Well, between these things what is at the end more difficult to implement, which is what requires the most talent, the gift, what is more difficult at the time of composing, which is what requires more inspiration, which is what truly marks the difference at the end...

What is for you the most important thing for a band to get highlight over the others, what do you think in general?.

Of course in music it is a matter of all of these things, but let's go to debate, i would say that in general at the end it is the vocals what really marks the difference.

Remember that your opinion or vote can be subjetive, or objective, but always from a point of view: in general, what marks the difference for you, or for this world =).

Well it is all , from produce, to profesional playing, lyrics, artworka nd main thing to make it good is music comes from heart not producers, its complicated quasten, to asnver, but all metal elements shood be true not fake and be united like one

I voted Other for atmosphere. I need to be able to "feel" a release, even if it's just "caveman" death metal or "bedroom" black metal; all music is capable of evoking feeling - the bands that stand out to me just happen to be better at making me feel their music.

Of course, almost all of those elements listed above add up to what makes a good album if everything's done in a satisfactory manner (which is entirely subjective and differs from person to person), but nothing wins me over without that evocative factor.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 12.05.2011 at 03:52

I voted Other for atmosphere. I need to be able to "feel" a release, even if it's just "caveman" death metal or "bedroom" black metal; all music is capable of evoking feeling - the bands that stand out to me just happen to be better at making me feel their music.

Of course, almost all of those elements listed above add up to what makes a good album if everything's done in a satisfactory manner (which is entirely subjective and differs from person to person), but nothing wins me over without that evocative factor.

ditto on this, atmosphere is such an important element in the metal experience that bands who ignore it in their own songwriting tend to climb higher in the boredom meter (re: technical bands who emphasize the "technical" as opposed to making great music)

Surely the melody! I love agressive songs with very-melodic choruses!

All of these parts are important but first thing i pay attention are vocals and guitars.

The catchy-ness. Catchy riffs from any of the instruments will do it.

Am gonna go with the Vocals, i heard many crappy albums just because i like the way that the vocals sing, Bass will be my second choice.

Written by Guest on 03.07.2011 at 00:07

Am gonna go with the Vocals, i heard many crappy albums just because i like the way that the vocals sing, Bass will be my second choice.

I agree with u

I can't quite figure if you're taking about a good album in general, or if you're talking about personal tastes.

Personally, the vocals can make a hell of a difference between a good and a average album.

But to make a good metal album in general it's the combination of all of that.

Written by Guest on 13.08.2011 at 12:25

I can't quite figure if you're taking about a good album in general, or if you're talking about personal tastes.

Both.

Written by Guest on 13.08.2011 at 12:25


Personally, the vocals can make a hell of a difference between a good and a average album.

Agree.

Written by Guest on 13.08.2011 at 12:25


But to make a good metal album in general it's the combination of all of that.

Well, that is the easy answer haha =) . It is not so obvious like you say, always there is some element that attracts more the attention of the listener over the rest.

I suppose for me, the guitar is the most important. However it is not the sole factor, but generally if there is a flaw within other aspects of the album, the guitars are usually what I look at, to try and salvage something from the album.. e.g. Between the Buried and Me, "colors" I hate the harsh vocals on that album, but I can overlook them.

On the other side, Burzum- Filosefem........ Would I even be listening to that album if it werent for the production and atmosphere? Definitely not.

Written by Metal_4Ever on 03.07.2011 at 00:34

Written by Guest on 03.07.2011 at 00:07

Am gonna go with the Vocals, i heard many crappy albums just because i like the way that the vocals sing, Bass will be my second choice.

I agree with u

It's the vocals for you and you like power metal?
I think it should be atmosphere, because you enjoy music a lot when you feel it.

I will go with vocals, I've heard some great bands with good musicians and very bad singers... so it ruins everything...
Well, bad musicians can ruin a album too, so we can't exclude anything

Written by Vikcen on 15.08.2011 at 23:27


But to make a good metal album in general it's the combination of all of that.


Well, that is the easy answer haha =) . It is not so obvious like you say, always there is some element that attracts more the attention of the listener over the rest.

The simplest answer is usually correct

I think it depends on the genre you're listening to, for example: in black metal for me its essencial the album creates a great atmosphere, because in its case the vocals are pretty much the same everywhere, unless you're talking about Dimmu Borgir or one of those major BM bands.

Most albums set you to a specific mood before you even listen to it, so there are some aspects you might pay a little more attention than others.
It's variable i guess. For me, as i said before a good vocalist makes the diference between a average and a great band. It is also the most difficult member to replace in a band.

Written by Guest on 16.08.2011 at 15:48


It's the vocals for you and you like power metal?
I think it should be atmosphere, because you enjoy music a lot when you feel it.

Power metal is famous in the clean vocals.
and please just look at my favorite bands on my profile's page there isn't any real Power metal band just Kamelot and they are somewhat symphonic power.

Written by Guest on 16.08.2011 at 20:20


The simplest answer is usually correct

I think it depends on the genre you're listening to, for example: in black metal for me its essencial the album creates a great atmosphere, because in its case the vocals are pretty much the same everywhere, unless you're talking about Dimmu Borgir or one of those major BM bands.

Most albums set you to a specific mood before you even listen to it, so there are some aspects you might pay a little more attention than others.
It's variable i guess. For me, as i said before a good vocalist makes the diference between a average and a great band. It is also the most difficult member to replace in a band.

Yes, it also depends from the genre, another example for me is the drums in the genre of Thrash Metal, in my opinion is an element very important and esential, at least in this case i see this element in this way =).

Well, defintely the question posed is not easy, it is a little limited =), but simply show your opinion and/or vote! hehe =) at least if you feel often that highlights one element .

Okay there are plenty of great albums out there with great guitars vocals songs, production ect. For me to make it truly standout there has to be something different about, something creative, original, inventive... new, ect. It is not an easy task for me to find that, I listened to hundreds of bands from many, many genres and there is little that surprises me these days.
Basically I want something to surprise me, or make me sit up and say "that is really cool". This is not a prerequisite for a good album, but it helps, I think everything mentioned is important for a great album.

For me, it depends on what i listen to. If it is death metal, drums most definitely have to be complex for me to like it. If it is power metal, the vocals definitely. Progressive metal, the guitars.

The music need to make me either physically move, or sing along to for me to be immersed into it.

I voted for other.

The opening and closing songs. Or just the opening of the opening track (that's what intros are for) and the ending notes of the album closer (why bonus tracks can ruin an album). Basicaly I want an album to open and close really well. A good example would be Dark Passion Play where the 2 best songs on the album are the first and last (excluding bonus tracks).

Other, because i think a combination of some elements is important:
drums: fast, hard cymbal use
gutar: well distorted, fitting/interesting
production: cymbals sharp, high in the mix, guitar high in the mix, not too many effects, not overproduced

well, those points especially apply to black metal, but i haven"t thought about it much for other genres

Written by Razorback on 20.05.2011 at 15:36

All of these parts are important but first thing i pay attention are vocals and guitars.

Same here. If an album has righteous guitar riffs, solos, ect and some awesome vocals to back it good enough for me. Drums dont have to be that good to sound good with everything else and bass? Most songs its just the bass.

Well I voted for guitars, I personally rather Thrash and Death over other genres ,we firstly need catchy driving riffs and for sure a good drum line to set on guitars,ok but this is not enough let me give an example of good combination of driving riffs with good drums line, Nevermore that I really have hardtime listening to them cause guitars are innovative and creative and quite catchy at the same time driving but vocals are mostly on my nerve, thus we need good vocals at the same time too,I dont go through the other elements cause my comment will be so long, just I firmly believe a good combination of all is very important

OTHER: Songwriting In the end it doesn't matter how talented the guitars/bass/drums/vocals/keys are if you cant write songs you just suck. Perfect examples: all tech death bands, Lamb of God, Deathcore as a genre, Dream Theatre. All have tremendous production and musicianship but could write a song if a genie came out of a bottle and offered songwriting ability as a free wish

I think the atmosphere of an album is its most important feature.The instrumentation comes second and then the songwriting.

I think key components such as drums, vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, and so forth are all essential in making a great album, although since i do sing a lot, I generally prefer the vocalist to be the major standout on an album, such as Tommy Karevik in the band Seventh Wonder.