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

#61
Rockmusician said:
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 enjoy older metal such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. As for today's metal, I can do without it.
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Good point. And there are so many metal bands out there that do not fall into this category, but they are instantly lumped in with the crap.
 
#62
Yea I'm kinda lost on the whole metal sub-genre thing. I don't really know what's metal and whats not anymore...I mean there's thrash and hair and death and doom and stoner and yada yada...either I like it or I don't. Same as everything else really...I like some jazz, and don't like some jazz, etc...

I will say that if the singer sounds like he had a bowl of razor blades for breakfast...i'm out on it....
 
#65
PS:

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#66
Because they fill your ears with uneeded sound mostimes...and i am a metal lover but i am also a rock and fusion and funk and r&b fan. Most new (metal) artists use bass a tool for filling your ears with just enough low end for it not to sound odd. But dont get me wrong, there are plenty new artists who put their bass to good use. Just metal bassists these days are often a dime a dozen... :hmm:
 
#68
im not saying they really are a dime a dozen, just ONLY to those who dont appreciate them as much as theyre due. -saying this- meaning many metal bassist are underappreciated, therefore, incompetent. and id never pick up a guitar over a bass even if the bass has no strings...
 
#74
fishtx said:
I will say that if the singer sounds like he had a bowl of razor blades for breakfast...i'm out on it....
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That's more than okay. I just ask that you respect that as a vocal style and not dismiss it like some people are in this thread. There are hundreds of techniques and methods to screaming, just like singing, and there are just as many vocalists who scream with passion as there are without, just like in every form of music. There are also hundreds of vocalists that can both scream and sing incredibly well, just as there are as many who can only do one well.
 
#75
There was a comparison earlier to funk or jazz musicians not needing to defend their genres, and I have 2 issues with this. I have many friends in the NYU jazz scene, and they are all constantly griping about the underappreciation of jazz, even in one of the biggest jazz cities in the world.

And I'd say the other place that comparison doesn't hold water is the element of respect. People may dislike jazz, but few people disrespect jazz. It's always, "well I can't necessarily enjoy it, but I respect the skill and musicianship". But well played metal (not scene kid deathcore or uber low fi bm or other poor representation of the genre) requires just as much technical skill and theory knowledge as the best jazz players.

Some examples would be Opeth, Intronaut, Krallice, Mastodon, Symphony X, Revocation. Even some bands like say Messhugah and Cannibal Corpse I don't care for their music but I respect what they do.

I also love some balls to the wall metal that's just fun and might not be super technical but is still awesome. High on Fire, Baroness, others come to mind. And even these bands have well above average musicianship.
 
#79
Real musicians don't bash metal. Blacksmiths bash metal.

Really, who cares? When I listenend to a lot of metal, I had friends who swore that if your band had more than 5 fans, you were a sell-out. So why is it metalheads seek approval?

I used to try to prosyletize for metal, as well, and I got over it when I realized that some people will like it, others won't, and not everyone is into the same bands you are. So why bother? Explaining how technically awesome metal is to someone that doesn't like it is like trying to explain to a Britney Spears fan why they should buy Miles Davis albums or go see the Kronos Quartet; it's a lost cause.
 
#80
Roy Vogt said:
I will chime in with my $.02
I've done Rock, Country, Pop and Jazz Tours. One thing that I noticed is that there's a code of mutual respect among musicians and tour support personnel regardless of genre.
Case in point: I was playing with Joanna Dean, a Hard Rock singer signed to Polygram in the Hair Metal era of the late 80s when I ran into Jazz Guitarist Joe Pass in Copenhagen. Joe was playing at Tivoli Gardens with Charlie Mariano. I half apologetically explained to Joe that I loved his work but I was over here with a Metal Band and he stopped me right there, "Don't apologize! You've got a gig! Good for you!"
More often than not a good bassist or guitarist at that level can play many, many styles well. I've never run into a touring Pro Rocker who dogged another Touring Pro Musician, regardless of style. When I was out with John (Dukes of Hazzard) Schneider we ended up staying at the same hotel as Bon Jovi and they gave us VIP passes to their show that night and pretty much the Royal Treatment (this was in 1987, the Slippery When Wet era).
When I was out with Engelbert Humperdinck we stayed and played at The Foxwoods Casino when the Yellowjackets were playing at the B B Kings club there. I ended up hanging out with Jimmy Haslip, Russ Ferrante and Bobby Mintzer and they were totally nice and didn't dog me for my gig. Jimmy, of course, was touring with the Great Rock Guitarist Tommy Bolin when he died.
I think it's a bit like Fans of NFL Teams. I live in Nashville and we hate the Baltimore Ravens. I know the players talk some smack but when the late Steve McNair was traded to them, I'm sure they welcomed him into their organization and he still kept all of his Titans buddies. A lot of this smashing other genres and trash-talking is more the province of "Fans" of bass and music styles rather than Pro Players. Nothing wrong with that-it's called Talkbass and there's no entrance exam to post. You just have to love bass.
I absolutely love Jaco and Jeff Berlin. I also absolutely love Billy Sheehan, Lemmy and the late Wally Voss (Yngwie's bassist and an absolute unsung Bass Hero) was a dear, dear friend. I try to listen to Music and not Categories.
I've got a recording session tomorrow in Chicago. It's Fusion. Chris Poland (Megadeath and O.H.M.) is overdubbing the guitar solos in LA. I don't care what style he calls himself-I just call him a Bad**s Guitarist and I'm honored we're on the same track!
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Holy macaroni, cool post.

Chris Poland is probably one of my favourite players, absolutely unique.
 

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