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Your thoughts on heavy metal

Do you respect heavy metal?

  • Yes. It requires a great deal of skill and practice to play

    Votes: 125 75.8%

  • It doesnt seem that difficult but not particularily easy either

    Votes: 19 11.5%

  • No, it is terrible.

    Votes: 21 12.7%
  • Total voters
    165
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#101
Peter Steele was also a huge influence for me as far as bass distortion and as a bassist acting as a rhythm guitar player. I use a Damnation distortion, Big Muff Pi bass, bass chorus, and digital delay...the combination sounds similar to Pete's, but the brights are a little darker...if that makes any sense. Couldn't imagine playing without pedals anymore.
 
#102
Wow...reading this post and talking about metal and dropping names and not one mention of Ryan Martinie??? That guy is not only a.ridiculous player with a very innovative approach and style but an extremely.nice and humble guy. Any haters out there need to attempt to learn a few songs...then play them in front of people...and then see if they don't find a new respect and/or liking for the genre. Well, let me rephrase that a bit....its been stated before and the point is more than valid, liking or not liking an art form is to each their own, however, recognition of talent and substance in something you find non appealing is another. As musicians we strive to always improve..taking it from all genres.
 
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#103
If the Swans are heavy metal then it's something. But the Swans or even Led Zeppelin aren't this commercial suburban self conscious joke that has become heavy metal.
Self consciousness is the key. It's really a reaction within Western technological society to a lack of contact with physical reality as it was experienced throughout history. It's play war. It's a commercial TOY with costuming sold to the children who have graduated from plastic toys to other neurotransmitter sources.

Last night I saw the South Park episode about the Harley motorbike riders who the boys call "fags" because they are just insecure people who use volume to be noticed, and if they aren't noticed they are bummed. There's Heavy Metal in a nutshell.
I Have defended heavy metal in non musician conversations with normal people....
 
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#107
I've been a life long metal head but it doesn't pique my interests anymore. As soon as the double bass starts and I can't decipher drums from guitar crunch from bass clank I move on. IMO most metal bass tones are crap but mostly due to the naturel of music itself ( scooped mids and limited frequency room with guitarists ). I will say I miss albums like number of the beast, screaming for vengeance, etc. I feel the songwriting is pretty stale theses days. Tastes change as one gets older and the world's a much different place then it was in the 70's and 80's but there is still some good stuff coming out.
 
#110
HUGE metalhead here, but listen to anything good. Just happens that most people think that heavy metal has to be "brutal" or "extreme" to be metal or even credible in the genre. Just look at this thread. How many times have those sorts of bands been mentioned? Obviously, those are the ones that people know. Those bands make headlines. But just like ANY genre, there are TONS of other bands that don't get any recognition but are just as good. That's the problem with metal; if people aren't into it, the only bands you hear about often turn people away. Metal is often its own worst enemy. And metal doesn't have to be extreme to be good. But again, that makes the headlines.
 
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#113
Billybladez66 said:
Wow...reading this post and talking about metal and dropping names and not one mention of Ryan Martinie??? That guy is not only a.ridiculous player with a very innovative approach and style but an extremely.nice and humble guy. Any haters out there need to attempt to learn a few songs...then play them in front of people...and then see if they don't find a new respect and/or liking for the genre. Well, let me rephrase that a bit....its been stated before and the point is more than valid, liking or not liking an art form is to each their own, however, recognition of talent and substance in something you find non appealing is another. As musicians we strive to always improve..taking it from all genres.
Click to expand...

Ryan is a damn good bassist, genre aside, he's just good! His work on L.D. 50 was amazing, probably some of the best bass I've heard on an album. His style differs greatly from most rock/metal bassists...not really my style of playing, but very unique.
 
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#115
Nev375 said:
...I guess that's the problem with any music genre that labels itself as a "scene." If you see yourelf as part of a
scene you are already a poser and your credentials as a musical artist are already in question...
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What does this even mean? Is everyone supposed to eschew genres now in order to avoid the potential of gaining exposure to like-minded musicians and their friends? Your quote, unfortunately, sounds like a statement made by someone who regularly plays to empty rooms.
 
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#116
It's noise to my ears! Once a month I have to endure a 5 hours drive to a gig (and 5 back) with a drummer and a guitarist heavily into heavy metal even though our repertoire of about 250 songs have not one single heavy metal tune. Needless to say, by the time we get to our destination I'm phisicaly tired, exhausted needing a sleep! Funny but once I put some Weather Report on and they both said "what a load of wank" even though the drummer liked Peter Erskine. Goes to show how different we all are when it comes to music.
 
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#120
bolophonic said:
What does this even mean? Is everyone supposed to eschew genres now in order to avoid the potential of gaining exposure to like-minded musicians and their friends? Your quote, unfortunately, sounds like a statement made by someone who regularly plays to empty rooms.
Click to expand...

I said nothing about eschewing genres.

I'm talking about eschewing image-centric music.

(It's a subtle play on the word "scene" that is throwing you, I think)
 
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