Help with these bands:

[Raskolnikov]

Very true on Iron Maiden. They tend to get dismissed as borderline Satanic because of Eddie, “The Number of the Beast” (which is a song about a nightmare, not a “Hail Satan” song), and the general stigma that attaches to heavy metal in some circles. However, a lot of their songs are extremely literate - “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Brave New World” are just two minor examples.

This reminds me of a thread on the Rolling Stones’ song “Sympathy for the Devil,” in which a whole bunch of people who’d never heard it said it must be evil and to avoid it, failing to note that the lyrics of the song are ironical, the devil clearly being the antagonist of the song. It is no more “pro-Satan” than C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” is.

It seems some people unfamiliar with certain genres of music fail to notice that these bands tend to be marketing themselves in such a way that they seem a lot worse than they are, rather than the other way around. And I say this as a young person who listens almost exclusively to classical music, so I have no vested interest in defending modern musicians.

 

[John_Lazarus]

I’m on a collision course with 50, and have generally followed a rule of thumb that there is (almost) no good music after 1985.

At least on the radio anyway.

Reeeeeaally didn’t like metal. A lot of it seemed like pretentious claptrap – “Oooh, see how dark and evil and edgy we are!!” – plus a lot of the metalheads I knew were like biker wannabes. Plus with some of the subgenres, you get affected vocals – these high screeching shrieks and the low guttural growls. Basically hissy fit or Cookie Monster.

But just this past month or so I discovered a Swedish metal group called Sabaton. All their stuff seems to be historical --for example, the album Carolus Rex is about the Thirty Years’ War. One song I have been listening to over and over – it seems to be as close as they get to a power ballad – is “En Livstid i Krig” (“A Lifetime of War”). The translated chorus goes: “For war, it can / Destroy a man, / I give my life / For my homeland, / But who misses me? / So see me as / A husband, a friend, / Father and son, / Who’s never coming home, / But who mourns me?”

Heh heh – a middle-aged child of the 80s synth-popper listening to ear-bleeders: who’d-a thunk it?

 

[John_Lazarus]

HMMM…didn’t answer the OP, just got carried along the current of the thread.

The Stones I like – I always thought them more talented songwriters and more technically accomplished musicians than the Beatles. Particular songs I have always liked include “As Tears Go By”, a rather sweet little ditty that was one of Keef and Mick’s first attempts to songwrite; “Satisfaction”, with its iconic guitar riff; and “Angie”, which has to be probably the most mature breakup song I ever heard (“Angie, Angie: Ain’t it good to be alive? Angie, Angie: They can’t say we never tried.”) On the other hand, I haven’t really heard any Stones stuff since the late eighties so…

Kiss I liked back in the seventies, when I was in junior high. “Beth” of course is the quintessential rock ballad. “Love Gun” was actually a rather silly song: “No place for hidin’, baby, / No place to run, / You pulled the trigger on my —” [Dun-da-da-dun, dun-da-da-da-dun, dun-da-da-dun-da-da-dun!] “—Love Gun!”

Metallica? I liked “The Unforgiven”, that’s about it. I got kind of tired of them through that whole Napster and therapy thing.

Iron Maiden I’m just starting to take a peek at, so the jury’s still out.

But no band comes close to Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution!

 

[Joe_5859]

I’m on a collision course with 50, and have generally followed a rule of thumb that there is (almost) no good music after 1985.

At least on the radio anyway.

Reeeeeaally didn’t like metal. A lot of it seemed like pretentious claptrap – “Oooh, see how dark and evil and edgy we are!!” – plus a lot of the metalheads I knew were like biker wannabes. Plus with some of the subgenres, you get affected vocals – these high screeching shrieks and the low guttural growls. Basically hissy fit or Cookie Monster.

But just this past month or so I discovered a Swedish metal group called Sabaton. All their stuff seems to be historical --for example, the album Carolus Rex is about the Thirty Years’ War. One song I have been listening to over and over – it seems to be as close as they get to a power ballad – is “En Livstid i Krig” (“A Lifetime of War”). The translated chorus goes: “For war, it can / Destroy a man, / I give my life / For my homeland, / But who misses me? / So see me as / A husband, a friend, / Father and son, / Who’s never coming home, / But who mourns me?”

Heh heh – a middle-aged child of the 80s synth-popper listening to ear-bleeders: who’d-a thunk it?

I’ve not heard of Sabaton. I’ll have to check them out. If you like Swedish metal bands that sing about historical topics, you might try ReinXeed’s album “1912” about the sinking of the Titanic. I’m partial to their “Swedish Hits Goes Metal” album, though. I don’t know why, but there’s something about metal covers of pop songs that I’ve always liked.

 

[DMC12]

wow, thanks for the answers.

by the way, do you know of a good band with awesome guitars?

Also Is kinda funny, about Kiss the one i like the most from them now is the “God gave rock and roll to you”. kinda just asked because i tought it would be better to add it to the pack, but i forgot some other i wanted to ask for:

like the Cure
and kinda interested in this other two, altough from stuff i have seen here there are or were some fans of them in this forums.
Nirvana
and Van Halen, i read about a Priest here that was fan. and that they are Catholic, but some lyrics like judgement day, Best of both worlds and Mina all mine seem kinda weird.

 

[Joe_5859]

It depends what type of guitars you consider to be “awesome”. But really, you cannot go wrong with Dream Theater.

 

[SurfingTheTiber]

Also Is kinda funny, about Kiss the one i like the most from them now is the “God gave rock and roll to you”. kinda just asked because i tought it would be better to add it to the pack, but i forgot some other i wanted to ask for:

That song was first done by a group named Argent (anyone remember Hold Your Head Up?) in the early 70’s. It was later covered by the Christian group Petra and another Christian group named Bride, who did a harder rocking version with a rap group.

 

[mountain_mama]

There are also sone christian metal bands that give the secular bands a run for their metal money makers…these are older bands, mind you… I’m waaaay out of the loop. I havent been to a show in years. Hardcore, punk, metal or otherwise. But these bands were/are(?) Amazing:

Few Left Standing
Underoath
Narcissus
Pink Daffodils
No Innocent Victim
Stretch Armstrong
Demon Hunter

Hope that helps.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

It depends what type of guitars you consider to be “awesome”. But really, you cannot go wrong with Dream Theater.

I was going to recommend Dream Theater as well! But you also can’t go wrong with Frank Zappa.

There are also a lot of European prog bands that are a little less polished than DT, but are still extremely technical.

 

[John_Lazarus]

I’ve not heard of Sabaton. I’ll have to check them out. If you like Swedish metal bands that sing about historical topics, you might try ReinXeed’s album “1912” about the sinking of the Titanic. I’m partial to their “Swedish Hits Goes Metal” album, though. I don’t know why, but there’s something about metal covers of pop songs that I’ve always liked.

I actually often like music taken from one genre and completely re-done in another.

Pet Shop Boys took Elvis’ adult-easy-listening “Always On My Mind” and made it into an 80s dance-pop number. I also have an album by Luther Wright and the Wrongs, that takes the Pink Floyd album The Wall and re-does it in bluegrass.

I also heard a Big Band version of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”, a lounge version of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”, and of course almost everything as a polka on any given Weird Al Yankovic album.

 

[Joe_5859]

I actually often like music taken from one genre and completely re-done in another.

Pet Shop Boys took Elvis’ adult-easy-listening “Always On My Mind” and made it into an 80s dance-pop number. I also have an album by Luther Wright and the Wrongs, that takes the Pink Floyd album The Wall and re-does it in bluegrass.

I also heard a Big Band version of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”, a lounge version of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”, and of course almost everything as a polka on any given Weird Al Yankovic album.

A blugrass version of “The Wall”? I’ll have to remember to look that up!

I’ve always liked Blind Guardian’s cover of Mr. Sandman. I don’t know why, but the song (and video) just cracks me up everytime I hear (and see) it.