Originally posted by Misanthrope
To your taste song structure might turn you off from goth bands but you need to be more clear about it because if you are going to flame all repetitive song structure you might as well flame classical music and jazz too ( song structures repeat, ALOT. ) There is nothing wrong with simple song structures, you should say that you dont like the particular way sentenced threads they usual song structures.
actually, i listen to a lot of goth (not just metal or rock) bands, and i also listen to a lot of bands with typical song structures. i don't dislike either or the two things combined particularly. instead what i meant to say was that sentenced's way of carrying a song from start to finish resembles - in my view - a bit too much the bombastic "melodic-death-goth-metal-single" structure, not only in the repetition of verses and refrains, but also in the way those are sung and merge into each other. in short, i find that the "the suicider" / "brighter than the sun" (tiamat's song) vein is quite too exploited by most bands in all styles that gravitate around the "darkwave" subgenre.
however, i read where you said there's a lot of bands nowadays focusing on "different" songstructures: please address me to some!
Originally posted by Misanthrope
Is not that peculiar nor that good in katatonia, it consist of basically disonant sounding chords but without appling any theory rules ( alternative music concept ) on low end tunning ( metal concept ).
you're a guitarist and i wouldn't know which end a guitar should be picked up, so of course you're enlightening me and explaining this way better and with more reason. since i'm not keen on criticising power chords (of course i like most of them, otherwise i wouldn't listen to all this damn metal
) i gladly accept your comments are "truer" than mine.
the feelings that are left stay the same, anyway, but now i know what i'm fascinated in in katatonia is the songwriting. :hotjump:
Originally posted by Misanthrope
Another thing i have to mention is the vocals on sentenced. They play the same game goth bands play because ( unlike katatonia, for better or worse is your opinion ) they dont base the song on guitars and have the voice melodies complementing, the vocal melodies take the lead and while is your personal taste about the vocals, Laihiala has much better technique and diversity than Renske. Renske is more unidimentional in his vocal work and it shows, yet he fits katatonia just perfectly because katatonia doesnt focus their work on the singer, unlike Sentenced and most goth bands who require and extremely technical and talented front singer that can lead the band and the entire songs.
i agree that laihiala might be more technical and versatile, but he doesn't really strike a chord with me. you see, i think that there's a-plenty of singers with a good, medium-to-high pitched voice that sound like all these vocal-melodies oriented bands want them to sound. the thing i like in renske is he's a bit different, although it's true the singing is monotone. maybe it's just that i'm way impressed by originality, but every time i hear the singing on a new sentenced song i feel like i've heard that style a million times before - and in more than one occasion, better music and lyrics went along - , while with katatonia the way they combine songwriting and singing sounds fresher and less tied to the clichés of the genre.
Originally posted by Misanthrope
Sentenced does has more elements that lean towards the popularity indeed, but is not plain plastic to me. Power metal bands ( some, not all ) are plastic, sentenced can be plastic in SOME songs but on some others they can do sentimental things no one can mark as plastic.
well, if i think back to the last 3 albums (i won't mention tcwl since i've heard it no more than 10 times since it was out) i reckon the "emotional" parts for me are almost only on a few songs out of crimson. there's "home in despair", but the lead - correct me if i'm wrong - is
exactly the same as in iron maiden's "no prayer for the dying", which kinda spoils my appreciation.
then there's "broken" and "with bitterness and joy", but do they add up to something different than the superficial fun of any other melodic goth metal act? to me, they hardly do. it's tolerable, but it's the beaten path dozens of band - some less skilled, granted - have taken since this music became popular amongst metallers...
Originally posted by Misanthrope
i dont think you should be turned off by something that is "too sophisticated" immediatly, then again you probably did gave it a go so no probs t here.
i'm not turned off, i simply don't understand it. and i can't enjoy something that's way over my head, although this applies to 99% of reality.
if there was a way for me to have a good mastering of the mechanics in these bands, maybe i'd like it a lot, who knows, but since i think studying in this field is not exactly my cup if tea, i'm contented with appreciating bands/songs that don't require previous training.
Originally posted by Misanthrope
Sentenced makes depressed people laugh the shit out of themselves when they see this little mirror and grow up. Its nothing but an ANTI suicide statement.
are you sure? i've seen the way they act on stage, and i've seen the way their fans react. they seem to take it seriously, and my guess is they added the "irony" statements only later, to look smarter. i've seen laihiala pretending to put a gun in his mouth and the audience doing likewise and i thought: this is some silly shit.
rahvin.
