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Bands with instantly-recognizable signature sounds

#61
Boston has already been mentioned. Worth mentioning again.

Alice in Chains is another one. They have that slowish, heavy feel. I remember a couple years ago when a new AIC song got released on radio and as soon I heard like 3 notes I said to my brother, "I don't know who this is, but it sure sounds like Alice in Chains."
 
#62
Gojira for sure. Joe's vocals and guitar styles are both unique and easily recognizable. Marco's drumming as well.

Also,
Opeth,
Anaal Nathrakh,
Baroness,
Devin Townsend,
Ihsahn,
Ghost,
Leprous,
Melechesh,
Ne Obliviscaris,
Slugdge,
System of a Down,
to add some more metal to the list.
 
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#65
warwicktor said:
How about Mastodon? I know their sound within about 5 seconds...
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That guitar tone of theirs is pretty distinctive to me, and the bass with heavy fuzz and/or chorus also adds to it a lot. Definitely a recognizable sound - "Oblivion" is one example that sticks out to me.

Personally, dunno if anyone has said this yet or not, but Soundgarden had a pretty distinctive sound that's in most of their songs (though their songs don't all sound the same by any stretch).
 
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#70
I was listening to Velvet Revolver's 'Slither' when it first came out, and I wasn't aware of their story or lineup, and when the guitar solo came in I said, "Man, someone's doing their best Slash impersonation for this one."

So I guess Slash.

(Not technically a band but I don't care)
 
#71
garp said:
Over time, some artists and bands become known for certain sounds on their recordings. I'm not referring to musical styles like dual guitar harmonies from groups like The Allman Brothers Band or Boston, or to one-time wonders like the reverse guitar lead on The Beatles "I'm Only Sleeping" (from 1966's Revolver), but rather to specific, unique sounds that helped to define the band. In other words, if you were a contestant on "Name That Tune," you'd instantly be able to name the band just by hearing a second or two of that signature sound.

I first became aware of this phenomenon through listening to Pink Floyd. Richard Wright's "Piano through Leslie" sound on the opening of "Echoes" (from 1971's Meddle) is probably the best example. The sound also appeared sparingly later in other Floyd recordings.



There's also a sound that repeatedly shows up in recordings by Genesis and its progeny. I can only describe it as a "roaring dinosaur"-type sound. For example, it's on "No Son of Mine" (from 1991's We Can't Dance) and on Peter Gabriel's "Darkness" (from 2002's Us).




I'd be interested in learning about other bands or artists known for their "signature sounds."
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Other bands that I think are recognisable include Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Dead Can Dance and solo artists such as Brian Eno and Kate Bush, although the latter is as much the singing and production.
 
#74
Between the Buried and Me gets my vote. They have a very unique blend of soaring melodies, melancholy intros, chugging riffs and Tom Waits-esque oddity. I recommend listening to the song below from "Glide" (pretty much the intro song).

Their bass player Dan Briggs also has a very easily recognisable bass tone. Unusually clean for the genre, but that just makes it all the better, as it really manages to fill out the sound well.
 
#76
Used to be Meshuggah until their style and sound got reduced to a dumbed-down genre template ("binary tab") that apparently any new metal band tries their hand on at one point in their career.

That's quite the accomplishment, to be the unwilling originator of a genre of which most bands sound the same. Well, to be honest you can say that about other genres too, so...
 
#80
I think Billy Talent deserves a special mention. The merit's more probably on Ian Dsa's hands, you can hear the band even without Ben's characteristic vocals and still have a STRONG personality.



The guy's really humble about it but I've watched this band several times (some of them from onstage) and I must say he's one of the most technical, cleanest and most creative drop D players I've seen doing sorta' "mainstream" rock music.





Ian D'Sa, one of my fave modern day (and all time) guitar players, SO underrated.
 

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