Metal Bands as Storytellers

[speed]

One of the primary functions of music is and was to tell a story. Yet today, I rarely come across a metal band that has a story to tell. In the past metal bands understood this musical function: Iron Maiden, Bathory, Black Sabbath etc. all wrote songs that told a story. Now the best we can do is the over the top bombastic idiocy of bands like Rhapsody, or some garbled black metal nonense supposedly set in some dark forest. What the hell happened? I see Mastodon is bringing the story back with their new album, but what abut everyone else. DO Metal bands today not have the songwriting capacity to tell a simple little story? Are they too worried about technical pyrotechnics and image?

 

[NAD]

Yeah I guess "regular" metal bands don't engage in storytelling much anymore, but that can probably be attributed to nu-metal just talking about bishes and hoes/hos/hoaz all the time, just random blubberings instead of thought out lyrics.

One of my favorite concept/story albums is Fear Factory - Obsolete. The lyrics, the artwork, the music, everything just falls into place and weaves a great tale.

 

[IOfTheStorm]

It's just that nowdays, most metal bands consider "storytelling" (music/lyrics) in an album, to be a cliche

 

[Hell Mike]

Johnny Cash is a great storyteller but I don't consider what he does to have much musical value.

One Rode to Asa Bay would make me cry if I was a bit less masculine than I am.

 

[NAD]

Johnny Cash is a great storyteller but I don't consider what he does to have much musical value.

Worst. Quote. Ever.

 

[Hell Mike]

It jsut doesn't feel like music, it feels like having a cozy ole grandad telling you a story and he happens to be holding a guitar while doing it. And it's good alright but not what I listen to when I want to listen to music.

 

[NAD]

Oh okay I see your point, music definitely took a backseat to his vocals. I thought you were saying you didn't like Johnny Cash in which case I was going to have to slap the bejesus out of you like a red-headed stepchild.

 

[JayKeeley]

Yeah, I guess you have to make a distinction between a concept album (where the story travels across all songs), and stories within individual songs. Either way, this should be captured within the process of songwriting. It's all about lyrics having some meaning, not just writing one rhyming line after the next and letting it all go off on a tangent.

One band that is really getting back to this concept of writing strong lyrics/meaning and storytelling ability is Hammers of Misfortune.

I stopped listening to metal completely when I was writing. I didn't want to be influenced by anybody. I didn't care how metal the record was going to sound. I just wanted to write good songs. Good music. If it's metal enough for Joe Metal, then great! If it's not metal enough for Joe Metal, then maybe it's good enough songs for somebody that likes good songs! The emphasis was totally on songwriting. The fact that we're heavy players means it's going to come out heavy. But the priority was not making a great metal record. The priority was making a song record.

 

[Ayeka]

Now the best we can do is the over the top bombastic idiocy of bands like Rhapsody

I was under the impression that epic storytelling was what Rhapsody were all about...

 

[J.]

Arcane Sun's album is a concept album, though not as blatant as most story-telling albums. Just telling about lost love and redemption afterwards.

FF's Obsolete is a great story.

I always thought EoS's Crimson was a goofy story. Music is good, though.

 

[J.]

Rhapsody are all about being gay.

 

[NAD]

I like the story to Crimson, some of the lyrics are a little cluttered though.

Totally forgot about Hammers , their stories are great. Room and a Riddle flavors my colon!

 

[SonOfNun]

I always thought EoS's Crimson was a goofy story. Music is good, though.

I like it, but the music and the way it constantly changes from heavy to light enhances it a lot.

"Is she a man and made of flesh and blood or is she the offspring of the unholy GOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Or something like that, there are a lot of great moments like this that really emphasize the lyrics and it all comes together very well.

As for storytelling, that is what country music is to me. If I want to hear a good story then something like Marty Robbins rules, but I listen to metal for the music and if the lyrics suck then that's ok. It does add to the experience if the lyrics are great as well, but it's by no means a necessity.

 

[J.]

Opeth's Still Life is a concept. MAYH might be one, I'm not sure.

 

[J.]

but if you want the epic OMG grand stories, look no further than goofy metallers Bal-Sagoth.

 

[SonOfNun]

I wrote a report in English last year tying in the lyrics to Opeth's "Still Life" to works in American Literature we had read over the course of the year. Probably one of my favorite albums ever so it was nice to be able to analyze the lyrics and look for similarities as I usually don't pay so much attention to lyrics.

 

[NAD]

Nile is probably my favorite for storytelling, the story behind the lyrics is often more in depth than the lyrics themselves, but both are included in their liner notes which is pretty kickass.

 

[JayKeeley]

Nile is probably my favorite for storytelling, the story behind the lyrics is often more in depth than the lyrics themselves, but both are included in their liner notes which is pretty kickass.

That's a good one. You can tell they do a lot of research, and I wasn't aware of all that demonic/barbaric Egyptian history until I read the liner notes to Black Seeds of Vengeance.

The question is, now that I have Black Seeds and Darkened Shrines, will I ever buy another Nile album? Probably not. NAD can just burn me a CD-R.

I always thought the storyline to Crimson was alright.

Rhapsody are hilarious. I mean, it's like watching a cheap sword 'n sandals movie with out of work B-actors from Bollywood. Even the titles -- "The Dark Tower of Abyss" or "Steelgods of the Last Apocalyspe". Gotta love the Italians and their cheese.

Greatest concept album ever of course is obvious: Op Mindcrime.

 

[speed]

I guess it is true, metal bands do makea few concept albums, and do tell a few stories. BUt are they any good? DO they compete with Iron Maiden's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Bathory's One Rode to Asa Bay, Black Sabbath's original song Black Sabbath? Or Queensryches SUite Sister Mary? I suppose I wish there was more of an actual storytelling dynamic, atmosphere, etc.


Interestingly I read a quote from a country music star ( i cant remember who) in which he stated that Johnny Cash invented rap. This artist mentioned a boy named Peggy Sue as well, he said Cash basically told stories like rappers and created an image of himself.

 

[JayKeeley]

I guess it is true, metal bands do makea few concept albums, and do tell a few stories. BUt are they any good? DO they compete with Iron Maiden's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Bathory's One Rode to Asa Bay, Black Sabbath's original song Black Sabbath? Or Queensryches SUite Sister Mary? I suppose I wish there was more of an actual storytelling dynamic, atmosphere, etc.

That's because you're an American surrounded by fellow Americans intimidated by making something that would otherwise be perceived as being "gay". Traditionally, telling a story through music is an extremely European thing to do.

Obviously I accept bands like Queensryche, Dream Theater, Hammers of Misfortune, etc, but I'm talking about history, going right back to opera and classical compositions.