Appreciating Death Metal

[ThisIsACoolName]

Perhaps this is a stupid question, and one which can be answered simply "keep listening". However, I'll go ahead and ask it anyway:

How does one appreciate Death Metal? I bought Ribspreader's Congregating the Sick, and after I couple of listens (listening right now, in fact) I enjoy it quite a bit. However, I can tell that I'm not really "getting" the whole thing as I should. It all sorts of blends together, it's fairly tough to differentiate the individual tracks in my mind. By that I mean, if you played Morbid Reflections, I probably wouldn't be able to identify it.

Again, I'd imagine the most common answer here will be to simply keep listening (this is actually the first DM I've listened to and really enjoyed, in case that wasn't obvious). I'd like to know, though, what should be ones mindset when listening to DM? What sort of things should I listen for? Is what I'm listening to typical DM?

Hopefully this post makes some sense.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Give it time and try to find bands that appeal to you more than just a surface feeling. That's my advice,

 

[The Ozzman]

How to appreciate death metal: Don't be a fucking faggot

One of the funniest things he's said here


Seriously though, give it more listens (yeah, not the answer you wanted, but still). I still listen to CDs where I can't differentiate the tracks that well, but it's the musicianship behind it all that really draws me to it. The sheer aggression itself. The awesome riffs also help as well.

If you're a doom metal freak getting into death metal, you might want some diSEMBOWELMENT. It's some Australian death/doom that blends both styles extremely well.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

I would recommend starting with stuff from the early 90s rather than the contemporary stuff. It will give you a better basis of the genre.

 

[The Ozzman]

Yeah, get the staples of the genre:

Early Obituary
Early Death
Suffocation
etc

 

[DarkBliss]

One of the funniest things he said here

That wasn't him. That was Cythraul.

 

[Mudvain_for_life]

try dying fetus or misery idex there drummer is insane kevin talley and have some sick tunes or try Cannibal corpse no ned to explain them haha

 

[Life Sucks]

First of all, you need to get used to the vocals. They maybe start with catchy death metal bands and thrashy death metal bands (if you like thrash). Death metal is not for everyone.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

I appreciate the responses, but I'm not so much looking for recs as I am wondering how one should listen to it, if that makes any sense. It just seems like the music is fairly complex, and I'd imagine that the people who get really into death metal do so for more than just the aggression of the music.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

One of the funniest things he said here

Speaking of which, did Dodens stop posting here?

 

[The Ozzman]

That wasn't him. That was Cythraul.

Changed. I thought it was Dodens for some reason

Speaking of which, did Dodens stop posting here?

Stopped in GMD, but probably still in RC

 

[cookiecutter]

Well I'm not sure if this will help because for me death metal came very easily. I'll just share what aspects of it I like and maybe you can see if you like those too.

I like how punishing it is. It is unrelenting and powerful. It makes other music feel weak to me. I also like the "sick" sound achieved by the guttural vocals and deep guitar.

 

[Onder]

First death metal cd I liked was Revelations of Vader. That's like.. four years back I guess. I still think it's one of the best death metal albums ever.

 

[Addo_Of_Nex]

When I listen to bands I'm unfamiliar with, I try to think and feel what I think the artists were trying to achieve in making the music. For instance, when I first heard Morbid Angel's "Altars Of Madness", I listened to the subtle undertones that made it possess an amateurish charm, yet still maintain a very genuine and satisfying dark atmosphere. My mindset is much like this when listening to most DM, I try to see how genuine the brutality/atmosphere is, and further analyze it to determine the overall quality contained in the music.

I wouldn't worry about trying to differentiate various tracks, as a whole lot of DM is album based (much like some black metal in a sense), which I myself prefer over anything.

CC also made a point that I definitely take into account all the time. The feeling of frailness and uncleanliness is a common theme in DM, and when done right, it is very rewarding to the listener.

 

[DarkBliss]

My first DM album was Death's Symbolic. While I don't listen to it often anymore and don't find to be a particularly exceptional record,(the overall sound is too busy and Chuck's vocals are really grating) I still hang on to it. There's just something in those solos on Crystal Mountain, Zero Tolerance, The Perennial Quest,etc. that still impacts me in a way.

 

[Onder]

I bought Spiritual Healing today btw. My favourite Death record I only had in mp3s.

 

[DarkBliss]

Spiritual Healing is nice, but I've never really gotten into it. I need to give it another try. The album is still in print, right?

 

[Onder]

This what I got today is a fucking reissue from 1999. It looks nice though if you don't mind reissues.

 

[DarkBliss]

I appreciate the responses, but I'm not so much looking for recs as I am wondering how one should listen to it, if that makes any sense. It just seems like the music is fairly complex, and I'd imagine that the people who get really into death metal do so for more than just the aggression of the music.

Depends what you're looking for in the music. Some people enjoy the brutality, other look for something rifftastic, the third type prefers DM with a strong atmosphere. Just figure out what you like; find an album that captures your imagination.

 

[Zephyrus]

I listen to Death Metal by focusing on the riffs and the feeling they evoke. In addition to this I listen for how the drumming and the riffs work in harmony, how certain riffs give an effect depending on the type of drum beat/rhythm. This kind of appreciation applies to most forms of metal, but Death Metal adds a very high sense of aggression and darkness, which plays heavily into the such an evocation.