Metal Genres - Do You Care?

[Mark]

Progressive, power, grindcore, extreme, nordic death, nu, doom, gloom, not-very-happy metal... do you care what subgenre a particular band is in, or do you just listen to whatever sounds good?

Do you tend to classify bands as being part of a genre ("they're speed power metal!"), or do you try to steer clear of that?

Just interested in how people feel about the various labels thrown about. Are more being used now than what were used way-back-when (say, the mid-to-late 80s, when all I knew of was metal, thrash and glam!).

 

[dill_the_devil]

I don't really care what sub-genre a particular band gets labelled with as long as they sound good, but I find the lables help to steer me towards bands that I might like. I mean, the reviews section of this site would be pretty redundant if all the review said was 'it sounds good' or 'it sounds bad'.
People need classifications and pigeonholes so they can identify the sound of a band within their own sphere of influence. That's why I always try to describe a band's sound first by genre, and then in terms of 'X band crossed with Y band'. It helps people to imagine the sound.
Only problem is when genres get confused, or new ones get invented at the drop of a hat. For instance, when does death metal become sufficiently fast to turn into grindcore? How slow and down-tuned must grindcore be before it becomes sludgecore? What the hell is crustcore, which is a genre label I stumbled across the other day in reference to Backstabbers Inc. (who are, as far as I'm concerned, grindcore)?

 

[benny]

I could really care less what a band is labeled. Every genre has a few bands that I think shouldn't even be considered what they are. Its just a confusing mess to me, I like bands from pretty much every genre out there so all that matters is if the band sucks or is good.

 

[Jo]

Genres are good for direction, but are sooo being abused!

 

[Soul Forlorn]

I agree. Genres are of very little use for me, since most bands I listen to are basically cross-breeds. The only good thing about them is that they help steer me in the right direction when I'm looking to find new bands.


www.mp3.com/soulforlorn

 

[Wanderer]

I listen Portishead,Dark Throne,Emperor,Burzum,Katatonia,Tea Party,Jay Jay Johanson,Placebo,Radiohead hmm about 3 or 4 years ago i care about genres but not now i change my mind now i am so pleased about this but i love depressive music
Genres are nothing for me But i have no fond of thrash metal or grind core or hard core

"En as I dype skogen"

 

[Gdc]

I agree, genres are good for direction but most of the time labels put their bands in a genre where they don´t belong.
For example Tristania labelled as a Doom band but I think it´s more gothic metal than doom.
Doom metal are bands like Evoken,Skepticism,Esoteric,
Thergothon,...if you listen do those bands than you will know what I mean because there´s a big difference between those bands and bands like Tristania,Trail of Tears,...

Cheers

 

[Lee_B]

Doom metal are bands like Evoken,Skepticism,Esoteric, Thergothon,...if you listen do those bands than you will know what I mean because there´s a big difference between those bands and bands like Tristania,Trail of Tears,...

There's also a big difference between those bands and Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass and Solstice, etc, who are all undoubtedly Doom Metal too.

I think the genre lines are so blurry that the general term Metal is good enough for me, though even that is up for discussion.

I'm personally of the view that if the guitars are heavy enough, or the roots are clear enough then it's Metal, and that includes Limp Bizkit, Korn and all the rest of 'em. Let's face it, they're heavier than the likes of Arcturus and they cross over to other styles in a similar way...

It's going to get to the stage where Manowar are considered too wimpy to be called a Metal band...

 

[tenebrose]

I don't really care what genre something belongs to, but I've found that I particularly like certain bands within certain genres...
Genres can be good when reading up on new music though. It helps you find the kind of music you're looking for, generally.

I don't always agree with the genres made for certain bands either, and most really good ones, unless they created the genre, tend to cross borders in my definition. Opeth, for example, I often see categorised as "death" or "melodic death", but I would also like to toss them into the "doom" genre, in some cases. And Vintersorg is called "melodic black"... many of his songs: what is black about them? Genres, labels, blah. Can't live with them, can't live without them...

Originally posted by Wanderer
"En as I dype skogen"

....very meaningful. Might I ask.... why...?

 

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by tenebrose
....very meaningful. Might I ask.... why...?

yes you can ask
It is a song of dark throne i don't know it's meaning so i wrote it i was sure taht someone will ask
En vind av (or au) sorg
En as i dype skogen

i wonder their meanings

PS:Over fjell og gjennom torner

 

[tenebrose]

En vind av (or au) sorg = A wind of sorrow
En as i dype skogen = A(n) (I'm not sure, this out of context. Could be aesir, could be hill, could be something else) in the deep forest.

Over fjell og gjennom torner = Over "fjell" (=snowcovered mountain areas) and through towers (sound odd, may be some type of valley I'm not familiar with).

Blah... it's not my language anyway, so it odesn't matter.

 

[MetalManCPA]

I listen to music, not genres.

If it sounds good, that's it. What need is there for categorization/labelling beyond general categories such as metal, classical, jazz? These sub-categories are meaningless to me.

 

[Zerokelvin]

Hmm I personally don't care but it's useful so I can get some direction to what I decide to buy...

for example I notice I do not tend to like gothic or doom metal bands...so I will stay back from bands categorized as such. And yet I love Opeth! Go figure...lol

 

[Russell]

I think they're usefull if ur trying to describe a type of music and a band fits easily into a category. I thinkgoing into genres like:
hardcore
emo-hardcore
post-harcore etc.
is just rediculous, especially seeing most good bands can't be pigeon holed like that

 

[metalcrypt]

I do care, although sometimes bands are blatantly mislabelled. A lot of people seem to throw anything that's not death or black into power metal. Very annoying. Metal Church power metal? Come on! (Just one example)

 

[Russell]

Hehe, I found hardcore reggae the other day!

 

[integral]

The only use i find in genres is a guide as to what a band sounds like so i know whether or not to check them out.

But as other people have said the genres are getting a bit ridiculous. (Math metal..... WTF??)

 

[SentencedToBurn]

yeah i think we need genres in music to help pick out what we like. I mean if someone told me to check out a nu metal band i would say no cause i HATE nu metal. If someone told me to check out a black/death metal band i would say yes cause i like that type of music. And yes, sometimes genres go to far. I mean hey check out this band they are an emo-hardcore-death-grindcore-black-math-sludge-jazz metal band. WTF! just stick too the basic roots of labeling music. Black Metal
Death Metal
Nu Metal
Thrash
Speed
and just metal i guess.... we really need nothing more

 

[Swiss Metalian]

I often try to describe a band with a sub-genre like "Power Metal" etc, but if I buy an album I don't care about the style, I just know that I like it and that's all.

 

[JESUSATAN]

What about northern hyperblast and viking metal? I dont think I saw slam dm either but I could have missed it it someone mentioned it. Also Anyone else agree that "grindcore" needs to drop the "core"? Almost anything with the ending core usually is very lame, hardcore for example.