Musical Genre FAQ

[The Waking Child]

There are not that many sub-genres, most people use metal as an example for TOO MANY.

However, it is a simple enough task to know and understand the sounds of each genre.

Heavy Metal: i.e. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helstar
Doom Metal: i.e. Black Forest, Cathedral, Candlemass
Power Metal: i.e. Blind Guardian, Manticora, Children of Bodom
Death Metal: i.e. Wormed, Death, Bloodbath
Thrash Metal: i.e. Artillery, Sabbat, Rage
Black Metal: i.e. Diabolical Masquerade, Drudkh, Dies Irae
Gothic Metal: i.e. recent Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Penumbra
Progressive Metal: i.e. Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, Ayreon
Metalcore: i.e. Despised Icon, The Red Chord, Between The Buried and Me
Folk Metal: Korpiklaani, Empyrium, Subway to Sally
Viking Metal: Equilibrium, Einherjer, Fjoergyn

That is only 11 sub-genres within metal, it is NOT hard at all to know the sub-genres of metal. It is NOT hard at all to know the general genres of music.

[postalblowfish7]

Originally Posted by DC Sparky

fair do's u brought up some good points and i have learned a fair bit from that, so, even tho it was meant as an insult i took it as a compliment!

also, i recently discovered Dragonforce...OMG they are so cool.
my fav song is 'fields of dispair'

hehe i didn't mean it as an insult, just thought i'd drop some knowledge. Dragonforce eh? i don't suppose there's any relation to the SEGA Saturn game? they do seem heavily influenced by rpgs - i looked them up, and the cover of their album Valley of the Damned looks like it could be the box art for an EverQuest expansion.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

i might have to check em out...

[The Waking Child]

No, no relation to any video games at all, they just used to be heavily fantasy influenced lyrically.

[postalblowfish7]

Originally Posted by Sir David

No, no relation to any video games at all, they just used to be heavily fantasy influenced lyrically.

yeah, i can see what you mean

INVOCATION OF APOCALYPTIC EVIL = the greatest song title of all time?????

[The Sailing]

Originally Posted by Sir David

There are not that many sub-genres, most people use metal as an example for TOO MANY.

However, it is a simple enough task to know and understand the sounds of each genre.

Heavy Metal: i.e. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helstar
Doom Metal: i.e. Black Forest, Cathedral, Candlemass
Power Metal: i.e. Blind Guardian, Manticora, Children of Bodom
Death Metal: i.e. Wormed, Death, Bloodbath
Thrash Metal: i.e. Artillery, Sabbat, Rage
Black Metal: i.e. Diabolical Masquerade, Drudkh, Dies Irae
Gothic Metal: i.e. recent Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Penumbra
Progressive Metal: i.e. Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, Ayreon
Metalcore: i.e. Despised Icon, The Red Chord, Between The Buried and Me
Folk Metal: Korpiklaani, Empyrium, Subway to Sally
Viking Metal: Equilibrium, Einherjer, Fjoergyn

That is only 11 sub-genres within metal, it is NOT hard at all to know the sub-genres of metal. It is NOT hard at all to know the general genres of music.

Sir David, this was a very informative post (something this thread is kind of thin on). I am starting to become more and more persuaded to believe your argument against mine about black metal and metal sub-genres in general (remember the black metal thread ?)

Is there any way you could describe exactly what Viking Metal is supposed to be and if it differs any from what I know as Scandinavian Metal, or if it's just another name for the same genre? Also, what is Folk Metal?

And I think that maybe that list could benefit from this as well:

Industrial Metal: i.e. Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein
Grindcore: i.e. Napalm Death, Anal Cunt, Carcass

Also, I think you may have a little too much faith in humans . It seems to me that most people do know the general genres of music, but do not know very many sub-genres. And sub-genres are typically better to use when describing one's tastes because, due to the number of sub-genres popping up all the damn time, a general genre is too broad of a description to get one's point across.

[Jin]

Originally Posted by Sir David

Heavy Metal: i.e. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helstar

Although that's technically correct, another way of classifying metal is to use the term heavy metal as a term connotate all actual forms of metal (therefor giving hair metal and nu-metal a place in the name metal, just not pure metal, or 'heavy metal') and then using the term classic metal to refer to bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

Both are accepted.

[Daddy]

Err..
It may not be hard to know all the subgenres of metal, but is it terribly necessary? Not really.

Folk metal: Its metal music that incorporates elements of folk music. Examples include bands like Mael Mordha, Geasa, Primordial and Rudra. They all sound similar, but the actual 'metal' sound is quite different. Folk metal bands often have little success in their own country.

To be honest, there is way too much concentration on Metal music in this forum. I know there are other places that concentrate on just one genre, but this place takes the cake in my opinion (barring forums dedicated to metal music..Thats vastly different.This is an FF forum, afterall.)

I mean, come on, Kids. There must be some music you listen to that isn't stereotyped as having completely incomprehensible vocals and distortion set to 3 o'clock.

While its nice to mention subgenres of metal, I find mentioning just a few bands you like (for example, its pretty easy to guess what someone's tastes are if they mention bands like The Cure and Sisters of Mercy in the same sentence). As said before, not everyone knows all the subgenres of a given genre (precisely the reason this thread was formed).

[fire exit man]

Ok then. I used to listen to metal quite alot (i never bothered learning all the sub-genres), but now i favour the Indie style, as it seems much more soft (for want of a better word) and lyrical. Also, i've recently discovered the fantastic Britpop, which seems to have (rather unfortunately) died out with the coming of the millenium.
Here are some examples of the bands i listen to (and consider) Indie:
Athlete, James, Coldplay, Gorillaz and Ash.
And some examples of Britpop:
Blur, Oasis, Pulp, The Verve and Richard Ashcroft (not a band but the former lead vocalist of The Verve)

[postalblowfish7]

Originally Posted by fire exit man

Ok then. I used to listen to metal quite alot (i never bothered learning all the sub-genres), but now i favour the Indie style, as it seems much more soft (for want of a better word) and lyrical. Also, i've recently discovered the fantastic Britpop, which seems to have (rather unfortunately) died out with the coming of the millenium.
Here are some examples of the bands i listen to (and consider) Indie:
Athlete, James, Coldplay, Gorillaz and Ash.
And some examples of Britpop:
Blur, Oasis, Pulp, The Verve and Richard Ashcroft (not a band but the former lead vocalist of The Verve)

Brit rock brit rock brit rock yeah! although, oasis should be at the top of that list - and coldplay, james, and even the gorillaz (kinda) could join it - indie rock is definitly not coldplay, though these days i'm not as hip to it as i used to be. indie rock is defined by bands like quasi, beulah, the walkmen, etc. in the 90's indie was all about superchunk, pavement, and the greatest indie rock band of all time: Guided By Voices. indie did influence a lot of brit rock though - especially in the case of blur's self titled, which is pretty funny, considering that indie rock started as an american genre heavily influenced by brit pop/rock - and later went on to influence brit pop/rock itself hehehe

[Dragoon Joe]

Originally Posted by postalblowfish7

yeah, i can see what you mean

INVOCATION OF APOCALYPTIC EVIL = the greatest song title of all time?????

lol yea i kno

but the greatest song by em (an if ur interested download it its well worth it)

'Fields Of Dispair'

well worth gettin

[Jin]

Originally Posted by Daddy

To be honest, there is way too much concentration on Metal music in this forum. I know there are other places that concentrate on just one genre, but this place takes the cake in my opinion (barring forums dedicated to metal music..Thats vastly different.This is an FF forum, afterall.)

Why do you care so much? What does it matter if there are a lot of metal fans on this board? It's just thier opinions.

Originally Posted by Daddy

I mean, come on, Kids. There must be some music you listen to that isn't stereotyped as having completely incomprehensible vocals and distortion set to 3 o'clock.

Well, you could always not steretype it like that. Seems like the simpler thing to me. Besides, you're just focusing on Death and Black metal. I dare you to listen to Kamelot or Iron Maiden and say that the vocals are 'completely incomprehensible'. Or maybe you just have a hearing problem?

I'll keep this brief...

I like Rock music, Guns 'N' Roses is a good example. I also like a little grunge like some of Nirvana.

[The Waking Child]

Originally Posted by The Sailing

Sir David, this was a very informative post (something this thread is kind of thin on). I am starting to become more and more persuaded to believe your argument against mine about black metal and metal sub-genres in general (remember the black metal thread ?)

=) Yeah, I do remember that hehe. Yeah, if you really listen to Symphonic Black Metal, like ATTWAD from Emperor, you will hear alot of differences between that and current Dimmu Borgir. Same with using Limbonic Art as an example of symphonic BM, a total different sound.

Is there any way you could describe exactly what Viking Metal is supposed to be and if it differs any from what I know as Scandinavian Metal, or if it's just another name for the same genre? Also, what is Folk Metal?

Viking metal is basically, Epic Blackened Metal w/ Folk influences. Thing is with the genre, it doesn't have to be blackened OR have folk metal, it is a pretty interesting subgenre, that no one really understands until they hear a few bands within the genre.

Folk metal, is basically, metal that uses folk influences. Typically is black or power metal, and mostly uses Celtic influences, but I have found a great Doom band that uses Bohemian (czechoslovakian) folk music, named Silent Stream of Godless Elegy.

And I think that maybe that list could benefit from this as well:

Industrial Metal: i.e. Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein
Grindcore: i.e. Napalm Death, Anal Cunt, Carcass

Ah yes. Industrial metal, a much debated subgenre, and one that only few bands have managed to do properly.

Bands that could be more appropriatly named Industrial metal, are Godflesh, SYL, and The Kovenant. The bands you named are alot more rock based than metal, though I won't say that they do not have a metal influence in their music as they do.

And for Grindcore, that works well enough, though Grind is mainly a punk subgenre, the bands you named are metal enough.