I made a similar version ages ago in old MS, here is the new version, its not something spoken of really that much, and i was wondering what style of song people prefer. The important thing is, you dont think about genres, only what makes an individual song. I have really only made these 5 options up, i tried to break them down yet keep it simplified. I dont think ive missed anything too important, but there will be some things not covered. I understand it might be a hard desicion, because you will like more than one, just have to pick one, the one that you enjoy the most.

For me, i would have to say i like music that escapes the boundaries of song structure (that is, intro, verse chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus, outro or similar) which is Epic, i enjoy thinking of an environement and making up pictures in my head when listen to some of these styled songs.

Have your say.

I'd have to say Powerful, Moving Iron maiden-esc kind of Vocals/Guitars, I get off on that Shit hard.

Another one is Mixture between Brutality and Melody, Shadows Fall serves a perfect Example.

I'd say instrumental, inovative, radical and often technical, I love great riffs and just listening to the instruments, no choruses or any verses repeating the same melodies over and over again,
a good example is Man Made God by In Flames...

Epic. Especially with a good use of melody and harmony (a la 'Hallowed Be Thy Name') and speed. Orchestras are good, as are long track times, but a strong structure is required, and I don't want wankery or overextended songs.

Other than that, Up-Tempo is good, as is Ballad, and instrumental, and....

Epic songs are mostly my favourites. But what is the most important thing in a song is a powerful catchy sing-along chorus; "ROOTS/BLOODY ROOTS!", "I WISH I HAD AN ANGEL FOR ONE MOMENT OF LOVE" ... you know what I mean.

i have to say i like the mid tempo songs,because most of my favourite songs are in that cathegory. songs like tears of time by crematory or judas priest's burn in hell or hangar 18 by megadeth(although this could classify as "epic" since it doesn't have an apparent structure)
other than that, i like all types,depending on the song

isnt it a mix of these that makes an album good though?
i cant just pick one..

I agree with Baz Anderson, a mix of songs with this structures give quality to an album, but if I need to pick one, I'll pick epic songs.

I voted for ballad, 'cause I guessed nobody had chosen it yet. I was right
But it mostly depends on my mood (I didn't fill 'your favourite song' in my profile because of it too).

I like ballads,
---when I need to know I'm not the only one who sometimes feels the pain from the heart (I know, I'm just stupid girlie ) or when I want to calm down. Well written ballads have also strong feeling in them, then you can feel the spirit of the music....

I like instrumentals,
---when I want to think a bit and to enjoy the musicians skills

I like very speedy songs,
---when I need some energy and something to kick me (especially in the morning )

also mid-tempo songs are good,
---they are the background of my life

and epic too,
---when you are sick of mid-tempos

Therefore is so hard to choose...

i'm usually up for most of them, but ballads stick in my head the longest, so i guess ballads are for me.

but then again, i do love some really technical and/or heavy stuff here and there. and i LIKE more heavy/technical stuff than i like ballads. i love a few ballads. and i like a ton of heavy stuff

Written by Baz Anderson on 30.09.2006 at 20:06

isnt it a mix of these that makes an album good though?
i cant just pick one..

Agreed. It all depends on the mood I'm in. In all honesty, I don't really have a favourite type of song. If I did, it would change very very often.

Up-tempo, obviously! The more brutal the better. More specifically, I like it when the instrument pulsate powerfully. Trauma's Imperfect Like a God and Krisiun's AssassiNation and even Nevermore are perfect examples. However, I don't like the stop and go bullshit that some bands do.

Epic - songs aren't restrained and ideas can be developed more fully. At the same time, songs can still contain lots of catchy bits, etc.

It takes a mix to make a good album but I love epic structures, such as in Moonsorrow.

I choose epic. I'm mainly into power, so...
However I like other styes as well:

BALLADS: When I'm depressed, makes me feel even more depressed.

INSTRUMENTAL: Pelican is one of my favourite bands, also the Quake II and III spoundtracks. Instrumentals, for me require more creativit because they need to fill th e"empty space" left by teh voice.

UP-TEMPO: DragonForce. Ultra-Happy and cheering up, IMO.

Well, epic is my favorite one, because of the atmosphere it creates, it's amazing and when I hear really epic songs I imagine different things like history, landscapes, etc

And I like instrumental too, sometimes these songs have still more feelings, images and atmosphere than epic, anyways I voted for epic

Written by +{Jonas}+ on 02.10.2006 at 03:34


UP-TEMPO: DragonForce. Ultra-Happy and cheering up, IMO.

Yeah dude, when I listen to dragonforce, I feel like I'm on a ray of sunshine.

I actually like it all, excluding the dowm-tempo doom stuff... I love up-tempo stuff like Children Of Bodom, but I also like slow and brutal stuff... I also like complicated and interesting songstructures, but not exactly epic... I am also really moved by great balads... and besides tempo and type, melody is pretty important to me unless it's some straight in your face brutal shit (that can have melody and usulaly has melody also for me to like it also)...

bottom line: I like it all, dude... it's just gadda be well written...

Some people have some great posts here. I know for some people (probably all people) you would choose them all, i dont know, maybe i just think about this in detail more than some. I know a mix is required to make a good album, but thats not what im asking. Most artists i know use all those song structures i mentioned above somewhere in their albums, i find myself enjoying the Epic ones the best followed with the Ballads generally speaking. Im just trying to see what people look for in song structure the most.

I really don't care what tempo a song has, as long as I enjoy it

Its more about song structure than speed, but fair enough.

i voted up tempo, but different styles are all unique, they are all good when used well

I totally love instrumentals and ballads but my vote went for instrumentals i.e.(Death - Voice of the soul, Graveworm - Ceremonial Requiem)

Written by iMPERiAL_iCE on 06.10.2006 at 11:34

I totally love instrumentals and ballads but my vote went for instrumentals i.e.(Death - Voice of the soul, Graveworm - Ceremonial Requiem)

Nice answer i completely agree with the Graveworm song. Instrumentals can sometimes be more moving than songs with vocals.

I voted for epic because they have the best feel, the best atmosphere and they usually have the best lyrics. All of the other stlyes are great too. If a band were to release an album that was all epics, the album would be horrible. You need a mixture of all of these stlyes to be sucessful.

I too put epic. I agree with spirit_inblack that if somebody put out a whole epic album it would suck, unless the really knew what they were doing. I'm really hooked on some Dragonforce right now, and they do a lot of the epic songs, which I love.

hmmm, it really depends on the mood im in, I can get into all of the above, but generally Im listening to up-tempo songs....considering a good chunk of metal is up-tempo.

Nice thread. It's a bit hard to make a decision though because I usually like songs that have a vast array of influences and structures. I really like songs that mix a bit of speed and heaviness and then have soft, acoustic interludes or passages. I don't really like the typical song structures. I prefer diversity and music that is innovative.

Can't choose one...each one is perfect in a certain moment.

Up tempo...I like getting a kick in the nads. But one needs to vary! Or else up tempo looses its value.