Black: I don't like it much, the vocals annoy me.

Death: Only melodic death metal for me, which I quite thoroughly enjoy. When I listen to bands like Nile however, I don't really see too much melody to it, just drum carnage.

Djent: To be honest, I have absolutely no clue what that is.

Doom: I haven't really listened to enough of it to give a formulated opinion, but from the little I have heard it's a bit slow for my taste.

Gothic: I'm pretty neutral with it, I've heard a little, but I never really got interested enough to dig deeper.

Heavy: It's not my favorite genre, but I do like it. Sometimes I get the urge for an Iron Maiden marathon, but it's not what I usually listen to.

Metalcore: I generally don't like it, but there have been a few exceptions that I have appreciated, All that Remains being one of them.

Power: The genre that got me into metal, and I love it. I can say that this is probably the genre I've listened to most and know the most about, and I like most of the bands in it.

Progressive: Honestly I've given it many a try, but I simply don't appreciate it much. It bores me, quite frankly.

Thrash: My favorite genre. There's not too much variety in it, but it always gets me in the mood for some headbanging, and I can safely say that I can at least tolerate even the worst thrash band. It also happens to encompass Exodus, who are my favorite band.

Written by Darth Revan on 09.05.2012 at 23:17
When I listen to bands like Nile however, I don't really see too much melody to it, just drum carnage.

Nile are barely even the tip of the iceberg in that department.

Everytime I've started to tell my self that I love a genre I start to find these shitty bands of that genre the same with genres I "hate"..I start hearing songs that are quite good. So I have started to care less of the genre label stuff and focused more on individual bands instead...I find it more satisfying and healthier

Written by tea[m]ster on 04.05.2012 at 16:51

Doom Metal - I say no in general but other doom sub-genres I dig a lot: atmospheric doom and sludge/doom for example. Wolves in the Throne Room and Esoteric I like.

Did you just say that Wolves In The Throne Room is doom?!

If you like Wolves In The Throne Room, I have news for you: You like another Black Metal band besides Enslaved. And comparing with Enslaved's current music... WITTR are way more Black. In fact, scratch that... They are proper 100% Black Metal with no mix with other genres. If you like WITTR then there are quite some other names you could easily get into.

Written by Milena on 15.04.2012 at 12:01

Gothic Metal: love
The classics are really to die for. The only bands I do not particularly like from the genre are bands with operatic female vocs - clean female vocs are okay.

Don't most of the classics involve operatic female vocals? I'm currently out of touch with the genre but one band I adora is old Theatre Of Tragedy, although the vocals there walk in the thin line between operatic and "angelic".

I'll be back with a long post soon.

Written by tea[m]ster on 04.05.2012 at 16:51

Doom Metal - I say no in general but other doom sub-genres I dig a lot: atmospheric doom and sludge/doom for example. Wolves in the Throne Room and Esoteric I like.

which bands would you name when someone asks you to recommend them atmospheric doom? because to me most doom is atmospheric black doom, death doom, doom death, epic doom, sludge doom, traditional doom, funeral doom, etc. all can be atmospheric.

I pretty much love all metal genres aside from the overly commercialized and stale genre of nu metal and this wave of really cheesy power (flower) metal, which seems to be either a massive troll on the metal world and/or a really lame genre pandering to guys in their early 20s/late teens that are still playing with Pokemon cards and have a new found interest in My Little Pony. Oh. what is this world coming to?

Dislike - Any metal with rap music in its formula.
Like - Everything else.
Favorite - Melodic Death w/ Doom influences

Written by X-Ray Rod on 15.05.2012 at 13:46
Did you just say that Wolves In The Throne Room is doom?! They are proper 100% Black Metal with no mix with other genres.

Well that's debatable. Their brand of atmospheric black metal-lite and recent venture into pseudo-shoegaze territory shouldn't be considered "100% black metal with no mix with other genres" in my opinion.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.05.2012 at 15:30

Well that's debatable. Their brand of atmospheric black metal-lite and recent venture into pseudo-shoegaze territory shouldn't be considered "100% black metal with no mix with other genres" in my opinion.

Yeah I agree, calling them 100% black is overstating it, especially the recent album which definitely explores other areas. Doom though? Not so much.

Written by [user id=4365] on 15.05.2012 at 15:33
Doom though? Not so much.

Agreed there. Maybe he meant to say he feels the same way as when he listens to doom? I know sometimes people do that (like when I refer to something as psychedelic but I don't mean it in the sense that it's a psychedelic album, just gives me a psychedelic vibe).

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.05.2012 at 15:30

Written by X-Ray Rod on 15.05.2012 at 13:46
Did you just say that Wolves In The Throne Room is doom?! They are proper 100% Black Metal with no mix with other genres.

Well that's debatable. Their brand of atmospheric black metal-lite and recent venture into pseudo-shoegaze territory shouldn't be considered "100% black metal with no mix with other genres" in my opinion.

Well, yeah I did overreact probably because the doom tag feells extremely off so my comment was equally extreme.
Yeah, they aren't 100% black but fuck me sideways if they aren't black metal.

Black metal - Depends. Out of all the metal genres out there, this is probably the most uneven one quality-wise. It contains some downright ear-orgasmic thingies as well as some of the worst piss dung I've ever heard. Old school headbanging black metal can be really nice, but fuck off with your stupid depressive atmopspheric ambient industrial shoegaze post-black metal with folk influences and suicidal lyrics about forests and aryanism. Seriously. Oh, and any doom/black hybrids also raise red flags. Especially if it has the words "ambient" or "funeral" attached to it.
Bathory, early Mayhem, Beherit etc - Yes, please.
Wolves In The Throne Room, Drudkh, Nortt or Burzum clone number 2 million - GTFO my lawn.

Death - Depends. OSDM, yes please. Thrash/death? Yes, please. Brutal avant-garde industrial breakcore slam death? Don't think so... Melodic "death metal"? Very rarely worth it.

Djent - No idea what this supposedly is, so can't comment.

Doom - Depends. Traditional doom is one of my favourite genres, and with it comes a lot of the stoner domm mostly based in the trad. Some Sludge is also okay, as long as you generally try to stay away from sludge that has the word "atmospheric" attached to the description. Death/doom is rarely worth the effort, but when it works it really does. Most of the rest is shit, especially if the descriptions of the genre includes such words as "funeral", "gothic", "ambient" or "industrial".

Gothic metal - Dislike. Seriously, this stuff is very rarely any good so I mostly don't bother. Tiamat is ok. Type O Negative got their moments. That's pretty much it. Sometimes I listen to straight up goth tho.

Heavy metal - Hell yeah! Most of my favourite bands play this kind of music and it's the stuff I know most intimately.

Metalcore - No.

Deathcore - No..

Nu metal - No...

Power metal - Depends. If it sounds anything like Stratovarius or Dragonforce, then no. Otherwise, hell yeah.

Progressive metal - Depends. Some of this stuff sucks, like Dream Theater. Some of the stuff that doesn't suck is really excellent. like Fates Warning. Really varied genre.

Thrash - Hell yeah. This genre is great. There are some modern variants that are largely shit, but I don't really care anything about those.

Written by Some Witty Name on 15.05.2012 at 18:59
Old school/traditional anything but no to anything modern...

Marcel! You should wife her.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.05.2012 at 19:46

Marcel! You should wife her.

How could he wife ForeverDarkWoods?

You know, I see a lot of newer members dislike nu, metalcore and deathcore. It almost makes me wonder if they're actually hating on the genres because they think it's the kvlt thing to do on this site and they actually listen to it in the closet or they legitimately hate them because they only listened to the really big stuff.

Newer members( Some of them!) or current members are joining the rage train to bashed Nu/Metalcore or Deathcore in order to be in a stupid limelight and gets recognized which I think it's like doing some stuff of "Kim Kardashian" or something.

Written by [user id=101272] on 15.05.2012 at 19:59

You know, I see a lot of newer members dislike nu, metalcore and deathcore. It almost makes me wonder if they're actually hating on the genres because they think it's the kvlt thing to do on this site and they actually listen to it in the closet or they legitimately hate them because they only listened to the really big stuff.

In regard to nu metal I imagine youngsters are just repeating what they've read on the internet verbatim. A lot of younger people legitimately dislike metalcore and deathcore because they grew up with it and saw its God awful proliferation but the same can't be said about nu metal which, unless they're basing the whole genre on KoRn, I very much doubt they listened to much of considering it died years and years ago. They're probably just going along with the heard mentality 101 that's it's a requirement to dislike nu metal.

Written by [user id=4365] on 15.05.2012 at 20:09

In regard to nu metal I imagine youngsters are just repeating what they've read on the internet verbatim. A lot of younger people legitimately dislike metalcore and deathcore because they grew up with it and saw its God awful proliferation but the same can't be said about nu metal which, unless they're basing the whole genre on KoRn, I very much doubt they listened to much of considering it died years and years ago. They're probably just going along with the heard mentality 101 that's it's a requirement to dislike nu metal.

Some of it's that I'm sure but I think there's a lot of people around our age though on the site that grew up around kids listening to Disturbed, Taproot, Korn, and Slipknot and wearing those God-forsaken JNCO jeans with legs the size of sewer pipes. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to gag in middle/high school over a decade ago seeing those kids, especially the one that put on the black eye shadow and wore that awful neon colored rubber jewelry from Hot Topic. They thought they were being so hardcore and against society but it was just a flock of sheep buying into another corporate marketing ploy. It's kind of funny how corporations have always found some pop culture item to hinge that Gothic fashion on: Nu metal, teen werewolves (Twilight freaks), that weird anomaly of a genre gap somewhere between emo and metal that bands like Black Veil Brides fill.

And besides, it's always OK to hate nu metal. Whether you were listening to it/around when it was popular is kind of a moot point. It sucked then and it still sucks now.

Maybe my first year or two of high school involved dealing with nu metal kids? Yup, what BlueMobius said describes them perfectly. Around the 2nd or 3rd year is when metalcore/deathcore became more prevalent. It was so annoying hearing them brag about how they were such hardcore metalheads and having the nerve to refer to nu metal as "poser metal" and say that all power metal sucks based solely on Through The Fire And Flames (which they only knew of from Guitar Hero), while they listened to nothing but shitty deathcore bands that they discovered on Myspace... And with it came the hideous "scene" hair, stretched piercings, tight clothes, converse, etc.... At least most metalcore kids I run into nowadays are well aware that they aren't badass and that what they're listening to isn't real metal. I can't remember a time when nu metal kids ever came to that realization.

But I think it's true that a lot of newer metalheads just go along with what the crowd of older metalheads say and think that they're being cool ranting about all genres with the word "core" in them... Even some of the less new ones don't always have the balls to disagree with what's the expected opinion. It's also funny watching them just nod and keep silent rather than admit that they haven't heard whatever band you're talking about or that they don't like the band.

Written by [user id=20536] on 15.05.2012 at 14:53

I pretty much love all metal genres aside from the overly commercialized and stale genre of nu metal and this wave of really cheesy power (flower) metal, which seems to be either a massive troll on the metal world and/or a really lame genre pandering to guys in their early 20s/late teens that are still playing with Pokemon cards and have a new found interest in My Little Pony. Oh. what is this world coming to?

The thing you said about Power metal pretty much sums up what people in genreal think about.....whait for it.....METAL
but yeah I get what you mean even tho I like some PM bands.

Well, where I come from most kids don't even listen to metal at all. They focus more on rap, pop and alternative rock. Of all the years I've gone to school, I've rarely scene a kid wearing Korn or Slipknot and any metalcore band. It's like those genres are just as unknown as the bands that are massive in metal like Opeth and Death, but completely unknown to your average mainstream junkie.

Alternative/nu metal: Dislike. Deftones and System Of A Down are obvious exceptions to what is largely considered a stale and/or completely dead movement, and Tool's less progressive, more straightforward tracks make this genre listenable at best for me but even then it's not something I spend a lot of time with. Bands like Disturbed, Godsmack, and Mudvayne helped me get into metal back in the day but they don't offer anything but a slightly nostalgia factor anymore.

Avant-garde/experimental metal: Dislike. To be honest these "too hard to categorize" bands usually end up frustrating me because they either sound as if they're trying too hard to push the envelope or they just fail to entice me with their over-the-top boundary pushing. Bands like Sigh and Unexpect obviously cater to a pretty wide audience but I'm definitely not part of it.

Black metal: Love. It's too difficult for me to narrow down what precisely entices me so much about black metal and its various sub-genres and cross-contamination with other parent genres like death, thrash and doom, but this is one genre that continues to offer new experiences and isn't afraid to experiment while also offering its fair share of traditional second-wave stylized bands/projects. The music gets me I guess - the atmospheres, the messages, the philosophies, all of it.

Death metal: Love. Even though I've been moving away from death metal as a whole, I'm still largely drawn into the brutal/slam death metal scene and a lot of the much-maligned tech-death bands still offer some enjoyment for me. Of course the old school stuff is always a blast to listen to as well, but sometimes I want to listen to that "plasticized" stuff and the groovier mid-paced chugfests.

Doom metal: Like. Traditional doom doesn't do anything for me outside of Candlemass, but the more extreme styles such as death doom and funeral doom are more than enjoyable for me on occasion. Some bands like Mournful Congregation just seem to strike a chord with me, but I find the lack of variation between a majority of bands makes this a difficult genre for me to spend too much time with in a single stint.

Folk metal: Dislike. With the exception of Agalloch's dark folk/atmo-black hybrid, this genre just annoys me. Even Moonsorrow and Primordial (black/folk hybrids) can't seem to draw me in... It all just comes across as way too cheesy for the most part, like no matter how serious the band members take themselves, I honestly just imagine a bunch of Zelda LARPers fighting each other with foam swords on a playground.

Gothic metal: Dislike. Some gothic metal really works for me - certain Moonspell, Paradise Lost, and Tiamat releases, for instance. But the rest of the genre is a complete turn-off, especially when you get to that watered down emotional atmo-rock we like to call "Suomi metal" around here. Some of the bigger names fail to entice me as well, namely Type O Negative. 99% of the female-fronted stuff turns me off as well...

Grindcore/deathgrind: Like. For a very brief period in time I kind of loved this stuff, but much like extreme doom, I think I filled my plate with a few too many appetizers and now full-course meals don't really taste as great. Even though Napalm Death and Carcass don't float my boat, I do enjoy a lot of modern bands such as Wormrot, Cephalic Carnage, Pig Destroyer, and Misery Index to name a few. Some of the more brutal stuff like Dying Fetus works really well for me too, and the black/grind style of Anaal Nathrakh and Revenge of course.

Heavy metal: Dislike. Pretty much a genre I tried really hard to get into a few times with little success. Beyond Priest's Painkiller and Maiden's Seventh Son, the music just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Quite possibly because it doesn't cater to the more extreme tastes I have when it comes to metal, or maybe just because I don't like the clean-sounding instrumentation and lack of harsh vocals. Very seldom does a heavy metal album give off any kind of atmosphere that I find engaging, which is something I seek out with music.

Industrial metal: I don't really know enough about the genre to comment, but I know I don't like it enough to bother checking it out beyond the few bands I've listened to. Fear Factory I like, Rammstein are a lot of fun, but Ministry and Killing Joke leave me emotionless. I guess some black/industrial hybrids like Samael and Mysticum are nice, but I find the The Axis Of Perdition horrible at best.

Metalcore/deathcore: Dislike. Melodic metalcore (Killswitch, As I Lay Dying, etc.) and deathcore (even the "good stuff") I personally hate. Melodic metalcore is way too cheesy and At The Gates-influenced for me, while deathcore focuses too much on image and breakdowns as a foundation rather than as a supporting element. Converge and Zao are still two bands I'll listen to semi-regularly when I'm in the mood for some straight-up metalcore, but that isn't very often.

Power metal: Hate. Not even gonna bother with a description. It's all bad. Euro flower stuff or otherwise.

Progressive metal: Dislike. I like a lot of bands with progressive elements, but progressive metal as a whole is absolutely boring. Mind-numbingly so. I do enjoy Green Carnation, however. The rest of the genre just flat-out puts me to sleep though.

Sludge/post-metal: Like. I used to really dig the whole post/atmo-sludge thing, but now I only listen to Cult Of Luna and Rosetta out of the bunch I used to. It's the kind of genre that... when you listen to about a dozen or so albums, the rest of them don't offer anything you haven't already heard. Pure sludge still gets me going a little more, like some Baroness/Kylesa etc. and High On Fire, but I don't spend much time bothering with other similar bands.

Stoner metal: I honestly can't say... it's the same as industrial metal. I've heard a bit and it was decent, but not enough to make me look further into it. Electric Wizard, Sleep, Kyuss. That's pretty much all I care for when it comes to stoner metal.

Symphonic metal: Hate. Same as power metal. Although symphonic elements sometimes don't manage to fuck everything up in other genres I listen to, they've never been the driving force behind my like for something either. They're either tolerable or just fucking annoying, never better.

Thrash/groove metal: Like. I love a lot of thrash from the '80s (especially the pre-90's releases from the Big Four) and bands like Sodom and Overkill got me into this genre fairly quickly. That being said, the '90s pretty much put an end to anything worthwhile, and only a few older bands are still releasing decent stuff post-1999. The revivalist scene mostly just pisses me off, probably because it's largely a watered down rehashing of everything that's been done about 10x better 20 years before.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 16.05.2012 at 19:02

Stoner metal: I honestly can't say... it's the same as industrial metal. I've heard a bit and it was decent, but not enough to make me look further into it. Electric Wizard, Sleep, Kyuss. That's pretty much all I care for when it comes to stoner metal.

I think you should check this out, you may not enjoy it as much as black but they're are great bands in this genre.

http://spelljammer.bandcamp.com/album/inches-from-the-sun

heavy stoner doom, one of my favourites.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 15.05.2012 at 13:46

If you like Wolves In The Throne Room, I have news for you: You like another Black Metal band besides Enslaved. And comparing with Enslaved's current music... WITTR are way more Black. In fact, scratch that... They are proper 100% Black Metal with no mix with other genres. If you like WITTR then there are quite some other names you could easily get into.

Well gimme some suggestions ffs...

Troy had been helping out but I always love recs!

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 15.05.2012 at 13:51

which bands would you name when someone asks you to recommend them atmospheric doom?

Ok, I am pretty new to this shit so...how about the the two I mentioned plus Lantlos? Ava Inferi?

A boring Saturday has produced this novel... readers may want to grab some coffee.

These types of threads I feel are healthy. Since I'm new here, I might as well state where I stand on different genres First off I enjoy almost every genre. However, I'm going to say some negative things about the most popular genre on this forum, but I do not intend to troll and I'm not going to go around hating on bands and stuff. This is a one time rant.

First off I've found that taste is often somewhat relevant to age and region. I'm 31, from the US.

Thrash = Love. It's what I grew up with and what got me into metal in the first place. I must still love it, because I forgive many of the top bands of the genre for their various missteps along the way. And what's great is that a lot of the second tier (they type that would be in the "Next 4") bands (in terms of popularity) stayed really consistent over the years, like Overkill, Exodus, Testament. Part of what I love about thrash is that most bands are very discernibly different from one another at least to my ears. However, the New Wave of thrash is still mostly in a stage of imitation and sometimes this Wave feels like a day late and a dollar short. I still enjoy and support a lot of newer acts like Warbringer, Havok, etc...

Death = Well "adore" is not part of my vocabulary. So I'll just say I Strongly regard the entire genre. I like a variety of the newer styles of DM. From brutality to technicality to progressive and melodeath. I know that sometimes the last 3 of those 4 sub-genres are a first stop for new fans testing the waters of DM and for that they catch some heat. But personally my path is the other way around. I first got into Death, Can Corpse, Obituary, etc... back when I was like 16. I'm nearly twice that old now. My tastes have since matured. I can still listen to some old Autopsy or something for nostalgia. But as for that goregrind shit goes that took what they did the Nth degree, and subtracted the creativity from it, I can't get into that stuff. It's hilarious to think that any adult does. But I still like the old guards of DM, but I really dig the new styles as well. Death is that genre that offers a good variety of unique sub-genres. Melo is one of those which has a wide range of stuff of varying degrees of quality. At worst it's derivative, redundant and stale. At best, it's superb and that's why I venerate many melo bands, even some who've only released a couple great albums. The best contributions in this sub genre are often really stellar. Thus I can still listen to classic In Flames and such despite not being keen on their newer offerings.

Doom = Like-Love. Doom really captures a variety of moods depending on the specific style. Thus I hate whenever doom gets typecast as just one thing. Like Death, Doom really delivers in terms of variety. I've always been insane over Sabbath and all the stuff directly inspired by them. Trouble, Pentagram, St. Vitus, etc... I also got into the gothic stuff like Paradise Lost, etc... For dif reasons I love stoner/sludge as well. I listen to some rock music beyond just metal, so the fact that a band like Orange Goblin draws inspiration from both doesn't bother me, like it might some metal purists. The drone stuff is just what the Doc ordered for the right mood as well. Funeral doom is something I've recently gained more interest in. It's basically been a solo venture for me though as none of my metalhead friends listen to funeral doom, but I'm hoping to discover some more of it here.

Gothic metal = Like. Well the doomy stuff like My Dying Bride and what is covered in the previously mentioned part. Beyond that, I guess ya mean stuff like Type O and Therion. That stuff is cool too, but not my fav style.

Djent = Like, perhaps love. I'm not exactly sure what is and isn't djent?? I dig Meshuggah. Does Animals as Leaders count as Djent? Because those guys are pretty incredible. I'm guessing stuff like Protest the Hero falls into this group, and if so I like it, but I always just kind of considered them like metalcore that was too good musically to be saddled with the word core.

Metalcore = Dislike (but like a few bands). Some metalcore is decent in small doses. The problem is that the genre has a low glass ceiling in terms of innovation and quality. It's limited, but some bands like Becoming the Archetype make the very most of it, and others like BtBam shatter that glass ceiling completely!

Deathcore = HATE. I don't think I need to go on. But one reasoning is that I love Death metal yet most people I know do not. A lot of dudes I work with listen to country and stuff, but they are still bound to happen across some Suicide Silence or Emure, and when they get a glimpse of that bullshit and assume that is type of shit I listen to... it makes my skin crawl.

Nu = Will I complete the triangle of universal hate? Not quite. I Tolerated nu metal back in the day. People need to understand that there are 2 Waves of Nu. The first has bands I still respect like the deftones and Faith No More. The second has bands that got really obnoxious or greedy like Slipknot or Linkin Park. Fortunately around the time that second wave rolled in, the internet had progressed as a means of finding new music so I was able to being getting into music from Europe and such for the first real time. The web just wasn't the same in like '95. If we had all the shit that we've had since like 2005 back then, I don't know that a second wave of Nu would have panned out much.

Heavy Metal = Love. How could any metal fan not love it? I guess some don't like it though. Mostly younger fans that think metal has to be about finding the most mind numbingly, obscure shit that 5 people know about. But for most of us, Classic Heavy Metal is like the reason for the season ya know. I don't just revere bands like Maiden, Priest, Accept, etc... I still enjoy listening to them, even though they all got started long before my time.

Power Metal = Ambivalent. On one hand I love certain bands more than most of my favs in other genres. Blind Guardian, Iced, etc... But the Euro flower stuff, well nothing I can say that hasn't been said. I do not hate it, but I can't get into it either. I wish that there were more speed and thrash bands mixed with power. I'd take that over extreme power. Hence I like the old school USPM. Manilla Road, Jag Panzer. It's part of Heavy Metal IMO and I like the vintage sound.

Progressive Metal = Love. First off, it's not all 20 min wankfest solos. That shit happens sometimes, but that's now the draw of the genre. It's really not anymore redundant than the cliche shit in any other genres though. There is so much more to prog and I think that the only reason it gets that flack is because when people say they don't like proggy stuff, they feel responsible for giving reason. Where as someone can say they don't like thrash just because and that flies. But with a few genres, prog being one of them, people feel like they are on the ropes and afraid they will seem to dumb to get it, so they respond with... argh it's boring, etc... So as far as teh genre goes I dig everything from DT & POS to Green Carnation and Giant Squid. If I had to pick a favorite non-metal genre, it would certainly be Prog rock. While not much of a musician myself I come from a family of them and grew up with a lot of quality influences.

Folk = Like. It's cool but I wouldn't rank it amongst my fav genres. The music really goes well with certain PC games and stuff. Folk offers more real metal for a genre that relies on many of the same grandiose and valiant themes as Power metal. I love the influences (both musically and thematically) that pop up in other bands that are not entirely folk as well such as Amorphis. I also enjoy learning about mythology and such. Plus I respect people who take pride in their real culture of origin instead of just making songs that glorify the evil character from the religion of the culture who once conquered them. Yeah I f'n said it!

Industrial = Ambivalent. This shit was unavoidably huge back in the late 90's. Personally I tend to gravitate toward the bands like Fear Factory and Strapping Young Lad which focused more on metal than computer music. I also have no real interest in underground industrial. I may have Germanic heritage but I've never been there. hehe.

Symphonic = Neutral. I can't listen to this stuff all the time, but it suits certain moods. Quality wise it's pretty strong for popular, chick oriented music. I mean compared to Top 40 shit in America, the Euro Symphonic bands are like a gift from the Heavens really!

It seems I am forgetting something... oh ya

Black Metal - Hate. How do I loathe this genre? Let me count the ways. I must break this shit down into 3 aspects of disdain.
Musically, Thematically, Socially.
Musically - The vocals often bother me. Not always, but enough. As far as the low-Fi garbage is concerned, I understand why some people like this. I once liked hardcore punk rock when I was a child. I was like holy shit, I found people who despise our unethical government even more than I do and they are all intense and raw about it. But hardcore punk blows musically. So does much of the really bitter BM that sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin cave, and quite possibly was. But comparing punk to BM?! GASP... yeah I realize the genres are a world apart. But it's the same knee jerk reaction... with kids finding something that hates religion even more than they do and they bands all hyper aggressive about it and such. I like anger inducing music sometimes. But if I had to prep for the shock of combat or something I'd want some Slayer or Kreator or some sort of death metal. It pumps my adrenaline more. Where as the bitter, raspy, spiteful hate of BM tends to come off like "I'll get you next times Joes!" to my ears. It's more spiteful than "time to fuck shit up" and that's why it doesn't serve that purpose for me. I'm not trying to sound like an i-net tough guy here, I'm merely comparing the primal, gut feelings and emotions that different extreme sounds conjure and I prefer death and thrash for that.
The atmospheric and symphonic stuff I do honestly appreciate more, but I also realize that is like the shallow, sellout end of the black pool. Still I can give credit to bands for creating a memorable mood.

Thematically - It's a hotbed of cliches. So are many of the genres I enjoy so I can only speak so much on that without eating crow. BTW, I wonder if eating crow is that much worse than merely inhaling the disease of a dead crow? Moving on, I will give first wave credit for being ballsy about controversy. And why I can respect Mercyful Fate and Venom is because those groups were true entertainers. As long as a band doesn't take their shit too seriously I can at least respect them even if their material conflicts with my personal beliefs. People of all faiths can enjoy watching horror films right? I hope so. But where I must draw a line in the sand is when bands like much of the second wave scourge, decide to push an agenda that endorses, condones and promotes shit that shouldn't be tolerated in any decent civilization. I hate gangsta rap for the same basic principle. I feel that again, "most" people attracted to that sort of thing in general are normal folks from sheltered, suburban backgrounds. But they are obsessed with an image and an escape to a type of society that barely exists and in a better world, wouldn't. Me? I'm attracted to genres for the music itself, call me looney!

Socially - Black metal creates this atmosphere with music and imagery that plays to the depths of the human mind and it's raw and uncompromising style slaughters hipsters and posers... which unironically is EXACTLY what attracts all the hipsters and posers to it.
Personally BM was barely a blip on my radar while growing up. Death was the controversial style in North America in the 90's and my friends and I (the small handful who actually listened to any metal at all) knew very little about it other than tidbits gleaned from magazines. Internet sucked back then. So people really thought that Cradle of Filth was actual black metal. We didn't know any better. I despise that band for like a dozen reasons and if you think I should be more open minded about BM, then you should for at least one. COF and Dani's obnoxious vocals turned me off of BM at a time when I didn't know black metal beyond it. To this day I have only met very few black metallers in my life. I'm not counting the throwaway children spotted at concerts with mixed genres. I know some dudes into BM in college, but wanna guess the super, top secret, underground kvlt shit they endorsed??? Dimmu, Behemoth, Satyricon, the same shit that gets copious hatred from malcontent BM fans.
Did I get to hipsters yet? Just a brief mention, huh? Go grab a PBR, this rant is still on the launch pad. Sure it's the same swill that meth addicts guzzle, but it's a cool brand and that's all that counts right? If I did want to become interested in BM, I do prefer the more experimental, atmospheric side and as a dood from 'Merica, I can never really be much more than a poser or hipster as a BM fan, no matter how hard I try. I know not all BM hails from Europe. But wearing a shirt from some scummy band like "Clones in the Wolves Den" isn't going to make me a hard ass or make people think I'm deep and mysterious. So why bother? Honestly if I started listening to Blut Aus Nord (whatever the fuck that band is called) I might as well just gain 50 lbs, grow a neck beard and find some round glasses to wear in doors and at night because that would be far easier for me than trying to fit into one of the other deranged demographics that frequent BM shows.

You may be wondering... why rant about this? Because one thing pisses me off more than anything else about BM. It's the elitism! Oh, elitist attitude walks the halls of every institution of metal, that is for certain. But BM reeks of it. And the worst is the pseudo-intelligentsia. Being smart has nothing to do with what music you like. And I'll own up to the fact that the same applies to prog. Although musicians who can play prog are generally rather brainy. But this whole, "I'm smarter than other metalheads because I have low expectations for any sub-genre aside from black" is nauseating at best, and deplorable at worst. By at best, I mean someone who is a genuine fan of BM and just doesn't dig other genres. I am cool with that, but it's a big nauseating how often BMers parrot this. By at worst, I mean when people who have this attitude ALSO proclaim themselves to be more real fans of metal even though they only really like one fucking sub-genre out of dozens. That's the part that irks me, that "oh I'm a real fan because I listen to underground black and think everything else sux, but I'm still the real fan here because my fav sub genre is the best, most superior, most controversial genre, ever" That shit just grinds my gears! lol Of course I don't deal with this shit in real life, thankfully. But nearly every metal site online purports this attitude and I just wanted to finally get this off my chest. If anyone takes offense, don't forget this is all just the opinion of a random asshole on the web, nobody has to agree with me. So I believe I've found a stopping point, as I am beginning to give in to the hate, and feel the hate flowing through my veins. :shift:

Still I try to find some merit in anything. I will say that I can appreciate the influence of black metal musically upon other bands. From Moonsorrow, to Dark Tranquillity, to Agalloch and Cormorant, there are traces of BM's styling to found in many places, and much of that influence is welcome. I know I have come off as very close-minded toward BM itself though. But as you can see above, I am very open-minded about EVERY other metal genre (except deathcore which we can all agree is an abomination of metal in general). So maybe I'm not so offbase in my ranting.

That said, I am not here to troll this site, offend people or hate on bands. I'd rather not be banned from MS so soon, as I just got here. But if that happens, so be it. This will hopefully be the most antagonistic thing I ever post here. If anyone responds with flames, I will not reply to fan them. I've finally said what I've wanted to say somewhere, anywhere for a long time now.

Written by Mr. Blonde on 20.05.2012 at 04:39

...

Pfft you like Nu metal but Hate Black? You scene bitch.


Naw I'm just kidding, but man, do you hate BM Your reasoning is justified though.

I like it generally, just because it shows peoples raw emotions. It's most often, really powerful music.

Well Boxcar I didn't say I liked nu metal so much as tolerated it and like a couple of the early bands. It's all good though I knew what you meant.

Just to add perspective though. When I first got into metal back in high school. My friends and I listened to death and thrash (maybe a dozen of us at most) Black was something obscure that would get like half a page of coverage in a magazine. The only black metal that I knew people who had gotten into was Dimmu and Cradle. The latter of which can be thanked for turning off many people to black all together. When Nu metal exploded... it was like... why not triple your number of friends? So I went to Family Values, even enjoyed myself despite Rammstein being the only band I like at the time. So we tolerated the genre but didn't fully dive in head first. I never wore pants that looked like a pair of bell bottoms had an orgy with everything in a Hot Topic. None of my buddies did either, even the nu metal fans, but if they did I would have bit my tongue (okay probably not) but in order to have more people that didn't look at us like aliens for listening to death and thrash, some compromise needed to be made in terms of tolerance. Where I went to school, social groups were often divided by music, but fortunately that was not the case when I went to college.

I fully understand where you are coming from though as far as why you like the genre. There is nothing wrong with people liking BM as long as they have a good grip on reality. For most normal fans, BM is just a style of music that they enjoy but do not take to seriously. I imagine that most of the metalstormers here who listen to it fall into the category. If I thought this was a haven for cult like weirdos who hate every single thing life has to offer except their precious black metal... I would have only posted my rant to troll. But I don't aim to troll, I just aim to make people think, because black metal often get this untouchable reputation online, even though it gets hated on a lot, it's always for the same shallow reasons. So I wanted to elaborate on what I feel are valid face palms of the genre. Every genre has those btw, but black doesn't get called out for theirs enough.

Written by Mr. Blonde on 20.05.2012 at 04:39

That said, I am not here to troll this site, offend people or hate on bands. I'd rather not be banned from MS so soon, as I just got here. But if that happens, so be it. This will hopefully be the most antagonistic thing I ever post here. If anyone responds with flames, I will not reply to fan them. I've finally said what I've wanted to say somewhere, anywhere for a long time now.

Kid, you are gonna go far on this site.

Written by Mr. Blonde on 20.05.2012 at 04:39

By at worst, I mean when people who have this attitude ALSO proclaim themselves to be more real fans of metal even though they only really like one fucking sub-genre out of dozens. That's the part that irks me, that "oh I'm a real fan because I listen to underground black and think everything else sux, but I'm still the real fan here because my fav sub genre is the best, most superior, most controversial genre, ever" That shit just grinds my gears! lol

I think you'll find this kind of black metal fans a dying breed, online and off. And they're very few and far between on this site.

Ironically enough, however, parts of your post reveal that you posses some traits you attribute to the people you supposedly dislike so much.