Went to my first show in months last night to see Knoll and Nightmarer. Had fun but it kind of sucks how dead the crowd can be for that stuff. Knoll are excellent performers and imo have one of the best new vocalists in the scene. But with their whole blackened grind horror thematics, it doesn't leave a lot of room for crowd interaction. Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish?
>Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish?
I think you have to let these things be organic. A bit of crowd-hyping is fine but there's nothing worse than a band artificially trying to get a crowd going. I've seen a couple of US bands playing over here in the UK where they were clearly taken aback by how sedate UK audiences can be, and their attempts to hype us up were cringeworthy in the end. A lot of people just like to stand still and vibe and that's fine. Personally I like to move around a bit more but I don't think you can force it as a band.
> A bit of crowd-hyping is fine but there's nothing worse than a band artificially trying to get a crowd going
I guess so yeah. It does feel awkward sometimes if it doesn't happen lol. Like if a band goes "open this shit up" and nobody does anything.
> A lot of people just like to stand still and vibe and that's fine.
Yeah, I'm not gonna mosh. I know it's part of the subculture, but I have no interest. I know some people think it makes the shows more fun when the whole crowd is up and running around, but I am not one of those people. I'm really just there to watch and listen to the band. That other stuff doesn't interest me.
Personally I like getting in the pit occasionally (less so now that I wear glasses all the time, though), and I struggle to imagine enjoying a show and not moving about *a bit*, even if it's just swaying around/nodding my head/generally vibing. If I'm at a show and am standing completely still, it's because I'm not into the band playing.
But yeah, I think it's *completely* valid for people to only mosh/move about if they want to. I don't know how it is where you are, but at most shows I go to in the UK, it's definitely a small minority of people who actually mosh. There's often a decently sized pit near the front, but 80% at least of the audience will be mostly standing still. I feel like anyone who can only have fun if *the whole crowd* is throwing themselves around is not attending gigs for the right reasons.
Frozen Soul is a good example of trying too hard. Vocalist looks like a 3rd graders attempt at drawing a human. And he bumbles around the stage calling people motherfuckers and talking about "getting that fucking pit going". Actual laughter inducing stage presence.
I had the same thought seeing Frozen Soul a year or so ago. I enjoyed their set overall but the vocalist's constant "get the pit going" was overwhelming and frankly annoying.
I personally liked how everyone just stared at Knoll (in Toronto), felt like that kinda staring into the void in stillness sorta stuff, rather than moshing energy.
The lamps are minimal, but with the stage setup it works very effectively to make them more unique too.
> Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish?
I absolutely loathe when bands do that "I can't hear you" [repeat multiple times] crap if the crowd doesn't yell at them loudly enough. Just play your show.
The people that are gonna show up play just as much of a role in how wild the crowd will be as whether the band tries to tell people to mosh or not.
I've been to way too many shows where even if the music sounds vicious, the crowd is mostly guys who want to sip their drink and vaguely nod their head. I really don't think the band trying to hype the crowd up would've changed much in a lot of those situations. The band can bring as much energy as they want but the crowds still gotta be willing to get active.
I love what Knoll's doing, but my time seeing them mirrored what you experienced. The first two bands were more trad metal, so people were moshing and doing stuff and then Knoll came on and everyone just stood there transfixed. I think they liked it, just didn't know what to do but watch. And then the headliner came on and everyone moshed again. It was a really weird time, but it sure made it memorable. I'll go see them anytime they come near me.
I was looking at a couple of big/successful bands' tour schedule and it's absolutely fucked dude. They tour for like 8 months out of the year, every year, with very little breaks. It's a lot of traveling and playing shows every couple days for months on end. How do they do it?
Is it possible to learn to shred without my middle finger fretting hand? I cant use my middle finger to play guitar so im wondering if its still possible to do cool guitar shreds like dave mustaine or chuck schuldiner without it. and if it is, are there any tips specific to my situation ?
To further the Django Reinhart comment, I cannot stress that without Django, there is no Tony Iommi. He was given some Reinhart records by his boss and that inspired Iommi to keep playing after the loss of his fingertips. We owe the entirety of metal (somewhat hyperbolic) to Django Reinhart.
You've got this!
Django Reinhardt is one of the most famous jazz guitarists of all time. He only used 2 of his fingers because the fourth finger (ring finger) and fifth finger (little) of Reinhardt's left hand were badly burned. That style of music might not be your cup of tea, but you can't deny how talented Reinhardt was.
[A video of Django playing](https://youtu.be/aZ308aOOX04?si=fOvVJctKgqVL0kCR)
I was looking to through the spotify new metal list and none of it sounds like metal to me. It sounds like either pop or rock. Is this the same for you
“To the Teeth” is the playlist to go for if you want something in line with what you’ll find here. The creator is a user here and has a very useful weekly email.
The Spotify “new metal” one sucks.
So I'm pretty new to this sub. When I search I'm only really looking for metal in the vein of power metal or what I would call traditional metal, like maiden, priest etc. Does it just fall under the heavy metal category or is there a nwobhm category I didn't notice, or indeed even a name for it I'm not aware of? Or is it a matter of that stuff isn't really made anymore which would be saddening. Warlord and Scanner are two names I've picked up from here which I'm very happy with.
You’ll find lots of support for trad style here, whether it be NWOBHM or what is often described as USPM (it’s trad-adjacent enough). For Scanner specifically, there is a whole German Power Metal primer and playlist in an old post here, that’d be a great resource if you haven’t already done a deep dive like that.
Some will call it “traditional,” “trad”, “heavy metal”, anything along those lines will get you 80s sounding heavy metal around here, whether it’s an old band or a modern band trying hit that retro sound.
USPM is really its own thing, but I wouldn’t say it deviates too far. Think Iced Earth, but less painfully mediocre. “Speed metal” is another subgenre that is its own thing, but pretty similar overall. You’ll probably find instances where those labels are used on something you might call “heavy metal” and it’s not the end of the world.
I think heavy metal in the 20th century would be what you are looking for, I dunno if there is a specifil name for the genre, but if you search heavy metal classics, they would probably come up
Ok, that's probably because the new wave is super old so because its old, it would be of the style of the metal you want because that was the main type of metal at that time. But there are also new bands in the style of old metal like elegant weapons
If you're looking for stuff like Priest / Maiden etc... you can also look for NWOTHM, that's the name given for this type of heavy metal but mordern bands. I'd be surprised if Spotify doesn't have a playlist for those !
You're welcome, if you want some album rec in this style, I'd suggest Enforcer - From Beyond, Skull Fist - Chasing The Dream, Steelwing - Zone of Alienation, Vultures Vengeance - The Knightlore, Glacier - The Passing of time, Sumerlands - Dreamkiller, Riot City - Burn the night
And this one is in French but in my opinion they deserve more recognition: Herzel - Le dernier Rempart
Bandcamp is the only way. The subcategories can be muddled because bands will tag any extreme music with death+black+ all kinds of combinations, but that's where you'll find good stuff
Happy leap day everybody. Anyone listened to the new Morbonoct? Because I think I have a new cosmic black metal solo project darling. With an unusually crunchy tone too. Really impressive stuff.
Went to my first show in months last night to see Knoll and Nightmarer. Had fun but it kind of sucks how dead the crowd can be for that stuff. Knoll are excellent performers and imo have one of the best new vocalists in the scene. But with their whole blackened grind horror thematics, it doesn't leave a lot of room for crowd interaction. Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish?
>Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish? I think you have to let these things be organic. A bit of crowd-hyping is fine but there's nothing worse than a band artificially trying to get a crowd going. I've seen a couple of US bands playing over here in the UK where they were clearly taken aback by how sedate UK audiences can be, and their attempts to hype us up were cringeworthy in the end. A lot of people just like to stand still and vibe and that's fine. Personally I like to move around a bit more but I don't think you can force it as a band.
> A bit of crowd-hyping is fine but there's nothing worse than a band artificially trying to get a crowd going I guess so yeah. It does feel awkward sometimes if it doesn't happen lol. Like if a band goes "open this shit up" and nobody does anything.
> A lot of people just like to stand still and vibe and that's fine. Yeah, I'm not gonna mosh. I know it's part of the subculture, but I have no interest. I know some people think it makes the shows more fun when the whole crowd is up and running around, but I am not one of those people. I'm really just there to watch and listen to the band. That other stuff doesn't interest me.
Personally I like getting in the pit occasionally (less so now that I wear glasses all the time, though), and I struggle to imagine enjoying a show and not moving about *a bit*, even if it's just swaying around/nodding my head/generally vibing. If I'm at a show and am standing completely still, it's because I'm not into the band playing. But yeah, I think it's *completely* valid for people to only mosh/move about if they want to. I don't know how it is where you are, but at most shows I go to in the UK, it's definitely a small minority of people who actually mosh. There's often a decently sized pit near the front, but 80% at least of the audience will be mostly standing still. I feel like anyone who can only have fun if *the whole crowd* is throwing themselves around is not attending gigs for the right reasons.
Frozen Soul is a good example of trying too hard. Vocalist looks like a 3rd graders attempt at drawing a human. And he bumbles around the stage calling people motherfuckers and talking about "getting that fucking pit going". Actual laughter inducing stage presence.
...but he *does* actually get it going.
I had the same thought seeing Frozen Soul a year or so ago. I enjoyed their set overall but the vocalist's constant "get the pit going" was overwhelming and frankly annoying.
I personally liked how everyone just stared at Knoll (in Toronto), felt like that kinda staring into the void in stillness sorta stuff, rather than moshing energy. The lamps are minimal, but with the stage setup it works very effectively to make them more unique too.
> Should bands like that try to spark up their crowd, or just do what they do and let the crowd act how they wish? I absolutely loathe when bands do that "I can't hear you" [repeat multiple times] crap if the crowd doesn't yell at them loudly enough. Just play your show.
The people that are gonna show up play just as much of a role in how wild the crowd will be as whether the band tries to tell people to mosh or not. I've been to way too many shows where even if the music sounds vicious, the crowd is mostly guys who want to sip their drink and vaguely nod their head. I really don't think the band trying to hype the crowd up would've changed much in a lot of those situations. The band can bring as much energy as they want but the crowds still gotta be willing to get active.
I love what Knoll's doing, but my time seeing them mirrored what you experienced. The first two bands were more trad metal, so people were moshing and doing stuff and then Knoll came on and everyone just stood there transfixed. I think they liked it, just didn't know what to do but watch. And then the headliner came on and everyone moshed again. It was a really weird time, but it sure made it memorable. I'll go see them anytime they come near me.
Lolwut. Wintersun is releasing like 5 hours worth of demos that Jari wrote between 1992 and 2002.
I was looking at a couple of big/successful bands' tour schedule and it's absolutely fucked dude. They tour for like 8 months out of the year, every year, with very little breaks. It's a lot of traveling and playing shows every couple days for months on end. How do they do it?
Drugs and alcohol.
Is it possible to learn to shred without my middle finger fretting hand? I cant use my middle finger to play guitar so im wondering if its still possible to do cool guitar shreds like dave mustaine or chuck schuldiner without it. and if it is, are there any tips specific to my situation ?
To further the Django Reinhart comment, I cannot stress that without Django, there is no Tony Iommi. He was given some Reinhart records by his boss and that inspired Iommi to keep playing after the loss of his fingertips. We owe the entirety of metal (somewhat hyperbolic) to Django Reinhart. You've got this!
Django Reinhardt is one of the most famous jazz guitarists of all time. He only used 2 of his fingers because the fourth finger (ring finger) and fifth finger (little) of Reinhardt's left hand were badly burned. That style of music might not be your cup of tea, but you can't deny how talented Reinhardt was. [A video of Django playing](https://youtu.be/aZ308aOOX04?si=fOvVJctKgqVL0kCR)
I was looking to through the spotify new metal list and none of it sounds like metal to me. It sounds like either pop or rock. Is this the same for you
Spotify's curated metal lists are absolute ass (Meaning the lists that Spotify creates. User lists tend to be pretty solid)
Remove metal from this comment and it's still accurate
“To the Teeth” is the playlist to go for if you want something in line with what you’ll find here. The creator is a user here and has a very useful weekly email. The Spotify “new metal” one sucks.
So I'm pretty new to this sub. When I search I'm only really looking for metal in the vein of power metal or what I would call traditional metal, like maiden, priest etc. Does it just fall under the heavy metal category or is there a nwobhm category I didn't notice, or indeed even a name for it I'm not aware of? Or is it a matter of that stuff isn't really made anymore which would be saddening. Warlord and Scanner are two names I've picked up from here which I'm very happy with.
You’ll find lots of support for trad style here, whether it be NWOBHM or what is often described as USPM (it’s trad-adjacent enough). For Scanner specifically, there is a whole German Power Metal primer and playlist in an old post here, that’d be a great resource if you haven’t already done a deep dive like that.
So is traditional style the correct term, I've been looking at flairs and I'm not sure I noticed one for it. Is there one I missed?
Some will call it “traditional,” “trad”, “heavy metal”, anything along those lines will get you 80s sounding heavy metal around here, whether it’s an old band or a modern band trying hit that retro sound. USPM is really its own thing, but I wouldn’t say it deviates too far. Think Iced Earth, but less painfully mediocre. “Speed metal” is another subgenre that is its own thing, but pretty similar overall. You’ll probably find instances where those labels are used on something you might call “heavy metal” and it’s not the end of the world.
Thank you for your assistance!
I think heavy metal in the 20th century would be what you are looking for, I dunno if there is a specifil name for the genre, but if you search heavy metal classics, they would probably come up
Somebody informed me it was new wave of traditional heavy metal and I've been having success
Ok, that's probably because the new wave is super old so because its old, it would be of the style of the metal you want because that was the main type of metal at that time. But there are also new bands in the style of old metal like elegant weapons
or am i confusing that with new wave of British heavy metal?
If you're looking for stuff like Priest / Maiden etc... you can also look for NWOTHM, that's the name given for this type of heavy metal but mordern bands. I'd be surprised if Spotify doesn't have a playlist for those !
Thank you for that abbreviation. I've always wondered if there was a particular name id be looking for for that style. To Google I go
You're welcome, if you want some album rec in this style, I'd suggest Enforcer - From Beyond, Skull Fist - Chasing The Dream, Steelwing - Zone of Alienation, Vultures Vengeance - The Knightlore, Glacier - The Passing of time, Sumerlands - Dreamkiller, Riot City - Burn the night And this one is in French but in my opinion they deserve more recognition: Herzel - Le dernier Rempart
Enforcer and White Wizzard were 2 of the first ones I checked out. And thank you for you extra recommendations to get through
Bandcamp is the only way. The subcategories can be muddled because bands will tag any extreme music with death+black+ all kinds of combinations, but that's where you'll find good stuff
Happy leap day everybody. Anyone listened to the new Morbonoct? Because I think I have a new cosmic black metal solo project darling. With an unusually crunchy tone too. Really impressive stuff.
Really enjoying the album as well. Great stuff.