What defines "Metal"?

Goober

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Dec 20, 2004
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is it lots of distortion? the speed? technicality? Sabbath was one of the first metal bands, yet now days the similaries are so different from metal back then...so what makes a band metal?
 
Metal is almost always guitar driven music with the melodies in the guitars rather than the vocals. Speed and technicality are irrelevant. Song structures are usually more complex and chord choices are less traditional. Double bass drumming is found in all sub-genres of metal, but almost never outside of metal or heavy prog (Rush, etc.) There must be some degree of heavy distortion in the guitars.
 
"Very loud, brash rock music, often with shouted, violent lyrics."
wow, dictionary.com is a little subjective, no?

To me it's just a dark atmosphere feeling I get from the music. I'd say it's about the things you mentioned but I still get a "metal" feeling from stuff like Opeth's mellow songs.
 
Saber Rider said:
You can't describe or define it, you have to feel it man.
as much as i'd like to write a paragraph as to what metal IS, i think this is it. been wondering a lot lately what differentiates contemporary rock from metal. they're almost interchangeable, excluding the extreme subgenres
 
Take a quick look at this thread for some additional info.. I actually changet the origonal theme of the thread about 1/2 way through to ask the exact same question as your thread....aka "What exactly IS metal anyway?"... basically.

Ok, then.

Out.:flame:
 
I think it's very subjective, but if there's one thing we can agree on, I think it's that metal is heavier than the norm.

personally, I find metal very soothing and relaxing. I find beautiful atmospheres in certain types of metal such as Opeth or other progressive metal bands. I find technicality, fast riffing, extreme musicianship, combination of different genres, and most of all brilliant composition.

To some metal is just noise, to me, it's beauty.
 
Heavy metal can not be described in definite musical terms. There will always be heavy metal that exists outside of any musical definition you can come up with.

Of course, half of the new LotFP is all about this very topic. *plug plug*
 
Alternative 3 said:
mostly male thing, usually anger or fear of being wronged or let down in some form. Questioning authority and dealing with the dark side of life, form a mostly immature and misunderstood genre.
that could also be used to describe punk or hiphop :loco:
 
MasterOLightning said:
Metal is almost always guitar driven music with the melodies in the guitars rather than the vocals. Speed and technicality are irrelevant. Song structures are usually more complex and chord choices are less traditional. Double bass drumming is found in all sub-genres of metal, but almost never outside of metal or heavy prog (Rush, etc.) There must be some degree of heavy distortion in the guitars.


so you feel a band like judas priest...easily in the top 5 metal bands of all time...isnt melodically driven by vocals, just by the guitars?


i ask you this....have you ever heard judas priest?
 
I'd say it more along the lines of a chemical element such as copper or iron that is usually solid in form, is usually a good conductor of heat and electricity, is malleable and ductile, and has a characteristic luster
 
i always heard that metal based around classical music, so i decided to find out, i got one of my teachers to play at the gates on the piano(slaughter of the soul) and it sounded like classical music to me. but i like it when bands push the boundarys.
 
Botfly said:
I'd say it more along the lines of a chemical element such as copper or iron that is usually solid in form, is usually a good conductor of heat and electricity, is malleable and ductile, and has a characteristic luster
:lol:

a transitional element
 
The closest to a definetion i've ever heard is, that the bass and the drums are much bigger part of the sound picture then i "normal" rock.. and then yes, it's very much the feeling i believe as well.