Why Modern Metal Sounds Generic

SG John said:
Like everything I've done, here's 8:02 of a first, and only take. We did a scratch vocal for recording the bass, guitar, and drums. Then we added a bit of rhythm guitar under the solo, a couple of vocal layers, and then the Mellotron and Hammond organ. Every engineer I've worked with has the power to say "that sucked, do it again." We usually have always gone with take one or two.

https://soundcloud.com/id%3Dsg-john%252Fintelevision-mp3%3Btrack_id%3D127713351

"Perfection" is what makes most current music unlistenable. Usually, it's the tension created by one person being ahead or behind a beat that draws someone in. Often, any mistakes are only noticed by people in the writing or production process. The listener won't know if a F#7 was supposed to be played as a C#, or if a passing note wasn't supposed to be there. Just because a blue note is there, doesn't mean a track needs to be scrapped, and started over. Also, the concept of building tracks as was started in the eighties with more multi tracking options became available killed any life in music, as nothing was recorded live anymore, just to a click track. Yes, click tracks do have a purpose, but they are overdone now. Their sole purpose is to be able to cut and paste sections without the timing and pitch being off.

Some of the greatest recordings of all time were recorded with several people in one room, and a central mic. They knew what they were doing at Sun Records when they created rock and roll.
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Straight hair Slash in action!:eddie::eddie::eddie::eddie:

I like it... Respect!
 
Didn't watch the video. Technical speaker discussion is less to blame than what I would characterize as insular attitudes to what is truly musical and what sucks.

It seems to me so many deeply into metal don't have very wide musical horizons.
If they took a year off and listened honestly to Tower of Power, old Motown, 50's Jazz or big band swing records or say Stevie Wonder for six months I'll bet if they went back to metal, they'd have some fresh ideas and concepts of what sounds good. Metal seems to be so musically inbred and stale, and it's not just the tone.

That, and active pickups have no soul.
 
Session 5 said:
Why just play along to drum loops. I have music on my MP3 player i buy from legit sites some are songs from their house band and some from actual artists. Its terrific, same as playing in a Band except you don't have all the nonsence of setting up, and getting them all together. My Wife and friends think its amazing.
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I play to loops because it allows me endless customization, which is as close as I'm going to get to a live drummer. I use BetaMonkey loops, which I can cut/chop/whatever to get the beat in my head re-created in my DAW for me to play over. For some reason, I've never, ever had any interest in playing other people's music, just always wanted to create my own thing - and the loops help me do that - although I'd prefer a real drummer again. In the end, I'm not a guitar player, I'm a creator. And I create songs, novels, shorts stories, etc using whatever tools I have at hand.
SG John said:
"Perfection" is what makes most current music unlistenable.
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So true. It's ok to get ahead/behind the beat to create a mood or capture a feeling or lead the audience. It's ok to veer off a bit here or there. Reminds me of that Led Zeppelin song where the magnetic bleed over from the tape created that amazing delay effect. Someone seeking perfection would have gotten rid of it, instead it's one of the best effects ever on a rock album.
TVvoodoo said:
It seems to me so many deeply into metal don't have very wide musical horizons.
If they took a year off and listened honestly to Tower of Power, old Motown, 50's Jazz or big band swing records or say Stevie Wonder for six months I'll bet if they went back to metal, they'd have some fresh ideas and concepts of what sounds good. Metal seems to be so musically inbred and stale, and it's not just the tone.
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DING DING DING!

To me, this is it. I commented on the video with basically the same thing:

the old school (metal) bands were influenced by early NWOBHM, punk, classic rock, blues, jazz, etc. Modern metal bands seem to only be influenced by other metal bands. Instead of creating new things like early extreme metal bands did, we're all just making incestuous, generic, rehashings of what came before. That's also why so many singers all sound the same these days. Used to be no metal singers would be caught dead sounding like another one, now it's like a badge of honor...
 
TVvoodoo said:
If they took a year off and listened honestly to Tower of Power, old Motown, 50's Jazz or big band swing records or say Stevie Wonder for six months I'll bet if they went back to metal, they'd have some fresh ideas and concepts of what sounds good.
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If they want back to metal, at all. I used to listen mostly to hard rock or metal. But, having been raised exposed mostly to classical music, I have always had an appreciation for that, too.

Anyway, a few years ago I began listening more to the exact types of music you mention (let me add ’70s funk!). I pretty much lost interest in rock and metal. I still listen to some periodically, but it doesn’t hold my interest like it used to. I’m at the point where I would rather listen to interesting chord voicings and the combination of all the instruments in a song than a fast guitar solo.

But, I do need to stress, that is my musical journey. I don’t want to suggest that it is “correct” or “right”; it’s just me.
 
TVvoodoo said:
Didn't watch the video. Technical speaker discussion is less to blame than what I would characterize as insular attitudes to what is truly musical and what sucks.

It seems to me so many deeply into metal don't have very wide musical horizons.
If they took a year off and listened honestly to Tower of Power, old Motown, 50's Jazz or big band swing records or say Stevie Wonder for six months I'll bet if they went back to metal, they'd have some fresh ideas and concepts of what sounds good. Metal seems to be so musically inbred and stale, and it's not just the tone.

That, and active pickups have no soul.
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Precisely! Im a huge fan of metal myself, because i always liked the outsider mentality of it: us vs them. But if you steep yourself in nothing but metal, 24/7, 365 you can quickly find yourself sounding pretty one dimensional in time. Its good to have a diversion and to go pick up something from somewhere else

Plenty of great inspiration for me, came from the likes of non metal bands. Apparently famous metal bands did the same as well, because names like ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Robin Trower, Bad Company, UFO, Rolling Stones, KISS, AC/DC are constantly brought up by famous metal musicians as the source of their inspiration and sound.

You can use something from the most unlikely of sources and get a whole new angle and sound. Look around at the bands who brought blues, funk and even country elements to metal. It makes it more interesting
 
Clockworkmike said:
Precisely! Im a huge fan of metal myself, because i always liked the outsider mentality of it: us vs them. But if you steep yourself in nothing but metal, 24/7, 365 you can quickly find yourself sounding pretty one dimensional in time. Its good to have a diversion and to go pick up something from somewhere else

Plenty of great inspiration for me, came from the likes of non metal bands. Apparently famous metal bands did the same as well, because names like ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Robin Trower, Bad Company, UFO, Rolling Stones, KISS, AC/DC are constantly brought up by famous metal musicians as the source of their inspiration and sound.

You can use something from the most unlikely of sources and get a whole new angle and sound. Look around at the bands who brought blues, funk and even country elements to metal. It makes it more interesting
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Absolutely. When I used to do this professionally, I found myself spending hours upon hours listening to classical music. Nowadays, I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate blues and swamp jazz into things - which is most likely the route I'll take when I start taking lessons soon.
 
This is why, told visually.

27549-aq21gp.jpg


And, @smitty_p , Tower of Power is firmly serious 70's funk, fused with soul/ old school R&B. You would dig!

 
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Very respectable examples....

Here's my offering. Rhythm guitars recorded in one take. Solo recorded in one take- 100% dry with no reverb or delay - and bass recorded in one take.

My lead vocals were recorded in one take, and I sang my backing vocals in a single take too. We added delay to the vocals during mixdown.

2016 Gibson 50's Tribute (498T) through my Blackstar ID-CORE 100watt Direct-Out into Audacity.

Listen to Fantasy - Aldo Nova Cover - 11-06-2019 Re-Master by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud
soundcloud.app.goo.gl

Fantasy - Aldo Nova Cover - 11-06-2019 Re-Master

Since Hearing This Song for The First Time - In 1982 - I Wanted To Perform A Cover Version Of It. Based On A Drum Track, Laid Down By My Colleague - Session Drummer Extraordinaire Ffej Rednil - This
soundcloud.app.goo.gl soundcloud.app.goo.gl
 
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