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 Post subject: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:17 am 
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Ist Krieg
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Obviously, for me, black metal.
But there are really few actual good black metal bands out there. Too many that think goofy makeup and sounding like a cheap vacuum cleaner set to blast beats qualifies. It has to be at least more than a little uncanny, at the very minimum.

Black metal when done well is more of a journey, for lack of a better way to phrase it. It takes your mind elsewhere, while for me, death metal is a distraction from that.
Outside a few earlier bands (especially), death metal comes across as jazz on bath salts, and I fucking hate jazz.

Discuss, if you like.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:46 am 
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Ist Krieg

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Really tough question for me because there's death metal I love and black metal I love.

I'm going to have to go with black metal though overall. As you mentioned, there's tons of shitty black metal bands that think wearing corpsepaint and making static is cool but a lot of the time it just is unlistenable. However, some of my favorite music is black metal, and when done right it can become almost an otherworldly experience. Whether it's the intense type that sounds aggressive as fuck or the more melancholic type that you just want to drift off and listen to. Especially nowadays with a lot of the post-black metal or shoegaze black metal that's come out that I dig a lot. I still love all the classics that defined the genre in the 2nd wave though. The expansion of the genre is a definite plus however.

As for Death metal, I listen to death metal a good amount and some of my favorite music is death metal. Whether it's the type that incorporates melody or just a brutal all out assault on your ears. Death metal however doesn't quite take me to the place in my mind (usually) like certain black metal records do that I love listening to and have been listening to for the past 15+ years.


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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 10:00 am 
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Wishy-washy answer, but it really depends on mood - the best black metal is transcendental, sure, and the best death metal is like a good, invigorating mud bath. One distracts me from my humanity and the travails of everyday life, the other is an all too real reminder of them. I love both, at times, but both can frustrate at times - especially the modern, soulless acts from both who repeat past glories from better bands without the spirit or passion. As with all music when at its best, either can be a spiritual experience, and they each hit in a very different way from other genres I love, such as classic or prog rock. As for picking between them, it's like asking me to choose pizza or burgers; neither may be that good for me but they each satisfy a specific craving!

(Jazz on bath salts, ha. That's a good descriptor for the likes of Pyrrhon, I'll have to remember it for future reviews.)


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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:21 pm 
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Ist Krieg

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Historically I'd go with black metal: nothing tops the icy production and tremolo minor scale riffs and open chords so well done within the genre. But now? Both genres have plenty of newer innovations which I dislike as 90% of tech death or 90% of blackgaze or even worse the 'experimental' shit attests. Regurgitating what Burzum or Morbid Angel did decades ago isn't very interesting either, though I'll always be more sympathetic to that than wankery (just play jazz guys :lol: ). Currently I'd have to pick death metal as a lot of the newer slam/brutal stuff manages to innovate just a little while maintaining the heaviness that anything overly technical will lack.


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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:08 am 
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:cool:


:dio:

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 2:58 am 
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Easy one for me, death metal. A large part of it is due to culture and aesthetics. Too many pretentious, melodramatic turds populate the black metal scene. It has its majestic unicorns like Fenris and Abbath but, in general, black metal people really turn me off (present company excluded, of course). The blue-collar brutality of death metal is much more my speed. No theatrics, no insufferable "kvlt" posturing or post-whatever hipster wankery. Just the band and their instruments ready to kick the crowd in their collective chests.

Music wise, I trend more towards death metal as well. Like you fellas have said, black metal done right can be an elevating sonic experience, but it's not something I listen to everyday. High treble, tremolo riffing also grows old for me very fast. Death metal, on the other hand, is good, old-fashioned meat and potatoes metal. A daily, dietary staple. It's the natural progression of the thrash formula turned up to 11. The late 80's to mid 90's era of death metal, especially the Swedish and Morrisound stuff, is some of the best heavy music ever produced on God's earth. Bless Scott Burns, you brilliant bastard.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:26 am 
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Ist Krieg
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What about Doom vs. Thrash?

Dooom for me, specifically of the stoner / psychedelic variety. It's my favorite genre, black comes second.
Pretty much for the same reasons I prefer Black metal (not that hipster BS commies listen too) over deathmetal.
That and the riffs.

Thrash has a few good bands early Sep, early Exodus, early Slayer, early Sodom,... but it's still always better when "blackened" :lol: .

Thrash is like the besotted violent hooligan of Metaldom, while Doom is the more introspective and meditative. Kind of complete opposites.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:48 pm 
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Death metal overall

Black metal doesn't interest me as much anymore apart from tried and true bands like Destroyer 666, Gorgoroth, Absu, Taake, Darkthrone, Horna, Behexen etc. It's all been done and there's very little current bands can do that will wow me as much as the classics.

Meanwhile I will always love brutality and intense music and the fact death metal tends to have greater musicianship tends to help.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 6:12 am 
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Doom vs. Thrash?

Thraaaaaaash!!! :dio: :dio:

Granted, I've never really delved that deep into doom, but I've always preferred the speedier side of metal in general. 80's Thrash is just the purest personification of what metal is and should always remain. Loud, fast, NWOBHM-inspired riff heavy music happily married to a working class, DIY ethic. Active pits abound (at least in the olden days), alcohol flows in rivers (hasn't changed) and no trendy hangers-on to be found anywhere (girlfriends are acceptable, but not encouraged). Whenever a curious young lad asks the immortal question of "what is real metal?", I will always refer him to Sepultura's 1991 Barcelona show. Sweet lord, what a gig that was.

cry of the banshee wrote:
Thrash is like the besotted violent hooligan of Metaldom

Sigh. :wub:

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 2:44 am 
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Ist Krieg
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Thrash til' Deth wrote:
Doom vs. Thrash?

Thraaaaaaash!!! :dio: :dio:

Granted, I've never really delved that deep into doom, but I've always preferred the speedier side of metal in general. 80's Thrash is just the purest personification of what metal is and should always remain. Loud, fast, NWOBHM-inspired riff heavy music happily married to a working class, DIY ethic. Active pits abound (at least in the olden days), alcohol flows in rivers (hasn't changed) and no trendy hangers-on to be found anywhere (girlfriends are acceptable, but not encouraged). Whenever a curious young lad asks the immortal question of "what is real metal?", I will always refer him to Sepultura's 1991 Barcelona show. Sweet lord, what a gig that was.

cry of the banshee wrote:
Thrash is like the besotted violent hooligan of Metaldom

Sigh. :wub:


Early thrash, and early Teutonic thrash in particular is some of the best music out there, for sure.
I never got too much into the NWOTM.

It's true about "bringing your girlfriend". Chicks, especially when drinking, are nothing but trouble. Nothing worse than a drunken broad braying and falling down.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:20 pm 
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Einherjar
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cry of the banshee wrote:
Thrash til' Deth wrote:
Doom vs. Thrash?

Thraaaaaaash!!! :dio: :dio:

Granted, I've never really delved that deep into doom, but I've always preferred the speedier side of metal in general. 80's Thrash is just the purest personification of what metal is and should always remain. Loud, fast, NWOBHM-inspired riff heavy music happily married to a working class, DIY ethic. Active pits abound (at least in the olden days), alcohol flows in rivers (hasn't changed) and no trendy hangers-on to be found anywhere (girlfriends are acceptable, but not encouraged). Whenever a curious young lad asks the immortal question of "what is real metal?", I will always refer him to Sepultura's 1991 Barcelona show. Sweet lord, what a gig that was.

cry of the banshee wrote:
Thrash is like the besotted violent hooligan of Metaldom

Sigh. :wub:


Early thrash, and early Teutonic thrash in particular is some of the best music out there, for sure.
I never got too much into the NWOTM.

It's true about "bringing your girlfriend". Chicks, especially when drinking, are nothing but trouble. Nothing worse than a drunken broad braying and falling down.

Most new school thrash bands are a bunch of middle class kids trying to be Exodus. Not that there's anything wrong with channeling Bonded By Blood, but a lot of these guys are a little too 'on the nose' with their look and sound. It feels more like a love letter to an old flame as opposed to a revitalization of the scene. Picture an entire legion of thrash-inspired Steel Panthers pounding Natty's in one hand and palm-muting to infinity in the other. Not terribly imaginative or inspiring. There has been some good stuff produced by the newbies, but they need to forge their own identities instead of emulating their heroes of yesteryear.

On the girlfriend front, there aren't many womenfolk that will ride out an entire gig without complaining about something (cherish those precious few that will!). Best to leave little missy at home while you go pound your chest for a few hours. Because, without fail, they will get tired and want to leave early. Without...fail. Now you can either miss the show that you've probably been waiting on for months (along with blowing your money on TWO tickets) or you can ride home with a mad woman who will likely be pissed at you for a minimum of two-three weeks. Ugh.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:41 am 
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Ist Krieg

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cry of the banshee wrote:
What about Doom vs. Thrash?


Doom for me as well. Just seems to have more variety: I haven't even explored a ton of the stoner/psychedelic stuff but death/doom is one of my favorite subgenres ever, as limited as it might be, and funeral doom was fun for a minute. :lol:

I overlooked thrash for a long time, unfairly, beyond early Sep and Kreator and I like it a lot more now than I used to. Even got past Mustaine's vocals enough to listen to and enjoy a couple full Megadeath albums.


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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:58 am 
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North From Here wrote:
cry of the banshee wrote:
What about Doom vs. Thrash?


Doom for me as well. Just seems to have more variety: I haven't even explored a ton of the stoner/psychedelic stuff but death/doom is one of my favorite subgenres ever, as limited as it might be, and funeral doom was fun for a minute. :lol:


Same, really. Doom just seems more creative and yes, has more variety to it, from funeral to doomdeath to the epic invocatory stuff to stoner buzz to wailing despair. Despite the Voivods, Celtic Frosts, Coroners of the world (who wouldn't really exist without thrash, so it obviously has merit) doom has more to it overall.


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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 4:26 am 
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Ist Krieg
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cry of the banshee wrote:
Obviously, for me, black metal.
But there are really few actual good black metal bands out there. Too many that think goofy makeup and sounding like a cheap vacuum cleaner set to blast beats qualifies. It has to be at least more than a little uncanny, at the very minimum.

Black metal when done well is more of a journey, for lack of a better way to phrase it. It takes your mind elsewhere, while for me, death metal is a distraction from that.
Outside a few earlier bands (especially), death metal comes across as jazz on bath salts, and I fucking hate jazz.

Discuss, if you like.

What if you got real into Lamp of Murmuur? That'd be awesome.

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 Post subject: Re: Black metal vs. Death metal and why
PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:18 am 
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Ist Krieg

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I like what I've heard from Lamp of Murmuur. Hope life is treating you well.


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