How to appreciate Death Metal
- Thread starter Thorn23TX
- Start date
I might be wrong about something. What is the difference between Grindcore and death metal? I say this because I made a blanket statement confusing the two. To all the death metal fans, I humbly apologize because I might have gotten death mixed up with grindcore, which is the one I feel that is devoid of any talent. I thought they were one and the same. I know many of you will tell me to go f%%k myself, but we all make errors.
Peace,
Ray C.
Peace,
Ray C.
Very informative...where can I pick up a copy of Death Metal vox for Dummies? I may need thatSeriously though I saw Cannibal Corpse a while back and remembered wondering if anybody would notice if they just slapped a mic in front of a vacuum cleaner and called it a day
why would anyone here make fun of another metal heads musical likings. I only like few death metal bands but still its about respect and what the listeners like. A lot of people think power metal is stupid guys in gandalf costumes running around.
edgeofthorns
24 Hours Ago...
There is a difference and I'll try to list the first ones that come to mind. If one is not used to listening to either death metal or grindcore, these differences will probably be hard to notice.
- Grindcore has a definite punk influence in its inclusion of riffs that consist primarily of power chords played in a regular simple strumming style.
- Grindcore's riffs are typically not as intricate as the ones that can be found in death metal. That's not to say intricate riffs can't exist in grindcore, they just don't very frequently.
- Grindcore typically has a higher focus on speed than heaviness.
And grind is all about fun too. I consider the talented bands to be the ones to construct a good song no matter how technical/untechnical they decide to be. But I guess I feel that away about artists in any genre.
If anyone is curious some good grind bands/albums to check out are below. If you're in the mood for something fast, furious and fun, grind is a good place to go.
Leng Tch'e - Manmadepredator
Nasum - Shift (these guys actually throw some melody in here and there)
Assuck - Misery Index
Sayyadina - Fear Gave Us Wings
Blood Duster - Blood Duster (they do a lot of southern rock type stuff too)
Haemmorhage - Morgue Sweet Home
Rotten Sound - Exit
Regurgitate - Deviant
Gadget - Incomplete
I just read these earlier posts and I'd have to agree with Jibrille. Stingray11214 is entitled to his opinion, but it doesn't seem like he's basing his opinion on death metal on sufficient information.
VenomGA
At War With Stan
- Jul 28, 2005
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Buk_Choi
New Metal Member
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Have you death metal heads heard of Skyfire?
The official Skyfire homepage
Or Mors Principium Est?
Mors Principium Est - The Official Homepage
Or Insomnium?
I N S O M N I U M // official homesite
The official Skyfire homepage
Or Mors Principium Est?
Mors Principium Est - The Official Homepage
Or Insomnium?
I N S O M N I U M // official homesite
Heavenly Call
Member
Quick story here...
I had a former band-mate was REALLY into death/grind/goth metal. We got into a discussion one night of how bands in any "genre" sound alike but the true fans can tell them apart. I said I agreed to an extent, but there are some genres where it's too close together. I used Death metal as my example. He swore he could tell the difference so we did a little test...I blindly played 3 clips of songs back to back. I then gave him the three band names (ones he claimed to know and like to listen to) and told him to put them order. Most people could GUESS and get at least one...nope, 0/3. He even conceded after that that maybe it's a little harder to distinguish death metal.
I offer that story as a lead in to a question...what DOES distiguish bands in death metal? I've been to the milwaukee metalfest many times and will say that I can never tell a HUGE difference in the music from one band to the next. I'm NOT trashing the genre at all, but looking for an informed answer. What's something I could look for to distiguish Nile from Dark Tranquility from Death from Cannibal Corpse from Eyehategod from...etc etc. Is it production? Are there minor details in the singing? What's up?
I had a former band-mate was REALLY into death/grind/goth metal. We got into a discussion one night of how bands in any "genre" sound alike but the true fans can tell them apart. I said I agreed to an extent, but there are some genres where it's too close together. I used Death metal as my example. He swore he could tell the difference so we did a little test...I blindly played 3 clips of songs back to back. I then gave him the three band names (ones he claimed to know and like to listen to) and told him to put them order. Most people could GUESS and get at least one...nope, 0/3. He even conceded after that that maybe it's a little harder to distinguish death metal.
I offer that story as a lead in to a question...what DOES distiguish bands in death metal? I've been to the milwaukee metalfest many times and will say that I can never tell a HUGE difference in the music from one band to the next. I'm NOT trashing the genre at all, but looking for an informed answer. What's something I could look for to distiguish Nile from Dark Tranquility from Death from Cannibal Corpse from Eyehategod from...etc etc. Is it production? Are there minor details in the singing? What's up?
It sounds like your friend wasn't as into those bands as he claimed. I don't listen to a whole lot of death metal but what I do, I love and if you started playing something I regularly listened to, I could easily figure it out without you telling me the bands because I give their entire catalog a lot of play instead of maybe just 1 or 2 songs and then claim to be their biggest fans.
Yeah...I have a pretty high confidence level that I could pass that test if you used bands I like in it. You could also do 2 bands I like, plus 1 I've never heard, and I'd have high confidence of getting 3-for-3 too. The four bands you mentioned; Nile, Dark Tranquillity, Death, and Cannibal Corpse, are all pretty different to my ears while still gathering under the umbrella of death metal.
EDIT - now, how long are these clips? Are they like 1-second clips, or is it 10 or 20 second long clips? Of course, the longer the clip, the easier it gets. I remember doing a prog/power "guess the guitar solos" mp3 that someone had assembled of about 10 guitar solos, where each clip was about 2 bars of the solo (generally 1-3 seconds) and you had to guess what band/song each was from. I didn't do so well.
EDIT - now, how long are these clips? Are they like 1-second clips, or is it 10 or 20 second long clips? Of course, the longer the clip, the easier it gets. I remember doing a prog/power "guess the guitar solos" mp3 that someone had assembled of about 10 guitar solos, where each clip was about 2 bars of the solo (generally 1-3 seconds) and you had to guess what band/song each was from. I didn't do so well.
Perpet
Perpetual Motion
How did I "make fun of another metal heads musical likings"? It was a joke
I would never make fun of someone else for what they were into. I may disagree with someone else's tastes, however I would never make fun of someone for their opinion or say your bands sucks just because we aren't into the same thing. Sorry to come across that way, like i said it was a joke Don't joke around like that. I know people who never heard death metal before and of course, they mock bands like Dark Tranquillity, but they could tell that there's a significant difference between them and a band like Cannibal Corpse. However in case you REALLY don't know:
Traditional death metal: (also referred to as "Floridian death metal" since it came from [but isn't exclusive to]... suprise suprise.. Florida) The riffs are usually more straightfoward. The music is highly thrash influence, and the vocals sound more like a roar than a growl. Bands to take note: Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Possessed, Vader, etc.
brutal/slam death: Mostly originating from the New York area ... basically death metal with lots of muddy, low tuned chugga chugga riffs, poor production quality, and a really low growl that almost sounds like the singer is burping. Lyrical themes are mostly gore-related. Sometimes the bands can add "slam riffs", a euphemism for breakdown, really. This is pretty much the heaviest form of metal that exists today. I personally do not like this genre. Bands to take note: Disgorge, Mortician, Malignancy, Dehumanized, Devourment, Skinless (This is the exception. I love this band), etc.
Deathcore: Probably the worst form of death metal in my opinion. Hardcore and death metal combined.. No further explanation. Bands to take note: Despised Icon, Dying Fetus (newer), Job For A Cowboy, etc.
Grindcore: similar to the above two variations of death metal, albeit with more of a focus on shorter sparse songs. There are Grindcore bands that play solid grindcore like Circle Of Dead Children, Nasum, Rotten Sound, Brutal Truth.. etc and then there are death/grind bands like Coldworker (AMAZING BAND), Abuse etc...
Tech death: One of my favorite variations of death metal next to prog/death, melodic death, and doom death. Genre started with Cynic, Athiest, Death, and some say even Watchtower (musically, anyway). No real explanation is needed except that the genre relies on the most talent of the death metal genre. You know you're listening to a tech death band when you hear lots of intense, intricate riffing in a death metal song. Some tech death bands are more progressive (like Into Eternity, who are really prog/death, but with more death influence than prog) and some can be straight up death metal with really intense riffs. Bands to take note: Cryptopsy, Death, Athiest, Cynic, Decapitated, Severed Savior, Decrepit Birth, Spawn Of Possession, Aeon, Necrophagist, The Faceless... etc...
Melodic death: my absolute favorite kind of death metal. Traditional death metal, with that classic higher pitched roar (sometimes a powerful growl, but nothing gutteral like the aformentioned variations) but also Iron Maiden/Boston/(early)Metallica like guitar harmonies. Sometimes keyboards and progressive influence is thrown into the mix. Bands to note: Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, Gates Of Ishtar, The Duskfall (old), Ablaze My Sorrow, In Flames (old), Dissection (albeit with black metal influences), The Wake, etc
Blackened Death: Death metal with black metal influence. Bands to note: Destroyer 666, Dissection etc..
Death/thrash: Death metal with more of a thrash influence than traditional death metal. Bands to note: Possessed, Deceased etc...
Doom/death: Began with Paradise Lost. Doom death is basically doom metal (and all of its variations like stoner doom/prog doom/funeral doom/and melodic doom) with death growls. Bands to note: Paradise Lost (old), Moonspell (some), Rapture, Slumber, Uaral, My Dying Bride (some), Withering, Swallow The Sun..etc
Prog/death: Death metal with progressive influence. Of course, lots of progressive bands require skilled musicianship and melody, so sometimes these bands can interlink with technical and even (but rarely, because melodic death has a unique sound) melodic death variations. Bands to note: Wolverine (old), Opeth, Into Eternity, Orphaned Land, etc...
Power/Folk/death: Probably the newest form of death metal to date. Coined by bands like Children Of Bodom, Kalmah, Ensiferum, Manegarm, Skyfire, Norther, Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Wintersun etc.. this genre employs death growls with folk or power metal (or both) influences.
Don't harass me about my spelling/grammar. I'm dead tired tonight...lol
^^ nice post, well thought-out, but I'm not sure that's what Heavenly Call was really looking for. While you definitely explained where each band fits in the generic sense (I mean 'generic' in its definition as 'representative of genre'), I think he was looking for the differences from band to band without having to go anywhere outside the individual bands themselves.
here's what I would say.
Considering the four bands he mentioned, and ONLY those 4, and without referring to genre terminology, you should still find that each band has some unique elements across their career and individual styles - just comparing any one band against the other 3. These are some examples, but are hardly exhaustive.
Of Death, Nile, Cannibal Corpse, and Dark Tranquillity:
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature electronic/industrial elements.
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature prominent clean vocals. (and female vocals)
-Cannibal Corpse are the only one to feature alternating low growl/high shriek vocals (Fisher era).
-Nile have the lowest-pitch growls.
-Nile are the only one who sounds Egyptian
-Nile have the fastest blast-beats, and the blast beats are almost always 1-kick-to-1-snare ratio.
-Cannibal Corpse has blasting, but is usually slower and of the 2-kicks-to-1-snare variety.
-Death does not feature blast beats.
-Dark Tranquillity rarely features blast beats.
-Death has the highest-pitch/tightest-throated vocals (especially in their later albums).
...you could go on. Etc.
here's what I would say.
Considering the four bands he mentioned, and ONLY those 4, and without referring to genre terminology, you should still find that each band has some unique elements across their career and individual styles - just comparing any one band against the other 3. These are some examples, but are hardly exhaustive.
Of Death, Nile, Cannibal Corpse, and Dark Tranquillity:
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature electronic/industrial elements.
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature prominent clean vocals. (and female vocals)
-Cannibal Corpse are the only one to feature alternating low growl/high shriek vocals (Fisher era).
-Nile have the lowest-pitch growls.
-Nile are the only one who sounds Egyptian
-Nile have the fastest blast-beats, and the blast beats are almost always 1-kick-to-1-snare ratio.
-Cannibal Corpse has blasting, but is usually slower and of the 2-kicks-to-1-snare variety.
-Death does not feature blast beats.
-Dark Tranquillity rarely features blast beats.
-Death has the highest-pitch/tightest-throated vocals (especially in their later albums).
...you could go on. Etc.
Heavenly Call
Member
^^ nice post, well thought-out, but I'm not sure that's what Heavenly Call was really looking for. While you definitely explained where each band fits in the generic sense (I mean 'generic' in its definition as 'representative of genre'), I think he was looking for the differences from band to band without having to go anywhere outside the individual bands themselves.
here's what I would say.
Considering the four bands he mentioned, and ONLY those 4, and without referring to genre terminology, you should still find that each band has some unique elements across their career and individual styles - just comparing any one band against the other 3. These are some examples, but are hardly exhaustive.
Of Death, Nile, Cannibal Corpse, and Dark Tranquillity:
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature electronic/industrial elements.
-Dark Tranquillity are the only one to feature prominent clean vocals. (and female vocals)
-Cannibal Corpse are the only one to feature alternating low growl/high shriek vocals (Fisher era).
-Nile have the lowest-pitch growls.
-Nile are the only one who sounds Egyptian
-Nile have the fastest blast-beats, and the blast beats are almost always 1-kick-to-1-snare ratio.
-Cannibal Corpse has blasting, but is usually slower and of the 2-kicks-to-1-snare variety.
-Death does not feature blast beats.
-Dark Tranquillity rarely features blast beats.
-Death has the highest-pitch/tightest-throated vocals (especially in their later albums).
...you could go on. Etc.
I appreciate both of the last posts! Thanks guys! I also want to GREATLY apologize...I did not mean Dark Tranquility, I know what they sound like, I was referring to DARKANE! I will have to investigate this further. I am now developing an interest in listening for the differences...hmmm...cd purchasing binge coming soon....
Same thing with me - I always hated death metal until I heard Opeth. Now most of the metal bands I like use (or have used) 'extreme' metal vocals.
Same here, actually. Thinking of the vocals as another instrument was key for me to liking death metal. I have to admit that I am still not a fan of "old school" death metal, but who knows - it could grow on me.
We death metal fans should compile a "Beginner's Guide to Death Metal" list and thread for those genuinely interested in exploring what it is that we like about the stuff.
Who knew that one day, I, Mr. Iron Maiden/Judas Priest/Accept in high school, would be writing in defense of death metal? heh heh
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
monstershredder0003
Member
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
Nah. Even though I will check out IN BATTLE. Heard of them just never heard them. BTW, AMON AMARTH rules!
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