Cynic > Death > Sarcofago > Hellhammer > Darkthrone > Taake

(edited cause I saw Darkthrone was faster, was Mayhem > 1349 before)

Try Anubis Gate to Gris.

Longest path yet.

Anubis Gate > Fates Warning > Queensryche > Crimson Glory > Kamelot > Epica > Mayan > Dimmu Borgir > Emperor > Enslaved > Bathory > Darkthrone > Burzum > Gris

Fen to Angel Witch.

Did Anubis Gate to Gris in 10:

Anubis Gate > Myrath > Orphaned Land > Moonspell > Samael > Celtic Frost > Bathory > Darkthrone > Burzum > Gris

Fen to Angel Witch in 7:

Fen > Woods of Ypres > Type o Negative > Carnivore > Venom > Tank > Angel Witch

Skeletonwitch to Circus Maximus n_n

Skeletonwitch > Immortal > I > Motörhead > Accept > Judas Priest > Iron Maiden > Fates Warning > Anubis Gate > Pagan's Mind > Circus Maximus

Too long, maybe.

Origin to The Gathering.

Origin > Fleshgod Apocalypse > Septicflesh > Moonspell > Type O Negative > Katatonia > The Gathering

Ghost to Arkona

In 7 too:

Origin > Decrepit Birth > The Faceless > Opeth > Riverside > Anathema > The Gathering

This fact that I, almost every time, have no idea what at least one of the two bands sounds like really says it all about metal; there's so bloody much of it.

Ghost > Mercyful Fate > Celtic Frost > Bathory > Graveland > Arkona

Timeghoul to Ketzer (german band)

Timeghoul > Morbid Angel > Death > Slayer > Aura Noir > Destroyer 666> Ketzer

Lets see someone get from Vomitor to Cruachan.

Vomitor > Sodom > Bathory > Primordial > Cruachan

Altar of Plagues to Satan's Host.

Hmm, you could have saved a step going from Venom > Mayhem > Burzum instead of going through Hellhammer. Still 8 total though.

Altar of Plagues > Wolves in the Throne Room > Drudkh > Graveland > Bathory > Venom > Motorhead > Tank > Jag Panzer > Satan's Host

Didn't do so good that time.

How about Assuck to Agalloch

Assuck>Nasum>Anaal Nathrakh>The Axis of Perdition>Blut Aus Nord>Leviathan>Panopticon>Skagos>Agalloch

Pretty bad

Xasthur to Abysmal Dawn.

Xasthur>Mütiilation>Ritual Suicide>Vrolok>Blut Aus Nord>Deathspell Omega>Ulcerate>Hate Eternal>Abysmal Dawn

Alright, try Sunn O))) to Brain Drill.

Sunn O))) > Earth > Melvins > Gwar > Anthrax > Exodus > Slayer > Possessed > Morbid Angel > Nile > Origin > Brain Drill

Blech.

Cradle of Filth to Rush.

8:
Cradle of Filth > Bal-Sagoth > Stormlord > Powerwolf > Iced Earth > Judas Priest > Deep Purple > Rush

Edit: 6 here:

Cradle of Filth > Sara Jezebel Deva > Therion > Celtic Frost > Voivod > Rush

(Incidentally, Voivod being linked with Rush is pretty stupid...)

Let's see Running Wild to Uaral.

Cradle of Filth > Dimmu Borgir > Ov Hell > Immortal > Mayhem > Venom > Voivod > Rush

R

Too late here, since several better routes were posted while I was doing this, but have it anyway for posterity's sake.

Cradle Of Filth > Dimmu Borgir > Emperor > Ihsahn > Leprous > Pain Of Salvation > Dream Theater > Rush

Anyone for Sabaton to Zarach 'Baal' Tharagh?

No fair, I edited with a 6-degree before you posted that.

How about:

Altar of Plagues > Fen > Ulver > Darkthrone > Celtic Frost > Mercyful Fate > Satan's Host

How about Thousand Leaves to Camarosmith.

Got from Sabaton to Zarach 'Baal' Tharagh in 16.

Sabaton> Iced Earth> Judas Priest> Exciter> Venom> Mayhem> Burzum> Thorns> Aborym> Anaal Nathrakh> The Axis of Perdition> Abruptum> Gnaw Their Tongues> T.O.M.B.> Enbilulugugal> Zarach 'Baal' Tharagh

Thousand Leaves > Iron Attack! > Yngwie J. Malmsteen > Deep Purple > Black Sabbath > Electric Wizard > Orange Goblin > Camarosmith

Jeez, that was harder than I thought it would be.

Atheist to Enmity.

Atheist > Gorguts > Cryptopsy > Suffocation > Putridity > Enmity

Xasthur to WhoCares.

I got 14.

Sabaton > Jag Panzer > Satan's Host > God Dethroned > Behemoth> Morbid Angel > Zyklon > Anaal Nathrakh > The Axis of Perdition > Gnaw Their Tongues > Abruptum > Wold > Enbilulugugal > Zarach 'Baal' Tharagh

I'll try to consolidate ours .

Edit: Looks, like you got your by working backwards. Remember, this doesn't necessarily give the same results. Axis of Perdition doesn't have Abruptum as a similar artists but Abruptum does have The Axis of Perdition as one.

I think the game at this point is equally "get from one band to the next in the shortest path" and "find two polar opposite bands and see how many bands are between them".

Atheist → Gorguts → Suffocation → Defeated Sanity → Putridity → Enmit-FUCK YOU SUBRICK

Probably not the most efficient, but:
Xasthur → I Shalt Become → Forgotten Woods → Joyless → Katatonia → Type O Negative → Black Sabbath → Deep Purple → WhoCares

Antaeus to DragonForce?

I

The link is only there because later Gorguts is proggy enough to be similar to Atheist, while early Gorguts is barreling and brutal enough to be comparable to Suffocation. It does make the process a lot shorter though, yeah.

Anataeus> Mayhem> Venom> Motorhead> Iron Maiden> Helloween> Stratovarius> DragonForce

Cradle Of Filth > Carach Angren > Diabolical Masquerade > Dan Swanö > Rush

Ok how about Visceral Disgorge to Korpiklaani

Not my best work:

Visceral Disgorge > Devourment > Wormed > Lykathea Aflame > Nile > Karl Sanders > Lord Wind > Wongraven > Storm > Heidevolk > Korpiklaani

I feel like there has to be a quicker way to get from Karl Sanders to Korpiklaani. Edit: got it a bit better.

I got Visceral Disgorge > Devourment > Jungle Rot > Obituary > Dismember > Amon Amarth > Ensiferum > Korpiklaani.

Adagio to Torsofuck would be a hard one.

Nile seems to be an effective backdoor from extreme metal to the more melodic side of things, given their links to Karl's solo stuff and Melechesh, who link into Orphaned Land. The problem is that whenever I try that specific route, that's three degrees right there. There's often a faster way.

Running Wild > Alestorm > Ensiferum > Suidakra > Primordial > SIG:AR:TYR > Agalloch > Uaral

There's probably something shorter.


Yup, I'd decided to try to go through Nile for that very reason and I'm not surprised there was a shorter route.