I'm not even sure what to classify my music as. I would like to just be able to say "Metal". That should suffice. But with all the subgenres out there... it's impossible for me to tell.
So many sub sub subgenres
- Thread starter 3200
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Wires & Waves
New Metal Member
- Feb 4, 2006
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I have been trying. I don't always agree with the classifications given when it comes to Metal. Everything, when it comes to subgenres, seems to be opinion based. If I chose to say "power metal" there'd be a million people disagree... if I chose "Thrash"... same thing.
Is it possible to just be "Metal" and not need a subgenre?
Is it possible to just be "Metal" and not need a subgenre?
3200 said:
Ofcourse it is. It just means absolutely nothing. Nightwish is metal. Opeth is metal. Cannibal Corpse is metal. Any of those bands can claim to be metal, yet none of them sound even remotely like eachother. It's about as useless as saying you're in a 'pop' band.
And while people can argue about subgenres until kingdom come, usually it's not *that* hard to atleast pigeonhole a band into one or more ballpark subgenres. If you claim that your band is power metal then no one is going to argue it's death metal unless either you or the other person have absolutely no clue what they are talking about and are infact just plain wrong. There's some genres that can overlap, like the endless debate whether certain bands are powermetal or heavy metal, but if the difference is so little that no one can agree on it then does it even really matter?
MasterOLightning
Optimator
Subgenres are generally useful, especially the main five or so. These cover most bands, with a few needing combined ones such as death/doom, or black/thrash.
Some bands are indeed difficult to classify, but this is a rather small minority. So get used to using the following:
Death
Black
Thrash/speed
Power/traditional
Doom
These can be debated to a degree as well, but people will know what you mean when you use them.
Some bands are indeed difficult to classify, but this is a rather small minority. So get used to using the following:
Death
Black
Thrash/speed
Power/traditional
Doom
These can be debated to a degree as well, but people will know what you mean when you use them.
CAIRATH said:
ahhhh that's my point. there's a fine line between heavy metal and hard rock... though I'd hope we'd come down on the metal side of the coin, there are so many people out there that would call it "hard rock" just because I'm a female and don't use vox effects. It's been really frustrating trying to find a clear description of What we should call it. I wish we didn't have to call it anything. but at every website they ask for genre. It stumps me every time. So I just chose "metal". It's what I like and it's what's in my heart when we write our music.
Yeah, I guess the distinction between rock and metal can be tricky sometimes. I generally know what I would call a band when I hear them. But I can't really describe what criteria I use to make that decision. But that's a common debate too. Look at Motorhead. People are always arguing if they are a rock band or a metal band. I'm pretty sure Lemmy has said that he thinks of Motorhead as a rock band, but loads of people consider them metal. And you could make a valid claim for either really.
You shouldn't feel the need to lable your own music, let other people do that for you. IMO if you start thinking of yourself as a certain style you can easily slip into the trap of feeling like you need to please the people associated with it instead of making music which is honest and meaningful to you. Scenes and genres can be destructive things if you let yourself get pigeon-holed.
Necro Joe said:
I agree. And that has been my delima. I don't want to have to lable our music... compartmentalize us and put us in a box. But I get asked over and over again "What kind of music do ya'll play". When I say metal, they automatically ask "What kind?" At that point I don't know what to say. Just "Metal"?
It's like asking someone who's part white, part black, part hispanic and part native american to classify their race. HUMAN? Right?
I feel the same confusion when asked to "Classify" my music. Does anyone else feel this way?
The classifications are merely descriptive labels - usually.
I used to feel the same way you did, 3200, until I started scouring the Metal Archives and figured out what was what.
I used to feel the same way you did, 3200, until I started scouring the Metal Archives and figured out what was what.
Helspyre
Member
When you look at your own band you see all these influences, possibly from many different genres, but there is probably something that stands out that most people will zone in on. If you are looking for something you can use to describe your band, you could send a CD to a bunch of reviewers and see what kind of things they label you. Hopefully there will be some consistency in the types of labels they mention, and you can just go with it.
metal paddy
call me paddy the mod
Killbot
A Killer Robot
Paddy, you should only care what Paddy thinks his music is, call it whatever you want. Paddy is king of metal afterall, you make the genres.
Turbo
Natursekt Black Metal
I dont waste my time revising the different types of music. I get recommended all sorts of music, I enjoy, im happy. Thats all that matters.
Profanity
The Post Master
@ the vast number of genres. Metalheads are starting to sound gay when they say things like "They're not Power Metal, they're speed Metal.Similar threads
