Why Metal music makes us happy

[MiracleOfSound]

completely agree with you, Miracle!
I always feel great when listening to metal. Sure, it sometimes gets me angry but never to the point of hurting something. Just a sort of release as you described it. I love listening to metal (progressive in particular) when in a good mood as it just helps me feel even better than I was. Even if it's angry release of emotions, it's good to get those feelings out ^-^

I can tell you for sure that listening to any amount of DEV!, I feel much happier.

I love that you picked Triumph man... that's the the best song ever by anyone..... ever!!!

]

I am LOVING all the Devy-Love on this forum right now!

I'm travelling to the UK to see him in 4 weeks. I cannot wait!

 

[Julianking93]

I love that you picked Triumph man... that's the the best song ever by anyone..... ever!!!

It's quite possibly his best song! I just love Synchestra <3
And damn you to hell!!!!!
Why does he never tour in the US? ;~;

 

[CardinalPiggles]

gotta say, i dont like screamo.

but that doesnt mean i dont like metal, i listen to soft core metal.

the ONLY vocalists i can bear to listen to screaming are the ones that scream sparingly, and CAN actually sing too, like BFMV and killswitch engage.

now flame away

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I love that you picked Triumph man... that's the the best song ever by anyone..... ever!!!

It's quite possibly his best song! I just love Synchestra <3
And damn you to hell!!!!!
Why does he never tour in the US? ;~;

He's touring the US later this year I think. Europe first though. haha

gotta say, i dont like screamo.

but that doesnt mean i dont like metal, i listen to soft core metal.

the ONLY vocalists i can bear to listen to screaming are the ones that scream sparingly, and CAN actually sing too, like BFMV and killswitch engage.

now flame away

That guy from Killswitch is a great singer actually. He can do the gutteral growls really well and he can emote and sing for the choruses.

 

[Julianking93]

He's touring the US later this year I think. Europe first though. haha

He is???
Must... get... tickets... NAOOOO!!!!

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Psychobilly is really the only branch of metal I can get into. Everything else seems really kind of... soulless, & empty.

Pyschobilly is metal? Some of it, I guess.

Also, what's some good pyschobilly? All I know is Reverend Horton Heat, who is awesome.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Agreed 100% with the OP. Take for example Gojira, an extreme metal band from France. They constantly sing about preserving the environment and not taking the things we have for granted.

Oh my fucking god.

I just listened to that Gojira tune and ears jizzed in my headphones. What a song. Everything I've heard by them is just brutally amazing.

I need their albums now(goes and searches spare change jar)

 

[Plazmatic]

The reason people like metal is because of the music, and usually not the lyrics, (well non death metal any way) if you took out the lyrics, and put it better singers with comprehensible language (or no singers at all), it would sound better even to you.

That's a rather arrogant assumption to make about me and other fans and it's also very, very wrong.

There are plenty of bands who do both, mixing gutteral screams with melodic singing, such as Opeth or Strapping Young Lad, and I enjoy the growling parts just as much as the singing.

The actual singers do nothing for the songs except make them worse and alienate people from the genre.

Again not true. A lot of people enjoy the sound of growled or screamed vocals. If people didn't enjoy it no-one would do it.

There was a study on this about 4 years ago, but I can seem to recall were it was from (it said 80% of a group of 10000 people who considered themselves metal heads agreed that the songs sounded better with out the screemo. (i think is may have been in new scientist magazine but I am not sure)

I my self am into the genre but when I found out that I could take out the lyrics on some songs, I simply listened to the music with out the singers.

I would imagine that study was performed by either

a) Idiots

or

b) People who didn't like the stuff in the first place

I love me some death growls, bro!

You make the arrogant assumption that you represent the majority (which you clearly don't) and assume that the study was run by idiots, which it wasn't. Just because you don't agree with the results doesn't give you the right to think that retards must have done the study.

Also I never said that all people didn't like the screemo in the first place, but most dont, even most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music.

 

[Inconnu24]

I'm so glad to see Death getting mentioned here as that usually doesn't happen in threads about metal on The Escapist. For me, Death's The Sound Of Perseverance was where it all started and really defines what I look for in metal bands. The instrumentation is dynamic, the vocals are an easily understood scream, and the lyrics give the sense of a philosopher shedding light on the darker side of human nature and the human condition.

That said, here's a list of some of my favorite metal songs:

Spoiler: Dark Tranquillity - The Sun Fired Blanks

Spoiler: Sybreed - Decoy

Spoiler: Opeth - Baying Of The Hounds

Spoiler: Kamelot - The Black Halo

Spoiler: Heaven Shall Burn - A Dying Ember

Spoiler: Epica - Quietus

Spoiler: In Flames - Gyroscope

 

[LinkSwitch]

TBH i dont 'get' metal, though some bands that I would consider fairly close to the genre are actually some of my faves.

Tool are definetely in my top 10 favourite bands, went to seem them on friday. Boy were they good. Also saw Rammstein - I can't really stand the music but my god do they play a good live show. You havent lived until youve seen a guy light the bands drum kit on fire, and the drummer continue until the drumset falls apart.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

You make the arrogant assumption that you represent the majority (which you clearly don't) and assume that the study was run by idiots, which it wasn't. Just because you don't agree with the results doesn't give you the right to think that retards must have done the study.

Also I never said that all people didn't like the screemo in the first place, but most dont, even most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music.

Aw, look at you making more assumptions about me in order to attempt to turn your mistakes around onto me.

The only person I represent is myself. I never said I represent a majority. But you would have to be either pretty dumb or misinformed to think that no fan of extreme metal enjoys the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them.

Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the exact kind of generalisation you were wrongly accusing me of making.

You debating skills need some work.

 

[Chased]

Agreed 100% with the OP. Take for example Gojira, an extreme metal band from France. They constantly sing about preserving the environment and not taking the things we have for granted.

Oh my fucking god.

I just listened to that Gojira tune and ears jizzed in my headphones. What a song. Everything I've heard by them is just brutally amazing.

I need their albums now(goes and searches spare change jar)

If you act fast, you should be able to pick up their newest CD "The Art of Dying" in a common store like Best Buy or Barnes and Noble. I've seen it it numerous places, they're starting to gain popularity in the States (if you live here). Be sure to check them out live too!


I love these guys, they're super nice in interviews and have a real concern for promoting a healthy environmental message through their music.

 

[Plazmatic]

You make the arrogant assumption that you represent the majority (which you clearly don't) and assume that the study was run by idiots, which it wasn't. Just because you don't agree with the results doesn't give you the right to think that retards must have done the study.

Also I never said that all people didn't like the screemo in the first place, but most dont, even most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music.

Aw, look at you making more assumptions about me in order to attempt to turn your mistakes around onto me.

The only person I represent is myself. I never said I represent a majority. But you would have to be either pretty dumb or misinformed to think that no fan of extreme metal enjoys the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them.

Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the you were wrongly accusing me of making.exact kind of generalisation

You debating skills need some work.

I never said no fan enjoys the sound of harsh vocals. Also when did I make the you were wrongly accusing me of making.exact kind of generalisation

You make the arrogant assumption that you represent the majority (which you clearly don't) and assume that the study was run by idiots, which it wasn't. Just because you don't agree with the results doesn't give you the right to think that retards must have done the study.

Also I never said that all people didn't like the screemo in the first place, but most dont, even most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music.

Aw, look at you making more assumptions about me in order to attempt to turn your mistakes around onto me.

The only person I represent is myself. to be either pretty dumb or misinformed to think that no fan of extreme metal enjoys the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them.I never said I represent a majority. But you would have

Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the exact kind of generalisation you were wrongly accusing me of making.

You debating skills need some work.

You make the arrogant assumption that you represent the majority (which you clearly don't) and assume that the study was run by idiots, which it wasn't. Just because you don't agree with the results doesn't give you the right to think that retards must have done the study.

Also I never said that all people didn't like the screemo in the first place, but most dont, even most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music.

Aw, look at you making more assumptions about me in order to attempt to turn your mistakes around onto me.

The only person I represent is myself. I never said I represent a majority. But you would have to be either pretty dumb or misinformed to think that no fan of extreme metal enjoys the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them.

Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the exact kind of generalisation you were wrongly accusing me of making.

You debating skills need some work.

1. You acted as if you knew what the majority liked. again, I never said that no fan of extreme metal enjoys (for the third time in a row) "the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them." just that statistics show most would enjoy it more with out them.

2. "Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the exact kind of generalisation you were wrongly accusing me of making."

one word; when?

3 "You debating skills need some work." there is no debate, unless you call an angry metal head bashing some one who simply displayed statistical evidence a debate.

 

[Fraught]

I love how justification is that we're "not sophisticated and are brutish, tribal beings". Not that I dislike metal, but it just makes me smirk every time, no matter the context.

 

[Katoran]

snip

If you like melo-death, you might like Engel. They are sort of a mix between melo-death and industrial.

And since you seem to have a fondness for metalcore, I recommend this fine nugget, Parkway Drive:

Engel sounds pretty good, will check them out.

Actually I saw parkway drive live a couple months ago at No Sleep 'Til. They're pretty good, but I'm not into metalcore quite so much I think, as their harsh vocals are perhaps a bit much for me sometimes. Still nice to listen to, but not as much so as melo-death stuff. I should probably give them a decent try anyway though.

 

[BJK55123]

I'm very particular about extreme metal bands, like, I hate most black metal bands, but Dimmu Borgir is alright, and I hate deathcore and pigsqueals, but Job for a Cowboy is tolerable. I appreciate musicianship, but when a band's blasting all over the place it just seems like they don't know anything but that.
Personally, I'm more into experimental stuff like Dir en grey and SOAD.

 

[TheMariner]

I'd like to think I 'get' metal music. When it comes to liking it though, I can't really say I like what most consider to be at the heavier end of metal. I absolutely love 70s and 80s metal,

Spoiler: These songs being excellent examples of this

these songs being an excellent case-in-point.

Spoiler: However, it seems to me that most good metal nowadays comes from elsewhere in the world

As to why I love metal? That's hard to me to tack down. It's mostly the instrumentation and techniques used, which is why I can still listen to 'hardcore' metal and not want to scratch my ears out when the vocalist starts...doing what ever it is they do (I am extremely hesitant to call it singing as I feel singing requires a lyrical and melodic quality).

I suppose it's the strum of a power cord, the thrill of a tap solo and the intricate interplay between instrumentalists that really draws my to the genre. Plus, the songs are just damn cool

 

[MiracleOfSound]

If you act fast, you should be able to pick up their newest CD "The Art of Dying" in a common store like Best Buy or Barnes and Noble. I've seen it it numerous places, they're starting to gain popularity in the States (if you live here). Be sure to check them out live too!

I love these guys, they're super nice in interviews in such and have a real concern for promoting a healthy environmental message through their music.

That song was just as amazing as the first. I swear I sat there smiling away to myself for the entire 8 minutes... that shit makes me feel good.

His vocals are amazing, really powerful. And I love how inventive they are with the riffs and rhythms. Just beautiful, perfect music.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

1. You acted as if you knew what the majority liked. again, I never said that no fan of extreme metal enjoys (for the third time in a row) "the sound of harsh vocals and would enjoy it more without them." just that statistics show most would enjoy it more with out them.

And I, in my own opinion, called bullshit on this statistic, coming from a metal background. If you would care to show us this study or provide some evidence, I'd be happy to have a look. Only acted as I knew what I liked and pointed out that if no-one else liked it then it wouldn't exist.

That said... I do know a lot of metal fans. I drink in metal bars. I go to metal gigs. And the VAST majority of people I meet love extreme vocals, as evidenced by conversations and singalongs (or rather... shoutalongs ).

2. "Then the funny thing is you go straight ahead and make the exact kind of generalisation you were wrongly accusing me of making."

one word; when?

Here's your sentence, word for word: '

'most of those who are into the genre prefer less screem, and more music'.

You're making this too easy for me, man.

3 "You debating skills need some work." there is no debate, unless you call an angry metal head bashing some one who simply displayed statistical evidence a debate.

Lol... I'm not angry at all, dude. Just pointing out what I think is a fair response to you posting something that made huge assumptions about me.

EDIT:

And saying 'I once saw a study on it' is not presenting statistical evidence.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

I don't listen to terribly heavy metal, I listen to Disturbed, and Slipknot mostly (metal-wise at least), but aggressive metal doesn't bug me, and it's fun to listen to sometimes. So I guess you could call me a metal fan.