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Jazz metal?

#25
Bassist4Life said:
Could we lump "jazz metal" into fusion?

Joe
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Not with the examples provided at least. The list of bands I see on here have a very very minor influence of jazz. DEP? Jazz Metal? They have a few breaks where the guitarists turn of their distortion and use an odd chord or two... not really jazz metal. But none of these bands are fusion really. Weather Report... Ephel Duath? Nah.
 
#26
Matt Till said:
Not with the examples provided at least. The list of bands I see on here have a very very minor influence of jazz. DEP? Jazz Metal? They have a few breaks where the guitarists turn of their distortion and use an odd chord or two... not really jazz metal. But none of these bands are fusion really. Weather Report... Ephel Duath? Nah.
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"Odd chords" make up the majority of their songs, though. If you listen carefully, their jazz influence is pretty prominent all throughout DEP's music--even the heavy parts.
-Alex
p.s. I wouldn't say fusions the right word. Although fusion's meant to describe a cross between two distinct genres, these days most people associate it with the funk/jazz kind of stuff like Weather Report and such. The bands that we've listed here definitely don't belong in that category.
 
#28
Naturekev said:
+1. I can't count the number of times someone has played something for me that starts with great instrumental arrangements, and just when I think it's something I could really get into, the screaming starts. :rollno: Just not my cup of tea, to put it kindly.:scowl:
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I totally understand where you're coming from. Hove, I'd say that while it's not exactly a style I excel at death metal vocals have their place, even within melody (see: Opeth, et al). After all, singing (and music in general, for goshsakes) conveys emotion- so isn't it easy to see death vocals as a feasible means for expressing anger in a given composition?

I think so.
 
#31
MaskedJackal said:
After all, singing (and music in general, for goshsakes) conveys emotion- so isn't it easy to see death vocals as a feasible means for expressing anger in a given composition?

I think so.
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Personally, I don't find anger to be very entertaining. Especially at stun volume, with screaming. :rolleyes:
 
#35
The very idea of "jazz metal" is at once extremely offensive and an oxymoron. Jazz swings. Jazz has sweet harmony and instrumentation. Metal is all power chords, and even if they did try to play chords with 7ths, it would be all distorted and all the power of a well-voiced chord would go out the window. And swing 8ths in metal? It goes against what the whole metal genre is all about, lock-step thuddathuddathudda BS. Just the thought of Parker or Coltrane lines in the middle of gained-out mud and double-bass drum rigidity makes me shudder in horror.
 
#36
Snarf said:
... Just the thought of Parker or Coltrane lines in the middle of gained-out mud and double-bass drum rigidity makes me shudder in horror.
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Really? It gets me off. Time to plug my own band!

Link Removed

Oh, that was cheeky. I think we go okay, though, especially with our new drummer who swings like a mofo and knows Wayne Shorter's entire life back to front.
 
#37
Snarf said:
The very idea of "jazz metal" is at once extremely offensive and an oxymoron. Jazz swings. Jazz has sweet harmony and instrumentation. Metal is all power chords, and even if they did try to play chords with 7ths, it would be all distorted and all the power of a well-voiced chord would go out the window. And swing 8ths in metal? It goes against what the whole metal genre is all about, lock-step thuddathuddathudda BS. Just the thought of Parker or Coltrane lines in the middle of gained-out mud and double-bass drum rigidity makes me shudder in horror.
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There's plenty of metal that swings and utilizes jazz concepts. It's not a headbanger plugging in a Flying V and shredding an obscured version of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat."

I think you're stereotyping metal to a high degree. While I'd agree that most metal on MTV indulges in lame chugga-chugga riffs, overproduced vocals, and doublebassery, such is not always the case throughout every genre. And let me tell you, there's not a lot.

As for a metal band with swinging, go listen to Coroner's "Punishment for Decadence." More specifically, the song "Masked Jackal," which is my usernamesake, has a lot of jazz in it. A very bluesy solo, a swung verse riff, and a blues bass fill for a few bars. Sure, it's also a very technical thrash song, but looking into music for influences is better than dismissing them entirely, isn't it?
 

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