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Trying to like metal

#114
japhy4529 said:
Yep. And don't forget about Muzz Skillings (first LC bassist who played on the first two (highest selling) albums and an EP of live and unreleased tracks). Muzz is the man!
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To my ears, all the good songwriting happened when Muzz was in the band. I don't know if that is because he had a hand in it, or if they just ran out of ideas coincidentally at the time he left. Wimbish is probably the better bass player, but their music sounds more or less all the same since he joined.
 
#115
As someone who lived through the funk metal revolution circa 1988-91, I find myself cringing at almost every memory of the era that this thread has dug up for me: the tie-dye-and-board-shorts look that it popularized, the chili-pepper slapping that still endures today, the obligatory "wiki-wiki" that made it into every song, the fact that so many bands flirted with it. I remember feeling, for a brief moment (wearing my tie dye and board shorts) that no song could ever possibly rock harder than this one:


On the other hand, at that same moment, the Cro-Mags, who just a couple of years earlier had released one of the single finest hardcore albums in all of human history were busy doing this:
 
#117
Gorn said:
I like a lot of world and Latin music. I never much cared for metal and was looking for suggestions for what I might like based on what I know I like and dislike. I dislike too much distortion and guitar solos. Seems that rules out a lot.

As it turns out I'm really not a fan of anything suggested so far. Guess it's not for me. I appreciate everyone's input.
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Some people like "funk" because they appreciate the space in that music, even if they don't have that thought consciously. Quite a lot of metal has no space in it at all, and throwing a slap bassline into it doesn't make it sound any funkier.

I'm not necessarily recommending Alice in Chains as an answer to your question, but maybe to get you thinking along the "similar to..." lines. Their drummer, Sean Kinney, sounds to me like he could have played well in any genre he chose, and a song like "Man in the Box" does indeed leave a lot of space, which I like a lot.
 
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#118
Gorn said:
I'm looking to expand my musical horizons. I'm cool with the growling/screaming thing as long as it's not too high pitched. Distorti
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Gorn said:
I'm looking to expand my musical horizons. I'm cool with the growling/screaming thing as long as it's not too high pitched. Distortion is fine but I want to be able to discern individual bass notes. If a guitar solo lasts longer than 15 seconds I'm not interested. And maybe some funk influence? Is there any James Brown/Parliament Funkadelicish metal out there?
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There isn't a lot of funk or motown in Metal. The closest you might find are metal-ajacent alt rock bands like Faith No More, Primus, Incubus' first album, and some Nu Metal bands. The thing is that funk is generally more upbeat and that doesn't really fly in metal. The most upbeat is Power Metal, which is not groove oriented at all, or the get drunk\get laid\burn out glam metal of the 80s. The scene is a little melanin deficient, if you know what I mean.

As far as easing yourself into it, there are options, but it really depends what you look for in music. Give me some ideas of what you already listen to, or what interests you about the bands you already listen to. I will be your metal sommelier.
The best place to start is always Black Sabbath. The were the first, so everything is derived from them in one way or another. The first two albums are really dark blues albums. Master of Reality through Sabotage have more experimental tracks than people will give them credit for. Their last two with Ozzy are super dicey; very radio rock, with weird hints of new wave. After that they became a full blown "heavy metal band." Dio's albums are good. I don't hate Martin's albums, but I don't love them either.
If you like 70s style classic rock, bands like The Vintage Caravan, Graveyard, and Witchcraft are easy to get into. If you are a Blue Oyster Cult fan, Ghost is practically a tribute band.
If you are into prog rock at all, Opeth's last three albums have been straight up prog. They are a little boring for me, but they are more accessible than Opeth's earlier works.
There is a reason Metallica's Black Album still sells more than some new releases. It is a very simple album and easy to follow. Good riffs and memorable choruses. Again, it is a little bland for me, but even my wife likes it and she doesn't like metal.
Iron Maiden isn't for everyone, but Number of the Beast is one of the top 10 all time best metal albums.
If you feel like dipping your toes in the stoner\doom\desert world, The Sword is a great band. Mastodon is probably one of the most recognizable names in metal right now. Both have gone through huge changes over the years, so if one album doesn't grab you, move on to the next. Kyuss, Clutch, Red Fang, House of Broken Promises, Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, and Corrosion of Conformity are easy to get into. Khemmis is a band I'm really into right now, but they are super heavy and a little slow; clean vocals though.

Spotify is your best friend for finding music. You can just sift through every band, every album, every track. It also makes suggestions about similar bands. Failing that, YouTube the bands. 90% of the time there are full albums up there.
 
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