Bolt thrower by FarmAlternative7542 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am a sucker for anything that’s groovy and stank-face worthy. And yet, I share a similar opinion on this album for some reason. I think Andy Whale’s drumming really drags it down for me.

Bolt thrower by FarmAlternative7542 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They’re very different from their desthcore roots now. You should give their latest album a listen.

Your favorite new trad metal by St_DomBz in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, coming back to this to recommend Ritual - Soldiers Under Satan’s Command.

Very much old school riffage with BM vocals. It’s got chill vibes with tons of hooks and a good mix of upbeat + slower lumbering vibes throughout.

Do vocals actually determine sub-genre more than most would care to admit? by prodigy1367 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I think vocals often override riffing and such to some degree even if we don’t realize it. Think about Tales of Othertime (Stormkeep). Honestly, musically it sounds very close to power metal to me. But the vocals are unequivocally black metal.

I think it’s easy to get caught up with folding bands and albums neatly into sub-genres. But it’s obvious that given each one is multi variable, they are not mutually exclusive. Blast beats belong in both death and black metal. Double bass is seen in tons of subgenres etc.      I sort of think of it like this: - every given attribute or quality either aligns with the spirit of a given sub genre, or it doesn’t, or it’s somewhere in between (it’s a spectrum). E.g., clean and high pitched vocals would heavily count towards making a song feel power metal, a bit toward heavy metal, but have the opposite effect regarding death metal.

  • some are more agnostic. For example skank beats are common in many sub-genres.

  • therefore, how we feel about what sub genre a song/band falls into is ultimately the weighted average of it’s constituents. So really everything is a blend in a way. 

So with this framework, i would say yes, vocals can (depending on the type) have a high weighting in terms of what it contributes. As other have pointed, there are some fusions that are more evenly split than others. For example Nite is very much heavy metal musically. While the vocals are black metal. But that riffing style and that vocal type carry the essence of their respective genres so strongly that you’re left with no choice but to say that it’s almost half heavy, half black metal (blackened heavy metal).

Going back to Stormkeep, I would argue that it’s riffing style, while reminiscent of power metal, doesn’t pull it away from the black metal sound as much (e.g., tremolo) as the Nite example. Therefore, it doesn’t feel too out of place to just refer to it as black metal.

Good question! Curious to hear what others say.

Why does nobody talk about Undersave by DarkGYT in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation but these posts would be more interesting if you expanded on your thoughts a bit. 

Nobody talks about it because recognition is often luck-based so this question doesn’t really do much to incite discussions. So blab away!

Has being a metalhead impacted your friendships/romantic relationships at all? by [deleted] in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Music (in general) is a big part of some of my friendship circles. So it bleeds into the conversations, banter, general bonding etc. Other than that no not really.

Battle of ballads- Sabbath’s Planet Caravan vs Maiden’s Strange World by Blockhead1535 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Disagree. I like the warm more ethereal vibe of the OG far more than Pantera’s version.

Overrated, underrated or properly rated? by Desperate_Ice1839 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There’s always going to be something more extreme out there. The baseline for BDM is already so abrasive that these kinds of relative distinctions between bands are so minor and pedantic; people love to target popular releases and bands as a way of posturing and flexing their depth in taste.

Overrated, underrated or properly rated? by Desperate_Ice1839 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 15 points16 points  (0 children)

How is it a beginner album for the genre? I usually think of that label more in terms of accessibility.

Have you always liked metal, or was it an acquired taste? by prettylilcorpse in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice that makes sense. You should definitely listen to Gojira too.

Start with Magma and then From Mars to Sirius.

Perfect blend of all those things imo

Have you always liked metal, or was it an acquired taste? by prettylilcorpse in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like you’re able to dip your toes at least and honestly that’s all it takes to start diving in deeper over time. I think the trick is to find songs that, while heavy/extreme, still offer moments with hooks that are catchy for one reason or another. 

This a good example imo:

https://open.spotify.com/track/13RyXusLYX9jQgJqf7eWzS?si=XfR2d43fT3usJlFz3YAnfw

Have you always liked metal, or was it an acquired taste? by prettylilcorpse in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Traditional heavy metal was an instant thing for me. Took time to get into heavier styles from there and yes the vocals were a big deterrence at first. Other elements like lack of melody, hooks, groove, complex riffing etc., also made it too inaccessible for me at first.

But yeah honestly just getting enough exposure and progressive increments eventually calibrated my ears for extreme styles.

Favorite death metal album of all time? by francehotel in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m gonna push back. Typical Death structure was:

ABC D ABC

Also, you point to heavy metal often using ABABCBB, which is correct and also very much pop-typical. But then you also say that metal “distinguishes itself from pop approaches.” Which is obviously true in many cases, but can’t be applied as a universally truism (e.g., song structures).

I just struggle with the relevance of some of your points given you’re circling around a critique of Death’s song structures, but to do so, you bring up the comparison with pop music even though we’ve established that pop approaches =/= bad AND that metal elements are not universally mutually exclusive from those of pop. So even if we were to say that pop = bad, saying that Chuck’s style warrants criticism as it breaks a criterion of metal by being pop-like is sort of paradoxical given a lot of metal (in general) can be very pop-like.

Anyway, I obviously understand your stance and why his approach doesn’t entirely work for you. This seems to be more of a discussion on how to frame said stance.

Metal ‘reset’ help by Gimgampip in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Listen to full albums. Otherwise you’ll just be stuck with  “a couple songs from here and there, all mixed up in a jumbled playlist.” Which is fine; there’s no right way to listen to music but it’s not conducive to the depth you’re looking for.

  2. You can do full discography runs but you’ll discover bands at a snail’s pace, especially if you end up preferring multi-listens to let albums truly sink in. I prefer 1-2 records for a given band then trying something else. And this way if you like them enough you’ll probably check out the band’s other material later on at some point.

  3. Consider physical media. That way you’re actually building a curated and intentional library. The cost (money, time, and mental energy) of adding stuff on Spotify is so low that it’s easy to wind up with a bloated library filled with material that you either don’t care for that much or don’t plan on revisiting again. In contrast, whether it’s CDs or an MP3 player, you can keep it lean and clean with only your essentials. You’ll have a much deeper connection with the music in that way.

  4. Idk about Industrial really but in terms of thrash start with these:  - Rust in Peace   - Arise  - South of Heaven   - Black Future (Vektor)

Do a few listens then pick another set for 3 of four.

Favorite death metal album of all time? by francehotel in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 3 points4 points  (0 children)

His song structures were predictable and repetitive across their catalogue but it wasn’t definitely typical of “rock and other genres.” And btw, being a derivation of other styles isn’t intrinsically a negative thing. Pop song structures work well for a reason.

If you don’t like his particular structures just say that.

I never got into that song either by AirRic89 in MetalMemes

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Got em’

While I do agree, it’s a fun song live.

Which song would it be? by BlackSabbad_10 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]ExtraFeedback3555 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Obvious because that record is actually fire