People keep getting upset that bands that aren't all that talented are making most of the money/recognition, and bands that have all the talent are only getting a small piece of the pie.

Some people go for the technical side of things, like specialists.

Others go for general kinds of things, like the general public.

There are more general people than specialist people when it comes to music.

It's much easier to pick up a song that's fairly straight forward and easy to listen to, like radio rock. Most of the population get by fine with this type of music and buy it. My opinion is: why buy a cd if it's always on the radio?

I like more intricate music and kind of avoid the simple stuff the majority of the time. Other times, I like to listen to good ol ACDC and Kiss. If it aint broke, don't fix it kinda bands.

Kiss are average musicians. They were excellent performers. They made a tonne of money. They made you want to play rock and roll.

I see a lot of our threads express that we compare alot of these musicians to eachother and that they are not playing all that advanced/technical.

To me, the key is, does it get you motivated and pumped to play? Technical or not, it's okay to say that you like it and don't feel that you're a generalist/specialist.

In other words, who cares.

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I honestly think ultra technical shit like NecroFaggot I mean Phagist is fucking boring as fuck.

Its not about how technical your music is; its how interesting it is. How groovy, smooth and up-lifting.

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I don't need my bands to be technical with their music. My favorite band is Disturbed, and they are so not technical, yet I've not heard anything as uplifting as them.

However, I've yet to find a technical band that sounds boring to me. I'm sure there is, but I haven't found it.

I think the reason most people see the music industry as it is (crappy band popular, good band not) is because there are really bands out there that take advantage of simple music, write up lyrics that the average minded public will find awesome and "tres cool," and create a guilded image of themselves shining them in this light of greatness. Or in the words of brute force metalheads; GENERIC, SELL OUT, FAGCORE, EMOFUCK, PIECE OF SHIT BANDS!

But can these bands by fact be labeled corporate pigs? Of course not. It's all our opinion. For example, I love Distured (as I've said a billion times on here), but I bet alot of you guys would see them as sell outs (OMG Davids soo gay, "AH WAH KAKAKA!" LAWLS!). We can't even say that Slipknot, by fact, is a sellout band. We can say we strongly believe they are, and provide examples to back up our claims (constructive or otherwise), or in short, share our opinions.

Can we say there are definitely bands out there who are sellouts? Yup. We just can't say who is for sure........ unless, of course, they came out and openly admit they are in it for the money.

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I'm one of those people who don't give a fuck about what's "technical" or not. Christ, that term has been applied to everything, from when a band switches from 5/4 to 7/4 time or when something requires little more than bashing on your guitar to play. The term has been charred to a crisp. To me the term "technical" doesn't exist in music. 70's progressive rock was more difficult and demanding to play than Led Zeppelin but you didn't hear anybody calling it "technical rock." Technique has to be a fucking means to an end, not an end in itself. Songwriting skills and the strength of a song are more impressive than technical skill anyway. This is why I admire bands who possess both qualities and from them can create some killer music like King Crimson, Suffocation, Cryptopsy or Coroner. The ultimate rule should be - if you like what you hear, then it's good, if you don't like it, move on. Anybody should be able to like whatever they want - fuck musical fascism of all sides.

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Amen

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That pretty much sums it up for me as well.

KISS eat loads off a rhino's ass.

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How interesting.

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NECROPHAGIST IS NOT TECHNICAL. WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THIS?

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necrophagist is pretty technical, if theyre not then there isnt much hope for the rest of the world. however, im totally against technicality for the sake of technicality. i was on a phase for awhile where everything i wrote i tried to make more and more difficult, and its ridiculous. not to mention, lately ive been listening to alot of guys like itzhak perlman and other classical guys, and it flat out smokes anything in metal as far as technicality. i guess it just seems gratuitous to throw in 64th note quadruplets every other bar. alot of tech metal stuff just sounds like a jumble of random notes to me. its funny, some of these guys can play so well, but they are terrible songwriters.

Martyr is probably the most technical band I listen too, and they rule....so uhhh......Hooray for technicality!

why would they not be technical?

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I'd like to know of bands that make Necrophagist simple, because I can't think of any.

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You must have missed out on baroque and classical. The entire genres make Necrophagist sound like Blink 182, or even worse, Six Feet Under.

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or contemporary composers, not cause of speed but, they're so brutal

Stravinsky=

edit: i don't care how tech a band is, if they have no grooves in they're songs/albums, nothin worth listein to, then i do not like them.

There is a middle-grounds betwen opposite ends of the spectrum.

Instruments are made for music, so why not make music with them. but also, music made without any mastery of the instrument, sounds like crap

Necrophagist and BLink 182 are equally boring. You should master your instrument not to show everyone you've mastered your instrument, you should master it to make better music

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hey i kinda like blink 182..

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+1 theres good music then theres just bad music

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Okay, okay, I know. I meant in the metal spectrum.
I have quite a bit of classical in my collection actually.

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Honestly, I think a lot of the people who pick on Necrophagist are simply jealous, otherwise they wouldn't be so vehement about it when they talk shit about 'em. You really just gotta look at the band itself, and forget about what fame or other commercial success they acheive. Not all of their music is crazy-technical, all out, non-musical rape-shred. They DO have their own sound and a very different one, at that... no, not only because of their technical ability (there are sooooo many other bands just as technical or more so), but also because of their use of harmonies, melodies, etc. They have this cool eeriness to them, kind of creepy to me, and THAT is what truly draws me to them, because I personally am not very big on the super technical parts of music. Technicality has its place in music just like everything else and some artists just utilize this tool more than others. I do realize that there are quite a few musicians out there who play their instruments like a bodybuilder lifts weights: Strictly for pushing physical limits. They throw the simple concept of muisc out the window and see how fast they can play shit, not how soulful or passionate they can play it. But I don't see why it has to piss people off so much, as if true music is actually gonna disappear from existence... Live and let live and truth will prevail!

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I guess I would consider Dream Theater "technical". But I find alot of their stuff boring.

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How mature what an ignorant crotch.

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Beneath the Massacre miss any form of inspiration and emotion

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Blink 182 > Necrophagist

Compare Necrophagist tabs from fans to the tab books. All they do is play octaves and sweep a minor arpeggio, EVERY SONG.

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id agree with that, the hardest thing about necrophagist is getting it so tight and clean... most CC songs i attempt are alot harder than necro

I honestly hate super-tight music.

I like it to be a little sloppy just like the fat bitches who live in van nuys.

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GOOD LORD YOU'RE RIGHT!!!!!

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I dunno, but i think its super tight bands like Spawn of Poss., Necrofaggot, SLeep Terror, etc... that sorta bore me out.

I like the semi-tight bands like Beheaded, Pyaemia, Dehumanized, Wormed, etc..

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I don't understand all the baiting of Necrophagist. Muhammed's technique is as tight as it gets and the leap in songwriting from Onset of Putrefication to Epitaph is marked. Onset does tend to bore me, but Epitaph is, for me, a great tech-death album. Stabwound, Ignominious and Pale and Epitaph are all well-crafted songs that carry a tune, unlike most tech-death.

I wouldn't subscribe to Muhammed just playing minor arpeggios when soloing, but having said that there are only a certain number of combinations of arpeggios within a given key. I also believe that Muhammed is more inventive with his arpeggios than other well respected soloists. For instance, I love Jon Levasseur's style and he's one of my all time favourite soloists to listen to, but the phrase "he just plays up and down minor arpeggios" applies more to him than Muhammed. It doesn't make him a worse (or better) player than Muhammed, but it should mean that either criticism is applied on an equal footing or not at all.

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Epitaph is the only one i have and it bores thie shits outa me

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How mature

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Nice comparison to bodybuilding.

Compare it to say, pro soccer players (I wouldn't consider English Premier John Mansley )

These guys can do insane and useless tricks with the ball during practice. When the game comes around though, they simplify it and do what they need to do.

Can the same be said for music? Do you have to masturbate the guitar each and every song? Even I would get bored of my own material if that was the case.
All you need to do is to just prove yourself on a few songs (or bonus tracks) that showcases what you can really do. Less is More! There's something said for balance. I may as well watch a stupid guitar instructional video with a guy that can hit 100 notes a second and then become frustrated because I can't do that.

Do people throw in crazy fret wanking in every song because they have to? or want to? Are they insecure and avoid having a more melodic sound? Do they oversaturate the songs with so many damn notes because it's the way it is? There are only 12 damn notes in the music language. It's not like painting where there are thousands of colours.

I mean, some of these songs take a bunch of listening to even 'get it'. It's so complicated and note diluting that it takes away from melody. Without melody, how can you even recite the song? Can you hum the song? If you can, you would be most likely be humming the bassline.

Well, break time

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If someone plays super-tech music all the time, how can it be said that they are any less passionate about their music than say a blues musician? Perhaps they are, perhaps they aren't. It's a case by case thing.

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My favourite band is Beneath the massacre as they have combined melody technicality and brutality in one, its about what you like and not caring what other people think about it.

Bands like kiss and acdc ARE radio music and bore me rigid and i cant stand kiss's whole image.

Music is supposed to be about fun. If fun to you is dressing up in makeup and prancing around in platform shoes, more power to you. I fail to see how that has anything to do with this thread, however, and the more people mention KISS, the more agitated I become

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quoting for infallible truth

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i think with uber-tech the notes are played so much they lose their value

except suffo

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If a band and are in it for the fun of being in a band, well done to them, if the songs they write suck, but they still have fun, who cares?? Thye don't make you listen to it do they??

If it's a band just trying to be the most imba tech masters, that's stupid, especially if you completely miss the whole 'songwriting' aspect and the point of writing music..

Music is music, not a showcase of how amazing you are. Symphony X are my pretty much favourite band, I know people see Romeo as nothing more than some guy who only does sweep tapping, blah blah, but those people simply miss the fact that the music is incredible, layers of guitars are keyboards, its like a painting, a musical landscape, and it's about so much more than the solos.. but I guess you'd have to be stupid to see it like that?

I don't think it matters either way about technicality, just the musicality and the approach to making the music really show when it's down and recorded. And if someone appreciates it and can find something about it they like, then it's all worthwhile, whether you make money or not!

Fuck I can't be arsed to type any more....

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No shit. I've always hated that band, no matter how many of my friends praise their Jewness. Crappy music, while Rush and The Stooges were killing them on vinyl.

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Exactly my point man. Romeo is a technical whiz, but if anyone doubts his passion for music, they're severely mistaken.

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Any bands that can do blastbeats and sweeping arpeggios always make me go WOAH !!!

But then I'm a shit drummer and my guitar skills are average...

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I know lets all listen to bands that all sound exactly the same as the next band on the list that way we can be clones and never have to listen to anything different ever again.

The technical label means it will definitely be different (except from bands tagged wrong) and you may or may not like it, you should respect these bands for not sounding the same regardless.

Being technical has nothing to do with sounding different.

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I thoroughly enjoy technical bands like Atheist, Spawn of Possession and Psycroptic but I can't deny my passion for straight up minimalistic madness that bands like Napalm Death and Terrorizer conceived.

I care not for technicality but quality. However chances are if the band puts some effort on the technical level, there's an 80% chance that I may enjoy the music. If a band doesn't attempt anything technical in their music at all, chances are I will be bored with it.

And keep in mind I don't consider just sweeping and 300bpm blastbeats with abrupt tempo changes to be technical, there's more to being technical than that, just listen to a band like Solstafir. They sound simple but their arrangements are throughly thought out.

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My opinion is on the basis that 90% of metal is very simple and sounds identicle to the next band therefore technicality does make a band sound different. i am thankful for that.

According to you...but....I dont think youre right...so...youre gay.

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I may be gay but your a "metal head" go back to school kiddeh ^.^ and i'll pack your slipknot hoody

Wow, what a useful argument.

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1. You're. Not your. Spell check if you're going to tell someone to go back to school.

2. I was kidding. I know it's hard to pick up on the internet, but look at how I typed it. Dumb-ass.

3. I'm not a "metal head".

4. Don't try and be condescending to someone when you use those fucking anime faces in your text.

I think I covered everything.

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You people that have to spell every word to perfection and the correct punctuality make me sick, aslong as you or any other person realises what i am trying to say it shouldnt matter, thats what communication is.

Now you and all the other arrogant fucks that thinks spelling will acheive them something some day can carry on in the same fashion but don't try to oppress the people that couldnt give a shit about that.

If a smily face is too much for you to handle maybe you should think about therapy or not using forums.

Furthermore i think bands that are technical for the sake of it aka psyopus are great, they have purposelesly chosen to write in a chaotic manner with no melody or emotion which leads to a refreshing and obscure listen which is different from the countless clones out there and i respect them for that.

You're right. Fuck emotion.



Don't tell someone to go to an academic institution when you yourself get upset when someone tells you to follow that which is taught in there.


Wait...did you actually imply you are being oppressed? Because of spelling? I think I may hate you...

Psyopus is not chaotic because it has no emotion and because it is technical.

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It could be technical and chaotic, but in this case isn't. Very hard to be chaotic and follow rules. It could easily be chaotic and emotionless, unless you've just got some personal and arbitrary definition of 'chaotic,' but it's a bit pointless to be both.

I'm not sure what an 'obscure listen' would be. Pretty bad, in my books, to lash out against pretentiousness of some sort and then come out with empty, faux-intelligent nonsense phrases like that.

Said it before, will say it again: I like skill, but not when it's entirely preoccupied with announcing itself.

Don't take offense to this, but this is not the kindof post you'd want for your 14th. It sounds as if you possibly get bitched on a regular basis, because you'd rather whine than just have a decent, maybe witty, maybe a little smart-assed, conversation. This throwing the hands in the air and acting like the SS just came in and raped your household kindof thing will not get you very far around here, to be sure. Take everything with a grain of salt. No one's opinion is perfect fact, not even mine.

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stop wasting space with this noob

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Jesus fucking Cristo. How many times am I going to have to come in here and settle you crybaby bitches down? I knew this thread was trouble from the start...

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It's only trouble for those that are blatantly trying to cause it.

I recommend listening to Crimson massacre they suck but they are definitely tech wannabes.

I jammed with this guy once. He was like " I want to write a song in the scale of a harmonic minor. I think it sounds cool."

Well, my approach was different and I never jammed with this guy again.

Make the song and rhythm on the fly. If it sounds good, hooray. If not, rework it. Once it gets going, then you can get a scale to fit it for solo or melody.

That's my point for technical crap. Some people/bands do tech stuff just for the sake of it. Less is More!

The arguement that being tech differentiates you from the norm is bull. You just sound like all the other 'techies'.

It's also frustrating to hear all this tech stuff because you're always trying to measure yourself to it (if you're easily manipulated, swayed). Most times, you can't compete with it.

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with necrophagist it isnt just the soloing or what one guitar track is doing......the interplay between all members is incredible the whole album<epitaph>. it does get a little too much at points and i feel some stuff is more a matter of status quo guitar/drum one-upsmanship than writing what fits, suits the song and not displaying solos and passages that go over the average persons head.

i dont have a problem with complex music, its just my first concern is "is it used to good effect?"

does it sound cool or is it just complex?

does the technique employed add something new?

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