The U.K. is home to the most legendary and influential metal bands that world over. While many of those pioneering artists are still around (and on top), there's a new generation of metal acts vying for the crown, shaping the current state of metal.

Architects have been the standout U.K. metalcore band for over a decade, inspiring many of the bands that appear in this Loud List. While our attention is mostly geared toward even younger acts, there's no doubting the sustained strength of Architects, who are still contributing defining works to the genre, such as 2018's crushing Holy Hell.

Offering something more brutally atmospheric are Conjurer, who play a caustic blend of sludge, doom and post-metal. Their debut album, Mire, was released in 2018 and gained considerable underground buzz — enough to ink a deal with metal indie powerhouse Nuclear Blast Records.

Tying the new generation in with the old, The Raven Age features guitarist George Harris, son of Iron Maiden founding bassist Steve Harris. If there's any band on this list Maiden fans will easily gravitate toward, it's The Raven Age with their modern brand of traditional melodic heavy metal.

Watch the complete list of 11 Bands Shaping Metal in the U.K. in the video at the top of the page.

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