Metal is a young man's game. Everyone knows that, even the older guys. The older ones don't usually quit, mind you, but they show their love for today's youth and pass the torch as much as possible. That's how you get things like Gigantour.

So in a world where the children are the future, it's always seemed prudent to me to keep a close eye on what's going on in the underground. After all, any of those young metal upstarts could be the next big thing. In light of that, these ten names metalheads should be keep in mind might just be headlining your next Summer Slaughter or Mayhem Festival.

10. Cloudkicker The one-man project of songwriter Ben Sharp, Cloudkicker doesn't have to deal with band members or record labels to get things done, so he's released six albums and four EPs since his online debut in 2008. His music is mostly progressive and post-metal, but Sharp's works reveal him as not just a talented songwriter but a beautiful composer.

9. Napoleon The first thing you notice about Napoleon is that metal hasn't been this pissed-off or this emotional in a long time. That's fine with me. Taking some cues from Dillinger Escape Plan and later Poison the Well in how they blend hardcore, technical metal riffage, and even progressive tendencies into something completely raw and angry, these UK boys are bringing some much-needed balls back to more progressive-leaning metal.

8. Polyphia Dallas' own Polyphia is a group made up of some ace players who are killing it in the technical/progressive realm of instrumental metal. Their first EP, Inspire, came out in April and is some seriously crazy stuff. They're only going to get better from here on out.

List continues on the next page.