The Importance of Genre

[Bubonic Chronic]

How important do you think it is to clearly define genres such as "Hard Core" "Grind" or "Black Metal?"

I think that while these can act as a general guide, bands like Hypocrisy don't exactly fit neatly into anything, so where does that then put them?

 

[Slayed Necros]

I think its important..I hate it when people call bands like Opeth black metal.Hypocrisy is melodic death metal, or death/thrash..

 

[Yara]

No it's not important for me and I cannot understand people who are fixed to a special genre. Speaking for myself I like every kind of music, as long it has this special kick for ME, I don't mind if it categorized as death, black, power metal, industrial, goth ...
I find in every genre songs and bands I like or hate.
It is not important in which genre you put Hypocrisy - Catch 22 for example is not pure Death anymore, may be it is a bit nu metal, but it still rocks and I like it.
I think Hypocrisy has is own special style (although each single album is different), this mix of different influences makes it so interesting for me.
Be open minded!

 

[Eos]

Sometimes it´s quite usefull. Like when you´re talking about a band and somebody asks you what kind of music they do.
What I can´t stand is when people say of band X that they´re a clone of band Y Sure there are bands who play similar styles but calling somebody a clone is quite disrespectful towards his/her work

 

[VilenesS]

hard core? *lol* ... oh man, fuck it ..


grind / black metal ... fucking huge important

 

[Bubonic Chronic]

You can tell by band's names, anyway.

You know Anal Cunt is death, for instance. You don't call your band Anal Cunt and then play alternative!

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by Bubonic Chronic
You can tell by band's names, anyway.

You know Anal Cunt is death, for instance. You don't call your band Anal Cunt and then play alternative!

Yeah, but you can call your band Anathema even if you don´t have anything to do with religion or metal

 

[a guy...]

Right, right, and you can call your band Hypocrisy and not have anything to do with the government too!

 

[sentience_withers]

genres are important to me, mostly for the reason stated by Eos. When describing a band to somebody, genres can be very useful.

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by a guy...
Right, right, and you can call your band Hypocrisy and not have anything to do with the government too!

It can also be in terms of church.. although I see no aliens around there... Or was Jesus one of them after all????

Shelley - getting tired of university

 

[Bubonic Chronic]

I think it's a good thing that goes too far sometimes.

When a band comes out and they're like "we're industrial grind core!" I think "here's a bunch of guys with limited ideas of what they can achieve."

Hypocrisy was never limited in what they could achieve.

 

[Goatfire]

Very important.

 

[NAD]

I think its important..I hate it when people call bands like Opeth black metal.Hypocrisy is melodic death metal, or death/thrash..

Heehee, I call them black metal sometimes. I know it's progressive metal, but Opeth definately has some influences from black metal (at least newer incarnations of it).

I think genres are important, but they get way out of control sometimes. I insulted some dude because I called Sepultura death metal, that's stupid. Honestly I pretty much separate extreme metal into either death or black, I don't bother with subsubsubgenres.

For the record, Hypocrisy is melodic thrash evil alien death metal.

 

[blakmetalemp]

I like the idea of genre's because it automatically gives you an idea of what your getting from a band that you may know nothing about. That doesnt guarantee the album to be good but at least you know kinda what to expect. However, being closed minded and picking only one genre to listen to seems a little ignorant when there is sooooo much great music in other genres besides metal. As the great Ice T once said, "I listen to all kinds of music from pop to metal. People who talk shit about other kinds of music that they dont love are really limiting themselves."

 

[a guy...]

Originally posted by NAD
For the record, Hypocrisy is melodic thrash evil alien death metal.

HA! I may have to steal that title!!!

 

[Bubonic Chronic]

I just don't like when some new band comes out with the preconcieved notion of "we're Emo-Black-Country!" it's silly!

Just play and develop a style, then figure out where you fit later.

 

[NAD]

I don't like it when a band actually defines themself. That may sound weird, but think about it, some band comes out and says "oh we're industrial death shred" and they sound like a carbon copy of Ministry. Either that or they get it totally wrong.

I once heard a girl in high school (about 6 years ago when that big ska movement was lingering in SoCal), and someone asked her what ska was. "Oh, it's jazz, and reggae, and alternative, and..." I interrupted her and said "ska sucks!" Old ska (as in from the 50s) was cool, but that modern shit blew. Except Sublime, but they were punk anyhow.

 

[Bubonic Chronic]

"Ska sucks, ska revival isn't cool you stupid

fuck! And if you don't believe me you're a schmuck.
The trend will die out with any lu-uh-uck-oh yeah!" - Propagandhi

 

[opacity]

unimportant, especially now that bands blend various (elements of) styles. which is good imho - as long as the music remains the important thing.
but sometimes I get the impression bands try too hard to be different and end up as the rip-off of the rip-off by mixing too many ingrediets in a too small pot.

 

[Plague Witch]

Sometimes it helps when trying to explain a band to someone to help convey certain characteristics, but's it is blatantly overused and often misused. I personally can't stand them. I think if any band sets out to be a certain genre, they limit themselves musically. Music is spontaneous creativity, and whatever it becomes is what it is, regardless of a label.