What kind of metal awakens your inner warrior?

[ancusmitis]

Well, you can tell from here there is some controversy: http://www.metal-archives.com/content/rules

You'll notice there's no a priori definition listed on the site. Wikipedia can give some clues here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music

But there's a lot of variation even within substyles, as you can see just looking at Doom Metal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_metal

 

[Cosmophylla]

Ahhh, so it's the riffs, extended solos, and general masculinity/aggression of content (visual or lyrical), that seems to be the heart of the matter.

So the above Ride song would not be deemed a metal song because it lacks an extended solo and is sort of just extended fuzz, plus it certainly doesn't have the machismo that Wikipedia cites? So even though it has the 'wall of sound' typical of that genre (shoegaze...stupid name), and that loudness is also key in metal, the overall tone of the music is quite different. It doesn't illustrate the darkness that metal is trying to express, yes?

Also, in the above song, there is no lead guitar "competing" with the vocals, which is a main part of metal? Instead the vocals are dominant and then the hook comes back in, then the vocals, in turns. Hmm. Interesting.

So what makes a metal riff? I'm guessing it's power chords? And chord progressions would be a particular type?

Interesting to see that the rhythm guitar crunches are made by palm muting. I do that on my ukulele because I'm still learning to play ska and I can't do muting correctly, haha.

 

[Cosmophylla]

Ah, here is something about chord progression in metal: https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/music_styles/metal_progressions.html

 

[EndSerenading]

This album came out on the day I was born. I like crossover thrash because it's the best of both worlds, it's very metal but also really punk as well. A lot of modern hardcore bands like Expire and Rotting Out have a thrash influence but sound a lot more like Suicidal Tendencies and DRI than Metallica and Slayer.

 

[Cosmophylla]

Ok, so continuing from my questions above... Re the lead guitar and the lead vocal being in friendly competition with each other, does this mean they are playing the same melody, rhythm, etc? Are they in unison? Or are they playing off each other with conflicting melodies, out of sync, etc?

As I have a limited knowledge of metal so I can't think of specifically metal examples. But this old fave sprang to mind. It has lead guitar and vocal following the same melody.

Is this what is being referred to?

 

[Cosmophylla]

Here's another one that has lead guitar weaving through the vocals, both mirroring and playing against them.

(I'd forgotten how well Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell harmonised together...)

 

[Axeman52]

I don't particularly enjoy any type of metal music.

My "clever" answer from the periodic table shall be germanium and there's actually a reason for it: I like germanium transistors in fuzz or distortion pedals for the guitar

 

[ancusmitis]

Alice in Chains is very metallic, but they are also Grunge and the Grunge movement is its own thing, with influence from metal or punk. I'm not really a student of grunge, though, so this is just what I've heard. I think a more punkish kind of grunge would be Nirvana.

Here's the metal-archives page of AIC http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Alice_in_Chains/753

 

[Cosmophylla]

Alice in Chains is very metallic, but they are also Grunge and the Grunge movement is its own thing, with influence from metal or punk. I'm not really a student of grunge, though, so this is just what I've heard. I think a more punkish kind of grunge would be Nirvana.

Here's the metal-archives page of AIC http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Alice_in_Chains/753

Ah, so I've found a point of crossover in AIC. Incidentally, I always despised the grunge label (not the sound), just as I despised the shoegazer label that was started in the UK before it, but I loved many bands across these two "genres", although neither genre can be strictly represented as one particular sound or by one particular band.

Thanks for discussing this with me!

 

[Cali Cat]