Your thoughts on heavy metal

[jalapejoe]

I love it! However my fav is the knuckle draggin' stuff like Sabbath, Candlemass, Clutch, Mastadon, Down etc.

Ok Clutch is killer! Seen them open for Sevendust back in 1999 kicked ass. When Clutch came out I thought they were rodies or plumbers then they started jamming and singing about screwing fat chicks, lol.

 

[BurningTheAltar]

I love doom/sludge metal....it's all about the riff.

 

[avvie]

I'm not gonna vote or say one way or the other, but I am amazed that this genre- given it's unique...characteristics- is made up of people who are constantly fishing for (and often begging or tantruming for) appreciation, validation, acceptance and respect. When I was a metalhead I would never, EVER think to ask such a thing.

 

[Funk³]

90% of heavy metal sounds like a dull knife stuck into my lower abdomen, forcing me to vomit and then drool a mixture of bile and saliva onto a dirty toilet.

I bet you're a blast at parties...

 

[Max Blasto]

I can't vote in the poll because all three choices are correct, and I don't vote in polls that don't have carrots.

That said, I'd have to say I love heavy metal, but what I think of as heavy metal probably isn't anything like what the OP has in mind. The genre has changed and I'm no fan of the direction that it's taken overall. There are some new sounds coming out that I like or think interesting, but as a genre I was tired of it long ago. So little metal has ventured beyond the cliché since the early 80s. Most of it bores me now. As Jimmy Bain (RIP) said after a few albums with Dio, he felt the demon on the album art was laughing at _him_ by that time. Certainly, many others were too. I stopped buying Iron Maiden albums after Live After Death. The innovators were either gone or recycling the same thing they'd done before.

As for live metal, there are still a lot more people who want to play it than want to listen to it. I don't know any other genre quite like it in that sense.

What I really don't love is heavy metal guitarists. I've never gigged or recorded with one that could actually so anything but shred. Lotta shredders, but no players. I'm sure there is an exception somewhere, but none coming my way. My experience is that players who love that style get myopic and never learn any others, so they get stuck in the limitations that the genre demands. The drummers can be like that too - ask one to play something that swings and they think you're talking about their girlfriend. And don't get me started about the sound of those kick drums. Ugh. :***:

I have no idea what "respect metal" means. A good song is a good song. A good band is a good band. I do know that some metal fans think that Metal (tm) is an Institution and therefore can be respected, or worshipped, or insulted, or persecuted. But it's not. Music is just music. Music that some fans find have things in common attract their interest as a genre, but that commonality is a construct of the fan, not the music itself. Therefore the music can't be respected or disrespected, only the fan's perception can be. Because what is Heavy Metal? Only what its fans want it to be.

 

[Braden Persch]

Bass playing is audible, and these dudes are just as tight live as they are on studio recordings. death/black metal

Already been posted but Alex inspired me to start playing, you cannot deny there isn't talent within the genre. death metal

And this because fretless 7 string. prog/tech death metal

death metal/egyptian influences/complete awesomeness
If you can't tell metal is my all day everyday genre

Did i mention Alex Webster

 

[Cuzzie]

All these views expressed just go to show what a wonderful diverse community we have here, you look at Pop songs they employ heavy riffs from time to time, you look at rock/metal songs they use blues scales all the time, you look at melodic bass lines, it's no different to a lot of drop harmonics in rock songs, and real wandering bass lines is no different to shredding in true soandex rock EVH/steel panther style.

The recurring theme seems to be, a good bass line to groove and hold down the music makes the best songs, that's why we are always better than our 6 lighter gauge string brothers.

 

[Funk³]

Okay, seeing the amount of posts about RJD before this, I might get some gasps, but I'm a metalhead and I have no interest in Dio whatsoever.

So? I don't think he's a bad musician, he's just not my cup of tea. I still have huge amounts of respect for him, and that's whats important.

 

[bobba66]

Mac Sabbath has changed my perception of metal forever.

 

[RickyT]

Jaco Pastorius would play that while simultaneously doing backflips off a table in the pub, thank you very much.

That over rated, make it up as you go, oooh look at me guy couldn't play this with a year of practise.

 

[The BurgerMeister]

i have respect for music as an art form. how a person or group chooses to express that art isn't as relevant.
i don't listen to much metal, but i certainly have respect for the musicians that play it. making music takes skill, even more so if it's a bunch of people making music together.

 

[BurningTheAltar]

Bass heavy metal

 

[NeonVomit]

It's my life. I picked up the bass because of Steve Harris, and play in 3 metal bands. I studied classical music at university, but I will always be a metalhead first and foremost.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I used to be a metalhead when I was a teenager. I was wearing all black clothes, had (still have) long hair with funny looking beard. While I think that serious angry look was kind of silly, I still love metal! The only difference is that I do appreciate and enjoy a lot of other genres too now.

Metal might be (and imo usually is) very technical. I still enjoy playing. One may or may not enjoy the music but playing eight and sixteenth notes for an hour with full energy is a serious job.

 

[Crystalman85]

I for one love it. as for requiring skills, that depends on the genre itself. some genres like progressive, technical, and some death metal does require skill and complexity. while other genres don't seem to require that kind of complexity, but still requires skills. and also it's a well known fact that metal musicians are the most versatile musicians of all the other musicians mainly because some of them have different influences such as jazz, blues, and classical and can combine these influences into metal music and can create something unique. though not really for everybody, heavy metal has a huge number of fans and is considered to have the largest fan base ever. all in all, metal music does require talent in many certain ways and also requires passion for the music. I got friends who are in metal bands and I support them. and I myself am in a metal band and was I given support by friends and fans. if you have friends in metal bands, support them. cause you might never know if they'll be the next big thing. so make yourself available and check them out. keep it metal, brothers and sisters. \m/

 

[Crystalman85]

I used to be a metalhead when I was a teenager. I was wearing all black clothes, had (still have) long hair with funny looking beard. While I think that serious angry look was kind of silly, I still love metal! The only difference is that I do appreciate and enjoy a lot of other genres too now.

Metal might be (and imo usually is) very technical. I still enjoy playing. One may or may not enjoy the music but playing eight and sixteenth notes for an hour with full energy is a serious job.

I enjoy other genres too. even though I'm a metalhead, I am open for almost all kinds of music. I like hard rock, dance music(like techno, trance, progressive, etc.), 80s music, blues and retrowave(i.e lazerhawk, kavinsky, miami nights 1984, etc.). even though there are some genres that I didn't like in the past, I have become more observant these days on certain genres of music and see if rather I like them or not. since I've brung that up, this reminds me of the time my buddy daniel invited me to his place and he had a list of bands that he doesn't like but wanted to give them a second chance. so we were checking them out on youtube to observe their music. he also needed my musical expertise to explain to him why some people actually like these bands and what makes them so special to some people. and in the end, some of them are okay, there are a few bands I've actually liked from his list, and there are some that we both don't like at all. what it all comes down to is that some people have different tastes in music. some people like a certain kind of music while others don't seem to like it at all. it's always okay to check out certain kinds of music as long as you're observant about it.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I enjoy other genres too. even though I'm a metalhead, I am open for almost all kinds of music. I like hard rock, dance music(like techno, trance, progressive, etc.), 80s music, blues and retrowave(i.e lazerhawk, kavinsky, miami nights 1984, etc.). even though there are some genres that I didn't like in the past, I have become more observant these days on certain genres of music and see if rather I like them or not. since I've brung that up, this reminds me of the time my buddy daniel invited me to his place and he had a list of bands that he doesn't like but wanted to give them a second chance. so we were checking them out on youtube to observe their music. he also needed my musical expertise to explain to him why some people actually like these bands and what makes them so special to some people. and in the end, some of them are okay, there are a few bands I've actually liked from his list, and there are some that we both don't like at all. what it all comes down to is that some people have different tastes in music. some people like a certain kind of music while others don't seem to like it at all. it's always okay to check out certain kinds of music as long as you're observant about it.

I said 'I used to be a metalhead' because I associated metalheads with people who only listen to metal and nothing else. I was one of them. Now even my love for metal has not diminishes a bit, I do like other types of music too. I guess if liking other music doesn't make you a non-metalhead, I'm still a metalhead and a proud one! \m/

 

[Crystalman85]

I said 'I used to be a metalhead' because I associated metalheads with people who only listen to metal and nothing else. I was one of them. Now even my love for metal has not diminishes a bit, I do like other types of music too. I guess if liking other music doesn't make you a non-metalhead, I'm still a metalhead and a proud one! \m/

I'm a metalhead and I see what you mean. my buddy daniel was one of those metalhead who only listens to metal and nothing else. I'm guessing by now he's open for other kinds of music after that time I was over at his place and check out other bands. and just because I'm a metalhead doesn't necessarily mean that I'm limited to check out other types of music. in fact it can inspire me to come up with new song ideas for my bands. I can listen to other kinds of music and still be a metalhead. and you can too. it's always okay to check out other kinds of music and give it a chance. keep it metal, brother. \m/

 

[Crystalman85]

Bass heavy metal

Yes...I'm a type o negative fan. peter steele was one of my influences in bass. he was one of the bass players that inspired me to use distortion on bass along with the late great lemmy kilmister from motorhead(he got his sound from marshall amps of course), cliff burton from metallica, paige hailey from orgy, and in recent years, peter iwers from inflames. Inspired by them, I started using distortion on bass along with chorus and flanger effects. and since then, effects are a big part of my sound. I've been checking out darkglass effects recently. If I had the cash for it, maybe I would consider getting a b7k ultra. that or the vintage deluxe. but since I only wanted distortion on bass, I would consider getting either the b3k or the vmt. I also did check out empress distortion pedals at one point. don't know if I want the multidrive or the heavy. both pedals sound great on bass. it's just that it's a little tough to choose which one I would go for.

 

[E.J. T.N.T.]

I think that a good analogy for heavy metal music would be horror movies. There is a lot of silly material, a lot of really good, a lot that is considered classic and there is a lot that hasn't stood the test of time. They both have pretty specific themes and elements and there is a very big audience that thinks they are great and a big audience that just doesn't get it. There is also material that is held in high acclaim and there is also material that is universally looked down upon. And then there are the people that try to make quick buck. Moreover it is quite interesting to see material that deviates the norm and pushes new boundaries.