Keyboarists/ Pianoists

[Keith!]

I enjoy synth's also.

I think Arjen, the man behind Ayreon and Star One writes brilliant melodies and passages on his synth's. He likes to use alot of quite old ones, analogue and early digital ones.

 

[Ruby Eyes]

I say go with whatever is complimentar to that particular song. I have a friend that can't listen to anything with keyboards.

He says keyboards have no place in metal whatsoever. The same goes for Swedish accents. This just confuses me to no end.

 

[Don Corleone]

Arcturus, Vintersorg, Borknagar, Opeth, Sadus..they're cheesy?

i said "most of the time."

and ayreon and dream theater has some REALLY cheesy keyboard partitions and solos.

 

[iseesmurfs420]

Pink Floyds keyboards are teh r00lz

 

[:Wreath:]

^ Word brothah! (or sistah )

 

[etakistan]

ARCTURUS!

 

[Braighs]

Per...what it so great about him?

Anybody could play like him after 5 piano lessons with their neighbors grandma. Then again, metalheads like the piano to be almost nonexistant. As a piano player myself, I was excited to hear he was joining. But just watch Lamentations - A fair judgment. No feeling, no technical ability whatsoever. He doesn't distract from Opeth, but he doesn't add anything more than a session musician. Now listen to the ending of the Leper Affinity. That is superb.

This is the first negative thing I have said about Opeth, sorry.
And Per, I think you are a cool person. But you should try to be a more creative force in the band. That is all. goodnight.

 

[Death_To_False_Metal]

Don't forget the Lord of the Hammond : Mr Jon Lord from Deep Purple !

Keyboards in Porcupine Tree are incredible, what Depeche Mode (Martin Gore is a genius !) has done with keyboards is legendary and influenced more metal bands than you think !
Keyboards in Emperor are great !

 

[derbeder]

i think keyboards in emperor are really subpar. they do work occasionally (as in the loss and the curse of reverence), but at other times they make me cringe, as in the flight of icaros. (let us not forget the disaster of inno a satana - in anthems... - as well). keyboards in arcturus are way better.

 

[MasterOLightning]

^You're a fucking moron. Anyone who disrespects the keys in ITNE should be shot. That album is the ideal usage of synths/keys in extreme metal.

Keys in general are not a favorite of mine, and are best used sparingly, i.e. DsO, most of Drudkh. I don't mind heavier use if it's like Kvist or older Enslaved. The wall of sound effect that Xasthur and others use works sometimes as well.

I agree that synths/keys usually just compensate for shitty guitar parts, i.e. Limbonic Art, Dimmu Borgir.

Piano, on the other hand, I would love to see more of. Especially in the style of Arcane Sun, or Peccatum.

 

[derbeder]

the sound of the keyboards in In the Nightside Eclipse is far from ideal but the keys fit music very well - especially on Into the Infinity of Thoughts. (except i don't enjoy the ahh-ahh kind of sounds that we occasionally hear, eg. at the beginning of Beyond the Great Vast Forest). the keys fit much better there than they do on the other albums, i think. the sound is much better in Prometheus but i don't enjoy the way ihsahn uses keys there a whole lot (the harpsichord sounds in the first song, for instance, seem out of place and distracting). i can say the same about the earlier peccatum albums (they are weaker than emperor albums in other ways of course, but that's irrelevant). emperor quite obviously has made better use of keyboards than many other metal bands (especially black metal bands), but that doesn't mean they are remarkable. i prefer the use of keys in metal bands like the gathering, anathema, tiamat, or even say skepticism or esoteric to emperor. outside of metal, it's a whole different story anyway.

and please mind your manners and don't insult people.

 

[derbeder]

nokturnal mortum (especially on the album goat horns), mistiggo varggoth darkestra and graveland use a fair bit of keyboards. it's rather interesting at times (though with NM occasionally it gets weird and a little too... folksy?). there is only one one album from mistiggo varggoth darkestra, The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses. it's a one man band (the main guy from NM), and the whole album is 70 minutes on one track only, so i rarely listen to it. not every second of the album is that great.
and of course, we have summoning, which could not really exist without keyboards. i liked stronghold back when it came out, but i'm not sure if i can handle the overindulgence with tolkien thing anymore. how does the new album compare to stronghold?

 

[Xanthochroid]

I am the keyboardist in my band Xanthochroid. Keyboards are an absolutely integral part of our music, mostly because I started the band, obviously I'm not gonna have any prejudice towards keyboards. I listen to all kinds of metal, hell, i dont care if there's an accordion solo, as long as it achieves its purpose in the song and contributes to the style. A lot of times, people completely discredit my musicianship when I tell them that I'm the lead keyboardist of a metal band; people dont acknowledge that I've been studying this instrument since Iwas 9 years old. And now that I've found someone who can really play (like Janne Warman of Children of Bodom or Jordan Ruddess) in the style I admire, I wanna exhibit my skill through Metal because i believe this style allows for the greatest demonstration of skill. But a lot of people cant respect that and it really pisses me off. If the style permits, keyboards belong; but bands can be great with or without keys, it doesnt matter.

 

[NFU]

anyone who says "keys should be used sparingly" have obviously been listening to the wrong fucking bands. plenty of great metal bands use keys non-stop but theyre so well done, you dont even really know they are present. its about placement, texture and basically knowing when to keep it in your pants...same as any GOOD lead guitarist should know. Some bands who use keys sparingly OR to their max, but do it perfectly are:

enslaved
abigor
weakling
katatonia
esoteric
(old) borknagar
Sigh
Xasthur
dodheimsgard
Summoning

 

[etakistan]

If I ever have a band, its going to totally rip off Arcturus synths.

 

[Dalas]

Xanthochroid, I'm 100% with you on that, having just started my own band it ALREADY pisses me off to see so many people disrespecting keyboards and piano as if it doesn't deserve to be in metal at all! Having played Classical Piano for 10 years now (since I was 7), I can understand how these people think and how they're composing their "cheesy keyboard parts". I think people who don't like keyboards and piano in metal are the ones who don't know anything about the instrument and it in some way threatens them. It's being afraid of the unknown.

 

[Braighs]

(old) borknagar

what is wrong with new borknagar?

I am just now getting into them. I'd like to know how they changed.

 

[derbeder]

i haven't listened to Epic, but Empiricism seemed a little weaker than Quintessence, which has really good songs. i seem to like simon haestes better than vintersorg on vocals, for one. the first two albums with garm suffer somewhat on the vocals - these were not garm's best moments unfortunately. keyboards blend really well into the music on quintessence.
but speaking of keyboards, you just got to appreciate the keyboard player on 666 international by Dodheimsgard. such a great album. the interludes are played on the piano and are in the vein of Eric Satie. pretty well done, indeed (still, you won't confuse it with classical music really). but inside the songs, they add so much. i used to dislike the really weird vocals, but after so many listens i can't imagine that it would be better any other way.

 

[Braighs]

i haven't listened to Epic, but Empiricism seemed a little weaker than Quintessence, which has really good songs. i seem to like simon haestes better than vintersorg on vocals, for one. the first two albums with garm suffer somewhat on the vocals - these were not garm's best moments unfortunately. keyboards blend really well into the music on quintessence.
but speaking of keyboards, you just got to appreciate the keyboard player on 666 international by Dodheimsgard. such a great album. the interludes are played on the piano and are in the vein of Eric Satie. pretty well done, indeed (still, you won't confuse it with classical music really). but inside the songs, they add so much. i used to dislike the really weird vocals, but after so many listens i can't imagine that it would be better any other way.

All 3 are great vocalists imo. I guess the keys stand out more on later Borknagar albums.

I will look into Dodheimsgard now...

 

[NFU]

what is wrong with new borknagar?

I am just now getting into them. I'd like to know how they changed.

Borknagar used to be a very sincere, sinister and organic sounding black metal band. Garm (of ulver, arcturus) was the vocalist, and especially on the self titled debut, maybe gave his best performance to date in extremity with the screams, and almost "viking" sounding clean vocals. The album is pretty harsh, but among the best releases for mid era black metal that was ever created. A lot of melody without being cliche or "cheesey". And as for the 2nd album, they switched the lyrics to english, and it has a bit better production and is a little more artsy and whimsical, but is also fantastic. It is my opinion that after these 2 albums, the band went SERIOUSLY downhill. Empericism and Epic especially being very cheesey pieces of trite circus metal trash. However that being said, if you enjoy the new stuff you very well might hate OR truly love the older material. Depending on your taste in metal i guess.