Thoughts on Metal VS Other Music Genres

[Erich w/ an h]

I just saw Opeth sunday, NYC show. My next concert is NYC 1/31, and Im seeing James Brown. Afterwards ive got The Pretenders and Aimee Mann, and I should be trying for tickets to Toad The Wet Sprocket and Dave Mattews / Tim Reynolds.

What do these people have in common? at times extremely little. But look at the roots of each style and it all goes back to the same thing. Much of which derives from Jazz with heavy Folk influence. If you tell me you cant hear the Jazz + Folk in Opeth, youre deaf. All these bands have developed their nuances and intracacies in their own way, but still pay homage to their roots in these styles.

My point, yes, metal has at times great songwriting, technical aspects, and sometimes even decent lyrics (most metal lyrics are mundane compared to folk). But so do many other styles that derived from the same origin.

 

[Slynt]

The good thing about metal is that, if the band is good, you can expect the entire album to be good. With pop, it's often just one song that is appealling/catchy, while the rest of the album (when there is an album at all) hellsucks.

I love metal, and I appreciate prog rock and classical music. The rest leaves me as cold as the fridge of death.

 

[Bleakest Harvest]

Prog rock is definitely my favourite alternative to metal.

 

[Scorpion]

Originally posted by Aecliptica
Yesterday I was just listenin to some great metal and a thouhgt came into my head... "why is metal so damn good? how can i play it over and over again and still enjoy it? why do I like metal and not rap? or pop? or country?" well i came up with this answer.

Well actually I've also been asking this question to myself since I had first contaminated into this bug

The thing with metal is...it just takes so much talent to produce a good song. People that listen to metal can actually appreciate the time people take to make this great music and the skill needed to play.
[/B]

I don't think that's the main reason.Everybody knows that The Beatles were also claiming the same thing'bout the time period to make an album.

I find with metal , i can listen to a song literally 100 times...and still enjoy it like it was the first time i listened to it. As with rap, or some dance song, it gets old after like 3 times that i hear it. I was discussin this with my friends and we realized we can just get together, sit, and listen to metal for hours and appreciate it. For some reason i cannot see the same with rap, hip hop, country or any other genre. what do you people think about this?
[/B]

Certainly agreed.Even I have the same problem.I've been listening to ''blackwater park''since it has first been released.I did the same with the 'black' and 'and justice for all' albums just like many others.I think the secret of this abuse is that metal is the most realistic reflection of our feelings.For example everybody knows that the good days of our lives are sometimes suddenly cut by struggling chaotic moments like having an icy cold shower in the middle of a mild bath.I feel the same in the songs of Opeth:Suddenly stopped soft melodies by screams full of anger and pain.That's why Opeth has reached a huge amount of fans in such a short time.

 

[Alex78]

IMO:

pop=meaningless background noise

_good_ metal=put on headphones, lay down, concentrate, aaaah! (same for some prog rock and classical)

 

[svenske kocken]

Well, I' sitting here listening to Philemon Arthur & the Dung and that beats all metal I have ever heard.

 

[Bleakest Harvest]

Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea is excellent, reminds me of Siamese Dream era Pumpkins
Zwan, in case someone doesnt know, is Billy Corgan's (smashing pumpkins bald dude) new band

 

[poptartofdeath]

I grew up with and listen to alot of Black Metal and Grind....my first bands at age 9 were Napalm Death, Bathory and Dissection from my brother, bout 8 or 9 years ago when it was still very new to americna audiences. Over the years I've developed a feel more for groove...I still love extreme metal but I'm more a fan of stuff that can make me move (gotta excuse any typos, on one of those bloody split-ergo keyboards)..in the metal genre stuff like Nevermore, In Flames, Children of Bodom,Opeth (I'm also a fan of beautiful complex music), alot of power metal. Yeah There's times when I feel like listening to the black/death genre, the REALLY black/death genre (Morbid Angel, Decapitated, Kreator (eh, thrashy more than death), Katakylsm, Lord Belial, Dark throne) but as of late I find myself throwing on some good funk or industrial. Sometimes technicality and the "hard edge" are irrelevant factors in a good song. Sometimes you just gotta move.

And some death metal, brutal death can get me moving. Bloodbath never fails. Bolt Thrower usually as well. I guess something with solid bass and drumming that isn't entirely blastbeats is a safe bet. Sometime over the top extremity is good but sometimes it's just bloody annoying.

 

[thebleakaffinity]

Metal is very good, but I'm not going to say it's the best out there. I don't think anything will ever top rock'n'roll from the late 60's. Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Neil Young, it's all just so good. None of those are even my favorites, but they all have this magical quality to their music.

Technical prowess doesn't always make you good, and neither does a lot of hard work/effort. Sometimes it's just a lot of luck and chance. My favorite band is the Smashing Pumpkins, and they aren't very technical at all. That doesn't mean technical music is bad, but music can't be based entirely on technicallity.

Before I go to sleep every night, I listen to music through headphones. I can't go to bed without it. It makes me tired, and not because it's soothing, because it requires effort. I like something you can set your mind too, I'm not really one for just having music in the background. I like something I can concentrate on. It's almost like having a good workout. Stretching and flexing my mind and my hearing. It's beautiful.

Oh, and by the way, nothing beats a good groove. Grooves are something everyone can feel.

 

[AfAiRJudgEmenT]

I will listen to anything technical. Classic, Jazz, all those types of music where music is well thought out and executed is what I like the best. I've been a big metal fan for a while because Metal, especially from overseas, is very well thought out. I'm convinced that Metal has a majority of the best guitar players in the world.

I'm sorry, just with this pop culture of Britney Spears, Rap, and crappy arse Rock bands that repeat the same beats over and over again and rely on catchy chorus to suck you in just doesn't appeal to me. When I would flip on MTV I see they same garbage rehashed over and over. When I listen to music I want something that will hold my attention and take me on an emotional trip, and the popular music now adays doesn't do that for me.

Metal, for my money, is the best music out there. Sure, it's a majority of what I listen to, but that in part is why I think it's so good.

 

[squarenothing66]

Originally posted by NAD
As we all know, not all metal is talented, complex music.

Take Dark Funeral as an example...

Classical is VERY good music to listen to when you want to go to sleep... Oh, can't forget Peter Frampton Live in Detroit either!

 

[Ermz]

I don't understand what you people mean about metal lyrics being mundane compared to folk lyrics... my parents have a bunch of tapes of old Bosnian folk songs and the lyrics are stupid, cheesy singer-songwriter kinda stuff, absolutely no intricacy.

Also, lately I've been discovering different kinds of music... namely Flamenco, which for the most part is alot harder to perform than metal, as more than not you'll hear 2 melodies being played at once, rhythm being played as well as lead on the one guitar, and odd Spanish rhythms.

I agree that you shouldn't restrict yourself to one style of music, because it can fast get boring since the metal world isn't filled entirely with interesting bands like Opeth. But for the most part, I think I'm gonna stay a metal man... the arrangements, the energy, just the whole look and 'feel' of the metal genre suits me the most... the shredding, the emotion, the powerchords, the screaming, the growling, the soft singing it's just my kind of music. Aside from that though I'll always be willing to try out different forms of music (especially if its metal crossed with some other genre).

 

[Sullen Jester]

Some people merely look to be entertained, rather than amazed or willing to jump into an in depth thing.. or just shun it.

 

[Duvall]

Metal fans tend to be "long-term". They pick bands and stick with them. Some people stay with the same bands and albums for years, others will drift, but always be willing to give everything a listen.

They don't want disposable trendy music.

It was mentioned above about respecting music but not necessarily like it. That's something I see a lot - when I tell my co-workers that I'm going to a progressive death metal show, and it's my favourite band, they all sort of stare at me. They can't even contemplate comprehending the music, it's so offensive and different. They shut out any thought of it. (from observation)

It saddens me to see anyone ignorant of the three things I hold sacred in music (which I suppose in turn reflects on my whole life since music is so important to me, as I know it is for many of you): Talent, Artistry, and Integrity.

Sometimes I give in and listen to something a little devoid, but I utterly reject commercial overplayed machine-created mush.

got a little carried away..

But hey, I love so much music I don't feel bad hating so much more!

On any given day, I'll listen to.. Don Ross, Massive Attack, Pink Floyd, Aphex Twin, OPETH, 311, the Beatles, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Chopin, and on and on (my list of mp3s at work is extensive to kill the dead time)


..more on this later..

 

[YaYo]

Metal is simply one of the good genres, as soon as you get past commercial crap in any genre you get good stuff. Jazz and classical are also amazing, and i'd suggest had better technical ability than metal (metal may have faster musicians, but not better musicians... ).

Metal isnt perfect, all genres have their strong and weak points. It works great for some stuff, yet fails miserably at other stuff. My favourite metal at the moment is stuff that borrows heavily from folk, jazz, prog rock and classical...

But please dont compare metal to pop, they are both seeking to do very different things... metal should be compared to other genres which arent just about commercial success. And when that's done its quite evident its just another genre of music... it has its place, it has its skills, but so do other genres.

 

[mindflesh]

My thoughts:
The overall style in Metal is very different from, for example, hip hop: There is so much crappy hiphop and r'n'b with lyrics about cars and girls and how cool the rappers are - and the music is just as bland. The better bands in metal and rock have totally different values and thus a totally different target audience. It all depends on what you are looking for in music. I can see why you can easily miss the point in Death Metal just as I miss the point in most of the mtv-hiphop/r'n'b. It depends on the listener.

I feel in Metal there is (at least lyrics-wise and concept-wise) more fantasy and a general tendency to escape reality than in most other genres. And that is perhaps one of the reasons why I like Metal so much.

 

[Duvall]

Even within hip-hop you'll find artists who have talent (it's not that easy to rap effectively), artistry and integrity.

Most of the mainstream rappers are just shyte though.

I can recommend The Pocket Dwellers. They're basically a jazz band with intelligent rap overtop. (live drums, bass and guitar)

My landlord's brother (who lives here and is in my apt. a lot) is VERY good at freestyling. I'll put on Portishead, and he'll just be making shit up the whole time. Some nights he's better than others (and it depends on how stoned he is, of course), but on the whole he has the talent to match words to a beat, do off-beat timings and somewhat complex rhyme schemes. I'll tell you this: I don't know anyone else who can do it as well as he can, so I suppose that qualifies as talent.

Not sure where I was going with that..

gotta go cook breakfast for my gf's family

 

[poptartofdeath]

There is excellent rap out there. Jurassic 5, MC Frontalot (Nerdcore..HILARIOUS...), Common. I think Common is the only rap/trip hop band I've heard that's heavily enfluenced by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. It's strange.

 

[CERVEZA]

I've been listening to metal for many years, and even though I listen to other stuff, nothing compares to it. I'm glad that there's other types of music, but metal forever.
I get the looks all the time, specially since I play it loud,but I can careless

 

[thebigfish]

IMO the biggest drawback in metal music is that its composers write riffs, separated pieces - instead of songs. different parts must be sewn together naturally in order to create songs with a unified feeling in it. i mean: i could name my favorite opeth-riffs, but i can't name my favorite opeth songs because opeth doesn't write songs (apart from the non-metal stuff like benighted and harvest). i could dig into fundamental musical theory right now, but... who would care... i'd rather turn in now.