You crazy kids and your sub genres

[warthogdb]

Nothing gives. Somewhere along the way Mayhem made a black metal album, Morbid Angel made a death metal album and Helloween made a power metal album and all three musical movements, while still heavy metal, were so radically different that music journalists coined the term. Of course, you have plenty of idiots who mis-use the term and plenty of self-righteous *****s who make it their duty to police the usage of it.

Some sub-genres are so narrow and nebulous that its just plain dumb, I do agree. But even look at the 70's: Psychadelia, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock, rockabilly, folk rock, blues, southern rock, and jazz fusion makes up a Classic Rock radio setlist, among others. Its just that with the internet, journalistic musical terms have spread like a plague and every dumb kid with an identity crisis has to attach themself to something ridiculous. But believe me, sub-genres are journalistic in nature, when used properly.

(Im sorry but some people's little subgenres of 5 bands are just silly. Just throw in black metal at www.metal-archives.com to see a list of 16,000 different black metal bands, for example.)

You are right. Classic rock is a melting pot of genres that everyone just kind of excepts without differentiation because they were raised on fm radio and it was always presented to them in that way. There weren't any "self-righteous *****s who made it their duty to police the usage of it."

Generations later, the family tree is so broad. We all have the same great grand parents but we don't associate with our distant cousins. It boils down to the fact the three bands you mentioned had more common influences while the next generation was heavily influenced specifically by these band's innovations.

There have always been guardians of cool but I think that everything is more fragmented than ever. I just find it funny when I see two kids arguing over whether or not the Ramones are punk or what sub genre from 2008 they fit into.

[afterstasis]

If anyone could put up with that much metal... :/

i'd say i spin a bare minimum of 5 new metal albums per month, though i stick almost exclusively to black and doom metal these days.

i'm definitely not hip or trying to listen just for the sake of saying i have, but there's a lot of exciting stuff being made (and being dug up from the past).

[Lolicat]

i'd say i spin a bare minimum of 5 new metal albums per month, though i stick almost exclusively to black and doom metal these days.

i'm definitely not hip or trying to listen just for the sake of saying i have, but there's a lot of exciting stuff being made (and being dug up from the past).

I rarely listen to metal ever. Black and Doom are the last bastions of great metal though.

[BlackwaterPark]

You are right. Classic rock is a melting pot of genres that everyone just kind of excepts without differentiation because they were raised on fm radio and it was always presented to them in that way. There weren't any "self-righteous *****s who made it their duty to police the usage of it."

Generations later, the family tree is so broad. We all have the same great grand parents but we don't associate with our distant cousins. It boils down to the fact the three bands you mentioned had more common influences while the next generation was heavily influenced specifically by these band's innovations.

There have always been guardians of cool but I think that everything is more fragmented than ever. I just find it funny when I see two kids arguing over whether or not the Ramones are punk or what sub genre from 2008 they fit into.

I pretty much agree with this view. Sub-genres are useful to describe how a band sounds: if you tell me that some band that I've never heard of is "metal," then that doesn't really give me any information, but if you say "progressive black/viking metal" then I at least have some idea of what to expect.

[My name is Fez]

Eh, as music has evolved, so has the need for new genres. I've said it before and again, but we need ways to differentiate Metallica, Mastodon and Opeth.

The problem is that too many people get hung up on labels and argue incessantly about which sub-genre this band falls into, which minute genre this album takes influences from, and etc.

Stoner-jam-death-boss-gloom-whatever is a bit much, but it's also fake, so, hey =p

[Hungryfreak]

Subgenres are a great way to discover specific types of music. If you like a type of sound, you can easily fid bands along the same line. If you like multiple types of sounds, you can look for which bands combine them.

People argue about genre classification to fit things together better for other people. At least, I think that was the original reason. It certainly is the logical one. People who fight over them for no reason, though, are no more prone to subgenre arguments as they are to, say, 'what makes a good snowglobe' arguments.

[warthogdb]

Subgenres are a great way to discover specific types of music. If you like a type of sound, you can easily fid bands along the same line. If you like multiple types of sounds, you can look for which bands combine them.

People argue about genre classification to fit things together better for other people. At least, I think that was the original reason. It certainly is the logical one. People who fight over them for no reason, though, are no more prone to subgenre arguments as they are to, say, 'what makes a good snowglobe' arguments.

What makes a good snowglobe, well the size and distribution of the flakes is critical. Also, glass is a necessity, never own a plastic snowglobe like all those newbie punks out there...

I guess there is a need for the subgenre but I still think there is an over-genre-fication created by scenesters and journalists trying to justify their cool. When a band decides to write songs for the purpose of fitting in to a specific genre after it becomes vogue is when the subgenre idea is bad. I remember in the 90s when all those bands tried to cash in on grunge.

It almost seems that by the time there are a few similar bands discovered who tour together and support each other to the point that there is a new scene or genre that this new genre has already run its course. My point in the original post was that you should translate your influences your way without regard to trend and not to try to blend in with some exclusive club.