I am about the furthest thing from an audiophile. Darn near tone deaf, can't keep a beat, and my attempts to at Karaoke, Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution and other rhythm/singing games have ended with even the people watching showing visible embarrassment and discomfort for having to witness my flailings.
That said, I saw something that talked about how hard it is to do things like this...from a discussion of Tool's, 46 & Two.
"The song is mostly in 4/4 time with some sections of 7/8 in between. In the intro, Danny Carey plays four measures of 7/8 on his ride cymbal over the rest of the band playing in 4/4, and they all meet up on the downbeat of the 5th measure in 4/4. During the bridge there are three measures of 7/8 followed by one measure of 4/4. During a particular quad fill, the drums are in 3/8, the guitar plays one measure of 9/8 followed by one in 5/8 all while the bass keeps time in 7/8."
At first, I was puzzled by your mention of Jethro Tull in a metal thread. But a quick Google search reveals that the first Grammy for the category “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” was inexplicably awarded to ... Jethro Tull!
So, now I say “well played”.
In defense of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, I am pretty sure that most flutes are, indeed, made of metal. If Metallica’s ... And Justice For All album had prominently featured tubas, they might have stood a chance to win that year.
I must clarify that I agree that Alice in Chains is not really metal at all. It's more Alternative (in same genre as Seattle Nirvana and Pearl Jam). (And the poster who corrected me earlier is right - Def Leppard, GNR, and Poison aren't metal either. I just meant they were really good bands from that hair band era since you like melodic stuff that rocks. I'm sure you know their music. I just loved them so gave them a mention. Same with ACDC - hard rock from that era that's really good, but everybody knows that. Just meant I love those bands.
But Alice in Chains is great, and their best albums that you asked about are MTV Unplugged (really not metal) ; Dirt; Jar of Flies; Alice in Chains; Facelift, and Sap.
Last edited by richardjackson199; 09-04-2019 at 10:56 PM.
I think Poison would be in the hair metal category, no? I'm not really that into metal so I'm not trying to gatekeep, just trying to go by things as I understand them. People that care deeply about what is and what isn't metal can do a better (and snobbier) job I'm sure.
HOWEVER.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains are grunge. And yeah, any of Alice in Chains' albums before Layne died are pretty much the bees knees (which I think is basically what you listed). Seconded on the (very much not metal, but very very good) MTV Unplugged. The singles are easy enough to find, beyond that I would suggest Rain When I Die and I know Something as decent starting points if you want to jump in. The MTV Unplugged Nutshell is phenomenal as well.
Poison is full on 80s glam rock. There’s nothing ‘metal’ about them at all. We can say the same about dozens of other bands that might have liked to think they played some version of metal. Europe, White Snake, Cinderella, and on and on. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still jam out in my car every once in a while to “Here I Go Again” but it ain’t a heavy metal moment.
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block
Nobody has really mentioned Pantera. Are they metal? Should I take that plunge?
Once again, thanks for all the advice and recommendations. My wife hates you all.
My choice is probably not the "popular" pick...maybe there's something I just don't get about them. There is this classic video where they load up the synth for "Jump" at the wrong speed, causing it to be at a slightly higher pitch and massively out of tune with the rest of the band. The bassist (to his credit) frantically tries to shift to different keys to get in tune to no avail. I can't get enough of it. I also can't believe they didn't just bail on the song...they pushed all the way through.
Hard at work making beautiful things.
The metal will be loud and angry in my automobile this afternoon.
If you want something a bit proggier try one of my all-time favorite bands: Dream Theater! Check out "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," "Awake," and my personal favorite, "Train of Thought."