What genres do you think will still be going strong and which ones do you think will be running low? Fusion genres? How do you anticipate your favorite genres will be changing? Which genres need the most change in your opinion? Etc., etc. I just thought it was an interesting thought.

If you asked this 20 years ago I doubt people would be talking about black metal being mixed with shoegaze and symphonic metal taking on more extreme forms.

More genres will be created. Some will become irrelevant, some will flourish. And there will always be revivalists.

And most of the "gods" will be wormfood.

but my old ass will be laughing when all the kids of today who insist on rewriting history to suit their tastes will be frothing at (whatever device the keyboard evolves into) when futurekids start re-writing today's history to suit their revisionist view.

-_- you guys realllllly hate new thrash don't you.

I wasn't referring specifically to thrash with my revivalist comment (just look at black, death, power, etc. with the own revivalist bands).

And I think OBC was referring to people like me saying something is hard rock when in his day it was heavy metal, whereas when I'm 40 and all the 20-year-olds start re-inventing the genre spectrum I'll be feeling the same frustration as he does now.

Yeah i was actually coming back here to delete my post, cuz i realized it's probably not what you were saying.

Probably more sub-genres and more listeners.

Symphonic Deathpop will be probably the breakthrough genre of the 2010's

Still hoping that the next Metallica album won't suck

What troy said. it's got precious little to do with revivalist thrash (although Guib2.0 will insist the thrash revival-revival scene is better than the thrash revival scene, which is better than the original scene), and a lot to do with what WAS metal when it came out is re-classified as other now.

Written by Unhealer on 07.12.2011 at 17:27

Symphonic Deathpop will be probably the breakthrough genre of the 2010's

Personally, I'd my money on Blackened Djentstep.

MESHUGGAH!!.... and not shitty djent crap, i mean drummers will learn to play to the damn music!!

As long as there are "good" bands in 20 years, I'll be happy regardless of the genre. I have no idea whats in store for music in the next 20 yrs though. Classical, Jazz, Fusion, and Rock have all been done nearly to the max it seems (though I'm not too into classical/jazz, so I shouldn't speak much for it). If an artist within one of these genres get too radical, then is it that genre anymore? In that sense, I can't really see there being a "new" dividing section of music. Maybe I'm holding metal too highly, but I feel like metal has pushed music in general further than any genre within the past 20 years. I'm guessing that there will always be straight forward death/thrash and stuff, then there will be more avante garde bands that appeal to the more serious listener as that will probably be the area of the most originality. There will probably be shit loads of shit bands blending all sorts of traditional metal with electronic, and whatever shit trend genre happens within the next 20 yrs too though.

I can really dig keys/electronic effects if they're done right though. That might be cool if more bands start to thoughtfully integrate electronic sounds into their music too.

Written by Grody2themax on 08.12.2011 at 05:45
That might be cool if more bands start to thoughtfully integrate electronic sounds into their music too.

Has been going on since the '90s.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 06:03

Written by Grody2themax on 08.12.2011 at 05:45
That might be cool if more bands start to thoughtfully integrate electronic sounds into their music too.

Has been going on since the '90s.

very true haha. But technology has increased so much since then. I guess I was talking about integrating the new abilities it will offer

Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.12.2011 at 08:17


And I think OBC was referring to people like me saying something is hard rock when in his day it was heavy metal, whereas when I'm 40 and all the 20-year-olds start re-inventing the genre spectrum I'll be feeling the same frustration as he does now.

Like the whole Mercyful Fate is/isn't Black Metal debate.


btw, is.

And in 20 years, Wintersun and Virgin Black will finally release their next albums (I hope).

Written by M C Vice on 08.12.2011 at 06:50
btw, is.

Exactly. Some people think of them as black metal, but musically they're heavy metal. Back in the day I could see why people saw it as black metal though.

20 years from now? Attack Attack will have re-united with their clasic lineup and go on a world tour for the first time in 10 years, performing numerous symphinic death metal classics to the younger generation, thrash metal will be old people rock, Necrophagist will release their third album, Lemmy will look exactly the same, Dave Mustaine will whine when Metallica wins the Nobel Peace Prize, and black metal will consist solely of acoustic guitars, melodic piano lines, and heavenly vocals with lyrics about how emotional harm can hurt even more than physical harm. No but seriously, it's impossible to tell, and even if starting tommorow no more good would was to ever be released, there's so much great music in the past that you'd never find it all.

Written by Guest on 08.12.2011 at 07:42
...and black metal will consist solely of acoustic guitars banjos, melodic piano lines, and heavenly vocals with lyrics about how emotional harm can hurt even more than physical harm...

Fixed.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 07:52

Written by Guest on 08.12.2011 at 07:42
...and black metal will consist solely of acoustic guitars banjos, melodic piano lines, and heavenly vocals with lyrics about how emotional harm can hurt even more than physical harm...

Fixed.

If black metal can use Hammered Dulcimers, then they can use banjos. And a kazoo.

Written by M C Vice on 08.12.2011 at 08:19
If black metal can use Hammered Dulcimers, then they can use banjos. And a kazoo.

Hoest has already used a banjo in Taake's latest, then The Botanist came along with his hammered dulcimer... not sure I've heard a kazoo in black metal yet though.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 08:21

not sure I've heard a kazoo in black metal yet though.

Nothing that a quick youtube search can't help.

Written by JCJen7 on 08.12.2011 at 09:10
Nothing that a quick youtube search can't help.

I mean a real band. >>

Oh, you're on your own.

Anyways. Metal in 20 years...so mind-boggingly differant of a scene I can't even begin to predict. It seems kinda scary to think about actually, all the wierd fashion and styles that will at least be popular in metal. However, I think there will always be some kind of an underground-ish scene that won't change all that much.

Some gentlemen called Ian Kenneth Åkesson, Stian Arnesen, Jamie Stinson, Stian Aarstad, Øyvind Mustaparta and Simen Hestnæs will have formed a band called Black Fortress.

And after a dozen lineup changes, Guns n Roses will release their followup to Chinese Democracy.

My guesses are:

simple modern Death Metal, Slam Death Metal and Deathcore will become one genre
raw Black Metal will stay, just gradually get sharper cymbal crashes and more dissonance
avant garde will keep growing out of various genres, maybe also continue from today"s avant garde Black and Death
Synphonic Metal will grow, but mostly in a well composed way than for sales
Power Metal will blend into mainstream media genres
somewhat traditional Thrash, but without aggression in the vocals will take the spot Power has nowadays
Thrash will continue, mainly from nowadays extreme Thrash (or Thrash/Death or whatever you want to call it)
rhythm based technical genres will grow

Back to basics.

According to Korn...dubstep is new metal...

Written by theFIST on 08.12.2011 at 16:43

Power Metal will blend into mainstream media genres

You think power metal is going to go mainstream? Of course it does have more commercial appeal than, let's say, black metal, but with the direction mainstream music is going, talent is becoming increasingly obsolete, and whether you're a fan of it or not, power metal takes a good deal of talent. I think that really stands in the way of any metal genre achieving mainstream success. Maybe a mediocre band here and there (DragonForce, etc.) but not the genre as a whole. At least I hope not.
Not to mention the fact that deathcore and metalcore are getting more and more popular. If anything, I'd say that it's offshoots of death metal (like them or not) that are going in a more mainstream direction, since some less discretionary metal fans like the -core genres as well as straight up metal. From my experience, many more people know those genres than power. Still, my theory is that if it gets commercial success, it's most likely going to be a bastardized form of metal. So, death metal fans, don't get up in arms thinking that I'm accusing death metal of going commercial.

I'd actually like to hear a mix between traditional style power metal and old school, barroom vocal Oi! style punk (Cockney Rejects, Cock Sparrer, Dropkick Murphys, etc.). Any takers on that? I think it would be pretty interesting, and it's never been done before as far as I can tell.

That's just my take on it. Let's all pray metal never goes mainstream.

Written by Guest on 08.12.2011 at 19:06

Written by theFIST on 08.12.2011 at 16:43

Power Metal will blend into mainstream media genres

You think power metal is going to go mainstream? Of course it does have more commercial appeal than, let's say, black metal, but with the direction mainstream music is going, talent is becoming increasingly obsolete, and whether you're a fan of it or not, power metal takes a good deal of talent. I think that really stands in the way of any metal genre achieving mainstream success. Maybe a mediocre band here and there (DragonForce, etc.) but not the genre as a whole. At least I hope not.
Not to mention the fact that deathcore and metalcore are getting more and more popular. If anything, I'd say that it's offshoots of death metal (like them or not) that are going in a more mainstream direction, since some less discretionary metal fans like the -core genres as well as straight up metal. From my experience, many more people know those genres than power. Still, my theory is that if it gets commercial success, it's most likely going to be a bastardized form of metal. So, death metal fans, don't get up in arms thinking that I'm accusing death metal of going commercial.

I'd actually like to hear a mix between traditional style power metal and old school, barroom vocal Oi! style punk (Cockney Rejects, Cock Sparrer, Dropkick Murphys, etc.). Any takers on that? I think it would be pretty interesting, and it's never been done before as far as I can tell.

That's just my take on it. Let's all pray metal never goes mainstream.

I"m not really a fan of Power Metal, so i can only talk about the "popular" bands
but as soon as they go mainstream, although it doesn"t lead to other already existing bands going mainstream, it raises the chances of newly forming Power Metal bands being simpler
also the genre, although as you said usually needing talent, which media music nowadays mustn"t have, being somewhat close to media accepted Rock, especially with popular bands sounding relatively mainstream, can and probably will lead to new bands forming in between
especially with a time span as long as 20 years that is nowhere near improbable

The Death part you mentioned also is among the points of my list, yet the problems with those genres, as popular as media made that core stuff, is that they are, even when dumbed down (see Kataklysm - Push the Venom) increasingly, too extreme for general audiences