Tips For Non-Musicians Listening To Metal

[Wild Amazon]

I just saw in another thread how someone said Anata was 'real' tech/progressive metal and bands like Decrepit Birth and Obscura are just wankery. I only have a 9th grade musical education and like both wank and 'true tech'... whatever that is.

Most metal fans are instrumentalists themselves which is why they can appreciate the music better. So can a musician explain to non-musicians what we should be listening for in order to distinguish between wank and tech?

I read in Mean Deviation how Meshuggah plays in 4/4ths in a way that only 'sounds' more technical but isn't and that some of Tool's stuff is in 7/8ths or something but overall Meshuggah's stuff still sounds way more technical than Tool. So how exactly are they getting away with that illusion? What the hell am I supposed to be singling out to distinguish the fact that Tool plays in a different meter?

Is there a link to sound samples of what different time signatures sound like?

[Alejandro4891]

a good tip would be listen to whatever you like despite what others say.

[Wild Amazon]

Originally Posted by Alejandro4891

a good tip would be listen to whatever you like despite what others say.

Emm, I believe I stated that....

But the fact is instrumentalists seem to have deeper insight and appreciation for music. I'm just wondering what all the fuss is over wank vs. tech and how those stances are taken in the first place. How exactly is Anata more or 'real' technical than Decrepit Birth?

Outside of any emotions/preferences, among like-minded metal listeners, how a band like Brain Drill or Sunn O))) can get such polar perceptions. Some say they are a masterpiece while some say they are shit noise...

But yeah, think I'll stick to this:

[el hijo del justino]

"Technical" is an overused, undefined term that people use way too loosely, especially to describe metal. People have so many different ideas of what's "technical" and what's not, so there ends up being no actual definition. It just becomes this really misleading, ambiguous idea. Some people even treat it like this imaginary standard on how to judge bands.

There is no "true tech" (as opposed to "fake tech", I guess?). If a band plays music that's more challenging to listen to than another's, it doesn't make them "better", more legitimate, more talented, etc. It's subjective. "Technical" = vague semantics.


Here's a really basic intro to rhythm. It has a bunch of famous examples of common time signatures.

http://www.empire.k12.ca.us/capistra...thm/rhythm.htm

[djanicar]

everyone who listens to metal is in some way musician. He may play nothing, but he is musician in his head

[ArtBear]

True, true

[imbutawaveto]

holy shit this forum sucks.

[Beacons]

Originally Posted by imbutawaveto

holy shit this forum sucks.

Hahhahah too true. I wish there was more activity and actual interesting discussions on here. Especially since a good amount of the posters on the DM board play guitar/other interments.