Controversial opinions on metal

[KafkaX]

Well the thing is that I don't look for new black metal bands to listen to, so I haven't the foggiest about any changes in the scene(I can't imagine there's a huge amount) and I'm not interested as you will have guessed.

I found much better music with more talent and diversity that I might not have come across if I stuck with BM as stubbornly as I once did.

Same goes for bands like Forest Silence who rely on atmosphere and lyrics about dark forests and winter etc, rather than screeching about Satan. If more BM was like that I'd listen to it more often.

There is a lot of black metal bands that have lyrical topics about nature and steer away from an evil atmosphere than you think. You cant throw a brick in the field of black metal and not easily find dozens of em, and if you arent finding any its because you havnt been looking

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Same applies to Miles Davis and probably countless non-metal artists.

No doubt, but there's a difference I think. When you hear Malefic talk it's very different from a weathered blues artist or a folk singer with an aching soul. They always say great art comes from pain but the way black metal shines a spotlight into the creators' darkest emotions is very different.

Consider Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt". That is a song dripping with decades of regret and a wish to get back all he's lost, knowing he's moments away from death himself. But it's a reach toward something, the pain comes from pleasant thoughts, hope. And I love it for that. The "American" series of Cash albums are my favorites of his. Hell I think they got better as they went on.

Listen to the interviews with Malefic. The guy sounds like his brain is genuinely broken. He doesn't "get" humanity, really dislikes people, and his music is a reflection of all of that. Even if you don't think it's especially good, you can't deny the honesty of it. He doesn't perform live and actually cut his hair and has cast aside the "makeup" part because he finds it silly.

Then you have your 1349's and your Sargeists. Those are more horror movies. They take the music VERY seriously, but only in the same sense that Clive Barker takes each of his books very seriously. Their stage personas and albums are hard-work and passion, but not a biography.

I think it's good that they take it seriously. It has to be taken seriously, that says "I care about what I'm making". There are guys who do it a little tongue in cheek, and have humor in there, but they STILL take what they do seriously.

 

[EffigyForgotten]

Just saying, some black metal is just downright fucking beautiful music, while some of it is just shitty produced noise.

 

[Vera Gemini]

There is a lot of black metal bands that have lyrical topics about nature and steer away from an evil atmosphere than you think. You cant throw a brick in the field of black metal and not easily find dozens of em, and if you arent finding any its because you havnt been looking

Oh of course, I'm sure there's lots of BM bands like that, I never said there wasn't. But if you read through my posts again you'll remember that I rarely listen to BM any more. I just don't have much of an interest in it now. Most of my music consists of doom metal, traditional metal, classic rock and prog rock and it has done for years. I'm 23 now and I haven't listened to BM consistently since I was 17. As I said I found stuff I prefer, stuff that is more, me.

Maybe at some point I'll get into BM again, but really extreme metal is too harsh for me now, I prefer mellower stuff.

 

[matt schrauben]

Writing off an entire genre because of a perceived 'image' is about the worst reason I've heard for writing off an entire genre of music.

I could give 2 shits about image. If the music is good, I'm listening to it.

 

[Vera Gemini]

But the thing is, in my opinion BM isn't that good in the first place if you compare it with other genres. It's not JUST the image that I find annoying, it's the fact that it generally all sounds the same and there just isn't much there that holds my interest. I don't class BM as real music, excluding symphonic sounding BM which is so much better musically, so bands like Graveworm and Agathodaimon.

 

[matt schrauben]

But the thing is, in my opinion BM isn't that good in the first place if you compare it with other genres. It's not JUST the image that I find annoying, it's the fact that it generally all sounds the same and there just isn't much there that holds my interest. I don't class BM as real music, excluding symphonic sounding BM which is so much better musically, so bands like Graveworm and Agathodaimon.

I would actually agree with this (minus the statement about image), and I love me some BM. Of all the BM bands out there, I think it's pretty safe to say about 1 percent of them are actually worth listening to. However, given the huge amount of black metal projects out there, 1 percent is still a pretty huge number. There's a lot of good BM and music in general out there, and it's amazing where you can find it.

Actually, I think simliar statements can be made about a lot, if not most different genres of music.

EDIT: Wow, I didn't read this post very closely, I just summed up "it all sounds the same..etc' and replied. Actually I don't agree with most of it. I understand the 'sounding the same' comment, but there's alot of good stuff out there like I stated above.

 

[Mort Divine]

But the thing is, in my opinion BM isn't that good in the first place if you compare it with other genres. It's not JUST the image that I find annoying, it's the fact that it generally all sounds the same and there just isn't much there that holds my interest. I don't class BM as real music, excluding symphonic sounding BM which is so much better musically, so bands like Graveworm and Agathodaimon.

Jesus Christ you sound like an insufferable twat.

You're going to tell me that



sounds like



which sounds like



which OF COURSE sounds like



and don't forget how much that sounds like



and while you're not listening to any of these, take some advice from Darkthrone and just Fuck Off And Die

 

[Vera Gemini]

Mort Divine: I think maybe you should go back and read the posts properly before behaving like such a pompous moron.

I never said it ALL sounds the same, as that is absurd! I was generalising and referring to Burzum and Darkthrone clones.

Bands like Enslaved, I do like as they do their own thing, which I really respect.

Mercyful Fate are one of my absolute favourite bands and I never saw them as a BM band at all. Yes, they were part of the first wave of BM, but then first wave BM sounds NOTHING like the BM we know today. Those bands only INSPIRED BM, nothing more. The only exception to that rule I know of is Bathory. So Mercyful Fate don't count in your post

 

[Mort Divine]

Maybe you should be more clear in your wording to avoid any possible misunderstanding, because your post simply states

it's the fact that it generally all sounds the same

and then there is this brilliant piece

I don't class BM as real music

But anyways, regarding Mercyful Fate it doesn't matter if they sound like the BM of today or not. They were BM, they are BM. They don't simply lose their BM classification because Norwegian BM became the 'standard sound' - especially when BM was around far longer than that style. It had a strong foothold in Greece, Canada, Czech Republic, etc.





the aforementioned Blasphemy

BM has an incredibly wide array of sounds and just because it doesn't fit your idea of BM doesn't suddenly make it not so.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

But the thing is, in my opinion BM isn't that good in the first place if you compare it with other genres. It's not JUST the image that I find annoying, it's the fact that it generally all sounds the same and there just isn't much there that holds my interest. I don't class BM as real music, excluding symphonic sounding BM which is so much better musically, so bands like Graveworm and Agathodaimon.

Wow. This is most amazingly pompous, arrogant, and otherwise obnoxious post I've read in a while. Like, I'm actually glad you don't like BM because I feel better knowing that dickbaskets like you aren't associated with that scene at all.

And don't try to play the "if you read my other posts" card. Read this one. You said it, own up to it, you're a snotty little shit. End of transaction. Thanks for playing. Go ahead and fuck off now.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Just saying, some black metal is just downright fucking beautiful music, while some of it is just shitty produced noise.

Isn't this true for every subgenre though? I don't think there's any that's just inherently higher or lower quality, just the ones a given listener enjoys more.

Like look at grind. There are great bands out there, but keep on going and it's just all random shrieking and squealing with 45 second songs. My beloved post is the same way. Lots of great musicians, and far more bands that got confused and thought the way to make up for the inability to think of more than one riff was to play it at 70bpm and repeat for 12 minutes per track.

 

[Vera Gemini]

That's why I said it GENERALLY all sounds the same

Well it's true. A lot of BM is just noise(your posts just confirmed that!), there's not really much talent with going on with those sort of bands. I'd say some of them are on par with the musical quality of punk. There is so much better music out there and I'd rather spend time listening to stuff that's worth my time.

The first one wasn't bad, but the other two were bloody awful *cringes* The only reason people would listen to the other two is because of how "grim and necro* the crappy sound quality is. I need to cleanse myself after listening to that rubbish.

 

[Mort Divine]

No, none of those are just 'noise' (are you even familiar with noise music and why what you just said is dumb?)


Talent means nothing, who cares how well someone can play their instrument.

Black metal is not a fucking talent show

They weren't attempting to play the fastest solos ever, it is a band attempting to convey a specific aesthetic, a specific feeling and doing what they feel necessary to do so.

For the record the recording quality on those likely has more to do with the fact that they're all demo tracks and eventually Varathron and Master's Hammer would go on to do much more 'properly produced' albums or whatever




The point of that was simply to prove to you that the sound of Norwegian black metal was not the first, the black metal existed in different forms, and is NOT bound by your simplistic view of it as only being allowed to be as it is most well known today.

 

[Vera Gemini]

Wow. This is most amazingly pompous, arrogant, and otherwise obnoxious post I've read in a while. Like, I'm actually glad you don't like BM because I feel better knowing that dickbaskets like you aren't associated with that scene at all.

And don't try to play the "if you read my other posts" card. Read this one. You said it, own up to it, you're a snotty little shit. End of transaction. Thanks for playing. Go ahead and fuck off now.

I never once said I don't like it, I just said that in order to find the good bands you have to sift through all the bad ones.

It's people like you which are the reason I abandoned the scene, as it's full of narrow minded, big headed arseholes.

It's just bloody music, Jesus! Talk about overreacting!

I love doom metal, but I don't get all arsey when someone tells me they find it boring or that most of it sounds just like Sabbath. I don't care, because I like it and that's all that matters. It's only insecure people who would keep bitching and relentlessly defending a genre of music, like it's something life threatening.

 

[CF87]

I don't care, because I like it and that's all that matters. It's only insecure people who would keep bitching and relentlessly defending a genre of music, like it's something life threatening.

Yeah. It's pretty fucking annoying. Shut the fuck up or fuck off. And we do not need any more Youtube.com video's posted on the forum.

 

[Mort Divine]

I never once said I don't like it, I just said that in order to find the good bands you have to sift through all the bad ones.

It's people like you which are the reason I abandoned the scene, as it's full of narrow minded, big headed arseholes.

It's just bloody music, Jesus! Talk about overreacting!

I love doom metal, but I don't get all arsey when someone tells me they find it boring or that most of it sounds just like Sabbath. I don't care, because I like it and that's all that matters. It's only insecure people who would keep bitching and relentlessly defending a genre of music, like it's something life threatening.

If someone is truly passionate about something, who the fuck are you to tell them they're overreacting or that it is 'just music' or 'just something etc etc etc' because while yeah you don't view it as important, while it is something you just feed yourself to keep yourself from having to listen to silence, there are people who actually CARE enough to not want fuckwits like yourself mucking things up.

Yeah. It's pretty fucking annoying. Shut the fuck up or fuck off. And when do not need any more Youtube.com video's posted on the forum.

 

[mutantllama]

The Blood Farmers s/t is one of the best doom albums in the past 20 years.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

there's not really much talent with going on with those sort of bands. I'd say some of them are on par with the musical quality of punk. There is so much better music out there and I'd rather spend time listening to stuff that's worth my time.

Wow, your ignorance. I'm baffled by it. Have you recently suffered a concussion perhaps, or eaten food tainted with lead? Perhaps used far too much aspartame in your coffee?

 

[Vera Gemini]

If someone is truly passionate about something, who the fuck are you to tell them they're overreacting or that it is 'just music' or 'just something etc etc etc' because while yeah you don't view it as important, while it is something you just feed yourself to keep yourself from having to listen to silence, there are people who actually CARE enough to not want fuckwits like yourself mucking things up.

Oh I'm passionate about music too, but at the same time I'm mature enough to listen to criticism without throwing a tantrum.

Mucking things up? How exactly? By having a different opinion to yours? Oh I'm sooo sorry your highness... *rolls eyes*

SomeGuyDude: I'm referring to the old school BM bands with the crappy sound quality. If you thing those sort of bands actually have talent you need your ears tested