How to Appreciate Metal Music
Remove any previous preconceptions about metal., Consider what music you like now and what kinds of metal you might like., Listen to the music., Go to a metal show or watch a performance, even if it's just online., Learn more about metal., Find your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remove any previous preconceptions about metal.
Metal is not a bunch of guys crunching out noise, screaming profanities, and worshiping Satan.
A lot of metal is melodic and beautiful, as well as very complex and technically demanding.
Many musicians have been playing their instruments for years and are professionally trained, often being able to play at very high levels of proficiency.
Many of them incorporate influences from genres such as classical, jazz, folk, and opera.
Additionally, metal bands virtually always write their own music, including the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, plus their own lyrics, etc., all of which keeps the music genuine, as opposed to the fake, manufactured feel of most popular music.
That being said, metal is often more aggressive and intense than more mainstream-oriented "radio rock"
and lyrics often touch on more controversial topics such as war or violence (albeit usually as a form of social criticism rather than a vehicle to condone such things).
Other bands may write about topics such as fantasy, addiction, history, religion, politics, literature, philosophy, relationships, hedonism, or death.
Bands with more extreme lyrics often intend their songs to be taken as tongue-in-cheek or sometimes for shock value, and in most cases shouldn't be taken seriously.
The most common instrumental setup for a metal band is one or two electric guitar(s), a bass guitar, drums, vocals, and sometimes a keyboard/piano, although it is not limited to that.
Some bands incorporate additional instruments, sometimes opting for a symphonic sound, or using other unusual instruments for a more avant-garde approach.
Oftentimes the vocalist also serves as an instrumentalist.
Some bands write all or mostly instrumental music.
Metal vocals vary widely in style, from the multi-octave, theatrical approach of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, to the gruff style of Motörhead's Lemmy and Metallica's James Hetfield, to the growling of many death metal performers, and to the harsh shrieks and screams of black metal.
There are a number of successful female vocalists as well. -
Step 2: Consider what music you like now and what kinds of metal you might like.
Do you like fast paced music or slower music? Do you want to hear guitars shredding or guitars playing melodies? Do you want to listen for the drumming? Do you want to listen for lyrics? What lyrical themes are you looking for? Do you mind growling vocals, or do you want lighter vocals? Or no vocals at all? Try starting with classic heavy metal and then work your way to the "Big 4" of thrash metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax).
Also ask for help on forums or research each genre more to decide which you may like.
Any metalhead will be all to happy to help a newcomer out and share their knowledge.
Heavy metal: distorted guitars, more forceful than rock, guitar solos.
No growled vocals.
Original metal.
Popular bands:
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Twisted Sister, Ozzy Osbourne, Grim Reaper, Led Zeppelin, WASP Thrash metal:
Fast paced, focus on guitar shredding, often aggressive vocals and blast beats with influences from punk and metal.
Lyrics usually social or politic.
Bands:
Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Kreator, Sodom, Annihilator, Sadus, Destruction, Evile Power metal:
Melodic, soaring vocals, constant riffs, melodic guitar shreds, keyboards and lyrics about fantasy, dragons, knights, mythology, etc.
Bands:
Blind Guardian, HammerFall, Helloween, Sonata Arctica, Demons & Wizards, Angra, Dragonforce, Iced Earth, Charred Walls of the Damned, Kamelot, Rhapsody of Fire Goth metal:
Takes the pure sound of heavy metal but with the dark atmospheres and lyrics of goth rock.
Bands:
Type O Negative, A Pale Horse Named Death, Cradle of Filth, Within Temptation, My Dying Bride, Graveworm, Rotting Christ, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Moonspell Speed metal:
Extremely fast and technically demanding metal.
Bands:
Motörhead, Riot, Judas Priest and Striker.
Rap metal:
Rap rock with metal traits and heaviness.
Artists and bands:
Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More, Stuck Mojo, Kid Rock (old) Death/doom:
Both death metal and doom metal.
Bands:
Asphyx, Autopsy, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost Blackened death metal:
Death metal mixed with black metal.
Bands:
Goatwhore, Behemoth, Portal Thrashcore / Crossover thrash:
Usually thrash metal that leans really close to old school punk rock.
It can be thrash-influenced hardcore punk or a mix of thrash metal and early 1980s-style punk.
Bands:
DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, Stormtroopers of Death, PC Death Squad Black metal:
Ranges from complex to raw song structure, distorted guitars, tremolo picking, shrieking vocals, often cold atmosphere and anti-religious or paganistic lyrics.
The original bands used more of evil voices symbolizing Satan than shrieks.
Bands:
Emperor, Immortal, Mayhem, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral, Xasthur, Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, Black Anvil, Marduk, Watain Doom metal:
Slower paced, clean or growl vocals, musical and usually lyrical themes of despair and doom (hence the name).
Bands:
Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Trouble, Witchfinder General, Asphyx, Pentagram, Reverend Bizarre, Solitude Aeturnus Death metal:
Fast paced, very heavy, complex song structure, deep growl vocals, lyrics sometimes gory.
Bands:
Death, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Entombed, Grave, Cryptopsy, Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Job for a Cowboy, Possessed, Necrophagia, Suffocation Technical death metal:
Death metal with more complex rhythmic patterns.
Lyrics are often philosophical and poetic.
Bands:
Death (later material), Cynic, Atheist, Obscura, Necrophagist, Nile, Gorguts, The Faceless Melodic death metal:
Often slower than traditional death metal with focus on melodies, often containing keyboards/pianos and acoustic guitar parts.
Popular Bands:
Carcass (later), Dark Tranquility, In Flames (mostly older), At the Gates, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Insomnium, Norther, Shadows Fall (early), All That Remains (early), Scar Symmetry, The Black Dahlia Murder Progressive metal:
Combines the heavy, guitar-driven sound of heavy metal with the uncommon time signatures, dynamic shifts and complex playing of progressive rock.
May cross with other metal genres as well (i.e., progressive death metal).
Songs are often long, theoretically complex and contain acoustic parts.
Bands:
Dream Theater, Opeth, Queensryche, Watchtower, Tool, Meshuggah, Symphony X, Edge of Sanity, Andromeda Metalcore:
Combination of hardcore or post-hardcore punk and extreme metal.
Breakdowns are common, and often abrasive or intense vocals.
Bands:
Hatebreed, Converge, Integrity, I Am War, Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Texas in July, Earth Crisis, Bury Your Dead, Throwdown, The Acacia Strain, Unearth, Avenged Sevenfold (early) and Bleeding Through Mathcore:
Progressive metalcore with odd time signatures and frequent changes in time signatures and lots of complexity.
Bands:
Converge, Blood Has Been Shed, The Dillinger Escape Plan, iwrestledabearonce Djent:
Not a genre.
But refers to progressive metal bands with often keyboards, rhythm guitars doing chugging to give heavy feels and palm muting.
Bands can be experimental.
Bands:
Periphery, After the Burial, Animals as Leaders, Tesseract Melodic metalcore:
A subgenre of metalcore with tons more melody and melodic death metal influences.
Vocals range from growls, screams and singing.
Bands:
Trivium, August Burns Red, All That Remains (newer), I Killed the Prom Queen, The Devil Wears Prada, and Bury Tomorrow Deathcore:
A combination of death metal and hardcore.
Bands:
All Shall Perish, Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, Job for a Cowboy (2005), Waking the Cadaver Chelsea Grin, Oceano, Emmure, Rose Funeral, and Whitechapel Groove metal:
Post-thrash, sometimes slower than thrash with focus on rhythmic (groove) patterns.
Bands:
Pantera (1990s and up), Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Exhorder, Sepultura, Hellyeah, Machine Head, Five Finger Death Punch Folk metal:
Heavy metal crossed with traditional folk music.
Bands:
Ensiferum, Finntroll, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow, Tyr Nu metal:
Combines many genres of popular music (grunge, hip-hop), with heavy metal.
Bands:
Korn, Slipknot (first 2 albums and the song "Duality"), OTEP, Soulfly (early), Sevendust, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Deftones (1990s), Dope Industrial metal:
Usually with white noise beats, industrial effects, distortion, heavy bass, abrasive beats, industry noises and sometimes keyboards.
It could be simply industrial meets metal.
Bands:
Fear Factory (although they play lots of metal genres), Nailbomb, Ministry (newer), Rammstein, Static-X, Marilyn Manson, Ghost Machine Symphonic metal:
Utilizes symphonic elements instead of relying on guitars alone.
Bands:
Nightwish, Therion, Rhapsody of Fire, Epica, Within Temptation Neo-classical:
A genre heavily inspired by classical music, fuses heavy metal and classic tone patterns and is often centered around complex guitar playing.
Artists:
Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads, Jason Becker, Michael Angelo Batio.
Alternative metal:
Usually is metal with characteristics uncommon or unconventional from other metal genres.
Some alternative metal is instead simply heavier alternative or alternative rock meets metal.
But mostly is more of like metal with traits different from other metal genres.
Bands:
Mudvayne, System of a Down, Tool, Kittie, Nothingface, Helmet, Deftones, Godsmack, Faith No More Glam metal:
A style of upbeat, catchy rock music big in the 1980s influenced by hard rock or heavy metal with friendly-topic-based, sexual or romantic lyrics.
Bands:
Poison, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Warrant, Bon Jovi, KISS, Dokken, Winger. , Don't put it on in the background and tune it out.
Most metal cannot be fully appreciated if you do not focus while listening.
Listen to each instrument.
Try to follow the rhythm.
Listen to the vocals.
If you cannot understand them, look the lyrics up either in the album's booklet or online.
And listen through multiple times.
Albums from the more complex subgenres often take several listens to really get into and understand, and the more you listen the more layers you uncover.
Most metal doesn't rely on groove or instantly catchy hooks like much pop and rock does.
Don't give up if your first impression isn't great.
A lot of metal "grows on you" and if it doesn't, try another band.
Metal is so diverse there is at least one type for everyone. , Don't worry, you won't get thrown into a mosh pit unless you choose to step into one.
If going to a show doesn't sound appealing, at least watch videos online.
Seeing a band work together and watching each member master their own instrument can give you a better appreciation of the work they put in, especially if you play an instrument yourself.
Composing music and playing music live are two different skill sets, both of which metal bands have to be good at to become successful. , When and where was each genre popular? How did different genres affect each other? What artists pioneered each genre? Who are some of the major metal icons? This information can be found online, by talking to metalheads, or by reading about it in books.
The more facts you know, the fewer false, stereotypical, preconceived notions you'll have. , It can be at shows and in mosh pits, or just sitting back and enjoying it.
Maybe you want to try to play it on an instrument, or to write your own.
Maybe you want to read the lyrics and try to understand and relate to them.
Many people listen while driving or while doing anything else.
It can be great motivation at the gym or while running.
It could be for when you drift off to sleep (no joke, people will fall asleep listening to doom metal). -
Step 3: Listen to the music.
-
Step 4: Go to a metal show or watch a performance
-
Step 5: even if it's just online.
-
Step 6: Learn more about metal.
-
Step 7: Find your own way to enjoy metal.
Detailed Guide
Metal is not a bunch of guys crunching out noise, screaming profanities, and worshiping Satan.
A lot of metal is melodic and beautiful, as well as very complex and technically demanding.
Many musicians have been playing their instruments for years and are professionally trained, often being able to play at very high levels of proficiency.
Many of them incorporate influences from genres such as classical, jazz, folk, and opera.
Additionally, metal bands virtually always write their own music, including the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, plus their own lyrics, etc., all of which keeps the music genuine, as opposed to the fake, manufactured feel of most popular music.
That being said, metal is often more aggressive and intense than more mainstream-oriented "radio rock"
and lyrics often touch on more controversial topics such as war or violence (albeit usually as a form of social criticism rather than a vehicle to condone such things).
Other bands may write about topics such as fantasy, addiction, history, religion, politics, literature, philosophy, relationships, hedonism, or death.
Bands with more extreme lyrics often intend their songs to be taken as tongue-in-cheek or sometimes for shock value, and in most cases shouldn't be taken seriously.
The most common instrumental setup for a metal band is one or two electric guitar(s), a bass guitar, drums, vocals, and sometimes a keyboard/piano, although it is not limited to that.
Some bands incorporate additional instruments, sometimes opting for a symphonic sound, or using other unusual instruments for a more avant-garde approach.
Oftentimes the vocalist also serves as an instrumentalist.
Some bands write all or mostly instrumental music.
Metal vocals vary widely in style, from the multi-octave, theatrical approach of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, to the gruff style of Motörhead's Lemmy and Metallica's James Hetfield, to the growling of many death metal performers, and to the harsh shrieks and screams of black metal.
There are a number of successful female vocalists as well.
Do you like fast paced music or slower music? Do you want to hear guitars shredding or guitars playing melodies? Do you want to listen for the drumming? Do you want to listen for lyrics? What lyrical themes are you looking for? Do you mind growling vocals, or do you want lighter vocals? Or no vocals at all? Try starting with classic heavy metal and then work your way to the "Big 4" of thrash metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax).
Also ask for help on forums or research each genre more to decide which you may like.
Any metalhead will be all to happy to help a newcomer out and share their knowledge.
Heavy metal: distorted guitars, more forceful than rock, guitar solos.
No growled vocals.
Original metal.
Popular bands:
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Twisted Sister, Ozzy Osbourne, Grim Reaper, Led Zeppelin, WASP Thrash metal:
Fast paced, focus on guitar shredding, often aggressive vocals and blast beats with influences from punk and metal.
Lyrics usually social or politic.
Bands:
Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Kreator, Sodom, Annihilator, Sadus, Destruction, Evile Power metal:
Melodic, soaring vocals, constant riffs, melodic guitar shreds, keyboards and lyrics about fantasy, dragons, knights, mythology, etc.
Bands:
Blind Guardian, HammerFall, Helloween, Sonata Arctica, Demons & Wizards, Angra, Dragonforce, Iced Earth, Charred Walls of the Damned, Kamelot, Rhapsody of Fire Goth metal:
Takes the pure sound of heavy metal but with the dark atmospheres and lyrics of goth rock.
Bands:
Type O Negative, A Pale Horse Named Death, Cradle of Filth, Within Temptation, My Dying Bride, Graveworm, Rotting Christ, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Moonspell Speed metal:
Extremely fast and technically demanding metal.
Bands:
Motörhead, Riot, Judas Priest and Striker.
Rap metal:
Rap rock with metal traits and heaviness.
Artists and bands:
Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More, Stuck Mojo, Kid Rock (old) Death/doom:
Both death metal and doom metal.
Bands:
Asphyx, Autopsy, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost Blackened death metal:
Death metal mixed with black metal.
Bands:
Goatwhore, Behemoth, Portal Thrashcore / Crossover thrash:
Usually thrash metal that leans really close to old school punk rock.
It can be thrash-influenced hardcore punk or a mix of thrash metal and early 1980s-style punk.
Bands:
DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, Stormtroopers of Death, PC Death Squad Black metal:
Ranges from complex to raw song structure, distorted guitars, tremolo picking, shrieking vocals, often cold atmosphere and anti-religious or paganistic lyrics.
The original bands used more of evil voices symbolizing Satan than shrieks.
Bands:
Emperor, Immortal, Mayhem, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral, Xasthur, Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, Black Anvil, Marduk, Watain Doom metal:
Slower paced, clean or growl vocals, musical and usually lyrical themes of despair and doom (hence the name).
Bands:
Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Trouble, Witchfinder General, Asphyx, Pentagram, Reverend Bizarre, Solitude Aeturnus Death metal:
Fast paced, very heavy, complex song structure, deep growl vocals, lyrics sometimes gory.
Bands:
Death, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Entombed, Grave, Cryptopsy, Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Job for a Cowboy, Possessed, Necrophagia, Suffocation Technical death metal:
Death metal with more complex rhythmic patterns.
Lyrics are often philosophical and poetic.
Bands:
Death (later material), Cynic, Atheist, Obscura, Necrophagist, Nile, Gorguts, The Faceless Melodic death metal:
Often slower than traditional death metal with focus on melodies, often containing keyboards/pianos and acoustic guitar parts.
Popular Bands:
Carcass (later), Dark Tranquility, In Flames (mostly older), At the Gates, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Insomnium, Norther, Shadows Fall (early), All That Remains (early), Scar Symmetry, The Black Dahlia Murder Progressive metal:
Combines the heavy, guitar-driven sound of heavy metal with the uncommon time signatures, dynamic shifts and complex playing of progressive rock.
May cross with other metal genres as well (i.e., progressive death metal).
Songs are often long, theoretically complex and contain acoustic parts.
Bands:
Dream Theater, Opeth, Queensryche, Watchtower, Tool, Meshuggah, Symphony X, Edge of Sanity, Andromeda Metalcore:
Combination of hardcore or post-hardcore punk and extreme metal.
Breakdowns are common, and often abrasive or intense vocals.
Bands:
Hatebreed, Converge, Integrity, I Am War, Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Texas in July, Earth Crisis, Bury Your Dead, Throwdown, The Acacia Strain, Unearth, Avenged Sevenfold (early) and Bleeding Through Mathcore:
Progressive metalcore with odd time signatures and frequent changes in time signatures and lots of complexity.
Bands:
Converge, Blood Has Been Shed, The Dillinger Escape Plan, iwrestledabearonce Djent:
Not a genre.
But refers to progressive metal bands with often keyboards, rhythm guitars doing chugging to give heavy feels and palm muting.
Bands can be experimental.
Bands:
Periphery, After the Burial, Animals as Leaders, Tesseract Melodic metalcore:
A subgenre of metalcore with tons more melody and melodic death metal influences.
Vocals range from growls, screams and singing.
Bands:
Trivium, August Burns Red, All That Remains (newer), I Killed the Prom Queen, The Devil Wears Prada, and Bury Tomorrow Deathcore:
A combination of death metal and hardcore.
Bands:
All Shall Perish, Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, Job for a Cowboy (2005), Waking the Cadaver Chelsea Grin, Oceano, Emmure, Rose Funeral, and Whitechapel Groove metal:
Post-thrash, sometimes slower than thrash with focus on rhythmic (groove) patterns.
Bands:
Pantera (1990s and up), Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Exhorder, Sepultura, Hellyeah, Machine Head, Five Finger Death Punch Folk metal:
Heavy metal crossed with traditional folk music.
Bands:
Ensiferum, Finntroll, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow, Tyr Nu metal:
Combines many genres of popular music (grunge, hip-hop), with heavy metal.
Bands:
Korn, Slipknot (first 2 albums and the song "Duality"), OTEP, Soulfly (early), Sevendust, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Deftones (1990s), Dope Industrial metal:
Usually with white noise beats, industrial effects, distortion, heavy bass, abrasive beats, industry noises and sometimes keyboards.
It could be simply industrial meets metal.
Bands:
Fear Factory (although they play lots of metal genres), Nailbomb, Ministry (newer), Rammstein, Static-X, Marilyn Manson, Ghost Machine Symphonic metal:
Utilizes symphonic elements instead of relying on guitars alone.
Bands:
Nightwish, Therion, Rhapsody of Fire, Epica, Within Temptation Neo-classical:
A genre heavily inspired by classical music, fuses heavy metal and classic tone patterns and is often centered around complex guitar playing.
Artists:
Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads, Jason Becker, Michael Angelo Batio.
Alternative metal:
Usually is metal with characteristics uncommon or unconventional from other metal genres.
Some alternative metal is instead simply heavier alternative or alternative rock meets metal.
But mostly is more of like metal with traits different from other metal genres.
Bands:
Mudvayne, System of a Down, Tool, Kittie, Nothingface, Helmet, Deftones, Godsmack, Faith No More Glam metal:
A style of upbeat, catchy rock music big in the 1980s influenced by hard rock or heavy metal with friendly-topic-based, sexual or romantic lyrics.
Bands:
Poison, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Warrant, Bon Jovi, KISS, Dokken, Winger. , Don't put it on in the background and tune it out.
Most metal cannot be fully appreciated if you do not focus while listening.
Listen to each instrument.
Try to follow the rhythm.
Listen to the vocals.
If you cannot understand them, look the lyrics up either in the album's booklet or online.
And listen through multiple times.
Albums from the more complex subgenres often take several listens to really get into and understand, and the more you listen the more layers you uncover.
Most metal doesn't rely on groove or instantly catchy hooks like much pop and rock does.
Don't give up if your first impression isn't great.
A lot of metal "grows on you" and if it doesn't, try another band.
Metal is so diverse there is at least one type for everyone. , Don't worry, you won't get thrown into a mosh pit unless you choose to step into one.
If going to a show doesn't sound appealing, at least watch videos online.
Seeing a band work together and watching each member master their own instrument can give you a better appreciation of the work they put in, especially if you play an instrument yourself.
Composing music and playing music live are two different skill sets, both of which metal bands have to be good at to become successful. , When and where was each genre popular? How did different genres affect each other? What artists pioneered each genre? Who are some of the major metal icons? This information can be found online, by talking to metalheads, or by reading about it in books.
The more facts you know, the fewer false, stereotypical, preconceived notions you'll have. , It can be at shows and in mosh pits, or just sitting back and enjoying it.
Maybe you want to try to play it on an instrument, or to write your own.
Maybe you want to read the lyrics and try to understand and relate to them.
Many people listen while driving or while doing anything else.
It can be great motivation at the gym or while running.
It could be for when you drift off to sleep (no joke, people will fall asleep listening to doom metal).
About the Author
Joseph Thomas
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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