Controversial Metal Opinions

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Controversial metal opinions

"The big 4 are over-rated" hardly controversial they are among the most over-rated bands to have ever existed.

As they are the most popular and best selling thrash artists, it stands to reason that calling them overrated would be a minority opinion, which would be controversial to the majority. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Vinushka]

Considering the amount of people's jaws that have hit the floor when I've said that, I guess it is a controversial opinion. Unfortunately most of the people in my local 'metal scene' are of the 'if you don't worship Pantera or Slayer' then you're obviously not metal' sort.

[Iceni]

Unfortunately most of the people in my local 'metal scene' are of the 'if you don't worship Pantera or Slayer' then you're obviously not metal' sort.

Same crap here in NM. Every self-proclaimed metalhead listens to Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Megadeath. Maybe DevilDriver and Fear Factory too. And that's it.

[Vinushka]

It makes it impossible to find musicians to work with here. To me, people with that mindset just appear as if it's all for show. As if they cannot possibly bear the notion that somebody possibly does not consider them to be the most 'metal' thing since man discovered steel.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Controversial metal opinions

It makes it impossible to find musicians to work with here. To me' date=' people with that mindset just appear as if it's all for show. As if they cannot possibly bear the notion that somebody possibly does not consider them to be the most 'metal' thing since man discovered steel.[/quote'] Where are you located? Even in smaller scenes like mine (Salt Lake City), musicians are still available, even if they are a bit more scarce. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Vinushka]

I live in Norwich, UK. There's plenty of musicians, just very few I can work with.

[Iceni]

I live in Norwich' date=' UK.[/quote'] Ah, my family on my father's side originally came from a village near Norwich before immigrating to Johannesburg.

[RelentlessOblivion]

As they are the most popular and best selling thrash artists, it stands to reason that calling them overrated would be a minority opinion, which would be controversial to the majority. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

Perhaps but at the same time it should come as no surprise that people would feel that way about these bands either. It may have been better for me to say "in my opinion" to indicate that I personally did not feel that was particularly controversial.

[Derekc2]

I'm not a big fan of the death metal growl/grunt/what ever it is. I have no problem with people who like it but I prefere to have an easy time understanding the people I'm listening to. Also be able to appreciate their smooth, clear singing that's so easy on the ears.

[Iceni]

I'm not a big fan of the death metal growl/grunt/what ever it is. I have no problem with people who like it but I prefere to have an easy time understanding the people I'm listening to. Also be able to appreciate their smooth' date=' clear singing that's so easy on the ears.[/quote'] I hated harsh vocals for a long time. Sometimes they simply fit the mood of the music; Evoken would have a tough time sounding as sinister as they do without them, Strapping Young Lad is almost too angry to rely entirely on clean singing, and Furia's tormented compositions are greatly helped by the howling vocals. That's not to say they're 'the best' form of vocals - I prefer clean vocals myself, but only when they suit the music. If you want death growls that are easy to understand, try listening to the most recent Amorphis, or perhaps some Battlelore.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I find most harsh vocals fairly easy to understand now. Like Iceni I didn't care for harsh vocals initially and clean vocals do have their place. I'm completely unable to decipher Lord Worm's vocals however.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Controversial metal opinions

I find most harsh vocals fairly easy to understand now. Like Iceni I didn't care for harsh vocals initially and clean vocals do have their place. I'm completely unable to decipher Lord Worm's vocals however.

The more you hear them, the easier they are to understand. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Woutjinho]

I don't need to understand the lyrics. A lot of bands I listen to have lyrics in the booklet eventhough they don't actually sing it. Not very uncommon in slam death metal and goregrind.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Controversial metal opinions

I don't need to understand the lyrics. A lot of bands I listen to have lyrics in the booklet eventhough they don't actually sing it. Not very uncommon in slam death metal and goregrind.

If you like slam stuff, check out Afterbirth from New York. My friend Cody founded the band, and they were arguably the first slam death band in existence, and I like them better than most other slam bands I've heard (though admittedly, it's not my favorite style). Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Woutjinho]

There are like 5 bands from the States called Afterbirth, but I think you mean the one from Long Island. I've only heard the compilation from 2013. As far as I know, they've only released some EPs right? Cool stuff, but not enough slam for my taste hehe.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Controversial metal opinions

There are like 5 bands from the States called Afterbirth, but I think you mean the one from Long Island. I've only heard the compilation from 2013. As far as I know, they've only released some EPs right? Cool stuff, but not enough slam for my taste hehe.

Yeah, that was a comp of their demo and live stuff, they never released any full lengths. It's not as "developed" as modern slam, but you can hear the seeds of bands like Devourment in the vocals and the riffs. They're working on new material, and I'm curious to hear how it sounds. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Woutjinho]

New stuff? Really? Cool! I always saw them as just a demo band. Interesting stuff, but nothing more really.

[InfinityZero]

Reign in Blood, the Black Album, and Under a Funeral Moon are terrible albums.

[BlutAusNerd]

Reign in Blood' date=' the Black Album, and Under a Funeral Moon are terrible albums.[/quote'] I'm with you on The Black Album, but while overrated, I wouldn't call RiB or Under a Funeral Moon bad albums. They're merely overshadowed by the less frequently acknowledged and superior works which preceded them, which is not all that uncommon. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[InfinityZero]

Well, about RiB, Slayer threw out any hint of nuance and songwriting in favour of being as fast and obnoxious as possible for no reason, making RIB a self-parody of extreme music up to that point. It was like thrash metal for cavemen. Although admittedly, I do like Angel of Death. But seriously, listen to RIB again and pay special attention to the guitar solos there as opposed to the ones in Hell Aways or Show No Mercy, and you'll see what I mean about musicianship. And because a lot of metalheads loved the shit out of it, they copied it ad infinitum and a lot of terrible thrash come from it as a result. Darkthrone, for the most part, specialize in taking great black metal riffs and repeating them so much that you never want to hear them again. Almost every song in UAFM sound the same in terms of tone and atmosphere, there's very little variation of ideas or progression that was so well-used in other black metal bands at the time. I suppose the stuff from UAFM is alright if it's heard one song per sitting, but listening to 40+ minutes of it in one go is pretty hard to take. It's like they're the black metal version of Cannibal Corpse. (Except they changed their formula several times throughout their career with the death metal beginnings (Soulside Journey is still my favourite album of theirs) and their crust-punk (still haven't listened to that stuff, though).

[FatherAlabaster]

I never liked Soulside Journey. I liked most of their other stuff up through Sardonic Wrath, though. I don't see their repetitiveness as a flaw - I enjoy the atmosphere they generate, and there's something nice about their simplicity in contrast to the self-important bombast of Emperor and Satyricon. Having said that, I agree that they can be ridiculously lazy, and it's pretty rare that I listen to any of their full albums other than Blaze In The Northern Sky, anymore. I liked Reign In Blood when I was in high school. It's still probably my favorite Slayer album, but that's not saying much. I haven't listened to more than one or two songs by choice in years.

[BlutAusNerd]

Well' date=' about RiB, Slayer threw out any hint of nuance and songwriting in favour of being as fast and obnoxious as possible for no reason, making RIB a self-parody of extreme music up to that point. It was like thrash metal for cavemen. Although admittedly, I do like Angel of Death. But seriously, listen to RIB again and pay special attention to the guitar solos there as opposed to the ones in Hell Aways or Show No Mercy, and you'll see what I mean about musicianship. And because a lot of metalheads loved the shit out of it, they copied it ad infinitum and a lot of terrible thrash come from it as a result. Darkthrone, for the most part, specialize in taking great black metal riffs and repeating them so much that you never want to hear them again. Almost every song in UAFM sound the same in terms of tone and atmosphere, there's very little variation of ideas or progression that was so well-used in other black metal bands at the time. I suppose the stuff from UAFM is alright if it's heard one song per sitting, but listening to 40+ minutes of it in one go is pretty hard to take. It's like they're the black metal version of Cannibal Corpse. (Except they changed their formula several times throughout their career with the death metal beginnings (Soulside Journey is still my favourite album of theirs) and their crust-punk (still haven't listened to that stuff, though).[/quote'] You'll get no argument from me, with the exception of Angel of Death and Raining Blood, all of the songs just sound like fragments that were haphazardly thrown together. However, there are still good riffs to be found, the structure and songwriting just went to shit and I hate that jarring feeling whenever a song ends too early. The same can be said for At the Gates' With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness, good riffs (though not their best), but arranged poorly. Hell Awaits will always be a superior album in every regard, better riffs, actual atmosphere, excellent songwriting, it' the whole package, as is their previous work to a slightly lesser extent. I do agree with your assessment of Darkthrone, but Transylvanian Hunger is by far the greater offender. Under a Funeral Moon still has more to grab my interest, but I prefer A Blaze in the Northern Sky and even Panzerfaust of their black metal works. They just feel much more spontaneous and creative, with a much more enthralling and dark atmosphere, and of course, better riffs (is it becoming clear what I like from my black metal yet?). Soulside Journey is a fucking epic death metal masterpiece though, it shares the Darkthrone top spot with A Blaze in the Northern Sky for me. Even at their most repetitive though, they're still far more interesting than Cannibal Corpse. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Nemo Of Many Colours]

Controversial opinions.. hmm.. RIP THE DAVID LEE ROTH ERA OF VAN HALEN !

[InfinityZero]

BlutAusNerd, I'm curious as to why you agree about Slayer's poor writing in RiB (despite their having good riffs here and there) but disagree when it comes to Darkthrone, who pretty much have the same problem balancing riffs and songwriting. Of course, repetition can be used well when variances are subtly layered in (Burzum's 25-minute track of Filosofem is a good example, as are a lot of black metal bands' longer tracks), but I just don't think Dark Throne do it with any sort of depth or creativity and the atmosphere that they're trying to emphasize so much badly suffers for it. I haven't actually heard Blaze, so I can't honestly say it's bad too, but I do own Panzerfaust on vinyl, so I'm pretty familiar with it. I actually reviewed it on Spirit of Metal. It's an okay album, but again, it doesn't go much beyond being pretty standard black metal. Plus, I hate how all the instruments go down in volume every time the vocals come in throughout that album. It's incredibly obnoxious and amateur. I do like the song Sno og Granskog, though. And speaking of Darkthrone, I actually like Fenriz and Satyr's side-project, Storm, a lot better.

[BlutAusNerd]

BlutAusNerd' date=' I'm curious as to why you agree about Slayer's poor writing in RiB (despite their having good riffs here and there) but disagree when it comes to Darkthrone, who pretty much have the same problem balancing riffs and songwriting. Of course, repetition can be used well when variances are subtly layered in (Burzum's 25-minute track of Filosofem is a good example, as are a lot of black metal bands' longer tracks), but I just don't think Dark Throne do it with any sort of depth or creativity and the atmosphere that they're trying to emphasize so much badly suffers for it. I haven't actually heard Blaze, so I can't honestly say it's bad too, but I do own Panzerfaust on vinyl, so I'm pretty familiar with it. I actually reviewed it on Spirit of Metal. It's an okay album, but again, it doesn't go much beyond being pretty standard black metal. Plus, I hate how all the instruments go down in volume every time the vocals come in throughout that album. It's incredibly obnoxious and amateur. I do like the song Sno og Granskog, though. And speaking of Darkthrone, I actually like Fenriz and Satyr's side-project, Storm, a lot better.[/quote'] I didn't say that, what I said was that Transylvanian Hunger was a far greater offender of being repetitious and overrated than Under a Funeral Moon. That is not to say that either album is bad, nor RiB for that matter, just that they had both achieved better and more original musical heights with albums prior, and even after. Repetition does add to the atmosphere of some albums, as you said this was something that Burzum did well, but I don't feel that it was a good fit with Darkthrone's sound, having been more riff based in the start. Transylvanian Hunger does produce some good melodies, and is probably Darkthrone's most melodic album, but I vastly prefer the atmosphere created by the ever-changing onslaught of old school black metal riffs found in A Blaze in the Northern Sky. As far as production goes, you won't find much to write home about with Darkthrone, except on their Sunlight Studios debut death metal album Soulside Journey, but the same can be said for any early Norwegian black metal artist. Black metal from many regions was often underproduced early on, besides Norway, bands from Poland and eastern Europe, Finland, France, Austria, the USA, etc... were also notorious for this, whereas bands from Italy, The Czech Republic, Greece, Switzerland, South America etc... often had more full sounding recordings. In any case, if you think Darkthrone is lacking in depth and creativity, check out A Blaze in the Northern Sky. They were still a creative band afterwards, but that creativity slowed down until recently, with the incorporation of crust punk and old school heavy metal elements into their sound on recent albums. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2