Keyboards and the Metal genre

[Roman Fyngerz]

Ok fellow metalheads, So I had a "drive-by" response from someone in the introductions section that Keyboards are NOT metal. May be interesting to discuss this and I would love to hear people's viewpoint on the subject. Some of my personal favorite "Metal" bands that incorporate keyboards:

Yngwie Malmsteen
Dio
Ozzy
Judas Priest
Dimmu Borgir
COB

So what do YOU guys (and girls) think? I personally feel if done right and tastefully, keyboards can enhance and add more dimension to many a metal tune.

 

[nissan]

Same. I'd rather it be slow to add atmosphere rather than in the fore, but yea...

 

[Alasdhair]

I love keyboards + metal.

Especially in folk metal bands. Finntroll and Ensiferum are bands I can think of off the top of my head. And in Melodic Death Metal bands as well, like Norther.

 

[ErasedCitizen]

for me, metal without keyboards is nearly always boring and not interesting, doesnt sound nice and just isnt great at all. there is the odd exception but in general im not a fan of metal with no keyboards.

 

[PowerMetal.mobi]

It really depends on how the keyboardist fits with the band. For instance, I personally can't listen to Jordan Rudess go off into a tangent with his amazing skills in Dream Theater. That is just boring to me. I think he is an incredible musician but I think we could do without the long key solos in Dream Theater.

But, you also have a band like Sonata Arctica where the keyboardist fits so well and makes the music even better than what it would be without.

These are all my personal opinions of course.

 

[General Zaroff]

Dimmu Borgir's keyboardist is BRILLIANT.

Emperor's keys are good.

 

[Element_man]

Keys can be good in any sense if they are played well and with good taste. I am a keyboardist myself, and I also do vocals (Growling and clean singing) in my viking metal band, so I use a keytar onstage so I can get up, be energetic and do the vocals as an actual frontman.

 

[Nayz]

I think keyboards sound beautiful in metal, you may argue that metal isn't meant to sound beautiful or ambient but I think thats a outdated and narrow minded view.

You can not deny that it can add a haunting or epic touch, a extreme contrast or compliment to the vocals and music or that it can even make the heavier parts sound... well... heavier, and more dramatic.

 

[Roman Fyngerz]

Great points everyone! Im glad I started this thread. Looks like the vast majority dig Keys+metal then!
Now, if keyboards sounded as silly as they did in the early 80's...that would be a whole different story lol...but the sounds and technology have come a VERY long way.

 

[Nayz]

Haha yeah thats true, though I like some 80s music lol

 

[Roman Fyngerz]

though I like some 80s music lol

Yeah, me too hehe.

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

I can't even imagine how someone would have the confidence to argue such a point, especially considering such bands as Children of Bodom and Dimmu Borgir. In fact, I think the vast majority of all the bands I listen to have a keyboardist and they wouldn't be nearly as appealing otherwise.

 

[Bryant]

It really depends on the band. I love a twin guitar attack, but there are some bands that would simply die without their keyboard player, especially prog-metal bands. Gunter Werno of Vanden Plas writes about half of their songs and is THE God of keys in my opinion. Pagans Mind also has a great keyboardist in Ronny Tegnor. Neither band could survive without those two members.


Bryant

 

[Nayz]

Yeah, me too hehe.

Hehe thats because we're so very metal you see!

I can't even imagine how someone would have the confidence to argue such a point, especially considering such bands as Children of Bodom and Dimmu Borgir.

Wow, I can't imagine Dimmu Borgir without keys Nor do I want to!

 

[free_@_last]

Which songs do Judas Priest have keyboards in?

 

[Alasdhair]

I think keyboards sound beautiful in metal, you may argue that metal isn't meant to sound beautiful or ambient but I think thats a outdated and narrow minded view.

You can not deny that it can add a haunting or epic touch, a extreme contrast or compliment to the vocals and music or that it can even make the heavier parts sound... well... heavier, and more dramatic.

Yep... Nowhere is stuff like that more evident than in stuff like Norther and Ajattara.

 

[The Butt]

Depends on the band. Some bands are meant to have keyboards, and sound shitty without them -- and some bands aren't meant to have keys, and sound shitty with them.

I like Necrophagist, but IMO, they'd sound shitty with keyboards. Same with the almighty Black Sabbath. There are some records they've made (*COUGH* Headless Cross *COUGH*) that are crammed full of synth and reverb, and for that, it sounds like garbage to me. Sabbath is supposed to sound like dark, crunching doom metal; not an generic 80's metal band.

I like Wintersun, CoB, Emperor, etc. They're sound is so based around the keyboards, that if the keys were removed from their tracks, they'd sound boring and lifeless.

That's my stance, anyway.

 

[Alasdhair]

I like Wintersun, CoB, Emperor, etc. They're sound is so based around the keyboards, that if the keys were removed from their tracks, they'd sound boring and lifeless.

Maybe with CoB and Emporer, but I think Wintersun could survive without the keyboards.

 

[shreddy]

Being a keyboardist I'm completely biased on this subject, keyboards can completely be metal. Now with that said there are bands that really dont need keyboards, Iron Maiden, Metal Church, Priest, Megadeth etc..

The argument of keyboards not being metal is pretty foolish if you think about it. They've been used in most of the hard rock and prog rock bands and the bands that were there from the beginnings of metal Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio, ect... Yngwie came out in 84 and that was keyboards on full speed and spawned a number of other bands / genres that were keyboard heavy, like Prog Metal, NeoClassical. There are some genres now that keyboards are almost a must have instrument, Prog Metal, Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Goth Metal of course there are always exceptions to this.

Good call on Gunther Werno, he's a great and often overlooked keyboardist.

 

[Dolf9271986]

There are tons of great bands that use keyboards. Dimmu, COB, Sonata, tons. I don't know what to say, because your friend has no basis in fact about why keyboards aren't metal. You can do andything with a keyboard. ANYTHING. You can make frog noises for fuck sakes. But it really depends on the band. My band uses keyboards, but see we are a prog/neo-classical Death metal band, so it works. So yes, keyboards are metal.