Genre definitions and help

[News]

News

[Stats]

Stats

[darigaaz]

Hails metal brothers.

First off i wuld like to introduce myself.

My name is Matthew and have been an ardent follower of the metalcrypt for the past 5 years.

i hail from the tiny island of Malta, so chances are when you see a red and white flag popping up on whoever logs in, its probably me come to check out the latest reviews and read some discussions, although i rarely write myself.

Back to the topic at hand.

I hot into metal about 6 yars ago and metalcrypt is my bible followed by metal-archives. 

Now i typically steer clear of certain genres so have no idea of what they etail.

i know what nu metal is and i dont like it one bit, yet i'm still quite confused about the following genres i've encountered along the way:

Screamo
Malcore
Grindcore
Hardcore
Deathgrind

Any help with some examples and what the core preperties are will be great.

[Lars]

Screamo = Emo music, with a vocalist that sounds like a spoiled child that can't get it's own way (i.e NOT metal)
Mallcore = Lowest common denominator riffs, occasionally mixed with 'rap' vocals. Gay. A.K.A Nu Metal (i.e NOT metal)
Grindcore = Super-fast hardcore punk, generally with socially aware/political lyrical stance. Occasionally borders on fast death metal (i.e rarely metal)
Hardcore = Fast, ugly punk (i.e NOT metal)
Deathgrind = a mixture of death metal and grindcore (i.e usually metal, bar some exceptions)

Edited for a shitty spelling error on my behalf

[RedMenace]

Generally, you'll want to stay away from anything that is labeled as core except for grindcore, which IMO is totally metal. Just check out Metal Archives and all the biggest bands in the genre are listed as grindcore i.e. Nasum, Napalm Dath, Birdflesh, etc.

[Only_Ash_Remains]

Nothing wrong with some hardcore here and there. Just be aware as to if it's actually hardcore or "Post-hardcore" (Garbage), as most of the scene fags like to call that crap hardcore.

[Lars]

Generally, you'll want to stay away from anything that is labeled as core except for grindcore, which IMO is totally metal. Just check out Metal Archives and all the biggest bands in the genre are listed as grindcore i.e. Nasum, Napalm Dath, Birdflesh, etc.

I'd agree that some grindcore is more metal than punk (Nasum are more metal than punk for example, whereas a band like Agathocles are more punk than metal). However as a genre, it features simple arrangements based around short, repetitive riffs and bellowed vocals at a hyperspeed. Thus, generally it's more punk than metal.

[darigaaz]

Generally, you'll want to stay away from anything that is labeled as core except for grindcore, which IMO is totally metal. Just check out Metal Archives and all the biggest bands in the genre are listed as grindcore i.e. Nasum, Napalm Dath, Birdflesh, etc.

Its for this exact reason i wanted to ask actaully since due to the 'core' within the genre as labelled on metal-archives i was missing out on some actually good metal out there.

One thing i can;t understand is how certain bands of this type are let into metal-archives while some classic bands like ac/dc aren't!


One more thing guys if you don't mind......What about metalcore and As i lay dying?

See its these kind of definitions which keep me away of certain bands and from what i've seen with god reason yet as you also pointed out there are also some good hardcore bands which i have not explored thus far.

Also what is your view on groove metal, the likes of mastodon? Does it borrow from pantera? (Which i know most of you hate)

[Erik the ...]

And how about Helmet? I think "In the Meantime" is rather decent.....especially the song "Unsung".
Forget later Helmet albums.....

[luciferi]

When I first got into metal many years back, I spread it to several of my friends who ended up liking it too (and some of them even have bands today), the difference between me and them is that I found metalcrypt and expanded my interest into the underground, which is the only place to find true good metal. The past years a new trend has been growing, there has been a rise of numerous popular nu-metal bands, as well as the creation and commercialisation of a new wing of metal (which I reluctantly label it as). The massive following behind the emo music scene has also started a growing popularised interest for "alternative music". All the friends I got into metal all those years ago, by showing them the likes of early Slayer and Testament, have now all started listening to this crapfest METALCORE and other popularised metal bastardizations. I hate it all, every little bit of it. You can tell the difference between a true metal warrior and a false corewhore fairly easily, and I just loathe their relationship to the genre. To make things worse, I absolutely hate having to explain to them why I like say - Sabbat, and don't like All That Remains, because they just don't fucking get it, and they think they are listening to good music when they in fact don't know shit. It's a painful and awkward ordeal having to talk to them about music, I usually end up nodding randomly and changing the subject.

/end rant

Anyway, others here have covered the rest pretty well, I'm just going to finish off with a conclusive "Stay away from metalcore".

[Sargon the Terrible]

Every era has some bastardized, adulterated genre that borrows some sounds from metal and then gets touted as 'The New heavy Metal Sound' by soulless corporate-whore publicists.  They take some of the sound of real metal but then they dumb it down for stupid people by simplifying it, and backing it up with imbecile lyrics that idiots take for intelligent (lyrics about social problems or political unrest are always thought important by adolescents and faux-intellectuals, who believe 'realism' is essential to make art.  Really, their sad brains are incapable of understanding anything besides Literal Representationalism - these are the same people who are excited by the fact that the staue of liberty's torch actually lights up.)  Once the new subgenre is established, then it can be further diluted and even worse swill can be foisted on the masses with bands who play heavy chunk guitars and scream angrily, but are really just peddling the same shit about girls and relationships that pop music vomits up in a nonstop stream.  Glam, grunge, nu-metal, metalcore, deathcore, sludge, groove.  It's all just an effort to make use of metal sounds without the complexity or anti-commercial attitude of real metal.  Piss on it all.

[RedMenace]

If someone asks whether or not a band is considered true metal then the band most likely isn't true metal.

[luciferi]

Every era has some bastardized, adulterated genre that borrows some sounds from metal and then gets touted as 'The New heavy Metal Sound' by soulless corporate-whore publicists.  They take some of the sound of real metal but then they dumb it down for stupid people by simplifying it, and backing it up with imbecile lyrics that idiots take for intelligent (lyrics about social problems or political unrest are always thought important by adolescents and faux-intellectuals, who believe 'realism' is essential to make art.  Really, their sad brains are incapable of understanding anything besides Literal Representationalism - these are the same people who are excited by the fact that the staue of liberty's torch actually lights up.)  Once the new subgenre is established, then it can be further diluted and even worse swill can be foisted on the masses with bands who play heavy chunk guitars and scream angrily, but are really just peddling the same shit about girls and relationships that pop music vomits up in a nonstop stream.  Glam, grunge, nu-metal, metalcore, deathcore, sludge, groove.  It's all just an effort to make use of metal sounds without the complexity or anti-commercial attitude of real metal.  Piss on it all.

  to that.

"..these are the same people who are excited by the fact that the statue of liberty's torch actually lights up."

 

[xiphos]

Pretty much what Sargon said, but I have some exceptions on Glam. I think if you get passed the make-up SOME BANDS are pretty decent. W.A.S.P., Motley Crue (only Shout at the Devil album), and Twisted Sister (although not really Glam). The "Metal Genres" listing on this site is a very good summary of the genres, and if it isn't on there, hold back until proven safe.

[Chris Foley]

See i'm quite partial to a bit of Winger, Poison, Skid Row, Warrant etc, but to be fair i was born in '88 so i wasn't there for the stuff to grind on me as much as it has to some of you fossils 

I agree with everything else said here i can have arguements for hours on end with friends as to how Killswitch Engage is better than Morgana Lefay because you know, KSE sell more albums etc etc.

But at the end of the day don't feel embarassed about liking a certain band around the metal community everyone has their own tastes, for one i like Meshuggah but i guarantee at least 75% of this forum will despise them. And if the band you like turns out to be Metalcore or Hardcore just keep it hush

 Ancient Words Within - Pyramaze

[darigaaz]

I hate to sound this way, especially on this website, but most of these bands and their 'innovative' metal seem to spawn out of the USA (and Sweden lately).

Most of the time if it weren't for the underground scene in america i would just write most bands off just because thir american (Take ozzfest for example) I dont know why most ppl don't get metal!!!!

Its definitely in the roots of Sabbath, Zeppelin and Priest. After the glam scene collapsed Thrash and Death Metal took over as a rebellion over the glam scene and finally black metal took over as a rebelion to death metal (due to most bands sounding the same) and the story will keep going on until everyone wants to show how more brutal and kult they are etc......

yet IMO, the neoclassical, blues root is what makes metal great as opposed the brutality we see in more modern metal.

As such rock i hate to say it, is dying.... blues in its essence is even harder to come by than black metal nowadays and the rock scene is flooded with bands that piss me off passing themselves off as rock....case in point sum 41 and the likes 

Damm i wish i was born in the 80's the NWoBHM was every metalhead's wet dream, yet it made sense back than. Now it seems that unless certain metal bands (i.e quality bands) play slightly more of a commercial sound (in the veins of AC/DC for example) most ppl will miss out on what rock really is due to the fact that its either too soft or too heavy nowadays.

[Warhammer]

I still appreciate some ‘glam metal’ and classic hard rock, especially the likes of Whitesnake and Deep Purple. W.A.S.P, Lizzy Borden, and Twisted Sister, I would consider theatrical metal and they are still good in my book.

When it comes to radio metal, alternative metal, or nu-metal, or however you want to classify it, Disturbed and Tool are the only two bands I can appreciate.

Death, Black and annoying raspy vocals metal, are really a turn off for me. I only found a couple of exceptions to the rule. I can tolerate Dark Fortress and Ensiferum for the most part. Most of this extreme metal, grindcore, in my opinion is worthless and redundant. The only good use I could ever find for it would be torturing radical Islamic fundamentalists with.

NWOBHM, to this day, is still the style of music I enjoy the most. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky few to be a teenager at the time when this wave of music washed up upon my shore.