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Metal just a phase?



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Original post

Posted by , 02.11.2006 - 05:18
Some people just don't understand. You know, they can tell me about my "punk ass bitch gothic t shirts", they can tell me everything I listen to sounds the same, they can say just about anything in the book and I'll gladly set them straight if they allow me the time to explain to them. But nothing pisses me off more than when people tell me that it's just a phase or that I listen to metal music because I'm angry. I live in a part of the city where I'm the only metal head I really know so maybe this is new to you guys but I get this erroneous comment all the time. So just to get the conversation stirring, which people just go through a metal phase and which people (like myself) plan on devoting their whole lives to metal?
08.08.2016 - 22:51
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Written by Overrwatcher on 08.08.2016 at 17:21

Even Mercyful Fate. I can see the appeal of King Diamond's music, but in general I just don't like the 80's due to the production, guitar tone, vocal styles, pretty much everything. The 80's were a massive anomaly in general, let alone metal. It's not bad. I can see why Master of Puppets, Powerslave, Melissa, or other distinctly 80's albums are so acclaimed, and I don't disagree, it's just the music is not for me.

Do you just hate bad/raw production in general or just of the metal genre from the 80's? So does this mean that you really don't enjoy the recent osdm revival and revivalist thrash bands? (Ok, Recent Revivalist thrash may not be really that great, but its still lightyears better than how it was in the 90's). Those traits that you noted puts you off from 80's records are exactly the usp of music from that period. To a degree I even agree with you, I basically favor outsider music more so If I had an upbringing in a background same as you I will definitely be put off by them. But I do enjoy them when I feel like I want a taste of that. But the underground and emerging styles were really good at that time. I would say, give yourself sometime before trying that again. I absolutely hated raw production of the debut records of Suffocation, Death & Godflesh initially, it took nearly 2 to 3 years of metal listening to get their appeal and I still can't explain how I got to liking it. Maybe thats how long it took for me to overlook the glamorous aspects and focus on enjoying only the trve music, which alone matters. Yeah it sounds silly but thats how it is, its quite an acquired liking.

Take the early EP's of Big Black or the debut of Swans or bands from the no wave scene for eg., they are some of the most abrasive rock music I've ever heard and they were incredibly influential for the development of the early industrial rock scene. But they may be too much for you to start with, you could start with early records of Celtic Frost, Autopsy, Terrorizer, Amebix, Bolt Thrower etc. Don't count 80's music out just by the sound of the mainstream scene.
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09.08.2016 - 12:56
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
Written by 3rdWorld on 08.08.2016 at 22:51

Written by Overrwatcher on 08.08.2016 at 17:21

Even Mercyful Fate. I can see the appeal of King Diamond's music, but in general I just don't like the 80's due to the production, guitar tone, vocal styles, pretty much everything. The 80's were a massive anomaly in general, let alone metal. It's not bad. I can see why Master of Puppets, Powerslave, Melissa, or other distinctly 80's albums are so acclaimed, and I don't disagree, it's just the music is not for me.

Do you just hate bad/raw production in general or just of the metal genre from the 80's?

I wouldn't call Mercyful Fate's production bad or raw. If anything, the 80s had plenty of (over)polished productions, which I assume she means.
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09.08.2016 - 15:38
Overrwatcher

Written by 3rdWorld on 08.08.2016 at 22:51

Written by Overrwatcher on 08.08.2016 at 17:21

Even Mercyful Fate. I can see the appeal of King Diamond's music, but in general I just don't like the 80's due to the production, guitar tone, vocal styles, pretty much everything. The 80's were a massive anomaly in general, let alone metal. It's not bad. I can see why Master of Puppets, Powerslave, Melissa, or other distinctly 80's albums are so acclaimed, and I don't disagree, it's just the music is not for me.

Do you just hate bad/raw production in general or just of the metal genre from the 80's? So does this mean that you really don't enjoy the recent osdm revival and revivalist thrash bands? (Ok, Recent Revivalist thrash may not be really that great, but its still lightyears better than how it was in the 90's). Those traits that you noted puts you off from 80's records are exactly the usp of music from that period. To a degree I even agree with you, I basically favor outsider music more so If I had an upbringing in a background same as you I will definitely be put off by them. But I do enjoy them when I feel like I want a taste of that. But the underground and emerging styles were really good at that time. I would say, give yourself sometime before trying that again. I absolutely hated raw production of the debut records of Suffocation, Death & Godflesh initially, it took nearly 2 to 3 years of metal listening to get their appeal and I still can't explain how I got to liking it. Maybe thats how long it took for me to overlook the glamorous aspects and focus on enjoying only the trve music, which alone matters. Yeah it sounds silly but thats how it is, its quite an acquired liking.

Take the early EP's of Big Black or the debut of Swans or bands from the no wave scene for eg., they are some of the most abrasive rock music I've ever heard and they were incredibly influential for the development of the early industrial rock scene. But they may be too much for you to start with, you could start with early records of Celtic Frost, Autopsy, Terrorizer, Amebix, Bolt Thrower etc. Don't count 80's music out just by the sound of the mainstream scene.


I'm a big production snob in general, being spoiled by an electronic background where pretty much all of the work is sound engineering. Production tools and techniques have evolved as time has gone on, which makes it seem so astounding going from Black Sabbath to Slipknot in terms of clarity and weight. Both are insanely massive names in metal, but the linked songs are 46 years apart, and it really really shows. No matter what you think of Slipknot, "The Devil In I" is a fantastic song production-wise. Every sound is super crisp and meaty without being overwhelming, and every instrument can be heard in the mix, even Clown's unconventional choices for instruments. It's a really dark, haunting, and intense song that avoids being overwhelming unless it wants to, and remains accessible enough to be a massive radio hit. The only time I can really like raw production is when it's really, really fitting. Sonic Syndicate's debut had poor production but in the context of the sound they were going for, it works great. It comes off as really gritty and industrial lo-fi melodeath. But I don't like raw BM albums, even if it's fitting, because that's too raw for me. I can't make out a single thing that's happening in the song and it sounds like a giant jumble of noise.

And it's not just a strict "modern bands always have good production" thing. Mainstream modern bands can have awful production too. Chelsea Grin, who previously was passable in my books (Desolation of Eden had a meaty sound and that was good enough), suddenly released this miserable excuse of production in an attempt to sound brutal like their early days. Seriously, who produced this garbage?

But the 80's is more than just production. The 80's is an entire sound. 80's pop had extremely distinct synths that just screamed 80's, and 80's metal had the guitar tone. 80's was a fun and happy time, just a little too fun for my tastes. Even the darker music, I found hard to take serious (sorry Slayer and King Diamond). What I may hate about the 80's, other people love. It's a musical anomaly, but an anomaly doesn't have to be a bad thing. What's odd is that it doesn't have to do with songwriting. I absolutely love Machine Head's cover of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" but don't care much for the original, even though both are extremely similar. It's just that the cover stays true to the 80's spirit while having modern tricks, making it much more listenable for a young production snob like me whose first bands were In Flames and Arch Enemy, not Metallica and Iron Maiden. That shows that my problem with 80's songs is entirely due to the actual sound, not the songwriting itself. I love the 90's more for the sound than the songwriting. "Production" was finally becoming a vocabulary word for metal bands, the music got a whole lot darker and slower, vocals got less cheesy, and the genre as a whole started splintering into the different subgenres. Sure, it could be a bit stupid, repetitive, or leading straight to nu-metal, but it's a comfort zone for me.

I find the OSDM revival okay, it's more listenable than the actual OSDM due to better production but I still don't care much about it. I remember hearing Asphyx's "Deathhammer" and enjoyed it quite a bit, solid 8/10 in my books. Traditional thrash is a genre that I've never been too fond of, so I feel the same way to revival thrash as well. What's interesting is when you mentioned Filth. Filth does not suffer from the same problems that the other 80's albums do. It's really tight and meaty in its production, which is amazing considering the entire style wouldn't really take off for at least another seven years. It was way ahead of its time and wouldn't sound out-of-place in the 90's. Anyway, to wrap it up, I'm still relatively new to metal, so I haven't had very much time to actually let everything sink in. But no matter how hard I try, I simply can't break past the pre-1990 mark. I find myself thinking "I'm bored, I'd rather put on (insert generic over-polished metal band here) instead." I enjoy Sanctuary's Into The Mirror Black (which still has 80's sound) and Death's Leprosy, but that's as far as it goes. Who knows, maybe the music will end up clicking with me eventually, but as of right now I'm sticking with my 90's and beyond. It's shamefully limiting, but it's not the end of the world. It's better if this discussion continues on another thread to avoid derailing the topic entirely though.

Oh, and thanks for the recommendations. I'll be sure to check them out. I've always been meaning to listen to Bolt Thrower, that's for sure.
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Written by Dr. Strawberry on 12.06.2016 at 19:43

Overwatcher, MS Xena, crumbled him in no time. MS needs you to kill the boredom in here.
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09.08.2016 - 18:04
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Written by M C Vice on 09.08.2016 at 12:56

Written by 3rdWorld on 08.08.2016 at 22:51

Do you just hate bad/raw production in general or just of the metal genre from the 80's?

I wouldn't call Mercyful Fate's production bad or raw. If anything, the 80s had plenty of (over)polished productions, which I assume she means.

I am not much aware of MF but I've heard some songs of King Diamond a longtime ago. Yes, they don't really have a raw or bad production but have a cheesy 80's evil feel or whatever that puts her off. But when I read her posts I got a feeling that she was mainly emphasizing as having a problem with the production aspect more than anything which seems more apparent now with her latest post.
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09.08.2016 - 20:42
Sang Dalang Abu

Oh no dont talk sh*t about Mercyful Fate or King Diamond please.

Heavy Metal really shine in 80's.
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05.09.2016 - 00:33
Crimson Maiden

Metal isn't going anywhere----I think it started in the late 1970's with bands like Black Sabbath and that makes metal around 40 years old and metal is still going strong!!! I think people love metal like other people love rap or country music..metal is a way of life for so many!!! Metal music will always be my favorite genre of music!!! 8-]] :banger2:
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04.03.2017 - 12:46
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
I guess phases in some ways could be connected to kids. They probably got sensitive ears so no more playing black metal on full volume. So 30 days left for me before I leave metal...

This could do the trick though
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07.03.2017 - 01:17
no one
Account deleted
Written by Guest on 04.03.2017 at 12:46

I guess phases in some ways could be connected to kids. They probably got sensitive ears so no more playing black metal on full volume. So 30 days left for me before I leave metal...

This could do the trick though


Congratulations! I'm one year in and no, you don't have to stop listening to metal. In fact I think it makes you appreciate it more. You will be fully immersed in the music every album when you listen to it , as you can't be listening to it as often.
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07.03.2017 - 15:50
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
Written by Guest on 07.03.2017 at 01:17

Written by Guest on 04.03.2017 at 12:46

I guess phases in some ways could be connected to kids. They probably got sensitive ears so no more playing black metal on full volume. So 30 days left for me before I leave metal...

This could do the trick though


Congratulations! I'm one year in and no, you don't have to stop listening to metal. In fact I think it makes you appreciate it more. You will be fully immersed in the music every album when you listen to it , as you can't be listening to it as often.

Thanks! I am a 24/7 listener now so it will be a huge conversion of myself. At least our kids will grow up with some fathers that are listening to some strange noices
I actually could need some more immersion in my listening.
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07.03.2017 - 16:45
Karlabos
Meat and Potatos
You guys have heard of headphones and such, right?
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"Aah! The cat turned into a cat!"
- Reimu Hakurei
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07.03.2017 - 16:54
LuciferOfGayness
Account deleted
Written by Karlabos on 07.03.2017 at 16:45

You guys have heard of headphones and such, right?

Dissonant sounds is probably the worst at very loud volumes - black, death. I am really getting in to os-trash at the moment so it shouldnt be a problem
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07.03.2017 - 18:39
no one
Account deleted
Written by Guest on 07.03.2017 at 15:50

Written by Guest on 07.03.2017 at 01:17

Written by Guest on 04.03.2017 at 12:46

I guess phases in some ways could be connected to kids. They probably got sensitive ears so no more playing black metal on full volume. So 30 days left for me before I leave metal...

This could do the trick though
[img]http://s3.amazonaws.com/vice_asset_uploader/files/1423680830125_dB_2015_03_cover.

Congratulations! I'm one year in and no, you don't have to stop listening to metal. In fact I think it makes you appreciate it more. You will be fully immersed in the music every album when you listen to it , as you can't be listening to it as often.

Thanks! I am a 24/7 listener now so it will be a huge conversion of myself. At least our kids will grow up with some fathers that are listening to some strange noices
I actually could need some more immersion in my listening.

Well I just listen to metal all day at work now, so I get about 6 hours in if I want. I am a little worried about my daughter getting in to my collection and seeing band titles like "life is pain" then reading disturbing lyrics and stuff.

Dadda, do you think life is pain and cut your self?
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07.03.2017 - 18:44
no one
Account deleted
Written by Karlabos on 07.03.2017 at 16:45

You guys have heard of headphones and such, right?

Yeah that doesn't work, you need to be able to pay attention to your kid.......they basically need to be watched every second of the day at this age.
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14.03.2017 - 21:14
Betahuman

In my own personal opinion, i think that the looks and the clothes are probably just a phase for most, but you'll always love the music.
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14.08.2017 - 09:02
MetalSpider

Written by MetalSpider on 02.11.2006 at 21:06

I started listening to metal in the later years of high school. Before that I was listening to Hip-Hop and R&B...quite a change if you ask me lol! At one point, I listened to Green Day, back when I started listening to rap. Eventually though I started listening to Metallica and stuff like Linkin Park, and a lot of the nu-metal bands.

Then one day while I was watching one of those music video's that people create using a video game and music (something I used to do), I heard an instrumental that I thought was absolutely awesome and I kept listening to it a lot. I learned that it was by In Flames, and it was the song Man Made God. Ever since then, I started listening to the metal that I listen to now.

I think for me, Rap and R&B and what not was just a phase. I really listened to it because I wanted to fit in during the early days of high school and even before that. I wanted to be popular, I didnt want to be picked on, so I started listening to that kind of music.

Ive been listening to metal I guess for about 3 years now. Is it phase? Maybe (I hope not!). I cant really say though. I dont know for sure. I do know that music is in my blood and that I will always love music. I was raised up listening to classical music. Maybe I will end up listening to classical music (I still enjoy classical music, I enjoy Rock and Blues, and even a little bit of Jazz) when im older or maybe I will become one of the oldest metal heads to ever live. Maybe I will start listening to blues...who knows. Time will tell....but for now, I will stick to metal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wow, I made this post over 10 years ago!

I haven't posted on MetalStorm in over a year. That's partially due to the fact that I no longer listen to metal as much as I used to. I can honestly say that these days I listen to Top 40 pop and TV Show/Movie Soundtracks (mainly just Game of Thrones soundtrack at the moment). Listening to metal in general just doesn't do much for me anymore.

So what changed? It's really hard to say. My lifestyle has definitely changed and so has my personality and outlook on life. Those things may have affected my taste in music, but I can't say for sure. I stopped posting here in 2016. I could feel that I was starting to slip away from metal around 2015, 2016.

Metal might have just been a phase for me, but that doesn't mean it's a phase for everyone. I can say with relative certainty that my days of actively searching for new metal bands, downloading tons of albums (I use spotify but that's not the point), going to metal concerts etc. are over. That's not to say I don't listen to metal every now and than. I'm currently listening to Krimh Kerim's solo album and the three new songs that Septicflesh have released. I am definitely looking forward to their new album. I also still listen to Katatonia occasionally as well as Soilwork and Moonsorrow once in a blue moon.

I can officially say I'm no longer a metalhead.
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Thanks to Corrupt for these banners!
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14.08.2017 - 13:27
Polaria

My story with metal in short: started listening to Iron Maiden in 1993, got caught in the Gothic Metal wave in 1996, went into full metalhead mode from 1999 to 2004.
Then... I pretty much disengaged from metal from 2004 to 2015. This had a lot to do with my marital relationship during that time (typical issues have already been highlighted in the thread).

I finally got out of that nonsense in early 2016 (long story); on top of the relationship breaking down I had to deal with a shitload of stressful events until April 2017.

Now that all the shit has been dealt with, I have plenty of plans metal-wise: going back into a band, catching up with all the music I missed, going to Belgian festivals next year, promoting the local metal scene...

For me I'd say NOT listening to metal has been the phase, not the other way around. If perturbations go away, I fall back into a metalhead state of mind.
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Life is all the pain we endeavour.
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29.08.2017 - 20:50
alexafoster666

I started with gaming believe it or not. I was in a clan in a game called Quake 3: Arena. One day a clan member created a music video that was a compilation of our clan kicking other clan's asses! Whoever did the editing had the song "The Game" on the music video. The more I watched the video, the more I began to realized how magnetic the song was. I looked it up and immediately became a diehard fan.

From there I moved to System Of A Down, Slipknot, Trivium, and then the rest is history
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04.09.2017 - 09:12
CobiWan1993
Secundum Filium
I noticed I haven't been posting on here as much lately. I'm not sure if I'd call it just a phase as I still enjoy listening to metal music, though I haven't been as voracious in buying new music as I was just a few years ago. My lifestyle has changed a little bit since graduating from college and having a full-time job, making a budget, etc., but I do set some money aside for new music and shows that I know will be of high quality. I've also found myself listening to more classical music and indie rock lately. So even though metal isn't at the front of my mind quite as much, I like to think it will always hold a special place for me.
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Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
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08.09.2017 - 10:11
solar

Got shown the way to this thread, so I'll tell a bit about my 'phase', in response to the original question/comment. I have definitely come across people who are either surprised or slightly taken aback/amused when they get to know my tastes in metal. Nothing too negative of an opinion from them, however, because they're usually unable to understand what it's about, or they find talking about music too boring anyway - so the discussion's over before it starts and everyone lives happily ever after.

Having said that, I also think it's hard for others to be able to talk to me about metal right away, because nothing about me shows that I like metal (no tshirts, fashion, etc.).
What others say to you also depends on where you're from, the population's general music tastes and cultural and religious demographics. Here, for example, people are largely oblivious to metal music and are uninterested/disinterested in it, for the most part. It makes it an everyday experience for me to listen to metal and occasionally talk about it. No one has ever told me that I'm in a 'phase' or that the music I like is 'angry/evil' or anything of that sort. But yes, I understand why one would get a different reaction from a population that (by and large) has a different notion of metal music. I guess the best way is to try not to justify your tastes to them. That's not your job, and they won't really get it anyway - because people hold on to their preconceived notions very dearly. If they ask - you tell them a bit. If they judge, you smile and move on from the conversation. : )

As for my 'phase' - I didn't (read: don't) really have a phase, because well, it's just music to me; nothing more, nothing less. I like a couple of genres other than metal and they didn't (don't!) have a phase either. And surely, I do not intend to devote my life to metal. Firstly, I am not a musician. This isn't my occupation or even a hobby. Secondly, it'd be too short-sighted to fixate my attention on one genre, missing out on all the other good stuff!

Cheers!
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15.11.2017 - 13:32
Sang Dalang Abu

Metal is just like Classical music.... Its hard to forget it. And its not a phase.
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16.11.2017 - 14:33
Zombie94

I don't see myself ever moving away from metal.

I am somewhat of a seasonal listener though. I probably listen to metal the least in summer, whereas right now it's almost all I'm listening to.
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