Can someone explain death metal's appeal?

[Birkenau]

When Mike talks about influences, he mentions Morbid Angel (death), Bathory (viking/black), Death (death), Voivod (cyberpunk), and Mefisto (not honestly familiar with them). And as I said before, I recall he identifies Opeth as a death metal band.

Ya OK, regardless of what Mikael thinks, Opeth isn't death metal. Death Metal vox but that's about it.

 

[Pain While Urinating]

Ya OK, regardless of what Mikael thinks, Opeth isn't death metal. Death Metal vox but that's about it.

I don't think they're Death Metal either..
But then again.. how else can you categorize them? So I end up just calling them Progressive Death Metal.

 

[screamformechicago]

He might do and in that case i'd have to agree they are, but if it were me i wouldn't call them that.

As for the bands you mentioned, i've never considered any of them prog metal (although i should really listen to them more). To me prog metal's a pretty recent thing, starting just a few years after the Gothenburgh Death and Black Metal and taking a lot of influence from both.

Also taking the Scandanavia folk influence far further than BM ever took it and of course engaging the prog metal which no one else was doing at the time (or so i thought). Of course with opeth no making it big after 12 years i feel prog metal is going to come in to its own.

Sadly the more famous it becomes, the more mainstream influence it takes on and the less progressive it gets, catch 22 kind of.

As for thrash i completely agree.

Mikeal by the way has said previous that the bands to biggest influences are Morbid Angel and Camel.

That's a good point you make about Camel. He has mentioned them, and that does make a case for a prog pedigree. While we may be disagreeing on labeling, I think we're both clear on Opeth's prog influences.

As for the bands I mentioned as prog metal, again, people put bands in lots of boxes. But I do think Q'ryche and Dream Theater were the standard-bearers for the prog metal movement for many years. At least that's what we called them back then. Maybe I should check out the wikipedia article on prog metal and see if I can learn something, too.

Anyway, cheers to you, cheers to Opeth, and up the Irons!

 

[all_sins_undone]

Ya OK, regardless of what Mikael thinks, Opeth isn't death metal. Death Metal vox but that's about it.

Exactly.

 

[paradoxile]

That photo looks rather familiar...Is that an old Katatonia photo from their wonderful days of doom metal?One of the guys kinda looks like Blakkheim

 

[Lietuvis]

Death Metal was an acquired taste for me.
I like it.

Same for me...

 

[theguitargod]

He might do and in that case i'd have to agree they are, but if it were me i wouldn't call them that.

As for the bands you mentioned, i've never considered any of them prog metal (although i should really listen to them more). To me prog metal's a pretty recent thing, starting just a few years after the Gothenburgh Death and Black Metal and taking a lot of influence from both.

Also taking the Scandanavia folk influence far further than BM ever took it and of course engaging the prog metal which no one else was doing at the time (or so i thought). Of course with opeth no making it big after 12 years i feel prog metal is going to come in to its own.

Sadly the more famous it becomes, the more mainstream influence it takes on and the less progressive it gets, catch 22 kind of.

As for thrash i completely agree.

Mikeal by the way has said previous that the bands to biggest influences are Morbid Angel and Camel.

er.. dude, I don't want to come across as being an asshole, but you've got totally the wrong end of the stick. Progressive Metal, are the bands he mentioned, eg Dream Theater, etc.. Progressive Rock is stuff like Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, etc.. Search the internet, its all true.

You are right though, Opeth is progressive metal BECAUSE its influenced by different genres, IN THIS CASE black/death metal and folk or whatever, but that doesn't work specifically the other way round. Its progressive because its a mixture of genres.. doesn't matter what genres they are. The definition of prog music, specifically, certainly has nothing to do with black or death metal. And no, i'm not saying that the definition of prog rock/metal is a mixture of genres, i'm just trying to relate it to what you are thinking

As for what the term 'progressive' actually means, well, thats anyones guess.! I think the essense of its meaning in a musical sense is the word 'Different'. It doesn't fit into the mold of the genre etc.. therefore any genre can be labelled progressive, and perhaps the only reason progressive rock came first, is because rock came first! Just my thoughts!

 

[OpethNZ]

people are CLEARLY into death metal for the girls in the scene

sooo hawt

 

[Lietuvis]

Haha... that is one of the funniest hardcore dancers I have ever seen... and that's saying something!

 

[Sexy_Grandpa]

I really don't believe there's such thing as an unappealing genre. Just there are some bands i like and some i don't.

Amen to that. I couldnt agree more.

 

[Prowler121]

I don't like any other band with "Death" vocals. Something about Opeth's music just makes sense with these types of vocals and it doesn't sound tacked on like every other band I have heard that try these types of vocals. I mean most of the other bands just sound like Cookie Monster getting all hot and bothered over cliche metal riffing.

 

[Powers]

er.. dude, I don't want to come across as being an asshole, but you've got totally the wrong end of the stick. Progressive Metal, are the bands he mentioned, eg Dream Theater, etc.. Progressive Rock is stuff like Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, etc.. Search the internet, its all true.

You are right though, Opeth is progressive metal BECAUSE its influenced by different genres, IN THIS CASE black/death metal and folk or whatever, but that doesn't work specifically the other way round. Its progressive because its a mixture of genres.. doesn't matter what genres they are. The definition of prog music, specifically, certainly has nothing to do with black or death metal. And no, i'm not saying that the definition of prog rock/metal is a mixture of genres, i'm just trying to relate it to what you are thinking

As for what the term 'progressive' actually means, well, thats anyones guess.! I think the essense of its meaning in a musical sense is the word 'Different'. It doesn't fit into the mold of the genre etc.. therefore any genre can be labelled progressive, and perhaps the only reason progressive rock came first, is because rock came first! Just my thoughts!

See i made a mistake there. Up there where i said "engaing the prog metal influence" i meant to say "engaging the prog rock influence". Henceforth that post made no sense and sounded a little naive...if not just ignorant. Sorry.

Try reading it again see if you get what i mean?

 

[Brains for breakfast]

I agree that the problem with a lot of deathmetal bands is the variety. Sometimes I hear a band that sounds very good, very headbangl-able. But after a song, maybe 5, you kinda notice the songs are all the same.
My favorite two dm bands are Bloodbath and Death. Go figure.

And yes, a lot of people not into guttural growling always ask me, why growling? They like the music, but think the vocals suck. But with clean singin, it would sound very different. Not suit the music at all.

 

[Powers]

Exactly what i meant. For the band it's probably different, there probably are enough different time sinatures, notes and stuff being played for them to justify it as another song. Alas sometimes i just can't make out enough difference for me to think "Yea, that was really something new".