Alternative Metal: Does it exist or not?
- Thread starter Burzum_Maiden
- Start date
Yea, that was a different band technically. They did do some glam stuff before putting out Facelift too actually; listen to the Music Bank box set, there are about 5 demos of songs on there that have an undeniable glam influence.
suckerleaf
Active Member
It is. And it has some glam influences, but it's not technically glam. Songs like Sunshine, Put You Down and I Know Somethin (killer riff on that one, so fun to play on bass and guitar) are pretty glam metal, at least in my head. But yea, it's a fuckin' crazy debut album. And that cover... So cool.
bydeathsdesign
Lord Belial
To me, alt metal seems to be a catch-all term for bands that have a heavy, metal influence, but may not fit into other genres, like alt rock or grunge. One of the defining characteristics, IMO, is the influence from other genres besides just metal, like grunge, rock, rap, and emo. Another characteristic is the philosophy that seems to underlie the music, which seems to be more about personal issues. These are reasons why I don't consider alt metal, metal. While the sound might be there, even in such a watered down form, the spirit isn't. Alt metals concerns aren't the same as traditional metal, which was more about the overall dark nature of things like the screwed up socio-political realm and the failure of organized religion. Alt metal is more concerned with personal loss, failures in relationships, and the like. So, the spirit, the underlying philosophy is different, and musically, it's too...watered down metal, for me to consider it actually metal.
Seems about right to me. Certain bands like RATM seem to have a strong political influence akin to many metal bands, but I think it's more of a punk influence than a metal one.
On a side note I've heard people calling grunge a style of metal in the past. Particularly guys from Seattle and DC, as well as some people from nearby parts of Canada seem to think of it as metal, especially people who were around that scene in the 80s and were fans. Not something I'd agree with, but I kind of understand why they would believe that. Way more punk to me.
On a side note I've heard people calling grunge a style of metal in the past. Particularly guys from Seattle and DC, as well as some people from nearby parts of Canada seem to think of it as metal, especially people who were around that scene in the 80s and were fans. Not something I'd agree with, but I kind of understand why they would believe that. Way more punk to me.
