Heavy Metal is one of the few truly international forms of music, with bands represented from countries all across the globe. Many heavy bands choose to sing in English for stylistic and commercial reasons, but there are some who prefer to sing in their native tongue, which we think is pretty cool!

In case you haven't really had the inclination to venture out of the metal anglosphere, or simply don't know where to begin, here are some great bands to start out your international metal advernture. So, time to start learning a second language?

Kvelertak

If you ever wondered what blackened party rock and roll would sound like, then you obviously haven't had a listen to Kvelertak yet. Hailing from the frozen wastes of the North (actually, they're from Stavanger, which is the third largest city in Norway), these guys put on a killer show, and embrace their roots with pride. 

Kvelertak have released some awesome videos to go along with their music (usually they're pretty gory!) and frontman Erlend Hjelvik often wears an owl mask on stage, which only adds to the craziness of their live show.

When asked about singing in English vs Norwegian, frontman Erlend Hjelvik told Velyaland: "I always said that I wanted to sing in Norwegian because it feels more natural to me and sounds better, it sounds more unique than singing in English. By now, we’ve been doing it for so long that it’s a big part of our sound, our Norwegian vocals. It doesn’t seem like people outside of Norway have any problem with it! I actually think that it adds to the sound and makes us sound more special. People sing along, in Norwegian, no matter whether the show is in Russia or the States, which is pretty cool." 

DIR EN GREY

Japanese extreme prog metallers DIR EN GREY (yeah we probably got the genre wrong, but it's all good!) bring their own unique style to the table with their native-language tunes, and we certainly can't fault them on it - their music is killer!

Formed in 1997, these guys are still sporting the same lineup 20 years later, which we can't say the same for a lot of other bands these days.

Following the release of their album Urubos, the band changed up their aesthetic to a more heavy metal style, moving away from their former 'visual kei' look on their previous records. They're still looking pretty wild in our opinion though.  

When asked about singing in Japanese in a 2011 interview with MetalSucks, guitarist Kauro explained: "we are asked quite often to create our songs in English. But we’re not exactly creating songs just for our fans. We consider our music [to be] a piece of art. That said, there is some expression able to be shown only in English. Kyo prefers to use the sensitivities that Japanese language offers. There are expressions and nuances that can only be conveyed in Japanese; he values that. In the long run, if there is an idea that [is best expressed] in English, then there will be more English Dir En Grey songs. The language is part of that artwork."

Rammstein

Yeah ok, this one is pretty obvious, but we couldn't go ahead with a list of non-English speaking bands and not include the mighty Rammstein.

Another one of those rare bands whose lineup has remained unchanged over the years, Rammstein are the biggest name in industrial metal, and put on some of the craziest pyrotechnic performances you'll see on stage. Off the stage the band are no strangers to controversy, with their music videos Mein Teil, and Pussy causing a disapproving stir amongst the more prudish members of society. 

In 2015, Till did in fact begin experimenting with English vocals on a new project with Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) titled Lindemann.

Speaking of Lindemann, Til explained why he decided to finally go the English route in this interview with Ultimate Guitar: "I think the whole aesthetic of the [Lindemann] music is totally different [to that of Rammstein]. It's more gothic, filled with more melodies, and isn't as harsh music as Rammstein.  Rammstein's music demands German lyrics. But I feel that Peter and I found a great way to frame the English vocals. It's a big difference. Doing this with English, it was like a totally new garden was opened. In German, there are only so many things you can write about. With English, I opened the gates and I entered the garden, and I plucked my cherries. Everything was totally new."

Alcest

Founded in 2000 as a solo project by frontman, Neige, Alcest is a French post-black metal band which kicks out some seriously good stuff.

Alcest's roots lie in the world of black metal, however in more recent years the band tended toward a softer sound. The concept of Alcest's latest album Kodama was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's anime Princess Mononoke and sees a return to their earlier blackgaze sounds, with   

On singing in French, drummer Winterhalter said in an interview with PureGrainAudio: "The French language is not an easy one for writing lyrics and for singing too; it's a lot of work for Neige. For Shelter, some songs are in English, but it's strictly because the guests on these songs cannot speak French, so it was the best solution, and also a new challenge for us."

Drudkh

It seems that black metal is a very popular realm for non-English speaking bands, and we couldn't go past Ukrainian outfit Drudkh, who have released in our opinion, some of the best music in the genre. These guys tend to fly under the radar compared to most other artists - giving no interviews, and rarely publishing their lyrics - but we're OK with that because the music really speaks for itself.

Many of the bands lyrics are based on slavic mythology, and the droning, almost doomy nature of their intrumentation is fantastic if you're keen to zen out and imagine sitting by a frozen lake on a cold winter's day!

Interestingly, their track titles are in English, rather than Cyrillic as you might expect, but perhaps this just makes things a little easier on their international fans?