Can't decide on one specific style?

[FearFactoryDBCR]

So me and a very close friend started a band not too long ago after being me being in quite a few and himself thinking he's about ready to start a band. So we're riffing and what not and we've already made about 4 whole songs, just guitar and bass so far with some lyrics from our singer. And well we just can't seem to stick to one thing. I'm listening to one've our songs we did a really rough recording of on a phone. And we're starting of with a fast FF kind of riff. And then we're changing the tempo midwway and throwing in a kind of Korn/Nu Metal riff. Then putting in a breakdown and going back to an FF style riff. Then i notice other songs sound really technical and death metal inspired and others are seeming more fast and melodic. So basically my question is. If our band can't keep all of our songs anywhere near the same type of metal, is there something we should do? I know diversity is the key, but my friends are saying you'll have a tough time getting a person to like everysong when we mix it up a lot. I'll have the songs properly recorded soon enough to give to our drummer and singer, and i'll probably post it up here for you guys. But yeah, anything we should do?

[synrgy]

For whatever little my opinion is worth, I tend to NOT like bands that only seem to do 'one sound'. Versatility is the key to my heart.

[Ironbird666]

Originally Posted by FearFactoryDBCR

So me and a very close friend started a band not too long ago after being me being in quite a few and himself thinking he's about ready to start a band. So we're riffing and what not and we've already made about 4 whole songs, just guitar and bass so far with some lyrics from our singer. And well we just can't seem to stick to one thing. I'm listening to one've our songs we did a really rough recording of on a phone. And we're starting of with a fast FF kind of riff. And then we're changing the tempo midwway and throwing in a kind of Korn/Nu Metal riff. Then putting in a breakdown and going back to an FF style riff. Then i notice other songs sound really technical and death metal inspired and others are seeming more fast and melodic. So basically my question is. If our band can't keep all of our songs anywhere near the same type of metal, is there something we should do? I know diversity is the key, but my friends are saying you'll have a tough time getting a person to like everysong when we mix it up a lot. I'll have the songs properly recorded soon enough to give to our drummer and singer, and i'll probably post it up here for you guys. But yeah, anything we should do?

Write what you want, don't try to stick yourself into one particular style. If the songs sound good, if you're happy with them, then who cares what genre it is. Stay true to yourselves and you'll be much happier with your music thanif you write to appease a certain audience. If your songs are good people will dig it.

[FearFactoryDBCR]

That's pretty coolm and i know a lot of people dig that. Our influences are really just bands that get you to throw your head everywhere. So from FF to Coal Chamber to Cannibal Corpse. But i have that kind've thing that when i find one band i like i need the rest of their songs to keep the same style. Kind've why i love FF. Although Some albums are quite different. You KNOW how they'll sound. Whereas i show this riff to my friends who've played with me and they're like "Wow who's this". Rather than "Great Riff you've made man". I'm seeing it in a bad way. I don't know if i should.

Originally Posted by Ironbird666

Write what you want, don't try to stick yourself into one particular style. If the songs sound good, if you're happy with them, then who cares what genre it is. Stay true to yourselves and you'll be much happier with your music thanif you write to appease a certain audience. If your songs are good people will dig it.

Yeah man! We're writing what we're thinking which is true to ourselves. Bt i feel as though when we're listening we're like. "Do we wanna be associated with THAT type of metal?" I know it's bad, but it's that little voice in your head that always has something bad to say :/

[vampiregenocide]

I have a problem sticking to one style, which can be a blessing and a curse. You want material to be broad and interesting, but to also gel together well at the same time.

[EliNoPants]

as long as you get the feel and vibe across with your riffs properly, you can get away with just about anything, hell, Korn's Got the Life is pretty much a disco beat, but no one calls it a disco song...if you're doing a ton of different riffing styles though, it can definitely help to keep one guitar tone through them, just to tie them together sonically, otherwise your risk of ending up with "riff soup" increases dramatically

[6o66er]

I just write whatever's in my head. I thought the same thing for a while - it wasn't all "the same style"...but after a while, I stopped caring and just did whatever pleased my earballs.

[FearFactoryDBCR]

Well i'm the only guitarist in the band so, most've the riffs are made by me and my friend always comes up with sweet little dynamic changes. What i'm thinking of though if we were to ever make an album or something i don't think people want to love one song and hate the other because it's so different. I really can't help it though. I have lots of different inspirations. And i can completely change the way i play after hearing one great song.

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by FearFactoryDBCR

Well i'm the only guitarist in the band so, most've the riffs are made by me and my friend always comes up with sweet little dynamic changes. What i'm thinking of though if we were to ever make an album or something i don't think people want to love one song and hate the other because it's so different. I really can't help it though. I have lots of different inspirations. And i can completely change the way i play after hearing one great song.

Sounds like a prog band But yeah I get what you mean, sometimes my stuff comes out djenty and weird, sometimes metalcore, sometimes grungy sometimes nu metal. Depends what I'm listening to. Its good in a way because I get subtle little changes in the overall way I play which ends up leading to my own style, but it also means if I listen to a band too much they take over my life

[SerratedSkies]

You haven't developed a sound yet.
I always compare situations like this to The Faceless. Their first album, "Akeldama" varried from song to song, and although they are a "Death Metal(Core...stfu)" band, they go through so many styles of metal throughout the album. Now that "Planetary Duality" is out, you see a lot of varied songs, but they all align to the same formula (NOT STRUCTURE, Formula). "Planetary Duality" has a consistant sound repeated in every song, whereas "Akeldama" has to be taken song for song, as a lot of them sound almost like a different band.
It all comes with maturing as a musician. At first you want every song to sound different, but as time goes on, you develop a sound, and later a formula that will help you produce music in a more efficient manner.

[liquidcow]

Diversity is a great thing, though I can understand your concern. I did once try to start a band with someone where I found that the songs would sound very different depending on which one of us wrote the majority of it. By different I mean I was worried they sounded like different bands or like we were covering other people half the time.

I personally think keeping things varied is important. It might help if you're more aware of any musical elements that are very much 'you', anything that might be considered part of your musical signature, as it were. Don't try and force these things in or overplay them, but they might help to make things more cohesive while still being varied. I hope that's not too vague.

[FearFactoryDBCR]

Originally Posted by vampiregenocide

Sounds like a prog band But yeah I get what you mean, sometimes my stuff comes out djenty and weird, sometimes metalcore, sometimes grungy sometimes nu metal. Depends what I'm listening to. Its good in a way because I get subtle little changes in the overall way I play which ends up leading to my own style, but it also means if I listen to a band too much they take over my life

I'm the exact same man. I'm really easily influenced, which is good and bad. It used to be if i listen to a band a lot i'd rip off them a lot. But as i played a lot more, i'd just take a certain thing from them and mix it up to make it my own. You can still tell my influences right off from listening to some of the riffs.

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by FearFactoryDBCR

I'm the exact same man. I'm really easily influenced, which is good and bad. It used to be if i listen to a band a lot i'd rip off them a lot. But as i played a lot more, i'd just take a certain thing from them and mix it up to make it my own. You can still tell my influences right off from listening to some of the riffs.

This is why I want to get another guitarist to write with. Any riffs I write, I have someone else influencing them, plus they are contributing their own material, so the overall product sounds a lot more dynamic than if it were just me.

[FearFactoryDBCR]

Originally Posted by vampiregenocide

This is why I want to get another guitarist to write with. Any riffs I write, I have someone else influencing them, plus they are contributing their own material, so the overall product sounds a lot more dynamic than if it were just me.

You're right there, i just like the fact that if anybody in the crowd is like oh that bassist is great or drummer, singer, guitarist etc. I'd rather them to have someone to look to, rather than guessing which guitarist is playing the hardest part and stuff. Basically what i'm trying to say is i find theirs always competition when theirs 2 guitarists, i know it isn't the best way to look at it. But i've had it where i'm playing lead with one've my old bands live, and my rhythm player is trying to harmonize the solo with me leaving the bassist to do the rhythm on his own which can barely be heard.

[allstar990]

Originally Posted by FearFactoryDBCR

So me and a very close friend started a band not too long ago after being me being in quite a few and himself thinking he's about ready to start a band. So we're riffing and what not and we've already made about 4 whole songs, just guitar and bass so far with some lyrics from our singer. And well we just can't seem to stick to one thing. I'm listening to one've our songs we did a really rough recording of on a phone. And we're starting of with a fast FF kind of riff. And then we're changing the tempo midwway and throwing in a kind of Korn/Nu Metal riff. Then putting in a breakdown and going back to an FF style riff. Then i notice other songs sound really technical and death metal inspired and others are seeming more fast and melodic. So basically my question is. If our band can't keep all of our songs anywhere near the same type of metal, is there something we should do? I know diversity is the key, but my friends are saying you'll have a tough time getting a person to like everysong when we mix it up a lot. I'll have the songs properly recorded soon enough to give to our drummer and singer, and i'll probably post it up here for you guys. But yeah, anything we should do?

If you want everyone should like your songs, then screw metal and start writing pop songs with videos having hot chicks wearing skimpy clothes :P...

OR

Stay true to yourself and write whatever makes you happy without giving a .... about what others think.

Cheers,

[cycloptopus]

Hey, I'd say I have a similar issue and here is the link to the thread. I'd like to hear what you think. http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gen...-the-line.html

I think that is part of my thinking. How different is too different? I feel like my band has created a basic style. Is one tune that is so different going to be a turn off to potential audiences? It's a turn off to me, but I want to be a team player. I'm already into being diverse, but that doesn't mean there aren't things I don't like. People have mentioned Dev Townsend's new album as proof you can be super diverse and still cool. i don't know where to, or if I should, draw a line...

[FearFactoryDBCR]

Originally Posted by cycloptopus

Hey, I'd say I have a similar issue and here is the link to the thread. I'd like to hear what you think. http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gen...-the-line.html

I think that is part of my thinking. How different is too different? I feel like my band has created a basic style. Is one tune that is so different going to be a turn off to potential audiences? It's a turn off to me, but I want to be a team player. I'm already into being diverse, but that doesn't mean there aren't things I don't like. People have mentioned Dev Townsend's new album as proof you can be super diverse and still cool. i don't know where to, or if I should, draw a line...

I get what you mean dude, and i read your thread. By the sounds of it, your bandmates diversify in all different styles. My band is kind've the same but we diversify in all different sub genre's of metal. I think you should maybe do what we're doing and just make something YOU like. When i do this my bandmates instantly dig it, and then it ends up with me or my bassist throwing in some other riff that foolows the same key, but has a totally different musical element to it, but still stays in the metal genre. If you're bandmates dig and appreciate what you're contributing then obviously you should feel the same about what they give to the group. Also as selfish at it may sound, if you're not digging the way that things are going you should tell the band what's up and how you'd like it to go. And that'll end up working out two ways obviously. All you really need to remember is being in a band is about you enjoying yourself. If it's coming to be more of a bother to play the songs, the band isn't for you. That's my personal opinion anyway, and from what i've been told by people here.

[LotusEater07]

The best thing to do would be to keep on writing no matter what it sounds like. Then you would have more choices to work with if you decide to form one song out of two.

[Nats]

as awesome as that is i can see your concern. just go with it for now and maybe songs will eventually start sounding more similar

[revclay]

Just my 2 cents, but it is exceedingly rare to find your sound immediately. Developing a rapport with everyone else in the band takes time and a lot of work. Being diverse up front is better than pigeonholing yourselves. Just go where the music takes you, surround yourself with people who will be honest with you about your sound and the rest should take care of itself.

[budda]

If it flows well, continue. You guys have plenty of time to grow as a unit.

[7deadlysins666]

Originally Posted by synrgy

For whatever little my opinion is worth, I tend to NOT like bands that only seem to do 'one sound'. Versatility is the key to my heart.

[willyman101]

Yeah I had this exact issue with my last band. The reason it was my "last" band was because we kept trying to change everything and it just caused problems. It's understandable if your songs sound like they're made up of several randomly thrown together riffs but if you don't think that then chances are you're perfectly fine

[Scar Symmetry]

Combine ALL of your influences, draw inspiration from wherever you deem fit and keep writing. It takes a lot (if not all bands) a few years to 'find their sound'. Some bands claim to only truly 'find their sound' after 10/15 years of being together, so don't worry about it too much.

[HANIAK]

Originally Posted by synrgy

For whatever little my opinion is worth, I tend to NOT like bands that only seem to do 'one sound'. Versatility is the key to my heart.

Agreed! Best bands and albums are those which each song gives you a distinct feeling.

Just do what sounds good to you, don't write music to please a trend or group of people other than yourselves. Do it for the fun of it, and not for the fun of others.