Hesher

I just tried to pick the skinniest, sissiest, most ridiculous musician in metal that I could think of.

TheJames

haha. well that pic certainly did make me laugh. but i don't understand what you dislike about a7x to be honest

Hesher

More like what I don't dislike about a7x. I guess I just find their music uncreative and derivative, on top of the fact that they seem very overly concerned about their image and appearance in a way I find distasteful. Also the way they treat themselves as this epic band without having established their influences and bonafides. I just think they take themselves too seriously considering their level of musicianship and creativity.

TheJames

well, i have disagree about them only being concerned about image. they have a good image, IMO, but the skill is also there. and they have stated a few influences as being Pantera (whom i dislike) and Guns N Roses (whom i love).

Hesher

They have a ridiculous image that only appeals to a particularly tasteless demographic - and whether they have skill or not (The Rev played decent drums), their music is arguably pretty unoriginal. There was nothing cutting edge or genre-defining about their music. Pantera makes GnR look like Girl School.

TheJames

are we comparing vocals of pantera and gnr, or guitar, or bass, or drums? cause pantera comes up short everywhere. i give respect where it's due (dimebag) but that's it. and a7x has an image that works well for their music

Hesher

A lot of people only respect Dimebag because he's dead. I'll be frank and say that Chuck Schuldiner deserves a lot more respect, and honestly I think the fact that Pantera was amazing had a lot more to do with Anselmo's vocals and the way the band wrote relatively simple but very effective songs. I could play almost anything Rex Brown or Vinnie Paul did in Pantera but that doesn't mean I could write it. And if you ask me, Anselmo was arguably the best metal vocalist in the past couple decades.

I appreciate you trying to actually have a dialogue with me about this, and I realize how hypocritical it is for me to say it, but there's really no point in discussing this since you and I will never convince each other that a7x has decent or terrible music. I'm just sharing my opinion on how awful I think they are, and each response by people like TheReverend just drives home exactly why.

TheJames

well i try my best to be open minded, but you're right, we probably aren't going to convince each other of our opinions. i just can't get into Pantera. and you're right, i mostly respect dimebag because of his death, i will be honest. i just feel it's wrong to bag on someone after they pass. but the rev was my all time favorite drummer before his passing, now i guess it's just solidified.

Hesher

I could name a bunch of incredible drummers who had an amazing influence on metal music and still do to this day, but honestly if you have trouble getting into Pantera then you might be better off staying with hard rock. I could understand James Sullivan being very impressive if you haven't heard drummers like Gene Hoglan or Krimh... hell, even Chris Adler. He's certainly good but there are a lot of more complex and more creative players than he was, who are often unaccessible unless you're willing to take a little more bite and aggressiveness in your music.

TheJames

well to be honest i'm a lover of pop and pop punk music. i like some metal, not a lot of heavier stuff though. i'd say the heaviest i get would be The Devil Wears Prada, which i know a lot of people wouldn't consider too heavy at all, lol