Far Out Son of Lung...

Metal, and why I like it.

Metal relaxes me. I know, most people don't believe or understand that, but it's true. Metal calms my nerves, relieves my stress and returns me to a state of normalcy. In fact, if I do not listen to metal for several days I can feel the tension building and I become very edgy. On the same token I can also find solice in trance/electronica. The sense of relaxation is somewhat different, but it does help me tone down.

Metal is Raw. I'm not talking about that sissy shit you hear on the radio, either. Bands like Linkin' Park, Disturbed, Staind and Slipknot are not (to me anyway) metal. Metal has nothing to do with singing about being depressed, or singing about being angry because you were dumped by your girlfriend, nor does it have to do with singing about satan or being anti-Christian. Nu-metal bands, as they are called, combine elements of hip-hop and rap with droning, boring chords and a desire to do nothing more than whine about how evil and bad they are, or how anti-establishment and against the man they are... when in fact they are nothing more than marketing machines taking advantage of people with nowhere to direct their prepubescent angst. The music is trite, simple and lacks technical talent. It copies the sound of previous bands and looks only to emulate the success of a band that has already made it into the pantheon of truly talented metal bands.

"While most nu metal bands still release albums, sales are now significantly lower. Also, seeing the start of the metalcore and hardcore boom of the early 2000's, some nu-metal bands had abandoned their original sound to lean more towards that musical direction; Chimaira and 36 Crazyfists being prime examples." -Wikipedia

Metal is Pure Emotion. A majority of what I consider good metal comes from Europe, Sweden and Finland in particular. The music employs complex drum beats (Soulfly, Opeth, Dark Tranquility), solo guitar efforts that require talent like double picking (Shadows Fall, Children of Bodom, Singery) and lyrics that are charged with a message, typically with political themes (In Flames, Arch Enemy, Tool). Obviously, there are exceptions, but the best metal also entails a vocalist's ability to actually sing. Gone is the day when simply yelling into the mic passed as vocals. Most bands feature vocals which may run the gammut from growler to clean operatic themes (Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish).

We now find ourselves with a dilemma in determining the good from the bad. A band like Fear Factory established a grindcore sound for their bands some years ago, and has not strayed much from that sound through the years. Their music is harsh, the guitars laced with reverb and the vocals done mostly as a bark... they were the first, and they do it the best. Other bands may copy this sound and attempt to play like Fear Factory, but they cannot compete with what truly is one of the best of it's genre. Obviously, to what we enjoy listening is ultimately up to the individual, but I often find that most people do not have a clear understanding of what encompasses metal.

Another good exmaple of mimic bands started with a wonderful group called Nightwish. Nightwish is a melodic metal band who's female vocalist has a haunting and beautiful voice, combined with songwriting that rivals all comers. Their sound is shared by Lacuna Coil, an Italian band, and then stolen and popularized in the United States by Evanescence.

One of my favorite metal bands, considered Melodic Death Metal, is Opeth. Opeth combines acoustic guitar, complex drum beats and incredible vocals with grinding guitar, deep bass and a growler voice that seems to eminate directly from the pit of hell. For my ears, it is the most complex and intriguing sound to permiate my home speaker system... If Pink Floyd had written metal, this is what it would have sounded like, if that says anything to you.

Another surprising band is Dimmu Borgir. Dimmu is a northern European Black Metal band that relishes in using blood curdling vocals, clean operatic vocals and mixing it with inspired organ, string and full orchestra pieces that could easily be heard while attending a symphony! The creativity of the best metal bands helps them transcend the typical style of the genre and become something more.

For many of the same reasons I enjoy metal, I also enjoy Big Band Jazz, Classical and Electronica. As my friend Eric likes to say, "If Carl Orff, Brahms and Mozart were alive today, they'd be writing metal."

And no, I do not dress in black, wear eye make-up, worship satan or talk about being depressed all the time. I listen to metal because it is real, because it is pure and because it is written by artists who write music not to sell albums, but to please only themselves.

posted by GreSam @ 09:33