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Disturbed

The Strategos

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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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Re: Disturbed

Blisteringly Brutal And Masterfully Melodic! :D
You give too much credit. Blisteringly brutal is something like Arkaik.
Trendy mallcore with annoying vocals.
And you, not enough. I don't think they're mallcore, they're a bit too good for that. They certainly do have some weak songs, but I liked much of 'Indestructible'. When David Draiman isn't showing off (Down With The Sickness comes to mind), his vocals are quite good in my opinion - definitely the best nu-metal vocals I've ever heard (if they qualify as nu-metal).
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The Strategos Newbie

The Strategos

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Re: Disturbed

If they're only as "blisteringly brutal" as Disturbed's music' date=' I'm game...[/quote'] Ha! Ha! Ha! :lol: That's good! Look, I know in terms of power and shnarzzzzzzgar!!!! factor they are not even approahing the heaviest bands, when I say "Blisteringly Brutal" I mean how close they cut the riffs to the beat and how short and stacato the snappy power chords are played. For a classic example please see the beginning of Deify off the Ten Thousand Fists album. But be warned, if you dislike them, then the official government guidelines suggest you should have a paper bag with you at all times to be violently sick into :lol: ! Hoping not to destory your rose-scented world too much, The Strategos (who suddenly fancies a rose-scented bath, with some soft-lit candles. And perhaps a loofah glove.)
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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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Re: Disturbed

But be warned' date=' if you dislike them, then the official government guidelines suggest you should have a paper bag with you at all times to be violently sick into :lol: ![/quote'] Whose government? We've got people from the US and Europe, plus about three pretty lonely guys way out in Australia.
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BlutAusNerd Newbie

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Re: Disturbed I've got to give you points for taking that one gracefully (might have something to do with that rose bath?), but I can't stand Disturbed. I got dragged to one of their concerts by a guy my mom was dating because he "liked heavy music too" and they were awful. I remember everyone in high school getting down with the sickness, but I could not, the riffs were boring nu-metal tripe and I can't stand the tone of David's voice. Just because they listen to a few Dio songs and play solos once in a while doesn't mean they're not mallcore. Oh, and despite my SN referencing a French band, I live in the United States.

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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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Re: Disturbed

I've got to give you points for taking that one gracefully (might have something to do with that rose bath?)' date=' but I can't stand Disturbed. I got dragged to one of their concerts by a guy my mom was dating because he "liked heavy music too" and they were awful. I remember everyone in high school getting down with the sickness, but I could not, the riffs were boring nu-metal tripe and I can't stand the tone of David's voice. Just because they listen to a few Dio songs and play solos once in a while doesn't mean they're not mallcore.[/quote'] I actually don't care that they don't play solos, Eisbrecher doesn't do that either and I also like them. Not that I don't wish they would play more solos, but for some reason it doesn't bother me. With most bands I'd say that's a big detraction in their music. I've never seem them live...never seen any band I like live, actually.
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BlutAusNerd Newbie

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Then what is the appeal? I could see some of their riffs being a shade closer to the likes of Pantera than Korn, but completely void of aggression and excitement, yet brimming with teen angst. I don't care much about solos either, and my comment was directed at people who may assume that they're a metal band because they play more guitar solos than Limp Bizkit.
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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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Then what is the appeal? I could see some of their riffs being a shade closer to the likes of Pantera than Korn' date=' but completely void of aggression and excitement, yet brimming with teen angst. I don't care much about solos either, and my comment was directed at people who may assume that they're a metal band because they play more guitar solos than Limp Bizkit.[/quote'] The groove. :oops: That's what draws me. And I suspect that's precisely what would keep you away, because it too closely approximates bands that do suck. Yet it doesn't in my mind. Not enough chords. Teen angst cries out for chords, and Distrubed doesn't do that as often. As for enthusiasm and aggression, I think writing a catchy riff allows them to express enthusiasm. Now I realize that 'catchy' is a death sentence as far as metal is concerned because so much awful music is described in that way. However, they do have attributes that exempt them from that categorization at least somewhat. Actually, one of the main reasons I don't mind them is because I like their vocals. That allowed me to listen to catchy music I would otherwise hate.Their lyrics definitely aren't teen-ish either, at worst they seem hackneyed. I was in a Christian youth group for several years and nu-metal was quite loved; Thousand Foot Krutch, Project 86, Kutless, Red, the dreadful Skillet...I had plenty of time to get around to hating the genre. With Disturbed I found something much more palatable by comparison. Oh, and I hate Limp Bizkit.
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BlutAusNerd Newbie

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Re: Disturbed

I don't think groove is a bad thing, it's just often misused in metal to facilitate lazy songwriting instead of enjoyable and immersive listening. As I said before, they do seem a tiny bit closer to Pantera than their nu-metal peers, but many of the other characteristics of that genre still shine through, like the rhythmic/rap influenced vocal patterns and "jumpdafuckup" feel to many of their riffs. I love it when metal is catchy, when it can get stuck in your head for days, especially extreme metal. This is why in the last few years I've been getting into more memorable and less focused on extremities/gimmicks type of bands, black/death metal with less blast beats and more melody/riffs, less ambient black metal, less endlessly droning funeral doom, though I still love all of those things. I just also love that Dismember can be punishing and completely unforgettable at the same time. I do still find their lyrics to be pretty angstridden though, but maybe coming more from the high school kid in the trenchcoat that thinks he knows better than you than the homie wannabee with his hat turned backwards. Nu-metal and metalcore seem to attract Christian youth like moths to the light, maybe because it's a more safe outlet for their teenage anger than death metal? I like bands that are Christian, Satanic, Pagan, or whatever because I don't really pay attention to the lyrics anyhow, but it seems like there are less Christian bands that I like than bands that follow other paths. It's too bad too, because many of the grisly topics in the Old Testament would make good brutal lyrical content, like war, genocide, murder, and the wrath of God.
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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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Nu-metal and metalcore seem to attract Christian youth like moths to the light, maybe because it's a more safe outlet for their teenage anger than death metal? I like bands that are Christian, Satanic, Pagan, or whatever because I don't really pay attention to the lyrics anyhow, but it seems like there are less Christian bands that I like than bands that follow other paths. It's too bad too, because many of the grisly topics in the Old Testament would make good brutal lyrical content, like war, genocide, murder, and the wrath of God.
I've cut your quote so that my post isn't ridiculously long, but I will say Asylum did have that problem in that the songs weren't too memorable. Again, Indestructible was better on that front. As for the trenchcoat philosopher idea, I think that does have some weight; like I said before, their lyrics aren't always terribly original. Anyhow, the Christian music thing is an entirely different topic: The problem with so many Christian bands is that they all market the same stuff. There's almost no 'kid's music' in the Christian music scene, because middle-schoolers and 50-year-old adults listen to the same music, with the same boring song composition, the same lazy riffs, the same terrible singing and the same pathetically juvenile lyrics. The only worship artists I like are Steven Curtis Chapman and Newsboys, because they are at least in some respect original. The other huge problem is a lack of originality, but that stems from the biggest problem of all: 'Putting God first'. This is what kills so much Christian music in many, MANY regards. Anyhow, concerning originality: Christian artists would likely be happier to have converted twelve people to Christianity (or their shallow impression of it) than to sell a million CD's (again, this is what they're saying; I doubt any of them could be real ascetics). I think this ruins their songwriting in that they're trying to get into a happy and worshipful mood. You know the dragon joke where the 'Christian metalhead plays the dragon a sappy power ballad, converts the dragon to Christianity after it breaks down in tears'? That's VERY true. Golden Resurrection and ReinXeed are great examples of this incredibly cheesy approach to music. As a result, there are almost no mournful or regret-filled Christian songs. There's this insidious idea that God wipes away your regrets that makes its way into the music. Rubbish. If that were true, we'd suffer no guilt for sin and hence feel no need to repent. In addition, this causes many Christian bands to follow the crowd. After all, if you want to touch hearts, it helps to play the most popular form of music. Since Christian music also professes to seek out the lost (although the behavior of my youth group suggests otherwise), the whole imagery of people acting as angels and 'saving' each other appeals a lot to goths and the scene crowd, plus the other people who haven't got a clue and think metalcore is the entirety of the metal scene. The drama of being saved from darkness, by love, is again very relateable to emos and scene kids. Supply meets demand. Sadly, the truth and complexity of the faith is totally lost in the process, so in the end they aren't even putting God first. However, there are some Christian bands who've done a better job of making music. I don't know if you've heard 7days, but their vocalist is Thomas Vikstrom and they have a slower approach to prog that is quite original. Rob Rock is a heavy slab of speed/power metal that is not in the least bit cheesy, alongside some pretty good lyrics. Holy Blood is a Ukrainian folk/black metal band that many people of multiple faiths love. Some of their members also formed Oskord, a great folk/death outfit that is just starting out (and has awesome shirt designs too. :P ). And if you wondered where all the wrath of God was...it's in Slechtvalk lyrics. Just check them out, you might like their earlier material especially. And, as I have at the bottom of my signature, there's Aletheian. Some of the best lyrics I've ever seen.
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RelentlessOblivion Grand Master

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Re: Disturbed whoa Iceni that is one monumentally long post, you are right though there are very few christian metal bands I've heard that make quality music, there are some examples of christian bands making brilliant music though, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Harmony and DivineFire christian bands? for me metal is about good lyrics meeting good music (and those lyrics being performed coherently) so I'll listen to any band that plays good quality metal with well constructed lyrics

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Iceni Newbie

Iceni

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whoa Iceni that is one monumentally long post' date=' you are right though there are very few christian metal bands I've heard that make quality music, there are some examples of christian bands making brilliant music though, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Harmony and DivineFire christian bands?[/quote'] Yeah! So are 7days, Darkwater, Oskord, Random Eyes, Rob Rock and Sympathy. I have a lot to be thankful for, but also a lot to complain about. :D
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