What do you think about Iconoclast?

[Progbass]

If the bass is playing in the same octave as the guitars, there really is no difference between the two. Bass is pointless in this scenario.

There is not any rule that bass should always play 1 octave lower than the guitars. Bass is never pointless in any scenario if the bass tone is set different from the guitar tone(more lower frequencies, less distortion, etc).

But yea most often in meshuggah's case the bass just seems to be a tool to add punch and depth to that "wall of sound".

 

[Pamonha]

I've seen Meshuggah's guitarist say a couple of times that he doesn't know about these wierd times people "throw" on them like they're pioneers or genious about it, it's just a 4/4 mark with a wierd riff time that 90% of the time repeats based on the same 4/4 that the cymbals are counting.

I've heard them a lot but it really gets tired. That's why I agree with stormbringer, I really like the part in lords of chaos specially because it's a one time tool and fits the song title and structure in a interesting manner. But hearing 10 albums with that stuff van get a bit.. annoying

 

[Kenneth R.]

There is not any rule that bass should always play 1 octave lower than the guitars. Bass is never pointless in any scenario if the bass tone is set different from the guitar tone(more lower frequencies, less distortion, etc).

isn't that the same thing?

 

[AsoTamaki]

That could make some sense if Meshuggah only had one guitarist, but no. They have two guitarists and a bassist all playing the same notes at the same time. It's ridiculous. There's actually so much potential in having two 8-stringed guitars and a 5 string bass in one band yet they barely use any of the wide range of sound that configuration could provide.

 

[Marwen]

isn't that the same thing?

Not exactly. Two instruments can be playing in the same pitch yet, due to different timbre, can have a different enough frequency response allowing them to mix together with no problems. Example: piano + string ensemble. But yeah, there definitely is a correlation between pitch and frequency response.

I personally don't find the idea of electric guitars and bass playing at the same pitch very appealing. Perhaps if you're looking for a thick unidimensional sound, but not if you're aiming for a "big" sound.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Right, I shouldn't have said "same". But you get my point across well

 

[PHammill]

Iconoclast is very revolutionary... Riffs amazing... Vocals outstanding... Drums perfect... Lyrics phenomenal... Production is divine...
It's different type of their work, but good as NMS, or Odyssey... Personally, I prefer Iconoclast over Odyssey and PL... (except Awakenings... perfect ballad!)
Russell is at his peak with this work, I think... Soon he'll be too old to sing songs like Reign in madness or Child of a Faceless God...

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

*Casually reading posts... ACCIDETNALLY SPITS COFFEE OUT AT SCREEN*

 

[donKyle]

I can't tell if that was serious or not. It also took me a few minutes to figure out what NMS was...

 

[Marwen]

but good as NMS

There is nothing good about Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome...

 

[Wander]

NMS is a bit like if you abbrevated Metallica's Black album "M".

 

[PurpleDink]

If you're going to use an 8 string guitar, you might as well just get an electric harp and be done with it.

I find this whole race of over-compression/who has the heaviest most "in your face" tone/who has the most strings in his guitar to be silly and unmusical.

Have to agree with this post and the one above. Tosin Abasi is the only 8 string guitarist i can think of that uses the range of an 8 string in a tasteful and creative way. The riffs you speak of seem very brainless to me as well. Maybe there is validity and we are becoming old farts? Maybe in 10 years it will be the norm and will speak to our children!

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

Hmmm... I think somebody should start playing a 16-string guitar. Like a 12-string, it would have the strings grouped in pairs (octaves), but set-up to play as an 8-string. (This probably exists already...)
Imagine the wall of sound that beast would output.

 

[Wander]

There's a twelve string bass too. That's pretty nuts.

 

[Frosties]

Hmmm... I think somebody should start playing a 16-string guitar. Like a 12-string, it would have the strings grouped in pairs (octaves), but set-up to play as an 8-string. (This probably exists already...)
Imagine the wall of sound that beast would output.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEwE0NUQJ2M&feature=related


10 string guitar, not grouped.

Proof that lots of strings does not equal quality.

 

[Wander]

I don't understand it. That song could probably be played with 4 strings. That being said, it's still better than Nightwish by a mile.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Hmmm... I think somebody should start playing a 16-string guitar. Like a 12-string, it would have the strings grouped in pairs (octaves), but set-up to play as an 8-string. (This probably exists already...)
Imagine the wall of sound that beast would output.

It'd be a great white noise generator.

 

[The Stormbringer]

A Gothic metal band playing a Madonna song on a ten-string guitar. Now I've seen everything.

 

[Liampie]

That being said, it's still better than Nightwish by a mile.

What's wrong with Nightwish, except for that the last three albums have more orchestra than band and the writer has become emo?

 

[donKyle]

I like 2 Nightwish albums: Once and Century Child.

And back on the topic of Iconoclast, I voted for End of Innocence, Heretic, Electric Messiah, and Reign in Madness for the poll thingy. I think Heretic would be cool live, and although a lot of people think Electric Messiah is filler, it's actually one of my favorites from the album. Hopefully we'll get to vote on stuff from every album, and they'll play some older stuff, because I don't want to hear a bunch of Iconoclast songs when I see them in Houston.