People don't actually listen to music, they just hear sounds. (part 2)

     Folk metal is probably the most useless genre in metal... seriously.  Listen to this shit from start to finish.  Notice how there aren't any actual riffs?  The only function the guitars serve is for the pretense of being a "metal band" there is actually zero metal going on in this song.  The "riffs" remind me a lot of bands like Linkin Park in the sense that all they do is create an illusion of heaviness by palm muting a hand full of power cords and holding the same cords during the chorus.  This is only metal in an aesthetic sense, the composition in and of itself is closer to modern rock than anything even resembling metal.   The super weak gay melodeath vocals also serve to satisfy this pretense and fail equally.

      I am fully convinced that this dude wants to be a real singer but can't so he just tries to melodically growl hoping it will fit well with the music, it doesn't.  Why is he growling?  is he trying to sound malevolent and foreboding?  Is he trying to sound angry?  Is he trying to show any sort of emotion?  Or is he just simply trying to "do death metal vocals."  Do you think that "Evil Chuck" gave a fuck about "singing death metal style?"  Do you think he practiced using "proper techniques?" Do you think Varg was worried about what might happen to his vocal cords later on in life?  The entire point of harsh vocals in extreme metal is to convey some type of tangible emotion that the listener can relate to in a visceral way without having to necessarily understand the lyrics.  Check out these lyrics, do you think that these require harsh vocals to really make sense in context? Song number 4

     The use of unconventional instruments is nothing more than an ostentatious display of incompetent song writing and an excuse to have an extra 3 people to parade around on stage while 13 year olds gawk at the "uniqueness" of the music.  The object of every band member should be to contribute to the music and ultimately produce art, not show off the the sound that instrument makes.  Estatic Fear also has a hand full of extra members that play "flutes and lutes and shit" but there parts contribute to the music as a hole, not simply play a melody over 3 root notes.  The composition of this song is actually very lazy, it doesn't seem like much thought went into it.  Seriously, try harder.

    This is another example of how "artists" use an aesthetic for a gimmick and manage to sell an undeserved amount of records simply by playing "adjective metal."  Listen to this linkin park song, you will see the similarity in song structure.

People don't actually listen to music, they just hear sounds. (part 1)

     I know what you're thinking: "I don't get it Curt, listening to music is hearing sounds."  What you are thinking is totally correct although there is much more to music than simply "sound."  Before I start explaining what it is exactly I'm getting at I will share a fun tune, pay attention!

     Did you actually listen to it and pay attention?  I understand that it is pretty hard to sit through an entire five minutes of this nonsense.

Fun Fact: people hear this music and like it
Fun Fact: these people don't actually listen to music

Hearing Sound:

Synth: Creates a symphonic atmosphere making the music "epic" and "spooky."
Guitar: Sick shredding!!!!
Drums: SUPER FAST BLAST BEATS!!!!!1 making the music brutal
Vocals: Grunts making it death metal, clean vocals making it "melodic"
Bass: Tremolo picked madness!!!!

Listening to music:
   
     Okay, all of the above elements are things that would be a decent recipe for a good melodic death metal band.  When it actually comes to the music there is absolutely no song writing competency.  This "music" has absolutely zero substance.  The into is totally pointless and doesn't contribute to the song in any way except to flatter a false pretense of sophistication.  The drums are terrible, the triggering is so over the top that they don't even sound like drums.  For all its worth they might as well have a drum machine. The clean vocals are horrendous, the growls are totally devoid of any passion.  The only time you hear the guitar it is during a solo. Apparently this is considered "good" production.  I would take "under a funeral moon" over this any day based on production alone, at least I can hear the guitar on that album.

     I just read the lyrics, they are about some chick dying in her blood or something... I don't really get it.  The video has NOTHING to do with ANY of the lyrics.  Why are they dressed like faggots? Why are their faces covered in soot? Why is their keyboardist playing a real piano?  The only part about the video I like is the part where the one band member kills the rest of the band and then himself.  LOL self pwnage.

     I can understand why this music appeals to drummers, their is some really fast blasting going on, it probably makes them cum.

    Why do other people like this music?  People hear the outward aesthetic of the music rather than the actual substance.  People get stoked as soon as they hear the pretentious intro.  Then when the "metal" starts they get super pumped!  The obnoxious drum triggers make them start hardcore dancing and headbanging until all of their brain cells are destroyed.  I forgot to mention that their guitarist sweeps, this really impresses the unschooled metal head, I have never fully understood why.

     What it all boils down to is that people don't actually listen to music, they just hear sounds.  Rather than judging the music for its actual composition, people just hear aesthetics and production.  Today I chose FGA because they fit the bill for bad modern production and lack of song writing skill.  I could have easily chosen COF or Dimmu for this post but those bands actually have more substance.  I am going to make at least one more post on this topic, there are lots of gimmicky bands with no substance out there.

If you wan't to have keyboards in death metal; do it like this:

   
posted by curt