Heavy Metal - The All Encompassing Genre? (September 2001)
Heavy Metal - The All Encompassing Genre?
By EvilG
To put it simply, the thing about metal that keeps me coming back for
more is the fact that it is so diverse. Those on the outside view metal
as ONE type of music both lyrically and musically. Those of use who
listen to a lot of metal know that metal is the most open form of music
available. The fact the there are so metal many sub-genres is one
example but more so is the willingness of bands to incorporate new ideas
and elements to their music. Some of the things that metal has
incorporated include: opera singers, choirs, orchestras, jazz, dance
beats, industrialized sounds, punk, violins, piano, flutes, blues,
middle eastern melodies and instrumentation, Celtic melodies and
instrumentation, medieval sounds and instrumentation, folk music, rap
music, etc, etc, etc. Of course not all these elements are always
successfully entwined with our beloved heavy metal!! But the point here
is not to point out the failures or the successes of metal's melting
pot. The point here is just to show that metal is indeed an
all-encompassing genre.
Metal has it's OWN elements of course, but in my opinion heavy metal
which many view as a close minded musical style is exactly the opposite
particularly when it comes to it's musicians. When was the last time you
heard a pop/dance artist use a blast beat, or a ripping guitar solo?
When you take a musical genre like for example country. Do we have power
country, death country, black country, etc? No way!! That is not to say
there are not variations within that musical style. But it does say to
me that the variations within the style are hardly wide enough to result
in sub-genres with a clear distinction like we have with metal. It also
says that many of these other forms of music are the ones with
"musicians" who are limiting themselves by playing within a
"box". In metal there are bands that play within a box and
there are those that don't. The point is, the shape of the box that
metal encompasses differs from band to band or more so in the case
between sub-genres.
So what is the result to all this? The result for me is that heavy
metal has become something that I listen to almost exclusively. It is
varied enough in topics and musical styles that I cannot imagine getting
bored with it. Long live metal!!!
Here are a just some of the bands that have in my opinion been
experimental and that I have liked. That is not to say that these
bands are better then for example a straight up "pure" heavy
metal band! These are just examples of metal's all encompassing
nature. As well, this is not a list of ALL the bands that have
experimented and broadened metal's horizons; it's just some of the bands
that have been examples for me personally!!!
Rhapsody (incorporates classical music in the feel of movie
soundtracks to their foundation in power metal)
Celtic Frost (this is harder to define because the band has
been so different. Their basis has been an early form of black/death
metal but the amount of experimentation they have tried out has been
extremely broad).
Cynic (technical death metal mixed with jazz)
Moonspell (black metal mixed with gothic/dance/industrial)
Elvenking (power metal mixed with folk music)
Suicidal Tendencies (metal mixed with punk)
Virgin Steele (metal and opera)
Nightwish (power metal with opera vocals)
White Zombie (metal and dance music)
Pain (metal and dance music)
Metal: The all encompassing genre?
By Rick
If there was such a thing, I think that metal would be it. Even after
listening to metal for the last 18 years it never ceases to amaze me at
the diversity of the genre. Though I must admit a preference for
traditional and power metal, I also listen to music from almost every
sub-genre of metal. It has something to offer for every mood I am in an
for every occasion that might arise. I am not going to list off every
sub genre in the world of metal because someone will inevitably say that
such as such doesn’t fit into this or that category or that this or
that category is really a sub genre of a sub genre of a sub genre. But
when I feel the need to relax and take it easy I listen to something
like Lacuna Coil or The Gathering , when I want to do some cruising I
normally crank some Riot or Stratovarius, when I am pissed off its
usually some death metal like Vader or Morbid Angel and when I am just
in a good mood and want some good music its HammerFall or Maiden. I can
hardly think of a situation where I couldn’t find something from one
of the metal many sub genres that would fit the bill. Metal also has
some influences from such diverse musical genres as funk, classical,
jazz, tribal and of course good old rock. I have a problem with people
who think and state that people who listen to metal and don't listen to
other types of music are closed minded. I do listen to some other types
of music, mostly classic rock, but I always come back to metal because
it has the diversity that I crave but more importantly the kind of music
that love. I could be listening to some simple Judas Priest tune one
minute and then the next be listening to something more complicated such
as Watchtower which forces me to think and use my mind. I really don't
need any other types of music because I feel that metal is THE all
encompassing genre.
Metal: The all encompassing genre?
By El Cid
I think it's pretty complex to talk about this because everyone has a
different opinion on genres and sub-genres in metal.
I personally like to use sub-genres such as black metal, death metal,
power metal and such because it makes it easier to describe a band to
someone who doesn't know it if you compare it a band in the same
"genre" which he does know. The problem comes when you name
dimmu borgir, cradle of filth, blind guardian, opeth and such. In the
case of Dimmu Borgir the question is are they black metal? Some say they
are, some say they aren't so how do you classify them? And another
example are bands like Opeth and Blind Guardian who are so magnificently
complex that it's simply useless to try to find a category for them
since they are so good that they deserve a category of their own for
making their sound evolve so much that it now is too much their own to
compare it to some other band.
In all I think that sub-genres are a useful tool to describe bands
and their sound but in the end metal is one big family of bands. When
you hear a band you can immediately say whether or not it is metal and
it doesn't matter what sub-genre it belongs to, it's metal and that's
reason enough to give them a try.
Metal: The all encompassing genre?
By Pete
Well, for me personally there are no boundaries within metal. Sure
there are different types of metal: prog metal, speed metal, math metal,
power metal, death metal...I could go on and on. I don't believe in the
idea that if you happen to be a fan of say Six Feet Under there's no
reason why you cant own a copy of Priest's Defenders of The Faith. For
example, a mixed CD I made recently contains the following bands:
Testament, Badlands, Kiss, Slayer, Saxon, Kreator, Motley Crue and many
others. Metal is not limited just to one genre. If you limit metal to
one genre, it's no better than someone who likes Led Zepplin but won't
listen to Gamma ray 'cause they're "power metal." Call it what
you want, but when it comes down to it, it's all heavy metal.
"Metal: The All-Encompassing Genre?"
by Ice Maiden
Once again, as I sit down to write my essay I have no idea what the
question that has been posed means. I interpret the question in two
ways, or at least as a progression of a single concept:
For me, the answer to the first question would be "yes,"
but that does not necessitate a positive response to the second
question.
I think metal is "all-encompassing" in the sense that it
evokes many types of emotions in a listener, at least a listener who
loves metal. It can be aggressive (Slayer), doomy (Morgion), dreamy
(Nightwish), and down-right peppy (Stratovarious). It can make you feel
like banging your head (Testament) and can lull you to sleep (My Dying
Bride). In other words, given the variety of emotions and feelings that
metal can evoke, it is possible to conclude that it is not necessary to
listen to any other form of music. Indeed, with all of the metal out
there to check out, and the limited time that some of us have to listen
to music, I do find that metal predominates my listening time.
That said, I don't know how anyone can limit their music selections
to metal. Sure, I love the soaring, "wave your plastic sword"
feeling that I get from listening to Luca Turilli or Manowar, but I get
a very similar uplifted feeling listening to an opera by Verdi-why
should I limit myself? To me, music is all about enhancing your mood,
and different genres of music best complement different moods. Yes, when
I feel happy I know I can find some metal that will fit the bill, but
maybe some '80's pop will fit the bill just as well--or even better
(sacrilege, perhaps, but true). A person can think that metal rules and
still love other types of music as well.
