I'm guessing you've never listened to power metal then.

I prefer doom/death to power metal. Upbeat frenzy doesn't do it for me, usually. I like slower, sludgier, more depressing songs...but not lethargic.

As an aside, the problem I have with doom/death songs is that the ones I've heard often seem to counter what I view as the fantasy of religion with the fantasy of anti-religion. The religious subject matter (devil stuff, power struggles between "good" and "evil" etc.) doesn't interest me, because I don't relate to pretend horror. I love the low, heavy chords, though.

Here's an example of a metal song I don't like, and I'm assuming it is power metal:

Pantera - "Power Metal"


Pantera-Power Metal - YouTube

Kinda funny, unless the song is about demons raping jesus, or some horror movie bull****. I couldn't really give a fuck about the lyrics.

That's what I'm saying. Neither genre has any kind of overarching message. :)


Eh. A lot of doom, especially stoner doom, is pretty tongue-in-cheek if you ask me, even when it has ostensibly "Satanic" lyrics. Plus there's a decent chunk that's instrumental so there's plenty out there that you'd probably dig, like Omega Massif, for example:

I like it when bands refuse to get explicitly topical; the use of allegories allows bands to not only have a wider audience, but allows the same song to be personally fitting over a wide variety of circumstances.

Take this song by archgoat, "The Light-Devouring Darkness".

I like it.... it's treading a familiar metal theme, the defamed individual, free from the shackles of christian moralism, conquering the throne. It's triumphant, antagonistic, & snide. Wonderful.

Hmmmmm.... new thrash metal



Not sure if I like it or not yet

Meh. You should listen to this instead...

I thought a lot of the death metal songs *were* about demons raping jesus. :p:

I prefer music that gives me not just a mood, but also something conceptual to chew on, so lyrics can help with that (or detract, if I think they are stupid or overly melodramatic).

I like the sound of Omega Massif, but I keep waiting for them to *tell* me something. I'd prefer a guttural, nonsensical scream to no vocals at all. :)

I tend to get restless listening to purely instrumental music, with some exceptions...usually short songs or classical music that is so exquisitely constructed that I sense the composer's strong intentions even without words.

I still think metal music has a tendency to dwell on certain topics (one of which hip hop mentions below), whereas I don't associate jazz with any topic. However, I have successfully avoided jazz and the jazz subforum for three years now, so I am probably not being fair in condemning jazz as vacuous based only on my foggy memories that I've tried to erase!

You make a good point about the use of allegories, hip hop. I also like your description of the familiar metal theme. I understand what you mean about it being triumphant, antagonistic, and snide, which are qualities that draw me to metal music.

I like your description much more than I like archgoat's song, though!

I find "The Light-Devouring Darkness" to be too repetitive musically, although it is played very well. The killer for me is that the singer's low, nearly unintelligible growling starts to amuse me so that I get distracted from the music.

But I understand what you mean about the allegory of "the defamed individual, free from the shackles of christian moralism, conquering the throne." Thinking of the lyrics as allegorical rather than literal may help me appreciate such songs more.

* * *

I'm now listening to...

At The Gates -- "Blinded by Fear"

I like this song quite a bit.

I love its chaotic beginning that sounds as if something is being shattered (reminding me of my favorite dubstep songs). I love the low melodic guitar playing underlying much of the piece, and its intensity. I also like the vocalist's screaming, which sounds chilling and angst-filled to me, almost like real screaming, even though I feel he repeats "fears" a few too many times.


At The Gates - Blinded By Fear - YouTube

God, I never really bothered to look up Carnivore's lyrics. They are some gloriously politically incorrect tongue-in-cheek dog****.