[Naren]

Originally Posted by omentremor

i dont mind breakdowns. But I hate how overdone they are. I just listen to bands like unearth and try to forget how overdone those sections are, Beneath the massacre do AWESOME breakdowns. But in my own writing I avoid them. Everyone else has assesed them perfectly

I personally love good breakdowns. I'm a huge fan of Unearth, which is a band that has mastered the breakdown. They are pretty much the band that got me to buy a sevenstring (after hearing songs like "Zombie Autopilot").

For the original poster, here's a link to the video for "Endless" from Unearth. The section from 2:18 to 2:52 is a good example of a breakdown. Most breakdowns are half the speed of the rest of the song, but this is an example of a breakdown that is faster than most sections of the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLSXp8g8B14

I love "Through Struggle" (which Mastodon posted). "Shadows Are Security" is one of my top 5 favorite albums from 2005.

I've never written a breakdown in any of my songs so far, but I would love to write them. I write songs by how I feel them and I just haven't felt like writing a breakdown yet. I think saying that breakdowns are overdone is a valid opinion, but I think it's the same as how solos were overdone in the 80s (and how some bands still overdo solos). You get a band that has 1-3 solos per song, even in songs that really shouldn't have a solo and the solo seems out of place. The solo almost always comes in the same place for the same duration (after the third chorus, and the solo lasts for 20-30 seconds). I love solos myself, but some of my songs just don't need solos. So far my band has about 8 songs and 5 of them have solos and 3 of them don't. I believe the 3 that don't have solos wouldn't be as good of songs if they had solos. But, there is one song I have that has 2 solos in it and I don't think it would be as good of a song if it didn't have both solos. Likewise, I think that "breakdowns" is one of the elements that makes bands like Unearth and Lamb of God.

[omentremor]

^Great minds think alike eh. I agree, regardless of if something is overdone if its done well WHO CARES? Obviously lots of people or metalcore wouldnt have a bad name haha.

[Korbain]

its basically where you change the feel to the song a bit and/or go nuts lol

[AngelVivaldi]

MOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

[jarrydn]

I love breakdowns, and even though I know how ridiculously over done they are, I'll still be putting them everywhere in my music.

Along with as many squealy bendy pinch harmonics as I can manage.

[SHREDTOKILL]

^ EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID.
IMO, i love breakdowns because it gives me a chance to do guitar flips and trash some of my non-expensive gear haha.