Are vocals important to you? What about lyrics?

[ithirion]

What he's saying is that a good band should be more than the sum of its parts: the interaction between instruments is what makes a band great.

Exactly. At the moment I am listening to Pain of Salvation, and while this great music sweetly caresses my ears, I find it unbelievably absurd that someone might actually favor an instrument over an another. A song without balanced interaction between instruments is quite often pretty much a failure, if you ask me.

 

[skeptik]

Not a fan of most Heavy, Power, Speed, Doom, Thrash, Death, and Black Metal then?

 

[ithirion]

Could it be, that the guitars are just the easiest for you to grasp?

 

[Hatebreeder]

Not a fan of most Heavy, Power, Speed, Doom, Thrash, Death, and Black Metal then?

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[ithirion]

What the fuck are you talking about?

I believe he was trying to say that bands falling under those genres consist of the guitar hero & "the boys".

 

[skeptik]

Guitars are overtly and obviously the focal point in the vast majority of Metal music. I don't really see how anyone can deny this. The bass and drums nearly invariably play the subserviant role of the rhythm section, supporting the guitar. There usually isn't a "balance interaction between instruments in Metal," unless you acknowledge the subserviant role of the rhythm section and accept that as "equivalent" to the dominance of the guitar. Otherwise that statement does not support most Metal music.

 

[Ender Rises]

Agreed, but I like it more when the rhythm section is more pronounced. Still, rhythm will always play a smaller role, as it should.

 

[Evil?]

Guitars are overtly and obviously the focal point in the vast majority of Metal music. I don't really see how anyone can deny this. The bass and drums nearly invariably play the subserviant role of the rhythm section, supporting the guitar. There usually isn't a "balance interaction between instruments in Metal," unless you acknowledge the subserviant role of the rhythm section and accept that as "equivalent" to the dominance of the guitar. Otherwise that statement does not support most Metal music.

What you're saying and what you have said on previous pages is so clear and easy to understand I don't get how the other posters are not grasping the concept.

Necuratul is right fellas.

 

[anonymouswierdo]

What you're saying and what you have said on previous pages is so clear and easy to understand I don't get how the other posters are not grasping the concept.

Necuratul is right fellas.

Though all the instruments used are important, and need to be combined correctly, in metal the focus is on the guitar. Just as in opera* the focus is more on voice.

YES, the drums, bass, chello, flute, whatever is (equally?) important and strengthens the sound, but the primary instrument in metal is the guitar. How many bass or drum solos can you name? How many of them sound right in the context of metal? What happens if you compare them to guitar solos that sound right in the context of metal?


In short: though they're all important, the core instument in metal is the guitar.


Hopefully I haven't stuffed that up too much.

 

[CF87]

In metal music I believe that as a guitarist we have to get music going. Individuals can sit there all they want banging on their drums but someone has to show riffs and get the ball rolling because if not you would not have songs. Metal music is not jam music or improvised. When I make riffs want to show them and make a song.

Bassists and drummers you can both dick around if you want without us/guitarists and see if anyone cares. Make some bass and drums songs about satan or dragons or whatever and see if it sounds any good.

 

[skeptik]

Just because the guitar tends to be the dominant instrument doesn't mean that another can't be, The Greys. Look at bands like Necromantia and Barathrum. Granted, there are not many, but they're out there.

 

[anonymouswierdo]

Just because the guitar tends to be the dominant instrument doesn't mean that another can't be, The Greys. Look at bands like Necromantia and Barathrum. Granted, there are not many, but they're out there.

There's also Apocolyptica, isn't there?

 

[OldScratch]

Fully agreed that Metal is proudly guitar-oriented and that clearly that instrument largely defines the Metal sound. That said, however, the difference between a good band or great band for me can often be the drummer. A drummer who does more than simply keep time or pound out a beat(fast or slow) brings so much more to the songwriting. The Gene Hoglan's, Rich Christy's, Hellmammer's, Pete Sandoval's to name just a few come to mind. They use their kit as a true instrument - not just human drum machine.

 

[Hatebreeder]

^ Indeed. Too many drummers just drum to keep a beat. I like drummers that PLAY their drum set.

 

[Teh Grimace]

bass and drums songs

Ruins
HALO
etc.

 

[Blue_Jay]

Yes metal is guitar driven but I feel the other instruments in it play a crucial role also. Rhapsody is a huge example of this.

 

[skeptik]

Of course they fucking play a crucial role. Nobody ever said they don't, and I don't know why everyone seems to think that I implied that.

 

[~Neurotica]

Bassists and drummers you can both dick around if you want without us/guitarists and see if anyone cares. Make some bass and drums songs about satan or dragons or whatever and see if it sounds any good.

Okay.


There are bands with no guitars in, but only bass.

 

[~Neurotica]

There's also Apocolyptica, isn't there?

ApocAlyptica*

Yes.

But they invite drummers to play together.

 

[Cancer of the Soul]

Vocals, yes. Lyrics, no.

I like many vocal styles from death growling to high-octave singing. There's only a few bands I can't tolerate because of the voice, but usually if the music's good enough I'm able to put up with it. Lyrics on the other hand don't matter to me at all. If I was interested in words I'd read a book or magazine. For me it's all about the music regardless of how good or cheesy the lyrics may be.