Outsider Metal

[Dazed and Brutal]

This a difficult term to really pin down. From my understanding, for something to fit the "Outsider" label it has to to be a sincere attempt at crafting something conventional, but fails due the creator either being 1) batshit or 2) lacking any sort of 'classical' training. Whether or not these criteria are truly met or by design can be hard to delineate in a scene already made up of pariahs.

Here's somethings I think fit the bill:



This band endearingly tries to keep up with themselves with woefully flat vocals. I HEAR THE DEEEMOOONSS CALLLING



War metal with strange vocal acrobatics.

Having trouble recalling any more atm, but you get the idea.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Not to shut down this thread since avant-tard metal is sometimes some of the best, but just going to mention that a previous one contained a good amount of outsider stuff. I'll repost the following and add more later:

Absolute Zero, tech thrash-y metal with the most fucked up metal arrangements of the 80s, I hear proto-Demilich riffs in them, they have one song with this double-lyric rambling arrangement ala Velvet Underground's Murder Mystery, really spazzy stuff that might have been expected in early 90s Finland but definitely not in 1988 Ohio



Spectral Incursion, weird prog metal that doesn't sound particularly like anyone, pretty disconnected from the usual scene, with unusually good lyrics too



Arpia, the kvltest of Italian psych-doom, almost doesn't sound metal



Dwarr, quintessential outsider metal



Deliverance, speed/black metal right on the border between comical and spooky, sounds like something a plunderphonics artist would create today in parody of 80s metal, amazing atmosphere

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

At the expense of sounding snooty, there is a distinction between being "weird" and being "outsider". It can't be decidedly weird, but sounds like it came from someone with a thought disorder or some shit.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

and best of all.....

 

[HamburgerBoy]

At the expense of sounding snooty, there is a distinction between being "weird" and being "outsider". It can't be decidedly weird, but sounds like it came from someone with a thought disorder or some shit.

Agreed but I think the five listed above more or less qualify. Certainly the last three at least; the first two are more debatable since they had ordinary rock band line-ups, and since they were still technically proficient. Though I'd imagine many/most metal musicians lack significant formal training, but they are still trained in the culture of metal songwriting, vs say perhaps a non-metal musician who is very much an outsider to the culture, and therefore creates technically-competent music that still sounds outside of metal norms. But I'm at work so I haven't yet listened to the OP examples for comparison.

 

[CiG]

Dwarr is a good example, I agree with that one being included. I always got the feeling those guys were going for something much more conventional than what actually came out.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

That Scalare song was wonderful. Vocals aside even that riff had a really awkward pace to it, but it kinda works. I went to wishlist the album on RYM to discover I apparently did the same for their first EP a few years ago. Need to finally get around to that.

I think their weirdness was probably consciously corny, but on the subject of bizarre vocals and production...



And another Dwarr-tier obligatory classic



And Macrocosmic Emotions, an ambient thrash product led by its wheelchair-ridden one-armed drummer

 

[CiG]

In the liner notes from the Scalare CD there's a pretty long anti-poser rant complete with broken English.

 

[Bloopy]

This a difficult term to really pin down. From my understanding, for something to fit the "Outsider" label it has to to be a sincere attempt at crafting something conventional, but fails due the creator either being 1) batshit or 2) lacking any sort of 'classical' training. Whether or not these criteria are truly met or by design can be hard to delineate in a scene already made up of pariahs.

I think some can be perfectly aware of the limits of their abilities and not even attempt conventional music, but still be considered outsider. I guess they're at least imitating conventions.

This band endearingly tries to keep up with themselves with woefully flat vocals. I HEAR THE DEEEMOOONSS CALLLING

They don't sound much worse than the vocals of some lesser 80s/NWOBHM bands. There may be some examples in this thread too if you can get past the drama.

Maybe I'm thinking of the word outsider too literally here, but this local band comes to mind as one that just did their own thing and played alongside their friends' (mostly) non-metal bands. Not caring if they were noticed by the actual metal scene as they were completely apart from it:

 

[CiG]

That Drakar track was fantastic, super catchy, immensely charming. Will have to check out the whole album at some point. Listening to Macrocosmic Emotions right now and the drumming is so bizarre.

Edit: Macrocosmic Emotions was 7 minutes of strange diary metal or something. I think I actually quite like it.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

 

[CiG]

Was waiting for you to post that.

 

[CiG]

I think this is the kind of band that is outsider due to isolation or non-participation in a scene which usually leads to gradually imposing conventions on a band. Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom sounds like what it looks like, two limey blokes living rurally and just throwing all their favourite music into their practice sessions until they come out with a bunch of metal songs that contain elements of black metal, heavy metal, doom metal, punk, folk music, drone and even some shimmering instrumental surf era rock.

I knew I was in for something a bit different when I first got the tape and saw their band photo:

 

[Krow]

That Drakar track was fantastic, super catchy, immensely charming. Will have to check out the whole album at some point. Listening to Macrocosmic Emotions right now and the drumming is so bizarre.

Edit: Macrocosmic Emotions was 7 minutes of strange diary metal or something. I think I actually quite like it.

I have that Drakar album. It gets even weirder when you have the dual disc version with English and their native language version.

In the liner notes from the Scalare CD there's a pretty long anti-poser rant complete with broken English.

And I remember reading this and laughing. Odd guys, for sure.

 

[jimmy101]

Arpia, the kvltest of Italian psych-doom, almost doesn't sound metal

Fuck yeah, this is dope.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i wish that scalare album was better, it's potentially amazing but just too amateurish to get there. the vocals suck lol

yall knew i was gonna post these:




unrelated, but eastern europe and japan are good places for 'outsider metal' methinks.

 

[CiG]

japan are good places for 'outsider metal' methinks.

These guys so badly wanted to be a NWOBHM/70's proto-metal band but they sounded like awkward dorks. It's amazing.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i'll listen to everything in this thread later as this is a real subject of fascination for me across all the arts.

 

[Mort Divine]

the general vibe of the band is kinda weird down to the basically joke name so maybe its intentional and doesn't fit but

 

[Phylactery]

That Misantropical Painforest album art is hilarious/amazing.