Where can metal go from here?

[BrentSSL]

Metal isn't going anywhere right now because the no one has any idea how to be the slightest bit different then what they hear. Not to mention that the last "Metal Wave" we had that people had been drawn or attracted too decided to try ro make the jump to radio play and quickly faded out. I'm specifically talking about Dragonforce (novelty,band), Trivium, Bullet for my Valentine, Atreyu, and All that Remains. Those bands at the height of thier popularity with some older bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch and Machine Head taking them on tour could have moved the genre into another level for new listeners. But noooo they went and tried to become radio bands and people call Hatebreed a girls metal band uugh. Not to mention the Black keys jam band bluesy crap movement so now we have hipsters everywhere and studio crap all over the radio thats a regurgitation of early 2000s jam bands thats a regurgitation of all the 60s and 70s rock we already hear all the time. Now instead of metal stacks guitar center is full of crappy combo amps for a hipster friendly store blah.

Except All that Remains actually did it. The band is more popular than they have ever been. Making the most money they ever have at a time when almost ALL of thier peers have thrown in the towel. Thier songs are played at baseball games etc...

Lol i was getting to that but black keys came on the radio and drew my attention towards my hate for them

 

[Candiria]

The only new metal I really listen to at this point is Protest the Hero and Revocation. I want to find new stuff, but a lot of it is over processed and mechanical in feel. I also feel the vocals are just not that good. Like even the screaming seems generic. There's a lack of emotion in pretty much all of the current metal out there, and I think that's the biggest problem.

^ it's the riffs, but less sometimes is more. Some of these newer metal bands I hear can play some really sick stuff, but the tempos are so odd they lose any groove and they're so complicated they aren't memorable. And having a good vocalist means you can keep the song moving well while the riffing reasonably low key until the right moments to really make your impact.

This is something I tell my nephew. He's 16, and very talented. He likes speed and odd time signatures, and I always tell him that all that stuff is awesome but to remember that dropping in a simple heavy 4/4 riff and something memorable can't be overlooked. I'll give him a shameless plug.

 

[nevusofota]

It can only go down.

 

[BrentSSL]

Digging these guys (and gal) lately.

Are they using Laneys?

 

[Candiria]

Digging these guys (and gal) lately.

The second track is pretty cool, but again it comes off as cold and emotionless. There's no rawness to it, and it seems like they can be capable of much more with that vocalist. I think they'd be a lot better if she stuck with the clean vocals as her main delivery, and brought the screams in as necessary.

There are also bands like Red Fang out there doing what they do, not to mention the BTBAM/DEP types.

I was going to say DEP/BTBAM, but crazily enough they've been around for 15ish years, so I don't think they qualify anymore.

 

[SFW]

Not sure if Karnivool counts as metal or not, but they kick ass...

 

[Mailman1971]

I feel the same way about classical music. Nothing new that excites me.

You just told me the same thing about Hip Hop.
Said nothing beats Cool J and DMC.
Then you sent this pic of yourself rapping. I am not sure what to think.

 

[some dude]

Digging these guys (and gal) lately.

I bought the album off iTunes and listened to it on my way to work today. While I wanted to like this band it's yet another example of a terrible mix destroying what could've been good music.

The worst part is the drums. They're so forward in the mix they've killed the rest of the rhythm section and the cymbals are interfering with the clean vocal, and the kick is so compressed that every single beat of every single song sounds exactly like every other beat in every other song. End result, zero dynamics with a relatively thin, flat sound.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

There are plenty of good new metal bands out there, it just might take some time to find them. It's actually kind of reminiscent of the old tape trading days, sometimes you get a gem, most often you get a turd.
It's just a hell of alot easier these days.

 

[PBGas]

It will continue to spriral down, leave for a bit and then come back. All in a circle.

 

[Beyond Black]

The metal underground is, and always has been alive and well. It just depends on how deep you want to dig.

 

[Atropos_Project]

It can go anywhere it wants I suppose. There are a lot of trends / fads right now, but that always seems to have been the case. They will come, they will go, and they'll almost all not age very well.

 

[Dopethrone]

More of this....

love it!

i've started listening to mastodon a lot lately....tried neurosis but they are just too fuckin bleak for me so i left them alone.

i find myself going backwards with a fresh ear, and listening to a lot of older metal for little tidbits i didnt pickup the first time....

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I think the genre has hit a technology barrier. In the past rock/metal was periodically refreshed by someone coming up with some new sound. The Dual Rectifier is 23 years old. We've been listening to modern high gain amps for over two decades and hotrodded Marshalls for over three decades. The Tubescreamer is closing in on four decades.

For awhile throwback genres like doom and stoner were producing some unique sounds by combining modern playing/recording with with old equipment, but even that's become more derivative now as everyone rushes to copy each other.

Yes, I meant that as well. All the recordings are so perfect now. I was in my car the other day listening to some Journey. Yes Journey...don't laugh. But it was Journey from the late 70's before they went all arena rock, think Infinity album. But the old school production was actually a bit refreshing.

I have been saying this for a while too... the production and the "imperfect" sonic differences are what made great recordings. Everything now is a formula be it songwriting and more importantly, recorded audio and signal chain. Everyone is polishing things off too cleanly to the point that nuances are lost. I can't get into these drum replacement programs. Every sample is so perfect. They stick out now.... everyone ends up using the same ones and another repetitive hit is born. ..the formula and polish needs to die.

 

[Dopethrone]

I think the genre has hit a technology barrier. In the past rock/metal was periodically refreshed by someone coming up with some new sound. The Dual Rectifier is 23 years old. We've been listening to modern high gain amps for over two decades and hotrodded Marshalls for over three decades. The Tubescreamer is closing in on four decades.

For awhile throwback genres like doom and stoner were producing some unique sounds by combining modern playing/recording with with old equipment, but even that's become more derivative now as everyone rushes to copy each other.

Yes, I meant that as well. All the recordings are so perfect now. I was in my car the other day listening to some Journey. Yes Journey...don't laugh. But it was Journey from the late 70's before they went all arena rock, think Infinity album. But the old school production was actually a bit refreshing.

I have been saying this for a while too... the production and the "imperfect" sonic differences are what made great recordings. Everything now is a formula be it songwriting and more importantly, recorded audio and signal chain. Everyone is polishing things off too cleanly to the point that nuances are lost. I can't get into these drum replacement programs. Every sample is so perfect. They stick out now.... everyone ends up using the same ones and another repetitive hit is born. ..the formula and polish needs to die.

things are WAYYYY too polished for my ears too....you can actually pick out autotuned and pitch corrected vocals (or could before it was so widely overused in the kanye sense of it with that signature warble effect). it hurts my ears. its' one of the main reason i can't stand evanescense....the polished that chick off to sound like a gem, and live she sounds like turds EVERY time (saw her once, and it was horrendous, never have seen her not pitchy on a recorded performance). but, the sheeple love what the sheeple love.
i just dig and keep digging for new shit to keep my ears perked up.

 

[NoodlerKS]

Hopefully up sometime soon.

 

[rottingcorpse]

There are plenty of good new metal bands out there, it just might take some time to find them. It's actually kind of reminiscent of the old tape trading days, sometimes you get a gem, most often you get a turd.
It's just a hell of alot easier these days.

Bingo! Your kid is wearing a Havok shirt. They are doing great old school thrash. Great live band too.

There is a whole new generation of kids trying to find their metal voice. Let's see what they come up with. I will be listening.

 

[nevusofota]

Nothing is ever as good as the original in which everything that comes after will be compared. Of course there will be variations but the foundations of metal are set. There will never be another metal band that will make as much of a personal impact as hearing the original masters for the first time. I just consider myself lucky to have been alive when the trailblazers of metal came on the scene.