What is metal nowadays?

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1

I've been thinking about this question for a while now, and I just had to post it.

I've been around kids and young adults who wear shirts depicting bands such as Asking Alexandria, Bring Me The Horizon, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Veil Brides, Suicide Silence, etc. I get curious, and ask them "Hey, what does that logo on your shirt mean?", and they would respond that "It's a metal band." I would go and listen to some songs from these bands and, believe me, they sound pretty decent. I got into some songs from these bands, and listened more songs from these bands, and got into the bands themselves. I tell people that my bands are metal, and they look at me with disbelief, saying that the bands I listen to are "not metal", and are "poser" bands pretending to be metal. I was slightly offended with their statements, and did some research about them, and the same thing: "not metal" and "poser" trying to be metal when they are actually not. Ridiculous! I am no longer into that stuff, I am into the "true" metal (Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Black Metal, etc.), but I still occasionally listen to the Metalcore and Deathcore bands I used to listen to. Is there a "true" metal bands nowadays? 

People say that anything "-core" isn't metal, but they often forget that half of the "-core" bands out there are more METAL than "-CORE". Metalcore is, as we all know, a fusion genre of Heavy Metal (the more "extreme" type) and Hardcore Punk. Thrash Metal derived from Hardcore Punk, and Death and Black Metal derived from Thrash Metal. Blast beats derived from punk, as well. Today's "true" Metal came from punk rock and Hardcore punk. Metalcore and Deathcore are subgenres of metal, they are fusion genres of Metal and Hardcore Punk.

What if the bands people say who "aren't metal" weren't trying to be metal in the first place? What if the fans of those bands never thought they were metal in the first place? (i.e. Avenged Sevenfold, although I don't know if whether or not they ever intended to be metal at all).

The bands on those kids and young adults' shirts ARE metal. This thread you just read was written by a metalhead, who is myself.

2

I don't have a direct answer for your question, but here's my advice:

Don't get caught up in that categorization bullshit. Listen to whatever music you like. Slapping a label on a band doesn't cause their music to be any more or less than what it is. If you like a certain band, then so be it. Sit back and enjoy the music. \m/

3

You are 100% correct.

I have one simple way of explaining it to myself and that is that there are Metalheads like you and me, and then there are elitists. The "fuck avenged sevenfold and bring me the horizon, they're not metal" when in fact they most certainly are. Now you could argue the fact that they aren't the purest strain of metal, and in that case I would say "congratulations you close minded fuck, you deciphered the title of the genre" hence it being called (in it's fullest form) Hardcore Metal, or Hardcore Death Metal (metalcore, deathcore). So no it isn't a pure strain of metal, but by that logic you'd have to say that metallica and 90% of bands formed after 1981 aren't pure either due to that hardcore punk reference you mentioned earlier which would be ludicrous!

 

I basically see it as, if you respect all metal and it's derivatives, doesn't mean you have to like them, just respect then you are a metalhead (in my book)

If you think black veil brides are pussies, avenged sevenfold isn't metal and cradle of filth are sell outs then you are an elitist cunt and can fuck off (not just by my book, but that's sort of an un-definied description of an elitist that listens to metal)

4

+1 to this basically. I consider Avenged Sevenfold metal, I consider Iced Earth metal, if cradle of filth isnt metal then I dunno what it is lol.

5

WHO the hell DOESN'T consider Iced Earth metal?!?!?!

6

I can't tell you how many people I have met who don't even know who Iced Earth is...when ever I talk about bands I like I feel like a damn hipster most days. I blame the current state of pop music...if only we could make metal the primary genre on the radio.

7

Exactly!

8

I'm an old punk, my opinion is that all this new pop metal that is out now just seems to be a copy of the glam rock that has been around since the 80's.  So to answer your question... metal bands nowadays are just the same old 1 hit wonders that will never stand the test of time.  Want to hear some good stuff?  Here, listen to this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zwFjBiffd0

 

9

I definitely disagree with the distorted "metal" classification that is being used these days (damn kids these days!), but I try to stay out of the whole mess.  Most of the metal bands I like are from the 80s and 90s anyways, so I'm pretty oldschool in that regard.  The missuse of the term metal coincides with the missuse of the now totally meaningless term "rock".  Apparently all music is rock now (?)  Like I said, I just get confused and annoyed, so I just continue to hide in the corner and read my encycloedia metallum.

10

If I like it I listen, I class myself as a metal head but I have no gripe with listening to an album by Justice or Immortal Technique. A lot of people seem to treat music like a religion which is rather stupid. It's not just the metal community though, how many times have you heard "I don't like metal, it's all screaming and shit"? 

11

This sir is an issue that I've had with the so called metal "elitist" for a long ass time. If they really want to get into the issue of what they think is metal and what is not then start pulling out bands from the 60s and 70s. Led Zeppelin is a personal favorite of mine and I know they are for a lot of other people as well. When people think of them, they think classic rock when really they have been called one of the original pioneers for the "Heavy Metal" genre. I'm not saying that they were the first "metal" band I'm just stating this for all those so called "elitist" out there. I mean hell I feel like sometimes people forget about Black Sabbath as well. For all those Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax or Megadeth lovers out there that is "Thrash Metal" which is also a sub genre of Heavy Metal. Not trying to single anyone out here. All four of those bands are great bands from the 80s and I like them too. But those are the four that instantly become a topic with people that I talk to who start talking about what is metal and what is not. My conclusion is simply this, don't pay a damn bit of attention to these "elitists" because they may be posers themselves and just listen to what you like. In the end it's all just music and it's just silly to try to start a war over such a thing.

I know it's Wikipedia but it's still a good read for anyone who actually wants to learn something about Metal music and it's roots. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music

12


I'll compare them to DA: Origins and TW: Assassin's of kings, They're both RPGs. They certainly differ as games, and you may favor the form one takes over the other, but they both remain RPGs.

By the way, didn't know who Iced Earth was before now.

 

 

 

 

13

I can go from Deja Entendu to Mozart straight to Led Zeppelin and then to Zweihander in the same playlist. I don't understand the fact that if you like a band you get categorized and sorted so quickly, because you listen to a genre specific band doesn't mean that it is all you listen to. Don't get stuck to one genre. I could listen to music for hours and my genre span is very wide. Don't label yourself to one genre because maybe you like one band. 

pxseidxn

14

Encyclopaedia Metallum is my favorite website to find all that is Metal! I always trust that website and its rules. I'm glad that none of the "rock" bands you mentioned are on the website, thank god!

15

Countless times, especially from teenybopper girls who think real music is born from MTV and only plays on the radio, and hardcore hip-hop fans and hardcore classic rock fans who like to dis metal because of what everyone else says or only because they barely listened to only one song. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate hip-hop lovers or rock fans, but the people I meet can be that way. I always get the question "How can you listen to this? Why do you even like this?" To me, that's like asking "Why is your hair this color?" or "why do you have blue eyes?" and such. It's annoying, I agree with you. By the way, I'm a real nice person, so if I offend anyone with this comment, please forgive me.

16

I don't even know who Iced Earth even is...

17

Don't get caught up in the "no true Scotsman" bullshit argument. I am sure Forrester might say there are no true writers anymore. Truth is, if you are a die hard fan of random people banging sticks together, then you like it and owe nobody else an explanation. I often get younger people telling me "Run DMC aint no rap, no REAL Rap!" or some variant because what I am playing is not what THEY like. and they have a heavy "us and them" mentality they are engaged in.   maybe, by definition, a band does not fit into a genre, so what? if you dig dubstep Flamenco music...go right ahead. That is the only way to truly be an individual, the rest is just conforming to someone else.