Why is "Metal" constantly being bashed by "real" musicians?

[Rocky McDougall]

I think part of the problem is that a lot of what is now called "metal" has evolved into just playing loud and fast with no real substance. Many of today's "metal" bands have lead singers who just scream with no sense of melody. The guitar players, bass players and drummers just want to play as fast as possible.

I think Rockmusician covered it quite well. When you can't distinguish one player from the others, how can you judge their musicianship. When you can't understand a word that a screaming vocalist sings, why have lyrics? The object of the band is to excite the audience and throw them into a frenzy.
I know some love it. Personally, I think it is pointless. As much as I hate Rap, at least I can hear some music hidden there somewhere.
Rocky

 

[ANEVILSPAR7AN]

Those are all very good points, I myself am in a metal band, but I use disco patterns mixed with the complexity of jazz, and I don't play at anything above 240 bpm, most of my bands stuff resides at about 100 bpm on average, including tempo changes. The reason I play metal? I grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and Rob Zombie, and then I discovered SOAD and Metallica on my own, they were my main insperation for playing bass and guitar, plus when I get stressed, I can blow off some steam without making my playing sound horrible, because metal is an aggressive genre, If I played jazz primarily, I wouldn't be able to keap my temper in check, it is just too mellow for me, but I like listening to it. I listen to funk, disco, punk, jazz, metal, and some weird stuff, so I consider myself well rounded, I just need to learn to play it all, so I hope you all can see why I play metal. Not trying to bash anyone, I just wanted to get my point across

 

[BrianVengeance]

I think Rockmusician covered it quite well. When you can't distinguish one player from the others, how can you judge their musicianship. When you can't understand a word that a screaming vocalist sings, why have lyrics? The object of the band is to excite the audience and throw them into a frenzy.
I know some love it. Personally, I think it is pointless. As much as I hate Rap, at least I can hear some music hidden there somewhere.
Rocky

The same could be said for any genre... with thousands of guitarists wanting to play like SRV, how can you tell any blues act from the other? Why bother having lyrics if they're only saying "if the house is a'rockin' / don't bother knockin / come right on in"? The purpose of that song is to excite the audience and throw them into a frenzy.

People just get down differently, but they're still getting down. That's what music is about!

Metal vocals are no doubt an acquired taste - you either love them, hate them, appreciate them or some combination of the three.

 

[El-Bob]

I think Rockmusician covered it quite well. When you can't distinguish one player from the others, how can you judge their musicianship. When you can't understand a word that a screaming vocalist sings, why have lyrics? The object of the band is to excite the audience and throw them into a frenzy.
I know some love it. Personally, I think it is pointless. As much as I hate Rap, at least I can hear some music hidden there somewhere.
Rocky

This is one of the problems that comes up. people say "all they do is play as fast as they can, and you can't understand it anyway". Well, if you have a problem with people playing fast, i guess there's not much i can say about that... they're (the good bands, i know there are some awful ones out there) playing with amazing technique at these speeds. perfect sixteenths at 240+ bpm, and doing a lot of extremely complex patterns. If it's not your thing, that's cool, but the truth is that there's far more too it than just "playing as fast as you can".
As for not being able to understand it... well, you probably can't, because you haven't developed an ear for it. Throw the fastest most technical band you can think of at me, and i can clearly distinguish between both guitars (assuming there's 2), the bass (assuming there's bass to be heard... that's a whole other topic tough) and the drums.
I really believe that extreme metal is an acquired taste, and I believe that because I can look back to a time when I would have bashed it and used the same criticisms. the problem was that I didn't actually understand what I was hearing.

 

[Wild_Cat]

I prefer music wherein rests are as important as notes.

There's one good reason why a lot of people bash metal: they don't really know it.

See, this statement indicates that there's a lot of metal (most "extreme" kinds, from the nastiest thrash to black/death) you would clearly hate, and I can't blame you for that.

However, it also means that you could like a lot of progressive, symphonic or funk metal. Here, have some prog:

YouTube - ‪Dream Theater - Scene Six: Home‬‏

Nice and melodic, with tons of dynamics, and not even that fast. Yeah, 12 minutes, too -- that's how Dream Theater roll

The idea that all metal is non-stop blastbeats and sixteenth power chords with no dynamics at all is just plain wrong.

Metal is, in fact, the only genre that I know of (perhaps classical, too) that can claim to be as varied as jazz. And like jazz, it requires an initial investment to get into. It sounds weird at first, it's rarely -- if ever -- on TV and radio, it's decried by "moral guardians" as the spawn of the devil, and there's an absurd lot of it.

I understand why some (mostly males) in their teens and twenties like metal. That a subset of them never move on is somewhat mystifying (to me).

I suspect that if you tried to explore some of its less-brutal subgenres (prog, symphonic, maybe some eighties heavy like Iron Maiden), you would understand. Heck, who knows, you might even find that you like some of it.

(for that matter, I'm certain there's a lot of metalheads on that forum -- me included -- that would be willing to recommend some bands to start with in [insert subgenre here])

 

[BrianVengeance]

The Faceless - Planetary Duality II
YouTube - ‪The Faceless- Planetary Duality II (A Prophecies Fruition)‬‏

One of the few extreme bands that appreciates pauses, time signature changes, and can throw down a *gasp* groove when the music calls for it.

(retreats to internet-proof bunker)

 

[Jhengsman]

For the same reasons that Hip Hop (with live instruments, not samples of others work..) gets bashed. They are both at extreme ends of the musical spectrum on the bell curve of musical tastes.

I did not know Metal was bashed around here until I opened this thread. This is the first I have heard of Hip Hop being based on TB also although on (especially acoustic) guitar boards they get all sorts of grief.

You want to see bashing then type in Smooth Jazz, it doesn't matter if their roots come from Jazz Funk and Jazz Rock Fusion they are bashed all the same.

 

[zachoff]

...That a subset of them never move on is somewhat mystifying (to me).

Good music is good music, regardless of label.

 

[Southpaw5]

I prefer music wherein rests are as important as notes. However, I don't bash metal. QUOTE]

one of the most important aspects in good metal is the stops, without them it would only be noise. So really your point here is moot

 

[Ric5]

Why is "Metal" constantly being bashed by "real" musicians?

It can be very one dimensional.
It can be non-melodic.
It can be downright unpleasant to listen to.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I ask this on every "why don't you like metal" threads (and there have been many): Why do you care what folks like??? Isn't that the very essence of "Being metal" - indifference or hostility toward others?

 

[metalguy2]

I think it is just generally easier to pick on metal. It has been mentioned a couple times already that the genre is really easy to get into and you do not need to have a lot of talent or work ethic to pull it off.

Each member in the band can easily cover the slop of another member.

But since metal has such close ties to punk rock I don't think that will ever go away completely. No matter how many technical bands there are or how tight the genre as a whole is.

A funk band has to be tight or it just doesn't work. Same with Jazz, Big Band, RnB, etc...


That being said though. I pour my heart into this stuff. I practice as much as time will allow me too and the only thing I have a real desire for is to be in a loud, fast, heavy (note choice too), and most of all.. TIGHT metal band.


(see Despised Icon, Revocation)

 

[El-Bob]

Why is "Metal" constantly being bashed by "real" musicians?

It can be very one dimensional.
It can be non-melodic.
It can be downright unpleasant to listen to.

All of these statements are equally true of every other genre of music.

I ask this on every "why don't you like metal" threads (and there have been many): Why do you care what folks like??? Isn't that the very essence of "Being metal" - indifference or hostility toward others?

This thread is approaching the issue from a strictly musical perspective as far as i can tell, and your point is more philosophical. It doesn't matter to me whether people "like" it or not, it's whether they respect it as a legitimate form of music which consists of high levels of musicianship.

I think it is just generally easier to pick on metal. It has been mentioned a couple times already that the genre is really easy to get into and you do not need to have a lot of talent or work ethic to pull it off.

Each member in the band can easily cover the slop of another member.

But since metal has such close ties to punk rock I don't think that will ever go away completely. No matter how many technical bands there are or how tight the genre as a whole is.

A funk band has to be tight or it just doesn't work. Same with Jazz, Big Band, RnB, etc...


That being said though. I pour my heart into this stuff. I practice as much as time will allow me too and the only thing I have a real desire for is to be in a loud, fast, heavy (note choice too), and most of all.. TIGHT metal band.


(see Despised Icon, Revocation)

Most of those statements aren't true, sorry. Yeah, there's some crappy, sloppy metal bands, as there are crappy, sloppy bands in any style. that's just a result of being too lazy to practice.
As a general rule, metal musicians play more precisely, more cleanly, and more technically than most other genres, and as far as technical proficiency is concerned, metal is probably the only style or music to rival jazz (imo/ime).

Edit: Metalguy2, I really like that last statement you made about being in a loud, fast, heavy, tight metal band. there's really nothing quite like it, eh?

 

[ShredderMaximus]

I love metal, some of you don't. Bite me. We don't need you anyways.

Metal is so diverse that if you pick all the things you don't like with one band, you can find another band that is the complete polar opposite.

-And furthermore, I love songs about killing, Satan, and drug use.
-I love double bass that seems to "blend all songs into one" to the untrained ear
-I don't think lyrics have to be discernible to relay a message or feeling. (In this day and age, its all been said before, we just choose to say it differently)
-And I think bashing because its "too fast" is just lame. Speed is a tool. Sometimes we use it, sometimes we don't. (though being a thrasher myself, I LOVE it.)
-Metal isn't primarily driven by a message, its driven by feeling. Either you feel it, or don't. This is why I could listen to Yngwie Malmsteen, to Venom (notorious musical underachievers), to Death, back to back. They all approach their music differently, and I love em all.

I honestly haven't seen too much bashing here in TB other than obvious trolls trying to rile us up, which I'll admit isn't that hard to do. But its because as metal-heads we love our music dearly, and its ingrained in who we are, in our souls. Once you really make that initial connection, its like a drug, the rush I STILL get when I put on a great Slayer or Iron Maiden record I've heard billions of times is proof of that.

If all this is "ridiculous" to you, I feel bad for you. But not in a condescending way, but in a way where I wonder if your musical preference does the same for you. Metals gotten me through alot of hard times, and been there through all of the good, and I don't see myself tiring of it anytime soon.

Rock on my fellow scumbags, rock on!

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

Metal and punk rock music is typically stereotyped with being appealing to angry/alienated teenagers. Some of us who started out wanting to play it move on to other things, or the angry inspiration of the music runs out of gas. I still enjoy metal music for what it is. I have noticed as I get older I find the message of the music a bit comical, which makes it more entertaining to listen to.
I have also found that a lot of "metal musicians" can be snobby in their own right. What I mean by snobby is, They are sometimes way to hung up on image perception or being too damned serious.
I think there could be crumby musicians found in any genre of music. It could be percieved by other musicians as sub standard music because they just dont understand it. I'd like to think that it has inspired a lot of kids to pic up an instrument, versus being career criminals.

 

[zachoff]

Rock on my fellow scumbags, rock on!

Yes.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Metal is meant to be underground and underestimated. I like it this way.

 

[El-Bob]

Metal and punk rock music is typically stereotyped with being appealing to angry/alienated teenagers. Some of us who started out wanting to play it move on to other things, or the angry inspiration of the music runs out of gas. I still enjoy metal music for what it is. I have noticed as I get older I find the message of the music a bit comical, which makes it more entertaining to listen to.
I have also found that a lot of "metal musicians" can be snobby in their own right. What I mean by snobby is, They are sometimes way to hung up on image perception or being too damned serious.
I think there could be crumby musicians found in any genre of music. It could be percieved by other musicians as sub standard music because they just dont understand it. I'd like to think that it has inspired a lot of kids to pic up an instrument, versus being career criminals.

I agree with this.

 

[zachoff]

I have also found that a lot of "metal musicians" can be snobby in their own right. What I mean by snobby is, They are sometimes way to hung up on image perception or being too damned serious.

This can be said of any musician in any genre. I've found that musicians that are actively trying to "make it" are far more serious and into image than those are just out there having fun & it's not just in metal... It's everywhere.

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

This can be said of any musician in any genre. I've found that musicians that are actively trying to "make it" are far more serious and into image than those are just out there having fun & it's not just in metal... It's everywhere.

You are correct sir. There is snobbery in all camps of musicians.
I will say being serious about something and being over the top silly is a thin line.
I consider any person who puts forth the effort to practice anything (football, bass guitar, jump roping) for hours to learn and expand their knowledge on doing it to be serious. All that shows a dedication to something.
On the other hand there are extremes of seriousness (extreme dress, or attitudes) that I find quite silly.