Why do people like metal so much?

[silver wolf009]

It just sounds great.

Bands like Metallica and MEGADETH makes me regret not living in the 80's



It really is irrational, its like how some people like Twilight, or Jutin Bieber. You really cant explain it but you can enjoy it.

 

[silversnake4133]

Probably because we live in such an angry and violent society anymore, so it fits right in with the Status Quo.

Status Quo are a rock band at best! They have no place in a metal thread!

Neither does my retarded Pikachu, but it's still here. :3

Retarded Pikahu's in ur metal threads, hoggin' yo' atmospheres!

IAS, yeah, I know Status Quo is a rock band, it was also the name of a wanna be dancing troupe on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew". What I was referring to were the words "status quo", which means "of or pertaining to normalcy".

 

[MasterV]

You mean...why do people like different styles of music? Personal preference, my boy. For example, I could flame you for not liking Amon Amarth, but to each their own. Listen to what you like and don't criticise people for their tastes, be they musical, gaming or otherwise. You don't have to understand to accept taste diversity.

 

[NiallXoldham]

For the most part, I love all of the instrumentals in any sort of metal song I hear. It's loud, energetic, and just has a sort of ummph to it. The only probably I have with this is, that the vocals to most of these songs sound like the vocalist is possessed(which might be the point sometimes) or that they need cough syrup or something, and it kind of ruins the whole experience for me.

The only metal band that I have seemed to find that suits my tastes(I'm not sure if they are even metal), is Hammerfall. They seem to have exactly everything that I want out of metal. Kind of how like Queen has their rock opera take to rock & roll, Hammerfall to me kind of sounds like the metal equivalent, so...metal opera??

So to make it simpler...this is the kind of metal I don't like and don't seem to understand:

While this is the kind of metal I do like and want to know if there is more of:

So in ending, why do you like metal so much? and also, can you recommend any that is more closer to my tastes?

Alright you've got alot of posts in here, so I don't expect you to notice my view on this, how I am an avid metalhead, I love metal more than life, I love that power it seems to invoke, if I could make music for the rest of my life I would. I really respect this Hammerfall song you have put up in your post, it is melodic, heavy and has a good progression, but I love Amon Amarth more sadlyX.x Metal is actually a big fad in how the vocals are done, a band will come out with that possessed sound, make it big and people emulate that, people have been trying it ever since Slayer came about, I may be wrong on that but thats how I see it. As for metal close to your style, I have a few bands I would recommend, Megadeth may not be you style, will try figure out how to put videos into posts, but will try to get a good on to come in with.

Sabaton, its like Hammerfall, Viking metal, the vocals can get a little growly now and then but it has this Opera feel to it and I urge you, please listen to this song and give it a moment to sink in, to enjoy the music. If you read this thank you.


(incase player does not work)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T4lzDUxNlk

and Megadeth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0Ao9r2zkY


I hope you found this helpful

 

[sageoftruth]

Because it's loud and the few that truly like it push it onto their other friends that it's good. It's rebellious and the new audience of metal is within the age ranges of enjoying things that are rebellious.

Musically, it's a train-wreck. I think it's more so a genre built off of a belief system, not the music itself, I think.

Personally I'd rather listen to orchestral music than the bellowing and caterwauling of somebody named "Ogre" who doesn't wear a shirt.

That's where symphonic metal comes in.

 

[w-Jinksy]

Yes, I already know there is a metal thread going on, but I'm wanting to ask a specific question with this one.

I know lots of people on the Escapist like metal a lot, and I also know a lot of other gamers and people seem to like metal a lot, and I'm usually one to equally accept any type of music..but metal just seems to be peculiar for me.

For the most part, I love all of the instrumentals in any sort of metal song I hear. It's loud, energetic, and just has a sort of ummph to it. The only probably I have with this is, that the vocals to most of these songs sound like the vocalist is possessed(which might be the point sometimes) or that they need cough syrup or something, and it kind of ruins the whole experience for me.

The only metal band that I have seemed to find that suits my tastes(I'm not sure if they are even metal), is Hammerfall. They seem to have exactly everything that I want out of metal. Kind of how like Queen has their rock opera take to rock & roll, Hammerfall to me kind of sounds like the metal equivalent, so...metal opera??

So to make it simpler...this is the kind of metal I don't like and don't seem to understand:

While this is the kind of metal I do like and want to know if there is more of:

So in ending, why do you like metal so much? and also, can you recommend any that is more closer to my tastes?

yes there is more of it its called power metal and its awesome i suggest listening to kamelot and blind guardian if you enjoy hammerfall.

also i never got this type of metal where they all sound like their pigs with throat cancer. screaming whee whee like a pig =/= cool

 

[sageoftruth]

You may want to give Gamma Ray a try. Their sound is somewhat like if you mixed heavy metal with Queen or Meatloaf (and a few of their songs are just about as dynamic as Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell).

Some real dynamic songs of theirs are Insurrection and Blood Religion.

 

[Mr.Caine]

This thread lacks Opeth and Mastodon.

 

[Blandman]

Because it's tough and extremely durable, as well as being highly versatile and can be used for huge range of needs, such as building bridges.

...Wait...you meant the music? Oh...erm, umm...it's hardcore guitar riffs and jamming bass lines sing to my rebellious heart and incite me to fight the power, and stuff.

(But no, I really do like Classic Heavy Metal because I think that they are not only very good pieces of music, but sometimes have a meaningful and worthwhile message behind them, unlike most music today.)

 

[Watershed]

I listen to a wide range of music (I've had Happy Hardcore Radio on for the last few hours, for example), but I enjoy metal the best, from clean vocals, to growling, to screaming. I guess I like it for the aggression, and the energy. It helps me vent frustration. But there's also beauty in it, especially those bands that treat it as an art (Eyes Set to Kill and Alesana come to mind. Both have two singers: one clean, and one screamer/growler)

Thanks for the recommendations. I just checked out Eyes Set to Kill on Spotify and they're ace! Will have to listen to Alesana later as well.

OT: I love most metal but I'm more into prog or melodic metal, so I love bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me and InFlames. Dream Theater have clean lyrics, you might enjoy them if you can get used to songs that last 15 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYYEcIf0QP8

 

[Durxom]

-snip-

yes there is more of it its called power metal and its awesome i suggest listening to kamelot and blind guardian if you enjoy hammerfall.

also i never got this type of metal where they all sound like their pigs with throat cancer. screaming whee whee like a pig =/= cool

I would just like to say, thank you everyone for sharing your opinions on this and letting me know about all this these other sorts of bands. And while I still don't like the whole growling voice part of it, I can still appreciate the people for liking metal in general for all the instrumentals it all has. I'm probably going to go over to the store today and pick up a CD or two now thanks to all the suggestions.

And at least now I know the type of metal that I like now xD

 

[FlipC]

Yes, I already know there is a metal thread going on, but I'm wanting to ask a specific question with this one.
--snip--
So in ending, why do you like metal so much? and also, can you recommend any that is more closer to my tastes?

Because it's malleable, durable and sometimes can be very shiny... oh you meant the music well in that case because it's malleable, durable and sometimes can be very shiny.

See that could have been funny if Blandman hadn't beaten me to it... Damn you Blandman [shakes fist] ;-)

For me I like the fast beat, I like that although each thread can be repetitive the total threads are often merged to produce something complex that my brain likes to try and pull apart. Likewise I prefer lyrics I can understand to that end I think some of the classics still stand.

 

[the Dept of Science]

I like metal, but I dislike metalheads. In total I have about 20 metal albums (a mix of classic metal and new stuff that has got critical acclaim outside of normal metal circles, like Mastodon, Sunn O))), High on Fire and Boris) because I think metal is good for a certain mood or situation. Getting yourself pumped up, when you're angry, when your driving on the motorway etc. On the other hand, variety is the spice of life and there are just a lot of times when metal doesn't seem to fit the mood. If I'm relaxing, some indie pop, folk or jazz is probably better. If I'm at a party, some pop, classic rock or electronica would be better.
Also, a lot of the time I find that metal has become too formulaic. Palm muted lower strings, cromatic scales, blast beating, dark lyrics, either growled or screached vocals, very fast guitar solos, heavy distortion, lots of technical skill. For that reason, I think its only good in small doses, and have to vary it up with lots of other genres.
On the subject of technical skill, first of all I think it can be overrated (its in no way necessary for a song to be technically skilled in order for it to be good), and secondly I think you can find just as much of it in jazz, folk, electronica, indie rock (post-rock/math rock) and rap.

Heavenly

Heavenly?

 

[Death_Korps_Kommissar]

For me, it's just because I do. I can't even put my finger on why metal sounds good while nothing else does.

It's not just heavy stuff, either. I'm just as at home with Slipknot or Megadeth as I am Foo Fighters or Stone Temple Pilots. I do draw the line at screamo, though. I can't handle most of Slipknot's older stuff because Corey screams too damn much. I listen to music to hear singing, not screaming. Any yahoo can scream.

Funny thing, not every yahoo can scream. The screaming you hear in metal and all that emo stuff is quite hard to do without blowing your voice. Something to do with singing from the stomach.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

And while I still don't like the whole growling voice part of it, I can still appreciate the people for liking metal in general for all the instrumentals it all has.

Just as a side-note: What preconceptions do you have about singing and music making in general?

The reason for asking is because a lot of people who dislike growling vocals often maintain that "real singing" is supposed to sound "clean", "pretty" or "beautiful".

And I for one wish to say that they are wrong in this regard. Not that they are wrong to not liking growled vocals (we all have different tastes of course), but the preconcepion that singing or musical art in general is supposed to sound "pretty" or "clean" to be good music is a false one.

Not all art has to be "pretty", some art do and should be more raw, ugly and even headache inducing. Because the purpose of art is to evoke emotions in the beholder (or in the case of music: the listener). The emotions doesn't have to be pleasurable either. It's just that if you have the ability to appreciate the fact that it DOES evoke particular emotions in a crafty way, then you'll probably find the piece of art to be of good quality in general, even if the particular emotions aren't very pleasurable.

Of course, you might already be well aware of this, but I think it's a decent argument to put out there anyway because people tend to have a lot of preconceptions about what music is "supposed to be" like.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Because it's tough and extremely durable, as well as being highly versatile and can be used for huge range of needs, such as building bridges.

...Wait...you meant the music?

Hehe, you know, those things you mentioned do apply to the music genre as well as the building material.

If I was slaving away at a bridge construction site every day I would have some slipknot blasting through my headphones as long as I didn't do a particular task which I needed my hearing to complete.

In fact, when im out doing something in the workshop, I listen to metal. Few activies are as manly as when you're in a workshop with welding and grinding sparks flying across your body as you're beating/grinding/welding a piece of steel into submission and having some heavy metal music blasting in the background. XD

 

[WrongSprite]

So you like some metal genres and not others? Welcome to the club of everyone. You're not going to like everything, that's your opinion and taste, fair enough. I'm a death/groove/black metal chap myself.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Personally I like thrash metal most, especially Anthrax. I love Anthrax. I also like classic heavy metal/NWOBHM type stuff, like Motorhead, 'Maiden and Thin Lizzy (debatable if they're a metal band though). Of course, I listen to other types (for instance, I'm a massive Mastodon fan, and I've been getting into Kyuss by recommendation of Furburt), but the whole Scandinavian thing takes itself far too seriously and is far too cheesy for me to love it. The image is awful.

To be honest, any heavier than Devildriver and it's really just noise to me.

The stuff I love appeals to me because it's just good. I can't really explain much more than that. The riffs are great, the tone is great, it usually doesn't take itself too seriouly, the lyrics are great, the technical skill is there but not usually too show-off-y.

 

[Durxom]

And while I still don't like the whole growling voice part of it, I can still appreciate the people for liking metal in general for all the instrumentals it all has.

-snip-

While I don't like or generally hate all of the growly voices (some people have made me listen to some that I liked, just can't remember the band name), I'm usually someone is open to all types of music, either it be country, jazz, rock etc. as long as its catchy or click inside my head. Most of the growly voiced metal songs don't seem to hit that one special spot for me, and while a few might, stuff like Hammerfall seemed to have a lot easier time doing it.

So in short, I don't really care what music sounds like, harsh or soft, as long as it hits that one spot, I'll listen to it over and over

 

[rt052192]

what do you mean "you people"?

Well, metal is epic, whereas everything else, with some exceptions, are not