Opinions: Worst and best lyricists.

[NicholasDWolfwood]

don't you get tired of bashing Opeth?

now you're telling us that Mikael thinks his fans are just fools?

what I think he's trying to say is that mikael's english at that time wasn't as good as it is now, and thus mayh's lyrics are more full of a lot of big words etc rather than actual good use of the english language (ie it's not on-par with another english speaker's diction)

 

[Kamel]

oh...I see....It's not exactly what I think he meant, but you made your own good point there.

 

[biggsy]

all he's saying is mike tried to write super meaningful lyrics in a language he didnt have that great a grasp of. in doing this he didnt quite get the ideas he wanted across perfectly to the fans. its not bashing fgs

 

[Lateralus14]

Yea these guys are pretty close, Kamel, what I was saying was that there are little instances where you can tell Mikael is clearly not perfect with English at the time and there are also places where you feel like Mike wasn't exactly the best poet but rather the kind of guy that would go to a thesaurus looking for the coolest word even if he didn't have a grasp on the word's correct usage. I like the lyrics but I'm just saying that like, those In Flames lyrics may not be the work of a master poet but rather a guy trying to appear as such. I'm luvin' MAYH more and more every day too, rockin' out to The Amen Corner's first 3 riffs every other day now.

 

[Antyman]

there are 2 phrases I always end up lying on the floor laughing when I hear them on MTV:
Kanye West:

How could you be so Dr. Evil
You're bringing out a side of me that I don't know
I decided we weren't gonna speak so why we up 3 a.m. on the phone

I mean.. it doesn't even sound good.. at all.. where the fuck did he get Dr. Evil from? I hate that song so much it's silly. He needs to learn something from Tay Zonday; TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE MIC WHEN BREATHING!.. he sounds like an astmatic 90 year old foreigner being chased by Varg Vikernes!

the second one is one I recently ntoiced. it's in that new Plack eyed peas song:

Here we go, here we go, satellite radio

that one speaks for itself


drunkpost.

 

[Space Butler]

Kanye West = epic fail

 

[chemaa]

Best:
Chuck Schuldiner
Daniel Gildenlöw
Warrel Dane

Devin Townsend..I am not sure he is the best or the worst though..
And I love some Wintersun lyrics

Worst:
Norther
We are getting closer to get this done
A lot of shit and some fun
A rainbow on the screen
Drinking in the red lights
In the end you will hear us rock

and COB

 

[SerenityPaintedLife]

Best Lyrics: Tool, Agalloch, Isis and Metallica (RtL, MoP and AJFA era).
Worst: Some Dream Theater lyrics are cringe-worthy (although those guys are great musicians).

As far as Opeth, it is a mixed bag for me. Those clean vocal lines in Demon of the Fall, combined with Mikael's delivery, are fantastic. There are some less impressive moments on Watershed, but overall, they're not bad, especially given that they're not native English speakers.

 

[Antyman]

Best: Neil Young in the Buffalo Springfield-era.
worst: King Diamond in the King Diamond-era.

 

[crtomir novak]

Mikael Åkerfeldt writes decent lyrics. My Arms, Your Hearse and Still Life have a neat little story.

I don't have a favourite lyricalist.

I like some lyrics from older Metallica (...And Justice for All), Megadeth, Tool, Beatles, old In Flames (astronomy/fantasy, a few songs on Whoracle and Clayman have neat lyrics).

Defeater have a nice little story on their only album. They're hardcore punk, not sure if I can count them, but still.

Can't think of any other lyrics at the moment.

 

[Narissa]

Okay, Best: Now for simplicities sake, I'm sticking with rock / metal and not just metal in general.
1. Neil Peart of Rush.
2. Can I say Zappa? DARE I say Zappa?
3. Dave Mustaine as the original poster mentioned.
4. I guess if I can't mention Zappa I shold also not be allowed to mention Tom Waites. Even though he is easily regarded as one of the best lyricists in the business. And speaking of the best....
5. Ronnie James Dio. Sure, the guy is still singing about circles and dreams and dragons and kings....but he does so intelligently and passionately. Everyone else who tries to delve into this kind of imagery just ends up looking foolish with cheeze whiz all over his hands.
6. And last but not least..Mikael Akerfeldt.
7. Oh wait! One more! Iron Maiden. Not sure if Harris or Dickenson (sp?) gets the writing credits, but the lyrics to many of their songs are just brilliant (Just listen to Hallowed Be They Name)

Now as to the worst. Where to begin? Where to begin? That Accept guy singing about having his balls to the wall? Hmmmm...no, I think we should start off with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Malmsteen playing instrumental guitar = Pure masterpiece. Malmsteen playing guitar while hired singer sings words Yngwie wrote when he was 17 = ***cringe*** Come on, man. The lyrics on your albums are just plain embarrasing. Oh sure, Dio can pull it off. But he's a master. And look here, man...your hands are all covered in cheese whiz again. Go wash that crap off.
Pretty much any metal glam band from California during the middle to late 80's. "Oh dude, this has to actually like....rhyme? What a bummer."
Okay I'm going to get a lot of heat over this one but his is just one guys opinion. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. I WORSHIP Zeppelin. No question that Pagey was one of my dearest and greatest influences growing up. He expanded my musical tsate, my musical repertiore to places I never even knew existed before. But really.....those lyrics. I haven't the faintest idea what a bustle is and if I were to find one in my hedgerow (whatever the hell THAT is) I don't think I would know what to do. Robert says not to be alarmed by this type of behavior. But I think I would ere on the side of caution on that one. I do like some of the dark myhtological imagery they dug up in their lyrics when singing some of their blues songs....you know, as long as they weren't just out and out stealing these lyrics along with the melody. I mean Hell Hounds on my Trail is cool, but "come here woman and squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg?" Really.

Now we get to the band with the WORST lyrics ever penned to paper. And that has to be Kiss. Gene was a brilliant marketer though and made a ton of money from those albums. How? He came up with a target demographic of boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18. They would buy all the merchandise, the comic books and see the shows. Now the songs for these shows? Loud, very LOUD songs to scare your parents. See the more we scare the parents with the loud music and the face paint and ugly clothes, the more the kids will be into us. But we don't have to waste too much time writing out this drivel on paper. I mean seriously, I was writing better lyrics than "I Want to Rock and Roll all Night" when I was in 7th and 8th grades.

And now to a band that is one of my all time favorites. Someone else beat me to the punch and said they should be listed under both the BEST lyricists and the WORST. I'm a HUGE Type O NEgative fan because (aside from being great musicians) they are able to intermingle their own self depricating and sacriligious humor with some of the most beautiful and haunting melodies you will ever hear. Love those guys. Listen to the "live" album "Origin of the Feces" and compare those songs to later songs like "Christian Woman" "Love Me to Death" "Everything Dies and even the hauntingly happy "My Giflfriends Girlfriend.

lol i love Dio. although he contradicts himself constantly.
example: Rainbow~ Catch the Rainbow
"but life's not a wheel, with chains made of steel"
Dio~ Holy Diver
"life's a never ending wheel"

is life a wheel, or isnt it?!?! lol

 

[affinityband]

all lyrics are dogshit

 

[Space Butler]

Something got me looking through christian metal band's lyrics on MA....

Erasing the goblin, pointing the finger at you
Erasing the goblin, squirming to see you remove,
His destructive power in your life,
Erasing the goblin, taking control of your mind.
What is the goblin trying to steal your soul?
That tiny sin that is growing all the time,
Closer each day, you walk to his embrace,
Now is the time to spear his ugly guts
Where is the goblin that once ruled your life?
You gave him up through the power of Christ
No more hold does his power have on you
Erasing the goblin today we must all choose
The goblin is bleeding. The goblin is dying.
Once he is dead, continually erasing that sin,
Continually erase that sin, continually erase that sin

 

[Khaos427]

Origin's lyrics are fairly well written. So are Immolation's.

I just got into Immolation a few years back, and I can say I immediately enjoyed their lyrics moreso than any other straightforward DM band.
"Our Saviour Sleeps", from the album "Harnessing Ruin" reads more like a
lament with a degree of cynicism than say the blunt hatred of other anti-christian DM lyrics :

Child of promise
Where are you now
Our savior sleeps
Awake for us

Your miracles are needed now
Carry us out of harm's way if you can

His children weep
And cry his name
Our savior sleeps
Why won't he rise

Carry us as you said you would
Through the dark that clouds our world

We trusted you
But you did not come through
The suffering you left with us
Will torture our lives forever

Child of promise
Where are you now
Our savior sleeps
Eternal night

Carry us as you said you would
Through the dark that clouds our world