Metalheads! Confess & Brag

[Testament]

RE: Trivium/Metallica

Trivium's lead singer does have certain James Hetfield-ian qualities to his voice, so the comparison and drive to emulate is natural.

That may be so, but does he have to play it up as much as he does on The Crusade? Trying to emulate a band as legendary and important as Metallica is only going to earn scorn amongst the public("riding on their coattails" etc), and the fact that the band in question has managed to do a wonderful job of utterly and irrevocably destroying its credibility just compounds the problem.

As I've said, I think they've got incredible potential, they just need to exercise it. They can still do thrash-type stuff if they want, heck, bands like Municipal Waste and Evile are doing a good job reviving that style, but they need to do something to forge their own identity if they ever want respect alongside success.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Trying to emulate a band as legendary and important as Metallica is only going to earn scorn amongst the public("riding on their coattails" etc), and the fact that the band in question has managed to do a wonderful job of utterly and irrevocably destroying its credibility just compounds the problem.

First, you sing how you sing. If he tried not to sing like like himself because he sounds like Hetfield, he might sound like a guy doing a bad Hetfield impression...and it would definitely dam his creative flow.

Besides, if you try too hard to change your vocal style, you can actually injure your vocal cords.

As far as public opinion goes, it all depends. Some bands have done quite well doing their own version of the Led Zeppelin (David Coverdale, Bonham, Katmandu, Fastway, etc.) Black Sabbath (Kyuss, Early Man), AC/DC (Dirty Looks) and many other bands' sound. By that I mean that some of those musicians were mocked for their emulations, and others were lauded. It depends largely upon whether they bring anything new and special to the mix.

For instance, Corrosion of Conformity has a very Sabbath-esque formula to their compositions...but they also have a definite Lynnard Skynnard vibe (and other influences) in there as well, giving them a tasty and identifiable sonic architecture and a fair number of fans.

 

[Leif]

Here's My Two-Cents'-Worth -- the dude with the Epiphone Les Paul 100 avatar

First, you sing how you sing. If he tried not to sing like like himself because he sounds like Hetfield, he might sound like a guy doing a bad Hetfield impression...and it would definitely dam his creative flow.

Besides, if you try too hard to change your vocal style, you can actually injure your vocal cords.

As far as public opinion goes, it all depends. Some bands have done quite well doing their own version of the Led Zeppelin (David Coverdale, Bonham, Katmandu, Fastway, etc.) Black Sabbath (Kyuss, Early Man), AC/DC (Dirty Looks) and many other bands' sound. By that I mean that some of those musicians were mocked for their emulations, and others were lauded. It depends largely upon whether they bring anything new and special to the mix.

For instance, Corrosion of Conformity has a very Sabbath-esque formula to their compositions...but they also have a definite Lynnard Skynnard vibe (and other influences) in there as well, giving them a tasty and identifiable sonic architecture and a fair number of fans.

DA, you mention D. Coverdale, but you leave off Deep Purple, which is where DC got his initial exposure. And yes, they and the bands you mention do not really qualify by present-day standards of "Heavy Metal," but that they are the genesis of the genre is without question, and, I submit, the best and shining examples thereof. But I'll go one step further and add Eric Clapton, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix to the list. Admittedly, Clapton is quite well known for some classic softer songs, almost ballads even, but let's face it -- Slowhand ROCKS! Cream is, of course, just another Clapton format, as was Blind Faith, which while it has the softer edge of Steve Winwood's vocals, nevertheless proudly sports the heavy-rockin' Clapton guitar solos.

Until my personal journey of discovery through Clapton Land, I was convinced that the best, purest examples of true heavy metal were, in this order:

1. Deep Purple [first album released 1968]
2. Black Sabbath [first album released 1970]
3. Whitesnake (particularly the albums 'Ready And Willing' and 'Slide It In') (Although I gladly admit that Steve Vai is a total genius and added immeasurably to the band's overall appeal) [Whitesnake, of course, is a continuation of the Deep Purple effect]
4. Dio [similarly, a continuation of the Black Sabbath effect]
5. Motley Crue [say what you will, their debut album, 1981's "Too Fast For Love," marks the true beginning of modern heavy metal]
6. Metallica [these guys just f****** rock]
7. Iron Maiden [Serious Rockin happenin' here, but they have a small 'egghead probem']
8. [Apologies for leaving others off this list, but that's all that I can think of at this second, although I'm sure there are more.]

I love this thread

Me. too!! Sorry I only found it this late!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

DA, you mention D. Coverdale, but you leave off Deep Purple, which is where DC got his initial exposure. And yes, they and the bands you mention do not really qualify by present-day standards of "Heavy Metal," but that they are the genesis of the genre is without question, and, I submit, the best and shining examples thereof. But I'll go one step further and add Eric Clapton, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix to the list. Admittedly, Clapton is quite well known for some classic softer songs, almost ballads even, but let's face it -- Slowhand ROCKS! Cream is, of course, just another Clapton format, as was Blind Faith, which while it has the softer edge of Steve Winwood's vocals, nevertheless proudly sports the heavy-rockin' Clapton guitar solos.

Until my personal journey of discovery through Clapton Land, I was convinced that the best, purest examples of true heavy metal were, in this order:

1. Deep Purple [first album released 1968]
2. Black Sabbath [first album released 1970]
3. Whitesnake (particularly the albums 'Ready And Willing' and 'Slide It In') (Although I gladly admit that Steve Vai is a total genius and added immeasurably to the band's overall appeal) [Whitesnake, of course, is a continuation of the Deep Purple effect]
4. Dio [similarly, a continuation of the Black Sabbath effect]
5. Motley Crue [say what you will, their debut album, 1981's "Too Fast For Love," marks the true beginning of modern heavy metal]
6. Metallica [these guys just f****** rock]
7. Iron Maiden [Serious Rockin happenin' here, but they have a small 'egghead probem']
8. [Apologies for leaving others off this list, but that's all that I can think of at this second, although I'm sure there are more.]


Me. too!! Sorry I only found it this late!

Wow- an almost 7 year necro? Well...it's only appropriate, given metal's connection to the supernatural.

I didn't mention DC's involvement in DP because the DP sound was still predominant. He didn't really get around to aping Led Zeppelin- and thus, getting called "David Coverversion"- until much later.

Anyway, it's clear that you're a bona fide metalhead (BTW, check out the link to Metal School in my sig for more headbanging fun), but you have to follow the rules of the thread! What "wussy" music do you have in your collection? What are your guilty pleasures?

CONFESS!

 

[Leif]

(Grudging) Confession

Sorry, I didn't see the rules:

Wussified music in my collection:

1. The Go-Gos' Beauty and the Beat
2. Michael Jackson's Thriller
3. Devo's Freedom of Choice and New Traditionalists
3.5 Vandenburg's first album [Sheesh, what a bunch of quasi-metal wannabe wankers!]
4. Assorted modern jazz that I really like
5. Assorted classical


Guilty Pleasures:

Singing along with the radio when my daughter is listening to KIYS-FM (pre-teen/teen-pop-schlock-drivel) [ KISS ] or KFIN Supercountry [ KFIN ]. She acts all "offended" and stuff and tells me to stop. To which I laugh.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'll make you feel at home and admit to Devo, and...well everything you mentioned except Thriller.

 

[Leif]

What can I say? I spent much of 1982 and 1983 in a state of utter confusion. I blame puberty.

And no, it doesn't really make me feel any better to know that someone else was [almost] as confused as I was, sorry.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Oh, I'm not confused. I'm very broad in my musical tastes.

Here's a part of the collection:

 

[Leif]

Color me impressed! I note the axes, too.

I have recently become an Epiphone convert, myself. I have one "flat-ish black" Les Paul Special, a red SG special, [these two were bought on ebay], an ebony Les Paul 100, and a DR100 acoustic dreadnought, [these two were ordered new -- the LP100 from Sweetwater and the DR100 from GuitarCenter]. I also still have the first two guitars I ever owned, a bright blue Electra Phoenix, circa 1983, and a junior-sized Hummingbird acoustic from when I was about 11 or 12, which I guess makes it circa 1978-79.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My first guitar was an Alvarez starter acoustic which I killed to death until it was no longer alive.

I still have my first electrics- a Dean Special Select EVO and a Time Capsule Cadillac (see my avatar)- and have added a ridiculous number of guitars (covering several brands) since then. Ditto pedals. Only me amp, though- a 40w Fender HRD 1x12 combo.

Not very metal an amp, I know, but it covers everything else very well. So I'm going to get an Orange combo amp for the heavier stuff.