Non-Metal Bands that metal fans enjoy

[Bruticus]

I've been a Depeche Mode fan for a bit of time now, sorry I really discovered them late. I remember reading an article about them saying that they were the one non-metal band that metal fans liked the most (at the time).

There's always the metal bands that turn non metal at later points in their discographies, as they mature (ironically...) like Tiamat for e.g., but which outright non metal bands do you feel have essential metal elements to them whether in the darker atmosphere, overall feel, or composition ?

 

[Bruticus]

Ahehehemmmm ..! !...(whyyyy is my thread sooo boring ).

So Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, and uhm...Cannibal Corpse for me (kidding, love Webster and gang).

 

[Bloopy]

The metallic sounds of old school-style industrial create a good atmosphere:




A lot of metalheads dig the likes of Dead Can Dance and Chelsea Wolfe, though I guess I prefer dark stuff to be even darker than that. A couple of dark ambient-related examples:

 

[Bruticus]

oh great. It's just me and the kiwi again in closed doors. What's up, you wanna have a game of Rugby man ? No actually, let's not...

Well that's a bit of a selection there. The first two come across and noise music, I like there to be at least a bit of actual composition.
But it's interesting on the third track you posted, it's less the pure texture (like the first two links) that draws comparisons to metal, but more of the atmosphere, so on a deeper level. Anything heavily atmospheric+dark, that combination, will draw the metalheads in, yes. A sense of ominous mystery, and power hiding in the sound..

Last one: industrial, theatrics, and very drone-y. Nice. I like that. It's dark enough to speak to me.
It is still though more or less IN the metal genre there somewhere.


Isn't it interesting though Depeche Mode, a freakin pretty boy new wave synthpop boys band... would gather an appeal from the metalheads around ? That band The Faceless did a cover for "Shake the Disease" and they absolutely butchered it with blast beats and stuff, and it sounds far from the original, so obviously Depeche Mode and metal aren't at all friends naturally, but the connection still is factually there: many metal fans lsn to Depeche Mode.

 

[Slammed]

Well if you close the doors how do you expect others to get in?

Most of my non metal bands are Aussie pub rock bands. Screaming Jets, Rose Tattoo, The Angles. Skyhooks, Cold Chisel.

Otherwise I tend to listen to older stuff like Neil Diamond, Dr Hook, Dire Straits, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin.

I'm not into Brit Pop or Synth Pop but my wife plays it all the time so I do know quite a bit of it.

 

[Bloopy]

It is still though more or less IN the metal genre there somewhere.

It's more just a case of influences being passed back and forth. Obviously industrial and noise existed well before industrial metal. Bands like Laibach and Swans were already playing similar beats by 1983, and others were yelling vocals etc.



My favourite band is Bloodhound Gang, which doesn't have much relevance to metalheads. But interestingly they did start out as a duo playing Depeche Mode-influenced stuff:

 

[Bruticus]

^ yeh, pretty interesting a band would sound that extreme even back in '83 huh. You do well posting that, I wouldn't have remembered bands sounded quite that extreme in those days. I can't really comment on that second link you posted hehe !

Slammed
Yeah it's not so much the actual genre (synth pop) but more Depeche Mode specifically. I can't tell for sure, like I haven't studied it scientifically and what not, but surely the allure (drawing in metalheads) comes from the consistent dark atmospheres and the composition style, their main song writer and composition mastermind (Gore) was pretty obsessed with odd chord progressions, that unexpected full chord that produces that delicious chromatic effect.


If you're interested, I could even point to you a song where you'll know where Opeth got their influence from on certain parts they write. Well heck, lemme go on a YouTube adventure here real quick (I'm in my boxers anyways, won't bother dressin up...).



Change up the cheap 'girl so pretty' lyrics to something "profound".., add a bit of prog drums, replace the synths/arrangements with distorted guitars, play the same tabs though and we're really quite close to an out n out Opeth song, and 1:27 is the part I was referencing.

That's the most interesting part for me to unravel the influences from across genres. Obviously Motorhead inspired Metallica, makes sense, or Slayer and Pantera did L.o.God... but with Depeche Mode it's more subtle and the influences aren't at the surface, instruments/band image, but deep, right in the guts of the song-writing.

 

[Slammed]

I'd be more of a fan of Depche Mode than I would be of Opeth

As I remember it in Australia in the late 70's and early 80's before music was so easy to get, radio stations here played a lot of British/Euro pop and a lot of that was synth/electronic driven, where as the music the same stations were playing from America was more of a pop-rock feel. To be honest I didn't care a lot for genres and labels back then and many of the bands I thought were one genre might have been in another. I didn't really care, still don't to a large degree, where music comes from, if I like it, I like it, if I don't, I don't. So while I've heard quite a bit of the music, can probably even recognise a lot of bigger songs from the opening bars, it's not something I spend time listening to just for the sake of listening to music.

On the thought of influences:
When it comes to bands who influence those who I listen too I don't think much about it. I read from time to time which bands influence which artists but I rarely go off and seek a song or band just because someone I'm listening to got influence from it. Not suggesting there is anything wrong with people who do but I just don't tend to do it. To me taking such a trip would just see me come full circle to what I already listen too. (bear with me ). Opeth were influenced by Depche Mode, DM were early influenced by the Cure, The Cure were influence by Bowie, Bowie was influenced by Little Richard. I'm already back to the rock n roll I grew up listening too. Simplistic and pointless and I could do it with pretty much any band. It doesn't take anything away from bands like DM or others that did influence some metal artists but doesn't make me want to listen to a band just because of who they influenced.

Based on my original list of Aussie bands I could say Rose Tattoo influenced GNR and Skyhooks influenced Maiden enough for Maiden to do a cover of one of their songs. But I don't listen to the Tatts or Skyhooks because of who they influenced I listen to them because they make great music and I like it.

 

[Bloopy]

This has some of the same energy and intensity I look for in metal. I dig a few bands like this. Noise rock or quirky/jazzy punk with no guitar except bass. Usually influenced by NoMeansNo since their music is so bass-driven.



This is about as brutal as non-metal gets:

 

[Bruticus]

Slammed yeah I hear you on influences, but obviously you can only go so far back before it's irrelevant. I mean why stop there at Bowie, let's just go all the way back to J.S. Bach. What I find interesting is (immediate) influences that transcend the boundaries of genres. Because it's significant, as to the very spirit of a song, of a band.

Like I said, thrash band Slayer having influenced thrash band Lamb of God is a completely consistent fact that isn't particularly interesting. A lesser known major influence for LOG is actually the Beatles for e.g., much more interesting.
But some of the more unique bands, not necessarily unique on the surface but in the details of the song-writing, do happen to have very unorthodox influences. Fear Factory for e.g. (Dino Cazares) were heavily influenced by Godflesh. I always found that very meaningful because most guitarists at the time would've mentioned bands like Venom, Possessed, Metallica... the usual names brought up, but Godflesh, that's so fringe an influence for a Californian death-thrash band and it matters to look at who influenced who.

 

[Bruticus]

This has some of the same energy and intensity I look for in metal. I dig a few bands like this. Noise rock or quirky/jazzy punk with no guitar except bass. Usually influenced by NoMeansNo since their music is so bass-driven.



This is about as brutal as non-metal gets:

haha rap, so do you headbang to it being your honorable metalhead self ?

I'd say in that direction I've enjoyed very rare nu-metal bands incorporating rappers into the mix (Children of the Korn by Korn, or say Back the Fuck up by Fear Factory). But there are still essentially metal elements there so it's cheating. Also, since on the topic, does anyone remember "Joyride" the official theme song to the first ever Grand Theft Auto videogame for PC ? Always loved it, can't be called metal but no doubt a very metal appeal to it yet:


Never could get myself (nor tried too hard...) to actually listen to a full album of that kind of stuff. I think American urban black music culture and rap have made such a bad image for themselves nobody in the comfort of metal (or rock or jazz or proper music) really wants to be associated with it in anyway.

 

[Slammed]

Love 'em or hate 'em Manowar do a great speech on the Day The Earth Shook - Absolute Power concert about influences and how far you can go back. But see that's why I don't get into circles of influence, I don't want to get back to Bach and Wagner etc

There is all sorts of obscure and often strange references to influences that bands come up with, but that's their deal. I didn't go out and source all the originals of the songs Metallica played on stage during their Euro tour just because Metallica played them. Some of the cover/jams they did were okay even if they weren't metal, some reminded me of the originals and some they sounded like they were trying too hard to find relevance. But at the end of the day like them or not they are still songs the band chose, not me. I could look into why they chose them but again that's their choice not mine, I could even look for hidden meanings and analyse everything until I come up with an answer I like but to me that's not enjoying music.

I was listening to bands like the Beatles long before LOG decided to be influenced by them, but knowing they were makes no difference to me, I still like the Beatles and don't like LOG. Bands like Fear Factory and Godflesh mean just as little to me. So pushing an influence is not always a positive thing. I don't dislike FF because they were influenced by Godflesh but because of that dislike I'd be reluctant to pick up anything that did influence them. There would be a heap of other bands in the same position. It's all good and well to say one seeks those who influenced the ones they like, but it could just as easily back fire and they find their favourite band likes something shit. That could end up tainting a person's view. It's easy to say that wont happen but it could. Where as if the same person just likes what they like and doesn't give a shit who else likes it no one seems to care.

There's no right and wrong with influence and just because I don't put the weight in it others do means very little, but that seems to be getting away from the topic of bands that people listen to and more into an area of "What influenced someone else that you now feel compelled to listen to"

 

[Bloopy]

haha rap, so do you headbang to it being your honorable metalhead self ?

...

I think American urban black music culture and rap have made such a bad image for themselves nobody in the comfort of metal (or rock or jazz or proper music) really wants to be associated with it in anyway.

Hadn't really considered headbanging, but should for a laugh. I liked rap as a kid in the 90s before I even knew what metal was (beyond Led Zeppelin). Then after I'd discovered alternative rock and metal, music videos became more common on free TV here and I saw hip-hop was 99% atrocious. But now I'm more than happy to associate with the 1% I do like, as it's appealing to me in the manner that Joyride is. Great song, I posted it in the Badass Rap thread and know basically all the lyrics off by heart.

A lot of the bad image may be from white execs encouraging it, but I don't think they can take any credit for this one. I keep thinking it's a joke on some level, but I'm not sure which. I like it though:

 

[Bruticus]

Hadn't really considered headbanging, but should for a laugh. I liked rap as a kid in the 90s before I even knew what metal was (beyond Led Zeppelin). Then after I'd discovered alternative rock and metal, music videos became more common on free TV here and I saw hip-hop was 99% atrocious. But now I'm more than happy to associate with the 1% I do like, as it's appealing to me in the manner that Joyride is. Great song, I posted it in the Badass Rap thread and know basically all the lyrics off by heart.

A lot of the bad image may be from white execs encouraging it, but I don't think they can take any credit for this one. I keep thinking it's a joke on some level, but I'm not sure which. I like it though:

Okay so. Uhm.

What. Tha. FffffffffffaKKKK.
Was that ?
Is that real (no way it's real..can't really be real, so) or are you a really really good hacker and can change the content of YouTube videos ?

I hear what you're saying about being open minded and not caring about whatever image you'd project associating or not with the rap or any other scene that's looked down upon. I'd say it's just in this case, there's a really good reason for it.

 

[Bloopy]

Björk appeals to plenty of metalheads I think. This is the song that got me hooked. Odd for me as it's one of her softer ones. Volcanoes are pretty metal though:

 

[Bruticus]

Yeah, it's interesting, many bands (from any style) identified by the mainstream to be outliers....draw the interest of the metal community.

I've often seen that profile of the metalhead who listens to just a liiiiiittle bit of non-metal... and there it's the Bjork, Dead Can Dance, and what have you. Probably because of their outcast tag, the fact they're true artists (not bothered by a number of constraints), and then something in the music that is defiant in some fashion, something that touches on romanticism, so, pure and dark in one way or another.

Personal example: I'm a huge fan of the Aegis Album from Theatre of Tragedy, specifically, and there's practically nothing that's "metal" about it technically, but the sheer gothic romanticism and darkness of it are reminiscent of what can be appreciated in a full-on metal track.

 

[elohimeth]

I'm thinking goth rock(ish) bands like The Cure. Their synths can get very gloomy doomy, and their earlier albums, as well as Disintegration, are really dark and somber.

I'm also thinking of Type O Negative since they're not really that metal but it's very close.

 

[Bruticus]

^ damn, that's good. Didn't know that one.

Yes I'd say generally English bands in rock or even pop often are very dark, or even heavy, at least raw, without actually even being metal. Like, many of the most celebrated English metal acts are often just metal-ish and not full on metal.

 

[Carpe Mortem]

A lot of metal fans I know are really into blues. Which makes perfect sense... Something something sorrow something something evil and tired, basic formula.

 

[Slammed]

Speaking of Blues, ZZ Top doco comes out in February.
50 years with the same three members is a damn good effort.