'alternative' metal... discuss

micky wrote: Time Signature wrote: Raff wrote: I basically agree that some people (or make it many) are obsessed with categorization, and often end up not seeing the forest for the trees. However, let's remember that categorization is necessary as a reference when the amount of material available is quite vast. No one would ever conceive of a library without any form of categorization - finding books would become impossible.  Not just that - cognitive scientists have shown that categorization is a very basic human cognitive process. I wonder what they could learm from the study of metal subgenres ;-) they'd find that the study of metal subgenres is undergraduate work...kid stuff...  the real stuff... the PhD work is in the field of prog rock categorization.

I've been fine just calling music...music! Sometimes I'll say, "thats f**king kick-ass, thats what it is" or "heavy pseudo intellectual bullsh*t obvious technical wakery". It gets the point across. And I don't have to explain anything. It's like some people can just slap around terms and sound cool for knowing and applying them. IMO genre is just a disease, no music needs classification if you don't want it to. Word of mouth or descriptors is just better, but it's all subjective anyway. Trying to look objective by tagging something with a genre is an antithesis in and of itself.

Person 1 - "DUDE. Did you hear that band 'Philosophical Nothingness'? It's liek....New Wave Tech-Death Progcore, man!"
Person 2 - "Dude, stfu with yr generz."

Time Signature wrote: Raff wrote: I basically agree that some people (or make it many) are obsessed with categorization, and often end up not seeing the forest for the trees. However, let's remember that categorization is necessary as a reference when the amount of material available is quite vast. No one would ever conceive of a library without any form of categorization - finding books would become impossible.  Not just that - cognitive scientists have shown that categorization is a very basic human cognitive process. I wonder what they could learm from the study of metal subgenres ;-)

they'd find that the study of metal subgenres is undergraduate work...kid stuff...  the real stuff... the PhD work is in the field of prog rock categorization. 


Edited by micky - 07 Apr 2010 at 5:43pm

I basically agree that some people (or make it many) are obsessed with categorization, and often end up not seeing the forest for the trees. However, let's remember that categorization is necessary as a reference when the amount of material available is quite vast. No one would ever conceive of a library without any form of categorization - finding books would become impossible. 

lucas wrote: So basically : alternative metal = grunge (Soundgarden, AiC, Nirvana) + noise rock (Helmet, Sonic Youth) + alternative rock (Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addicion) + groove metal (King's X) + funk metal (FFF, fishbone, living colour, infectious grooves) I think that makes sense to have all these bands under one flag...

Edited by Sean Trane - 07 Apr 2010 at 7:12am

I think of alternative metal as metal or metallish music which just doesn't fit into any of the established metal genres. Sometimes, a subgenre may be formed on the bases of common traits among artists which are otherwise considered alternative metal. I certainly consider it a viable genre on these pages.

Well not exactly: some of the sub-genres are pretty clear

To be clear, I've never owned a Papa Roach album in my life. And if a decision was made to remove them, I don't think it would hurt the site.

I'm still trying to decide what my line is. M@X made a reasonable guideline, and as nu-metal is pretty consistently their main tag, I think they make the cut. I think they slip inside the line as my gut tells me as well.

Edited by Negoba - 01 Apr 2010 at 12:34pm

While I wasn't the one who chose Papa Roach, I think the arpeggiated guitars and tone on their signature "Last Resort" are pretty undeniably metal of some kind.

I don't think Papa Roach are metal. They are angsty alternative rock with distorted guitars.