What makes it METAL ???

[Tonka Time]

i made this thread after readin posts in some of the threads about nu-metal, slipknot, and hardcore.

i think before you can say a band isnt metal you need to know what makes a band metal.

so i want to hear what everyone thinks has to be in music to make it metal.

 

[thisisaformicatable]

Metal: A subgenre of rock started by Black Sabbath and consisting of bands who trace the majority of their influences back to them.

 

[Attilio II]

I've been waiting for this follow up

lyrically, it most often deals with either cruel realities we dismiss or ignore, or the unknown, bizarre aspects of reality... to sum up a whole lot

musically, 90% of scales used consist of Bb m, Db m, D m, & Eb m, (or harmonic minor for any).

and lots of 6/8
32nd blast beats
tritones

and shit-pants shouting

 

[Aerhalev]

I dont really know about the technical music explanation of metal...,
but i think you know just by listening,
I think the hardest part is to know What KIND of metal you are listening too...
At this point there are so many names I have no idea how to use them anymore... i'd like to see a nice classification if someone has a good idea of them...

 

[King Richard]

jesus
titty
fucking
christ


IBL

 

[Hatebreeder]

You can't really call a band metal unless you...feel it. Oozing out of their music. There's no real definition to metal (other than basic characteristics like downtuned guitars, thick distortion, and usually a high level of virtuosity), but a seasoned metalhead can often tell whether a band is metal or not by their overall sound.

 

[paranoidmexican009]

what makes it metal? BALLS. it's gotta grab you by the balls (or tits/vagina, for the female metalheads)

 

[thisisaformicatable]

Any attempt to define metal using technical characteristics is hopeless. There are hardly any aural qualities that apply to all metal. Example:

...basic characteristics like downtuned guitars, thick distortion, and usually a high level of virtuosity...

Downtuned guitars are hardly a rule in metal, I would wager that a huge portion, perhaps a majority, use standard tuning. Virtuosity is another thing that varies greatly from one subgenre to another. Even thick distortion doesn't apply solely to metal, and certainly not to all metal.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

real metal has attitude, real metal has rebellion, real metal does not have crybaby fairy singing parts in the songs mixed with pathetic wimp growls.

 

[paranoidmexican009]

real metal has attitude, real metal has rebellion, real metal does not have crybaby fairy singing parts in the songs mixed with pathetic wimp growls.

how could i forget that?! man i suck :zombie:

 

[Mort Divine]

I think it is doing metal a disservice as a standalone genre by calling it a subgenre of rock, which it really isn't.

 

[thisisaformicatable]

I think it is doing metal a disservice as a standalone genre by calling it a subgenre of rock, which it really isn't.

Why not?

 

[Mort Divine]

It would be the same thing as calling rock blues, metal has evolved to the mount where it is no longer really able to be called rock. I don't think a band such as Sunn or Anaal Nathrakh can legitimately be called "rock" bands.

 

[thisisaformicatable]

That's why we call them "metal." The fact that our little rock subgenre has evolved in a far different direction than other rock music doesn't change where we trace its roots back to.

 

[Gold]

in my opinion

metal is metal if it is heavy. i think thats the only thing that really matters to call something "metal"

 

[rfe]

Metal is Metal if it's simply put, Metal. There's no other way to explain it other than what Attillo II said.

 

[hibernal_dream]

God damn it. We went through this in the Slipknot thread. And don't comment if you know nothing about music, which it seems applies for everyone in this thread so far.

 

[entanglement]

metal is metal if it is heavy. i think thats the only thing that really matters to call something "metal"

.

 

[NinjaGeek]

in my opinion

metal is metal if it is heavy. i think thats the only thing that really matters to call something "metal"

I have to disagree with this. There are some hard rock bands that are heavier than certain metal bands(mostly older metal or power metal), and there's techno music that can be really heavy also. But that by no means makes these genres metal.

 

[wagontrain]

There have been a lot of really bad/ignorant responses and not a single decent attempt at a definition of metal in this thread.

Metal is not a sub-genre of anything. Period. Evolving out of a genre does not equal sub-genre status. If you believe that, you know nothing about music.

Metal cannot be defined by lyrical themes. Period. No musical genre can be.

Metal cannot be defined by its influences. Again, no musical genre can be.

Also: Metal isn't defined by being heavy, technical skill, vocal style, or what chords are used.