Recommend me some quality Metal

[Rimbo]

You know what's been around as long as metal has? Old farts bitching about the way it sounds.

I'm not bitching about the way it sounds. I'm bitching about being bored. Heavy metal should be many things, but never dull. I go to metal looking for my ass to get kicked. It's awfully hard to feel like my ass has been kicked something proper in-between yawns.

[frank austin]

I'm not bitching about the way it sounds. I'm bitching about being bored. Heavy metal should be many things, but never dull. I go to metal looking for my ass to get kicked. It's awfully hard to feel like my ass has been kicked something proper in-between yawns.

Then you should probably go back to listening to David Lee Roth, which is clearly more exciting than any of that dumb cookie monster shit. And yes, you ass, you are bitching about how it sounds. There's no way to get around the fact that you're telling the youngins to get off your lawn here, when in fact, they took over your lawn a long fucking time ago. Extreme metal is the face of the genre. Get over it. No one is going to make you listen to it, but no one wants to hear you bitch about something you clearly don't connect with or understand, either.

[sinfony]

I'm not bitching about the way it sounds. I'm bitching about being bored. Heavy metal should be many things, but never dull. I go to metal looking for my ass to get kicked. It's awfully hard to feel like my ass has been kicked something proper in-between yawns.

Is there anything more boring than the stupidly shiny production on the latest Opeth album? I would submit that there is not.

[theking]

Opeth - Blackwater Park

[madkevin]

Are you asking me? Because you clearly could stand for your elders to educate you on the subject. :)

I'm older than you, and I have no problem with cookie monster vocals... junior.

[Ergo]

I'm 44 in a few days and Opeth is one of my favorite bands. Death metal growls don't bother me, but then again I was listening to metal in the late 80s and early 90s when the Florida death metal scene came to fore, along with the advent of grindcore and black metal. I've always leaned toward the extreme end of things when it comes to modern music. I stopped listening to metal in the mid-90s and stuck to heavy electronic/industrial music for a long time. It was our own Charles Randall that got me back into metal, starting with Opeth, around 2005.

[Major Icehole]

I did a quick search of this thread and was surprised to not see any reference to Blood Duster. One of my personal favorites. I actually saw them for the first time a couple weeks back at a club here in Brisbane.

Sorry Rimbo, they're growly as fuck.

These guys are great, really tongue in cheek and having a great time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8-8rrmQW4

[Lizard_King]

It sounds like you're saying you'd rather listen to something crappy rather than something else crappy...

How exactly is growling music? It has no pitch change. It'd be a kindness to say it's "singing" in the same note. I suppose you could roughly compare it to rap, where it's a form of talking in a particular rhythm, though if you're going to go that route, Rage Against The Machine is a far better choice.

The level of pitch change in the vocals dictates whether something is music? Rage Against the Machine is "talking in a particular rhythm" which may or may not be music? A defunct band with 3 real studio albums should be what you listen to instead of the entire broad spectrum of current heavy metal? You sound like somebody's grandfather, in 1965.

I'll be the first to say that my understanding of music on a technical level is limited, but lucky for me all I need is a basic grasp of internet arguing to get a handle on your argument. Stop trying to dress up a simple matter of taste (which correlates well to age, historically) in objective terms that you are probably murdering in your quest to deny your status as pretty fucking far from the cutting edge of metal.

It happens to lots of people with lots of different genres. Metal is an exceptionally young genre; my nephew is probably just about to slip out of the key demographic that keeps it alive and vital, and it's clear to me he's listening to completely different things than I did at his age. Just let it go and be grateful when youtube keeps alive some asshole in tights yowling about how they're about to rock you so you can remember the golden years of your metal past.

[Rimbo]

Then you should probably go back to listening to David Lee Roth, which is clearly more exciting than any of that dumb cookie monster shit. And yes, you ass, you are bitching about how it sounds.

I'm not sure whether you're being obtuse or if you're just too goddamned dumb to tell the difference. The effect is the same.

There's no way to get around the fact that you're telling the youngins to get off your lawn here, when in fact, they took over your lawn a long fucking time ago. Extreme metal is the face of the genre. Get over it. No one is going to make you listen to it, but no one wants to hear you bitch about something you clearly don't connect with or understand, either.

I'm not bitching about the genre. I'm not even bitching about the sound. I'm bitching about the execution. It's just Sturgeon's Law; 90% of growling is crap, because 90% of everything is crap.

It's not that things used to sound better; it's that we can now look back and realize that having Billy Sheehan and Steve Vai in a band with David Lee Roth really was a pretty amazing thing there at that moment, while ignoring that people thought Warrant, Winger and Bon Jovi were pretty awesome heavy metal bands at the time, too.

And yeah, I'm old. And if you're doing the "getting older" thing right, you do get bored of listening to the same old, same old, needing more and more complicated and higher-quality stuff to get the same thrill. At the same time, you can appreciate complexities you never noticed before... if you're doing it right. So yeah, if the pitch of the singer's voice doesn't ever change, I get bored. I have the same problem with Phil "I only sing one note" Collins, and he doesn't growl at all...

[frank austin]

If 90% of everything is crap, then what's the difference between one singing style vs. any other in that respect? You clearly think that there's something exceptional about growling vocals, so why pretend otherwise?

You've made every single stupid old fart complaint about growling vocals that there is to make. "It's boring", "you can't tell what they're saying", "the pitch doesn't change, it's not even singing", "maybe if they only used it a little". You say you want to feel like you've gotten your ass kicked but you post Yankee fucking Rose as an example of quality music.

If you had even a shred of legitimate musical appreciation in your withered old husk, you would understand that making sweeping generalizations about "growling vocals" and referring to them as "cookie monster" instantly outs you as someone who has no fucking idea what they're talking about. There are plenty of musical genres where the singer's voice "doesn't change pitch" and instead relies on a certain sound and the lyrical content to carry the ass kicking to the listener, and plenty of people prefer that style of singing to any other. The question I pose to you is: Why do you give a fuck? I think you want to pretend like you have something interesting or unique to offer the discussion, but you clearly don't. You're not saying anything that hasn't been said before by a million other grandparents-in-waiting, shaking their canes and practicing their comb-overs. If you don't like it, fine, but pretending that it is somehow lesser music is bullshit.

I'll leave the thread with this to chew on: http://vimeo.com/11736163 Kvelertak - Mjød

[Badesumofu]

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Played live in its entirety on the new Opeth live DVD: Live at the Royal Albert Hall. I just bought it, and am currently watching/listening. I'm up to Harvest and it's pretty good so far. They are pretty tight, and the music jumps out at you with the live performance.

DVD 2 contains one song from each of their other albums, played chronologically. The Deluxe edition also has CDs of the performance included.

[Abilio Carvalho]

I'll leave the thread with this to chew on: http://vimeo.com/11736163 Kvelertak - Mjød

I'm currently afraid to google for more kvelertak. I loved this song *so very fucking much* that I'm scared to find out it either was a one-off, they otherwise suck, or any other potential disappointment. Please tell me I'm being silly, and that they have a large catalog of awesome that I can go buy right fucking now.

[Charles]

If 90% of everything is crap, then what's the difference between one singing style vs. any other in that respect? You clearly think that there's something exceptional about growling vocals, so why pretend otherwise?

You've made every single stupid old fart complaint about growling vocals that there is to make. "It's boring", "you can't tell what they're saying", "the pitch doesn't change, it's not even singing", "maybe if they only used it a little". You say you want to feel like you've gotten your ass kicked but you post Yankee fucking Rose as an example of quality music.

If you had even a shred of legitimate musical appreciation in your withered old husk, you would understand that making sweeping generalizations about "growling vocals" and referring to them as "cookie monster" instantly outs you as someone who has no fucking idea what they're talking about. There are plenty of musical genres where the singer's voice "doesn't change pitch" and instead relies on a certain sound and the lyrical content to carry the ass kicking to the listener, and plenty of people prefer that style of singing to any other. The question I pose to you is: Why do you give a fuck? I think you want to pretend like you have something interesting or unique to offer the discussion, but you clearly don't. You're not saying anything that hasn't been said before by a million other grandparents-in-waiting, shaking their canes and practicing their comb-overs. If you don't like it, fine, but pretending that it is somehow lesser music is bullshit.

I'll leave the thread with this to chew on: http://vimeo.com/11736163 Kvelertak - Mjød

Thumbs up!

Also, there are growlers that change pitch. Gojira probably being one of the best examples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko4dui0KYkA

[Mark Crump]

I'

It's not that things used to sound better; it's that we can now look back and realize that having Billy Sheehan and Steve Vai in a band with David Lee Roth really was a pretty amazing thing there at that moment, while ignoring that people thought Warrant, Winger and Bon Jovi were pretty awesome heavy metal bands at the time, too.

The Roth live show with Vai and Sheehan was fucking fantastic!

[Daagar]

I love how not liking cookie monster growls (yep, I said it) makes you instantly someone unable to ever appreciate metal, or maybe even music in general. I'm not a true metal fan, because I only like the subset that falls under 'power metal' typically - heck, it is only within the past year or two that I even found out about the genre. And even there, I have to be somewhat selective because there are some great bands/songs that just get totally destroyed when the growls start (Epica, After Forever, Sirenia - as examples. Yes, I know these aren't death/black/viking/"real" metal - tough).

So, umm... suggestions for less growly stuff for us uncultured folks?

[frank austin]

And now for a gross misunderstanding of the conversation by Daagar!

[SqueakyFoo]

I found this to be really awesome

Apparently she was a contestant on Canadian Idol a few years ago, would've been cool if she'd won.

[Juste]

I'm currently afraid to google for more kvelertak. I loved this song *so very fucking much* that I'm scared to find out it either was a one-off, they otherwise suck, or any other potential disappointment. Please tell me I'm being silly, and that they have a large catalog of awesome that I can go buy right fucking now.

Absolutely not a one-off, it's from their debut album that has just been released here in Norway and the album is a killer. Mjød is the best song on the album, but there are at least 3-4 other tracks that are nearly as good.

(Kvelertak means Stranglehold and Mjød means Mead, the song is about the god Odin that gave us the wonderful Mead.)

[frank austin]

Hey Juste, how do you feel about the new Purified In Blood? That's a tour I'd give a nonessential organ to catch.

[Juste]

There are 3 really good up and coming metal bands in Norway right now; Kvelertak, Purified in Blood (well, up an coming after their comeback) and Skambankt. I like all three, but i prefer Skambankt to be honest. Both Kvelertak and Skambankt are from the same area and sing in Norwegian, so i guess their appeal outside of Norway is limited, although Kvelertak have some good momentum going. Glenn from PIB has also played guitar in Skambankt, although he is not a current member.

Check out this video for Skambankts single Mantra.

[frank austin]

Heh, I did a tour with PIB back in 2004(5? 3? Who knows.) in the US and it was one of the best times I've ever had. I've stayed friends with those dudes over the years and it's been kind of funny to watch their progress. Every album is completely different and I like this one a lot, despite being a bit over-produced and a bit groovy for my tastes.

Isn't Skambankt more of a straight rock band?

[Juste]

Isn't Skambankt more of a straight rock band?

Certainly more straight rock than PIB and Kvelertak, yes.

[ckessel]

There are plenty of musical genres where the singer's voice "doesn't change pitch" and instead relies on a certain sound and the lyrical content to carry the ass kicking to the listener.

Name some. You said "plenty". Can you name even two? Look at every great frontman in every genre of music ever made and do you find folks that fit the classification of not changing pitch? You find the occasional respected performer with a limited range (Lou Reed comes to mind), but actually monotone?

For your enjoyment (seriously, if you like growly stuff, check it out), Tuvan Throat Singing. I think it sounds like shit, but you might not.

[ckessel]

while ignoring that people thought Warrant, Winger and Bon Jovi were pretty awesome heavy metal bands at the time, too.

There were people that thought that? I remember them being seen as sort of poser pop bands, the Backstreet Boys (as far as image pushing) of the day.

[frank austin]

Name some. You said "plenty". Can you name even two? Look at every great frontman in every genre of music ever made and do you find folks that fit the classification of not changing pitch?

For your enjoyment (seriously, if you like growly stuff, check it out), Tuvan Throat Singing. I think it sounds like shit, but you might not.

Punk, hip hop, death metal, black metal, thrash metal, etc etc etc. I can name plenty of awesome frontmen in those genres. Have you given up on this tired ass old man argument yet?

[ckessel]

Punk, hip hop, death metal, black metal, thrash metal, etc etc etc. I can name plenty of awesome frontmen in those genres. Have you given up on this tired ass old man argument yet?

All of those have actual singers. So, no, you're weak ass angry man argument isn't holding any water. Rap is about the only one that comes to mind as a vocal music form that intentionally has little pitch change.

Now, if you want to say that all of those have singers who don't change pitch, that's true, but that doesn't make them any good. All art is subjective, but the concept of vocal ability being good art vs. crap is eons old. And to be honest, I really don't care if you do like it and it is or isn't crap. I just wish metal was less dominated by the growly stuff. It's a massive uptick/fad in the last half-decade in that genre.

[frank austin]

All of those have actual singers. So, no, you're weak ass angry man argument isn't holding any water. Rap is about the only one that comes to mind as a vocal music form that intentionally has little pitch change.

Now, if you want to say that all of those have singers who don't change pitch, that's true, but that doesn't make them any good. All art is subjective, but the concept of vocal ability being good art vs. crap is eons old. And to be honest, I really don't care if you do like it and it is or isn't crap. I just wish metal was less dominated by the growly stuff. It's a massive uptick/fad in the last half-decade in that genre.

So, let me get this straight. All of those genres have actual singers, except one, that you agree on, but all of them also have singers who don't change pitch, which is what I said in the first place? The fuck is your problem, dude? Do you just want to argue? Because if so, your mom's fat.

You think growling vocals have only been a fad in the last half-decade? Holy shit man, could you be any more out of touch with metal? If you don't like it, don't listen to it. There are plenty of bands that don't use any growling and entire sub-genres of metal where that sort of thing is extremely rare.

For someone who doesn't care whether or not I like it or whether or not I think it's crap, you sure seem to care a whole fucking lot.

[anaqer]

Check out this video for Skambankts single Mantra.

I didn't know Simon Pegg could sing Norwegian.

[frank austin]

New Hail of Bullets is going to fucking own:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPz311JakG8

[Nengjanggo]

Bon Jovi IS a legitimately awesome band. If being trite or cheesy prevented a band from being good, then people who like music would be condemned to listen to only 12 tone or whatever is the current avante garde thing.

And, to many of you, please stop giving Van Halen fans a bad name.

But I mostly just posted this to say thanks for posting the Kvelertak video to frank austin.