugh at. I mean, come on.

Especially with song tracks entitled "Stabbed to Death with a Frozen Piece of Shit" And "Dirty Popsicle"

Always makes me laugh.

Pagan Altar would like to have a few words with you

Unleashed Anger

I mean, really? Best a hardcore/crossover thrash band could do?

It's not terrible, but quite uninspired.

As for me, Velvet Cacoon. That name is just stupid.

Brutal Truth and Lock Up sound uninspired.

Bands using 'Dark' or 'Funeral'. Dark Funeral sounds incredibly generic.

We have a band in Chile called Six Magics. Sounds terrible in every possible way, just like Darkemist.

Ê (you can find it here on the archives)

Sounds like the people in the band can't speak English very well if that's their name.

Sounds more like Megadeth fans that suck at being funny.

Iwrestledabearonce

I've given birth to some pretty retarded names in my time... and all these names are either defunct projects or have next to nothing released, so it's not really spamming to mention them:

The Raytownian(s) - First of all, no one gets it (well, got it), second, the ()'s just confused stuff more, third, it's a fucking "Mama's Family" reference... Also, not a Metal band...

Black Destroyer Hill - Another obscure-but-dumb reference with no real connection to the project...

Changed that to Absurd Flesh, which just seems psuedo-intellectual and pretentious.

And then there's...

Gebrull Wurm (or something... supposed to be "Roaring Worm" [or is it "Screaming Worm? IDK] translated probably very poorly into German, CaUSE FOREIGN SOUNDS KOOLURRR!)

Meth Witch... eh. I used to think it was cool. I wanted to get some local meth addict hookers to
do vocalist in my stupid No Wave influenced bedroom band.

Holy shit, trying to type on a kindle is tucking infuriating... disregard any weird typos or formatting...

There&s other names, but I'm fed up with trying to type coherently on this fucking kindle... can't wait til I have a functioning computer again...

Cannibal Corpse is a super silly name.

^ A lot worse than your totally awesome location name, right?

I hate my old band's name with a passion. We were getting pretty popular in our immediate area so were always relunctant to change it but come on: Arkngthand, really?

I'm pretty proud of our releases and the work I've put in personally, but I'll never forgive us for not releasing under a more 'normal' band name.

I think the worst (or best depending on how you look at it) is Helfahrt

"Journey to Hel" is a pretty badass name.

Dr. Acula. Combine the two words together and you get *drum roll please*

Dracula. Still fukcign lame.

Hellyeah would be a sick band name if a shitty band didn't take the name already.

And as I seriously want to know, is Assuck pronounced Ah-Sook or Ass-uck? I feel its the former but I've heard its actually the later. What does everyone think?

Dr. Acula might be a reference to Scrubs, but it depends on when they formed. I've heard of a band called Art Vandelay, which, despite being pretty terrible, I like the name for the shameless Seinfeld reference which it obviously is.

"Jumpin' Jesus" is a horrible name for a pretty good death metal band

And obviously a lot of grind bands have terrible names, like for instance:

Purulent Wormjizz
Microphallus
Anal Spermshit
Cliteater
Fuckfest
Libido Airbag
Black Transsexual
Anal Bag
Exquisite Shemale
Urine Festival
Hymen Holocaust
Deformed Elephant Surgery
Electro Toilet Syndrom
Elite Drug Dealers
Nunwhore Commando 666
Patisserie
Semen
Die Pigeon Die
Carnivorous Vagina

etc

Death / grind bands usually have stupid names as well, like "Intestinal Alien Reflux" or "Anal Bleeding"

Velvet makes me think of toilet paper and cacoon makes me think of the second syllable of this word, not sure if it's treated like n word here. Horrible name, but what to except from some pretentious assholes.

Also, it just came into my mind how bad of a name My Dying Bride is. Sounds like a name for either metalcore or emo-goth type band.

My Dying Bride always comes up in these threads. The band formed in 1990 (I think) and so have absolutely no relation to core or emo genres. In the context of their music I actually think the name is quite fitting. Oh and if by chance anyone reading hasn't checked MDB out on the basis of their name, do so! They're truly excellent and you're missing out.

There's a local band by the name of Cunt Punisher... Just terrible. Arcane Axiom is another one that just rubs me the wrong way.

Dark Tranquility, Dark Moor, Dark Empire, Satan's Host, Maximum Oversatan, and Doing Nuns in the Butt for Satan would as well.

Intestine Baalism - I first thought it was something about a bowel movement demon but of course that's not the case!

Excretion - Odd name for a melodic death metal band

Eternal Tears Of Sorrow - Sounds like a metalcore band name. Haven't heard their newer stuff but assume it's more or less the same

Job For A Cowboy - No comment........

Centinex - Sounds like a product cleaner

Purtenance - Looks fine but google search says "An animal's viscera or internal organs, especially the heart, liver, and lungs."



Apart from Job For A Cowboy, I can't say these are the 'worst' band names but thought I would mention them anyway.

Eternal Tears of Sorrow is a great name.

Since I just posted in the Woods of Yipee thread, I must mention the most retarded name that only a douche like Dave Gold could dream up...

The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society

A bad band name I saw was The Black Satans

I was going to do a black metal band called Black Satan lol.



Well originally they were named Purtenance Avulsion. And Avulsion is an injury where a body structure is forcibly removed so if you combine the two it makes sense.

I mean, Naglfar isn't bad as a name in terms of meaning, but the word itself has always sounded bad to me. It's always bugged me. Same with Borknagar. They just don't sound right to me.

I just searched the thread, and no mention of Manilla Road? One of the best bands in heavy metal, one of the worst names... honestly if they had a more flashy name like "Iron Maiden" or "Mercyful Fate" or "Manowar" or the like, I'm sure it would've done a good bit of help. Most people hear the name for the first time and laugh. They aren't laughing by the time they've listened to the first song, but you think something more barbaric/fantasy themed would've worked better for MR.

Ah well, they have a superb legacy, so why I am complaining....

I don't mind weird names, to me the worst names are always these that lack identity, like Death, Hell, Yes...