The Future of Metal

[death metal black metal]

Over time metalheads gain enough experience and insight to realize that, with a few exceptions, the metal genre is unthinking slobs slashing out three chord rock and pretending that somehow it is more "profound" than other rock music. This has reached its peak in black metal, where the crowd who believe that socialization is more important than music content now impress each other with new aesthetic recombinations of the same old, same old.

http://www.anus.com/metal/about/metal/future_metal/

(In part inspired by talk on this board and three years of discussion on other ANUS forums.)

[Sidhe]

I agree with the assertion that aesthetic variants are illusions of "new" content.

However, the current known medium of black metal has been over-explored.

Think of it this way: The normalization of a once-significant word causes it to lose that significance. Ask anyone these questions:

How was your day? "Good"
How well did you sleep? "Good"
How's the food? "It's good"

The meaning of "good" is so incredibly tired, that it's practically a universal filler-response. The same thing happens to music when it becomes overdigested (though this is obvious to you, admin)

Every new movement in underground music possesed something that was an antithesis to the preceding movement. It sought to recreate the potency of what was destroyed, and build it stronger - learning a new lesson with the conclusion of each cycle.

There will be lots of "next big things", but it's not until after the eruption that one looks for diamonds. (ie: It's why I'm skeptical of that new Black Funeral stuff. Seems like just another serving of fireworks black metal).

[Big Cock Beelzebub]

You called "The Way" an instrumental, but otherwise it looks good. I don't the time or energy to pick bits out and comment on them in detail atm.

[Lord_Cheeses]

I love the way noisepop "sounds" but the music I've heard never quite agreed with me.  I've thought before that I'd like to hear a good metal band in that vein, or at least something that doesn't sound like it's groveling for radio attention.

Nice to see Enslaved's debut get some praise also.  That album makes my short list.

[nihilia]

Further, it would free the genre from the unnecessary simplicity of uniform bass/drums/guitar composition, and give composers room to create longer, more complex songs more likely to approach classical music.

Can you elaborate a little more on this? Why classical music in particular?

[nihilia]

And by the way what part do you think 'vocals' should play in the future of metal music?

[flittermouse]

And by the way what part do you think 'vocals' should play in the future of metal music?

Darkthrone - Panzerfaust

[Blaphbee]

Vocals?

Until an artist comes along with a new conception of what metal should even be, let alone instrumentation, let alone composition, let alone ideological necessity for it's existence, vocals are a needless distraction.

The music can convey the impression of bleakness, desperation and torment far greater than what the contribution of some ninny screaming himself hoarse in some bad caricature of a banshee can add.

I'd give my left nut to see a great instrumental black metal band.

[cjs55]

Sparse clean vocals interest me somewhat, but I dislike their use so far in black metal, so I would just stray towars the anti-vocal entirely for metal at this point.

[cjs55]

As far as the article goes, the sections on aesthetic interested me greatly.  Compositionally I already have a good idea of where I believe metal needs to go, although obviously attaining conception in reality is a complicated and difficult task.

[Lord_Nocturnus]

Hmmm,

well it is quite possible that metal music will not go any diff road,it may just nowhere at all.

just how many chord progressions can there be?
there are only so many and I would say they all have been tried.

as for the music it may not change much at all,quite prob we will change somewhat and adjust into another plane of listening.

I may say one thing is that maybe the vocals will become followed by the music instead of the other way around sort of like what Night Conquers Day did.
although it was just a tiny bit of what I speak of now they did touch on the point.
way too bad they split,they ere amazing.

[einzige]

what'll probably happen is a whole load of technology, followed by a reaction against it. that seems to be a very simple 'trend' that most music genres have and are going through.

[Lord_Nocturnus]

Tech in metal??

wow never thought of it,Technique yes but not a machine doing something.

maybe we are looking at it from the wrong end,maybe it is not the musical aspect that will or even has to change./suppose it is us that change,perhaps we are marching toward another plane,a higher plane of listening.

could we be headed into feeling the music directly to the brain instead of hearing it??
who is to say or possibly know.
one thing is sure there will always be a body slamming the drums,a body hammering the bass,fingers doing gymnastics on a fretboard and Vox doing it some sort of way,,,,,,

[cjs55]

just how many chord progressions can there be?
there are only so many and I would say they all have been tried.

Never will all of possibilities in music be exhausted.  Its in an infinte system because it relies on time, progression, context, etc. along with the harmonic and melodic development.

[death metal black metal]

Music is a language. There will always be poems that need writing, books, etc - at some times more than others.

Metal is far from exhausted, in theory. In practice? Gimme a break. It's a wall of total shit with a handful of exceptions, most of which are far closer to "good" than "great."