Bands that influence me to write are most often not my favorite ones, but ones I really enjoy. Bands like A Perfect Circle, Tool, and Soundgarden (not Metal, I know) make me want to write lyrics, wheras bands like Jimi Hendrix, Kyuss, and Black Sabbath just make me want to play guitar.

Then there are bands like Candlemass, Symphony X, and Crimson Glory who make me want to sit down and compose music.

Opeth - I admire their style of using acoustic parts that serve the same purpose as a simple breakdown. With their jazzy yet heavy style, it makes me want to write complex passages and what not. As far as their lyrics go, I wish I could write amazing lyrics like they do.

Agalloch - They love nature, and are the best at writing nature inspired music. I try to write unique and elegant ambiental stuff like they sometimes write (like "The Misshapen Steed"), but no one can do it as good as they do. Like Opeth, they're lyrics are examples of truely perfect poetry that I want to write.

Pink Floyd - Considering my father was and still is a complete Pink Floyd nut, I got into them at a very early age. Despite not being metal and listening to them at the age of four years old, I always enjoyed the electronic obscurity that they contributed into their music. To this day, Dark Side of the Moon and The Division Bell make me want to write relaxing atmospheric stuff.

The list can go on with bands that inspire me to write truely amazing pieces of work, but those are definitely a few of the most important. Eddie Vedder can also be considered an inspiration for me with his vocal/guitar work in Pearl Jam, and his outstanding soundtrack for the motion picture, "Into the Wild" done on all acoustic!

I think that it was Swedish band Dissection that influenced me the most.
However I must say that I would not have probably started playing metal if I had not met the right people in my live, who had directed me to this kind of music.

the band that influenced my music the most is dissection :O.

Bands that seem to make good music no matter what kind of genres they dabble in inspire me the most. Bands like Agalloch, Ulver, Akira Yamaoka, and Akercocke.
I listen to a lot of power metal, but I rarely feel inspired by it, because most if it sounds and feels the same, there's very little innovation.

i found that i lot of songs by August Burns Red made me want to write, mostly because its all over the place, but sounds awesome and flows good.

Also a lot of mathcore stuff like The Number 12 Looks Like You, and SikTh make me write as well.

I write a lot when listening to acts like Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

Immortal - all
Inflames - Subteranean, Lunar Strain
Amorphis - Karelian Ithsmus, Tales from a thousand lakes
Dissection - Storm of the lights bane
1349 - Hellfire
Opeth - My arms your hearse, orchid
RottingChrist - non serviam
Slayer - south of heaven, reign in blood, hell awaits
Kreator - extreme agression
At The Gates - Terminal Spirit Disease, Slaughter of the Soul
Carcass - Necrotisism
Nevermore - This godless endeavor
Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider, Burnt offerings, Somthing wicked trilogy
Boltthrower- Mercenary

In no particular order these bands and in some cases specific albums really inspired me to pick up a guitar.

hmm so me of the bands that inspireme to write music probably are:
Killswitch Engage
Slipknot
Korn (everything prior to take a look in the mirror)
Flaw (i know not metal but eh)
Maximum the Hormone (japan metal/Jrock)
Disturbed
InFlames
Children of Bodom
Arch Enemy
Linkin park
and Sevendust.
I know ssome arn't metal but they got some pretty good guitar riffs to em.

Enslaved and Dissection have always been a primal force in my music writing - amongst many others. Enslaved has that progression that just inspires you to do something while Dissection just wrote beautiful, mystical, and somber melodies that seem to awaken your abilities.

Opeth- they are one of the most influencial bands to me also Godspeed you Black Emperor, It just makes me want to write beutiful post rock.

Reverend Bizarre- I just love the way they structure 99% of their songs...slow riff, slow riff w/ vocals, slow riff, fast riff, solo, slow riff, end. VERY simple, but it works so well with doom.

Mournful Congregation (or an funeral doom)- listening to it just makes me want to start writing.

haha i like how you only pick out some of the bands and not all.

Dude, only 3 of those are metal. You must be new.

Well obviously considering it looks like his first post. Also the OP listed a few non metal bands so I don't quite see what the problem is.

Anyways whenever I listen to Virgin Black I am always inspired to get up and write something because they have alot of amazing melodies in their songs.

Sorry, I didn't pay attention to his post count before I posted this. He said some of them aren't metal, implying that he thought some of the non metal ones were metal.

INdeed!

I also find inspiration in other bands such as: Krohm, Judas Iscariot, Twilight, Darkthrone, Moonsorrow, Iron Maiden, Agalloch, Windir, Mayhem,etc. Basically whatever im listening to at the time.

Oh yes....and LOL at Reaper345's post

well ive never written musi before cuz i have no idea how to structure a song well etc
but my lyrics i write are inspired by doom bands like anathema MDB etc and death bands

spawn of possession!!

Older Cryptopsy and Gorguts inspire me to write nice little riffs, which work really well with other things I've written. Goreaphobia, Morpheus Descends, and Morbid Angel have also inspired me.
I look for stuff that has a sort of atmosphere, so my riffs come out with atmosphere as well.

Pagans Mind, Space Odyssey, Scar Symmetry, Lost Horizon, Ihsahn and many more I dont feel like remebering. lol

Bal-Sagoth, Emperor, Negura Bunget among others.

Atheist
Cynic
Emperor
Death
(early) Dark Funeral
Morbid Angel

Summoning.

Pink Floyd, in particular, their song ''The Trial''. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Silencer, early Behemoth, Behexen, Burzum, Horna, Lifelover, Nachtmystium, Njiqahdda, Misantropical Painforest, Saatkrähe, Sargeist, Würm, just anything with a unique atmosphere, with an apparent emphasis on black metal.

Everytime I hear stoner rock, it makes me want to write music. Somehting about the slow, bluesadelic riffs triggers my creativity.

Every time I listen to Isis I want to write music immediately afterwords. Watching videos on drummerworld.com also gets me pumped to play drums at any time of the day. Shame that I don't have a kit on me in college.

For vocals:
Satyricon
Six Feet Under
Nile
Deicide
Morgion

Bass/guitar:
Satyricon
Enslaved
My Dying Bride

Everytime I listen to Pagan Reign, Mithotyn, Wolfchant, Menhir or Kromlek, I take my guitar and play endless melodic riffs.. but the problem is.. I never write anything down so I forget most of them!

My musical inspiration is as follows:
Carcass- for making amazing grindcore and death metal (Necroticism) and not making shit metal like Cannibal Corpse. (Sorry to offend.)
Emperor- a balance of grim and epic. Amazing work.
Ensiferum- man, it makes me want to battle!

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel Morbid Angel Morbid Angel Morbid Angel Morbid Angel Robert Smith Morbid Angel Morbid Angel and some Morbid Angel with a lil' Emperor on the side.

Old Morbid Angel is the core of everything I write, pretty much.

One word:

METALLICA

I take influence from pretty much every band I listen to.

Agalloch

They are the perfect blend of metal and folk

Dream Theater. I've never heard such insane composing. This is a band that truly knows how to write music. It gives me energy just thinking how much time and effort goes into making their pieces.

Thrash-based grind, like Insect Warfare, Phobia and to a lesser extent, Fistfuck.

I like the fact that the guitars still retain the tuning and sound of old-school death metal and early grindcore, as opposed to the drop-to-mud tuning of today's music. And I just love properly written grind riffs woven in and out of thrash by musicians who appreciate thrash.

Put this together and I instantly start thinking of riffs and drum beats. Thankfully, I produce drum-and-bass, so I can write out a drum track for grind in seconds - but I don't have a guitar, so my dreams of being a one-man MySpace band were quickly dashed on the rocky shore... I mean, sure, I can buy a guitar - but you cannot pay for experience, and I have not jammed in at least 12-15 years.

Probably everything 'cause every kind of music includes good ideas. Too bad my compositions always end up being just poor copies of something

Wintersun and Symphony X

obsession, my main influence !!!