Metal Reviews

I mean, very low, like you'd do at work without bothering anyone. I tried it, it just doesn't work. I can listen to funk, rock, blues, jazz, pop, folk but metal - just like orchestral music - loses all substance when played not-loud-enough.
Does that mean metal is a lesser music genre because it doesn't work in all circumstances or that's it's a superior genre because it requires to be listened to to get interesting? I don't know and I think many musics fit many moments but the volume thingy, I was really wondering what you guys think...

Yeah, I almost always have to be playing it loud.

imo metal's like any other kind of music where it loses its impact when its not played at the right volume.

Wait, what was that? About "lesser" and "superior" genres?

What?

It's really silly to assume that a genre's somehow inferior just because you can't get the full impact of it by playing it quietly. Hell, it's silly to assume that any genre is somehow "lesser". imo, all music sounds better when played at louder volumes; you can hear what's going on better.

Hold your horses, there. I heard that but obviously don't believe it. Like I said, there's music for every moments of our lives and even fun & upbeat stuff (which is usually regarded as "just entertainment") has its value. I was merely mentioning something I had heard from a metalhead saying that metal had to be superior because you had to really listen to it to fully "get it"...

Anyway, you'll agree that some music don't lose too much of their potential at a low volume. Metal does.

I see. I do agree that it's best when Metal's listened to at louder volumes, but yeah, no genre is objectively inferior or superior to any other.

I can't stand any music at a low volume and if someone asks me to turn it down I just turn it off instead.

Metal and low volume is like beer and milk. Never use them at the same time.

Agreed. My parents always tell me to turn music down to where it's barely audible and you can't even hear what they're playing anymore, so it's bullshit.

In terms of sound quality it is.

Yes, I can play metal at a very low volume, but won't . Metal has to be listened to LOUD !. Not sure about other genres since 99.99% of the music I listen to is rock/metal. I too would rather switch it off if asked to than listen to it in a volume that's barely audible.

I need to listen to metal loud more often. I use headphones almost all the time, so I usually just play it at a comfortable volume--anything more than moderate hurts my ears and is bad for em, too. Unfortunately, don't really have speakers here in Chile, but I'll remember when I get back to the US. The impact is certainly augmented.

Metal can NEVER be played at low volume....it just doesn't work, it's not right and doesn't sound right.

It must be played at a high volume....always, whether thru headphones or speakers

For me all music loses some impact when it's not played loud enough, but even more so with metal.

Was just listening to the Lord Worm track on low volume. I didn't mind it but it didn't phase me like it should. Stupid friend letting me stay over at her place.

Counter to your "better at high volumes": Your ears fatigue easier when listening to loud noises, which affects your ability to hear details in things.

uhhhhh fuck that? metal is meant to be loud!

Reasons why volume matters

1. Certain lower frequencies that have a much more tactile perception (can be felt) rather than auditory (can be heard) are amplified. In other words a kick drum will "hit" you harder, physically at a realistic volume as opposed to a conservative volume. Naturally, way too much volume will make bass seem incredibly loud and one-dimensional and not enough volume will not be enough physical vibration to penetrate the body to vibrate the bones, eliminating the tactile component.

2. The louder a sound is, the flatter the frequency response is because your ears compress sound. The quieter a sound is, the more dynamic range will exist, meaning that the quieter sounds will be quieter and the louder sounds louder than it would sound than if you were to jack up the volume

3. Higher and more delicate frequencies that are responsible for the realism of the sound will not be audible at a lower volume and since the point at which a sound ceases is different for instruments, the mixing of the album will be distorted. A sound that accompanies more of the sound spectrum, even past your hearing limitations will always be louder and will "cut through" the other sounds that occupy the same space at a more mid-range band.

4. Mood. Small amounts of light and half the volume makes a huge amount of difference to the way you feel in general. If it is wildly different than the mood of the music, the contradiction would effectively numb the emotional context from the song. I find sad and slow stuff works well in the near-dark where you have to stretch to hear the quietest sounds and loud, fast and melodic music projects better with the sun coming into the room and the lights on.

That said, I think Metal is best at "realistic" which would mean the speakers are at about the same volume as the instruments, should they be in the same room. The producers have been fairly good at making sure a sad song sounds quieter than an anthem when mixing and mastering. I always adjust the volume for every song until it "tunes in" to the songs needs.

: )

Too much info?

I missed you Addy.



I really did.

Hi Bruce

I moved into an apartment and spent the last 2-3 months practicing and getting everything together. I moved in there with my PA, a mic and my computer and didn't have TV or the net to distract me. In some weird twist I actually started remembering early childhood memories of not being able to speak at all and struggling for years (?) to reproduce the 150 sounds that I heard when I heard a voice and remembering how I finally broke through. My mind put those memories in a box and hid the key so I wouldn't remember the trauma and would spend the last 10 years practicing. Now it has unlocked and one day a flash made me remember how I talked, so now there isn't anything I can't do. I had suspected some sort of Autistic symptoms for some time, but that information I hid from myself so I would not fear what must be done makes it obvious.

Without getting too much detail involved, all my recordings sucked until I figured out that I had to use the line-in jack on my new sound card and the PA system to get the signal to line level. You see, the mic input on a computer cuts off frequencies, which does not sound very good when my voice exceeds the human range of hearing and can do what hasn't been done before. My neighbors basically made it clear to me that continuing to practice was irrational simply because there were a few songs that I couldn't get 100% perfect when the vocals were clearly multiple performances mixed together on the record that I insisted could be done all at one time just as perfectly.

Looks like I'm selling my shitty car, doing some research, making some phone calls to labels and management to get a hold of some people and hauling ass to either Sweden, Italy or Germany depending on what comes through. Hopefully Fabio is joining Kamelot. I have a feeling Olaf Thorsen might want to think about hiring someone that practices his songs daily for seven years, speaks perfect American English and can hit the highest and lowest notes ever recorded and everything in between. See, Rhapsody could offer me a million bucks, but not if Olaf and Vision Divine offered me a couch to crash on a a pack of smokes a day.

I just feel bad for the guy that he had to go back to Labyrinth when he left the band to start his band where he could live his dreams without Brian Slagel, et al telling him he had to cave in to some sort of expectation or commercial concerns. He made all mine come true, so I'm going to take his dreams to the next level. He has my eternal loyalty if it were to be possible to work together. Fabio and Michele are insanely good, but it's something extra when you don't need to do more than one recording to sing vocal harmonies. Yes, I'm saying I can do a three or maybe four part harmony all at the same time. So I have the cash and the pipes, just gotta find out who's sitting at home trying to find a singer who can pull off their insanely technical material. It will be somewhat surreal to soon one day get a call to perhaps teach someone like Lione to expand his range up another octave or so.

So it is an exciting time and I find myself asking the same questions that my heroes write in their lyrics (Am I Dreaming?) because no one expects the very thought of changing the definition of "possibilities." When that becomes their reality and having so many tell you that questioning what is going on by saying it must be a misunderstanding or my mind playing tricks is just the cowardice of fearing change and the responsibility.

Looks like I'm either going to end up auditioning for Kamelot, Rhapsody (of fire) or Vision Divine right of the top of my head depending on how it plays out. And that scares me a little that I can't choose to believe it is wishful thinking to avoid what I understood when I have been fortunate enough to see when time and space becomes a singularity.

I think you know what I mean my friend, if the usual suspects that have nothin good, bad or ugly to write, that is okay. They will just resent the music they love for it, if wrong.