Metal Country #1

As per METALLATTORNEY's earlier prediction, this one wasn't even a contest.

#1 Sweden
Favorite bands:
1. In Flames (melodic death metal)
2. Bathory (thrash/black/Viking)
3. Opeth (extreme progressive metal)
4. Amon Amarth (melodic death metal)
5. Månegarm (Viking metal)
6. Dark Tranquility (melodic death metal)
7. Hypocrisy (death metal)
8. Dawn (melodic black metal)
9. Grave (death metal)
10. Entombed (death metal)
11. Gorement (death metal)
12. Vomitory (death metal)
13. Bloodbath (death metal)
14. Unleashed (death metal)
15. Dismember (death metal)
16. Runemagick (death-doom)
17. At The Gates (melodic death metal)
18. Thyrfing (Viking metal)
19. Evergrey (progressive metal)
20. Vintersorg (Viking/progressive)

When dissecting my metal collection, there are two main categories into which bands can fall: "Swedish" and "Other". Those of you who read my Top 25 post will notice that the top 4 bands I listed were all Swedish. For that matter, I couldn't even bring myself to stop at 10 bands on this post, since there are just too many Swedish bands I love. It even took some effort to reign myself in at 20. It's probably a product of my means of introduction to metal (coming through Swedes like In Flames and Opeth) but I tend to think that Swedish metal is just better than everybody else's. In terms of specific bands, there are too many to discuss individually. As an aside I'd like to note that I stole my classification for Opeth from the Metal Archives, because I couldn't think of how to properly classify them in so few words. Stylistically, Sweden is most notable for its death metal and melodic death metal bands. Many strong black, progressive, doom, and Viking/folk bands have come from Sweden as well. Truly, in my mind at least, Sweden is the nation that reigns supreme as the king of metal.