# Death metal/Extreme metal fans - WHY do you like this music?



## groph (Feb 11, 2011)

Kind of an offshoot of the "do you have friends who mock your taste" thread. If this is a repost fail then obviously go ahead and delete this thread.

Warning: Mental masturbation ahead, this is nearly an essay:

I've attempted to think about why I actually like death metal but I've never really been able to come to anything conclusive. I mean, I listen to music that can involve having sex with dead children, raping animals, murdering women, torture, murder in general, hatred of the human race, etc. Lyrically, death metal is perverse, disgusting, and vulgar (not in the "omg swearing lol" sense, vulgar meaning conspicuous, not sugar-coated, frank). Musically it is nearly impossible to decipher. The vocals are usually unintelligible and to an untrained ear, death metal really does sound like a bunch of pots and pans being bashed together and none of the guys really sound like they have any talent, besides the drummer, provided the mix is good. Apparently there have been sociologists who say that people have an interest in the body and a sense of morbidity, which death metal obviously appeals to. I'm not an especially morbid person, I don't like real death. Death metal certainly doesn't "glorify" its subject matter. How can a band that maybe 0.001% of the population know about be "glorifying" anything with any appreciable effects? Cannibal Corpse isn't saying "I killed a man earlier today and I highly recommend it to anyone. I was more highly regarded by my peers after doing so. We ought to kill more often." in their lyrics, are they? Over the top death metal (such as Torsofuck) are obviously tongue-in-cheek, it's purely shock value catering to an audience who are aware of the extreme nature of what they listen to and so can laugh at a song about a cat being raped or erotic fantasies about diarrhea or whatever. It's obviously supposed to be somewhat funny.

Musically, death metal has a truly visceral element that I love for some reason. It makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I have the most difficulty trying to nail down the aesthetic of death metal which appeals to me. It's definitely an acquired taste. The first time I heard "The Bleeding" by Cannibal Corpse I was dying laughing at it, but eventually something clicked and I actually loved the music and began taking it very seriously. A few years pass and now I'm a full blown death metal fan who seeks out new music. I know what I like and I get it. It's definitely a form of mid-high culture in the sense that it's not "lowbrow" mainstream music, a lot of it is independently produced (IE anything on Relapse, but Metal Blade is apparently owned by Sony) and the people who like it are seeking to cultivate a specific taste, death metal fans are certainly a sort of connoisseur. That's not to say we're a bunch of pretentious toolboxes, but we do have a lot in common with a "hipster" as far as the nature of our musical taste goes. There does not exist a single "mainstream" death metal band. Cannibal Corpse was in an Ace Ventura movie for a few minutes, that is it. There probably (hopefully) never will be a mainstream death metal band. It's even questionable that a death metal fan is buying into a commodity (I study sociology, forgive me). I mean yes, records are for sale and therefore have a profit in mind so yeah they are a commodity in that sense but for a lot of bands, their music does not earn them an appreciable income so their music is effectively supported by their day jobs. I'm bringing this up because your stereotypical "indie" kid buys "indie" music because he thinks he's not contributing to capitalism because he's not buying Lil Wayne, but he's completely wrong. Maybe they're just being ironic. I'm getting a tad off track though.

Politically, I am against forms of oppression (so I guess I'm technically against most forms of government but I live in a cushy Western country with a high standard of living so my mouth is kept shut for the most part) so I guess that rebellious streak is satisfied by the rebellious nature of metal. Still, there's the contradiction of rebellion in that it depends on the thing it is rebelling against. A punk with liberty spikes is against the grain only because most other people don't have liberty spikes. There would be no point in having liberty spikes to be rebellious if everyone else had them, let alone the whole "you can be non-conformist too if you look just like me" deal. I see rebellion (where it applies like cultural rebellion, not stuff like armed coups or anything) as inherently conformist in that regard.

So if you say "I like it because it's brutal." What exactly makes it brutal/heavy/savage/whatever? Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse, from the Wretched Spawn DVD) doesn't exactly put it eloquently "it's the most brutal music there is...it's a slap in the face to queer kinds of music." What makes the other music "queer?" Is he trying to get at some kind of gendered thing? Is death metal extremely "manly?" Does it satisfy his ideals of "manliness?"

I don't know. Maybe the gory aspect of death metal is symptomatic of something in society or even human nature, if such a thing exists. I still don't know why I really like death metal.









tl;dr, why do you like death/extreme metal of whatever variety? Why do you REALLY like it? "It's brutal" is a cop out. Try to pin down the main reasons why you like what you like. Mentally masturbate if you want, I don't judge.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 11, 2011)

I don't really feel like typing out an essay, but I'll just post one I had to write a while ago.

There's a lot of bullshit in this essay but whatever right?



Death metal is the most diverse genre in modern music today; and arguably, the worlds most technical demanding from of music standing next to genres such as jazz and classical. How is death metal the least bit diverse? How is it even remotely technical? All I hear is a bunch of static with some barking. Those were my initial thoughts as well, but the more I listened and the more time I spent researching it, the more I became persuaded otherwise. 

So how is death metal full of variety? Its diverse in a variety of different ways. First and foremost is the plethora of sub-genres that fall under death metal. They manage to blend genres such as folk, classical, jazz, and even Pink Floyd-esque progressive rock with death metal. Some even take things a step further, abandoning common western/European concepts all-together and instead opting to fuse death metal with eastern sounds; instead using Arabic or Indian scales. One band, Alchemist, is heavily influenced by aboriginal music. In sharp contrast, when is the last time you heard a rock band successfully incorporate classical elements?

This all plays into the instrumentation of the music when you listen to it. While not at all blatantly obvious sometimes, its the nuances in the execution of the music that give testament to its diversity. A great example of this is the drumming used by the technical death metal band Cryptopsy. While at first the drumming may sound like someone hitting everything as fast as they can; in reality its actually jazz drumming sped up to ridiculous speeds with double kick (a jazz drummer usually has one kick pedal) work incorporated. A number of techniques have also been borrowed from other genres. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the usage of the blastbeat in death metal. Its a staple technique to death metal, much like rice is a staple food of many Asian cultures. Except that this staple was taken from jazz musicians such as Tony Williams (famous for his work with Miles Davis), and Sunny Murray (an influential free jazz drummer). Another fantastic example is tremolo picking. This technique involves playing a number of notes as fast as possible by a guitarist/bassist in the band. It originally popularized on the guitar by surf rock guitarists, then sped up and complexified by death metal guitarists.

Now what makes this all so technical? Death metals prime source of technicality comes from its devastatingly high speeds. Most music we hear today on the radio is played at a standard 120 bpm (beats per minute), the fast paced music is probably around 160 bpm. In sharp contrast a slower death metal song is around 160 to 180bpm with speeds sometimes reaching up to 300bpm. Another huge contributor to the technicality of this music is the fact that there are no rules for writing death metal. Most pop songs tend to follow a strict structure that goes something like, intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, final chorus and the maybe an outro. Much like the five paragraph essay, this structure is overused and boring. While still capable of creating great pieces of work; it gets more than a little tedious. In sharp contrast, death metal follows no strict structure, often omitting choruss all together in order to avoid being repetitive and forcing the writer to be creative instead of reverting to a chorus. Finally, the timing used in death metal is very complex. Most music on the radio tends to be in 4/4, or sometimes 3/4; and stay in the same timing for the duration of the song. Conversely, death metal is played in several different time signatures such as 7/8, ,5/4, 9/8 and many more. 

By way of example, it is evident that death metal is easily the most diverse genre in modern music as well. Its many sub-genres that host other genres ranging from jazz to electronica are a perfect testament to this. Death metal is also undoubtedly technically demanding. Forcing its musicians to not only be able to reproduce what musicians from other genres are capable of doing, but at a significantly higher calibre.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 11, 2011)

Hopefully that shows why I'm a huge dm fanboi.


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## Scar Symmetry (Feb 11, 2011)

I often think about this, but I rarely make progress on why.

This is as far as I've got:

The brutal, violent emotive of Death Metal is cathartic for all the caveman rage inside me that's not socially or morally encouraged to vent.

The more technical it is, the more I feel like it's legitimate and not some bonehead urge to swing my fists around like a maniac? ...I don't know.

I'm sure there must be college papers on the subject.


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## Cynic (Feb 11, 2011)

It evokes emotions/positive response and has replay value.

Ask a scientist, brah.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 11, 2011)

Scar Symmetry said:


> I often think about this, but I rarely make progress on why.
> 
> This is as far as I've got:
> 
> ...



See, I don't find myself listening to death metal at all when I'm angry. It just isn't as stimulating as some other genres. Usually if I'm upset I'll but anything but death metal on. 

Deathcore is a much angrier (imo) genre, with death metal being much more mature.


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## TXDeathMetal (Feb 11, 2011)

This is a much harder question to answer than I thought it was going to be but I'll try to explain in the best way possible why I like it so here goes:

I feel that death/extreme metal is like giant sociology class (if you will) for different genres of music as well as different societies and cultures. It's almost like such genres as classical, jazz and blues are the foundation and science, religion, history and sociology are the themes (if that makes sense) and I always feel like I learn something from listening to this type of music, for example the band Nile draws influence from a lot of middle eastern music and culture for the their sound which is quite unique and distinctive but they do so in such a masterful way that the music and the subject matter compliment each other so well. To elaborate is that I've learned a lot about middle eastern culture and history from listening to Nile which is something I more than likely would have learned about/been exposed to in my normal everyday life which I love because unlike pop music that uses the same subject matter for the bulk of it's music is that with metal/extreme music in general is that there is always some new subject matter and ideas being thrown out there to keep things interesting and fresh. This of course is just one example of many that are out there and I hope that you all can kinda see where I'm going with this.


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## ittoa666 (Feb 11, 2011)

I listen top death metal because I enjoy it. It's a combination of everything that I like in music (musicianship, melody, heaviness, chaos, etc). It's my ideal music.


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## stuz719 (Feb 11, 2011)

Why I like it? When it's done well it describes all the doubt and difficulty of the human condition in challenging ways, with no self-imposed artificial boundaries.

Why do I dislike it? When it's done poorly the term "extreme" is used as lazy shorthand for insularity and childishness, retreating into juvenile 'faster then you' competition rather than getting the listener to think about what it means to just be human.

I feel the same way about all music. Genres are a useful index for describing who sounds like whom, but shouldn't be a straitjacket. Picasso was an artist, not just a painter.


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## suffo20 (Feb 11, 2011)

I like the guitars, drums and the way some vocalists do their part in writing! The time changes and the Brootalz of it. Now some dm bands do sound like crap but there are alot of great bands as well!


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 11, 2011)

Nothing else captures the morbidity and haunting atmosphere better than proper gritty death metal.


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## NaYoN (Feb 11, 2011)

I hate hate average metalhead and the general attitude. I like the music though. 

In my music theory and history class, I had learned that music addresses 3 components of a human: physical, emotional, mental.

The heavy and fast music gets me moving and pumped (physical). The melodies (or lack thereof), and the chaos get me into the right mood (emotional). The technicality satisfies me mentally.

I don't listen to metal because it is metal. I listen to it because it's what I like.


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## BuriedAlive (Feb 11, 2011)

It's all opinion, I could sit here and rant on why I hate different music, but I like death metal because it's just what I like. Everything about it I like, you could say that the lyrics are perverse or whatever but thats your own opinion.


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## pink freud (Feb 11, 2011)

I've accepted that I actually _don't_ like most metal. I seem to like a few bands out of each genre. I can't honestly say that I'm a fan of Death Metal when all I really listen to from the genre is Opeth and Nile. I like Meshuggah and SYL but that doesn't make me a fan of all Extreme Metal.

I think a "true fan" of a genre will like a majority of bands that compose that genre, or at least have an inclination to listening to the more "mediocre" ones.


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## Kali Yuga (Feb 11, 2011)

It sounds good.


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## Esp Griffyn (Feb 11, 2011)

While I wouldn't say it's as demanding musically as jazz (bar the physical stamina required) I just like it because it's heavy as, without being unmusical.


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## Gamba (Feb 11, 2011)

I like it because I like it, and that is about it. If I spent time trying to understand or finding reasons for why I like or should like something then probably I don't really like it and I'm trying to convince myself otherwise.


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## Jogeta (Feb 11, 2011)

It moves me more than all the "I love you" bullshit that the world is awash with.


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## Inazone (Feb 11, 2011)

I don't know that I necessarily like death metal in the sense that most fans do. I like the specific styles of certain bands, and will usually take a chance listening to bands that are supposedly similar in style or have some of the same members. For example, I like Hypocrisy, so I bought a Bloodbath album with Peter Tagtgren doing vocals. I don't enjoy Bloodbath nearly as much as Hypocrisy, but I certainly like some aspects of it. In other situations, I bought an album for one reason (for example, buying a Dimension Zero album because Jesper and Glenn from In Flames played on it) and ended up liking it for another (picks up where At the Gates left off) or in some rare instances because I'm familiar with the producer or studio.

I am not a fan of gore or Satanic lyrics either, but some bands clearly put a lot of thought into the entire songwriting process, and I can appreciate the work involved in matching up lyrics with the right type of music. I really like Dissection, Akercocke (what I've heard so far) and to a lesser extent Behemoth and Watain, and although a lot of the lyrics are really over-the-top, they make for good songs.

Oh yeah, and I love dissecting guitar tones and the challenges of mixing, so some of the subtle aspects of dual-guitar metal bands are especially cool to me.


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## Kali Yuga (Feb 11, 2011)

Esp Griffyn said:


> While I wouldn't say it's as demanding musically as jazz (bar the physical stamina required) I just like it because it's heavy as, without being unmusical.


Jazz is not some holy grail of musical ability like people seem to believe. Get into playing jazz, and you'll realize it's full of as much cookie cutter crap and predictable patterns as metal.


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## Triple-J (Feb 11, 2011)

For me the main reason is that I just evolved towards it via certain bands I'd heard such as Carcass and Morbid Angel also because I was bored of mainstream metal (at the time nu metal was huge) I made a very conscious choice to really dig deeper for music that I might like instead of just listening to whatever band was in a magazine but there are other reasons too.

For example I got into music via Nirvana who then turned me onto a lot of older punk/hardcore but modern punk is awful and most bands sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks plus they all play with that weak clean sounding overdrive instead of distortion (imo punk should sound dirty) but black metal gives me that same frenetic feeling of mayhem I got when I first listened to punk so I like it for that reason.

One of the other things I like about extreme metal (and metal overall) is the variety of lyrical themes as it covers just about every topic you could imagine (and some you could never imagine!) and no other genre even comes close to it.

Sonic diversity is something else I love about extreme metal and I feel this is a part of what makes certain bands "extreme" for example Celtic Frost and Killing Joke both have elements of goth/new wave/classical and even pop in their sound and I love that but I also know that I can't find a band with that same type of diversity in any other genre.


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 11, 2011)

I'm kind of the opposite, i listen to "intelligent" death metal... I don't listen to all the morbidly brutal death metal, i listen to more melodic and technical bands (i.e. Death, Zonaria, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, COB, Dååth, Opeth, Soilwork, etc.) I guess its because i HATE low monotone vocals (cannibal corpse, necrophagist, etc.) And Although death metal isn't the most technically demanding or complex music out there, some of it can be pretty extreme.. I've always loved TASTEFULLY technically complex song structures, and have never been a fan of the approach of just being so technical it isn't even musical approach of many death metal bands... But i do love a lot of extreme metal bands ranging from thrash to death... although I've never been a fan of black metal except when i was 13... I guess what I'm blabbering about is I've never though about why I actually love metal so much as a whole, and this thread has helped me see some others insights... And although I'm not gonna run out and buy any Morbid Angel or Hypocrisy albums, now I am kind of getting a vague form of a thought of a possible idea of why I love metal.. I think its also a lot to do with the diversity, there are SO MANY different types of metal its exhausting, which leaves my wondering why people have genre wars and all that shit 
I have never found one style of music so diverse and with such a wide array of sounds, and open influences involved, it is also the ONLY growing genre in my opinion, as (even though i love these styles) jazz will always be jazz, country will always be country, and new age will always be new age. Metal is a web of branched off styles and variations... its the largest and most under appreciated genre of all


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## Kali Yuga (Feb 11, 2011)

Children of Bodom is INTELLIGENT death metal? You've got to be kiddin'.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 11, 2011)

Jstring said:


> I'm kind of the opposite, i listen to "intelligent" death metal... I don't listen to all the morbidly brutal death metal, i listen to more melodic and technical bands (i.e. Death, Zonaria, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, COB, Dååth, Opeth, Soilwork, etc.) I guess its because i HATE low monotone vocals (cannibal corpse, necrophagist, etc.) And Although death metal isn't the most technically demanding or complex music out there, some of it can be pretty extreme.. I've always loved TASTEFULLY technically complex song structures, and have never been a fan of the approach of just being so technical it isn't even musical approach of many death metal bands... But i do love a lot of extreme metal bands ranging from thrash to death... although I've never been a fan of black metal except when i was 13... I guess what I'm blabbering about is I've never though about why I actually love metal so much as a whole, and this thread has helped me see some others insights... And although I'm not gonna run out and buy any Morbid Angel or Hypocrisy albums, now I am kind of getting a vague form of a thought of a possible idea of why I love metal.. I think its also a lot to do with the diversity, there are SO MANY different types of metal its exhausting, which leaves my wondering why people have genre wars and all that shit
> I have never found one style of music so diverse and with such a wide array of sounds, and open influences involved, it is also the ONLY growing genre in my opinion, as (even though i love these styles) jazz will always be jazz, country will always be country, and new age will always be new age. Metal is a web of branched off styles and variations... its the largest and most under appreciated genre of all




Are you kidding dude? Death metal is the most technical and complex form of modern music around.

Maybe this will convince you?




If you're looking for song structure and wacky time signatures.


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 11, 2011)

Why does everyone whine about "technical" music so much? Is technicality the new "look how much notes I can mash into this solo"? :/

edit - not meant to come across as an asshole, anyway. I just wonder why people use technicality to show off that much.

APPREGIO WHOOO SWEEP SWEEP MEEDLE MEEDLE BEEP BEEP.. 

Cookies for the person to give a sensible definition to "technical", by the way. And I don't mean one copied from wikipedia or some other site!


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## Asrial (Feb 11, 2011)

Death metal just became a development of my musical taste.

I started listening to hard rock, then came Rammstein (quite unusual), then came old thrash metal, nu metal, metalcore, groove metal and finally death metal.
The key word is "weight". How heavy is it? I LOVE HEAVY STUFF! Not just metal, any heavy beat or composition that is low-registered or express some sort of "negative" feeling got a positive influence on me somehow.
That proves why I love dubstep, and also "epic" music, the whole epos is just mind-blowing. Stadium-rock is not epic, it's just big.

TL;DR: I love heavy and epic music. It made me bunny-hop into death metal as I got more used to its softer cousins.

(And kiddos; being br00talz is not equal to being heavy!)

Not very heavy IMO...

TEN TON!


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## Tones (Feb 11, 2011)

I just embrace its technicality. Never fancied the lyrics. It's not really something i pay attention to in this genre.


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## BucketheadRules (Feb 11, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> One band, Alchemist, is heavily influenced by aboriginal music.



I was curious so I decided to check them out. Wow.

Fucking great band! Just listening to Chinese Whispers and trying to work out if the verse around 2:20 is just impossibly brutal screaming or if there's some sort of distortion effect going on...


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## bigchocolateman (Feb 11, 2011)

I honestly couldn't tell you why I like heavier music (death metal and whatever other subgenres that are heaveier)
I would put a lot of reason behind it as most of it has to do with the musicianship. Also the way the tones please my ear. I love really clean production and I think metal always seems incredibly polished.

I also like to do this.


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## CrushingAnvil (Feb 11, 2011)

Just....listen to this:



_The Dominion of Seker.
Barren Desert of Eternal Night.
Shunned by Ra.
Behind the Gate Aha-Neteru.
The Wastelands of Seker.
Eldest Lord of Impenetrable Blackness.
Death God of Memphis.
He of the Darkness and Decay of the Tomb.
He of Rosetau.
The Mouth of the Passage to the Underworld.
Closely Guarded by Terrible Serpents.
Who Careth Not for His Own Cult of Worshippers.

Seker.
Ancient and Dead.
Primeval Master of the World Below.
Remaineth Unwitnessed, Unseen, Hidden in His Secret Chamber.
His Primitive Graven Image like as a Hawk-headed Man.
Shrouded and Swathed in Tomb Wrappings.
*Standing Between a Pair of Wings which Issue Forth from the Back of a Monstrous Serpent.
Having Two Heads.
Having Two Necks and Whose Tail Terminates in a Human Skull.*

*In Thick Darkness.
Amid Violent Tempests of Unendurable Cacophony.*
His Serpents Make Offerings unto His Image and Live upon Their Own Fire.
His Servants.
*Hideous Reptiles of Terrifying Aspect.
Whose Work is Nothing Less than the Annihilation of the Wicked.
Consume the Bodies of the Damned by Flames of Liquid Fire They Emit from Their Mouths.*
And the Goddess Quetet Tent which Liveth on the Blood of the Dead.

On Their Blocks.
They Cut into Pieces the Flesh of the Dead.
Singing Hymns of Torture and Mutilation to Their Master.
Accompanied by the Wailings and Anguish of the Damned.
They Wreak Destruction upon the Wicked.
Those Who Hath Not Recited the Formulae.
Nor Made the Sacrifices or Who Know Not the Words of Power._

This has been my all time favourite song for many years. It's an epic passage, a brutal, well executed masterpiece with goose-bumb inducing lyrics.

This song could not be performed in any other style, they're eight thousand years apart but Death Metal and Egyptian mythology are a perfect coupling.

Death metal is just epic.


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 11, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Are you kidding dude? Death metal is the most technical and complex form of modern music around.
> 
> Maybe this will convince you?
> 
> ...




Just doesn't it it for me, just because they can cram a million notes in doesn't mean I'm going to find it musical in any sense, and just because their drummer can do ridiculous blast beats and is very fast doesn't make him appealing... Also tastefulness is a huge part of music, and to me odd times signatures used mathematically is tasteless. Prog in general, whether it be metal, rock or any variation, is the most complex music around in my opinion... Nothing will change my opinion, heavier and faster doesn't always mean better, I'm not trying to bash your opinion either, its just that; an opinion. I'm not gonna say I'm right, or your right


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 11, 2011)

Kali Yuga said:


> Children of Bodom is INTELLIGENT death metal? You've got to be kiddin'.



Matter of opinion, they're old stuff is HIGHLY melodic, with great song structures and great musicianship, and while they aren't one of my favorite bands, I like their music and think it is intelligently written.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Feb 11, 2011)

Jstring said:


> Just doesn't it it for me, just because they can cram a million notes in doesn't mean I'm going to find it musical in any sense, and just because their drummer can do ridiculous blast beats and is very fast doesn't make him appealing... Also tastefulness is a huge part of music, and to me odd times signatures used mathematically is tasteless. Prog in general, whether it be metal, rock or any variation, is the most complex music around in my opinion... Nothing will change my opinion, heavier and faster doesn't always mean better, I'm not trying to bash your opinion either, its just that; an opinion. I'm not gonna say I'm right, or your right



I totally feel you, I think I misunderstood you though. I thought you were saying that death metal has no technicality, not whether or not its appealing


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## Kali Yuga (Feb 11, 2011)

Jstring said:


> Matter of opinion, they're old stuff is HIGHLY melodic, with great song structures and great musicianship, and while they aren't one of my favorite bands, I like their music and think it is intelligently written.


They write typical song structures with predictable melodies. I mean, CoB are (well, used to be) good at what they do, but saying that CoB is "intelligent" music, while Gorguts isn't, is ridiculous and insulting.

Although, I don't listen to metal for technicality. There isn't as much thought into most death metal as internet forumites would have everyone believe. I'm attracted to aggressive music and riffs. It doesn't have to be technical, heavy, djenty, intelligent, whatever... it only has to sound good. It doesn't limit itself to metal either.


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## CrushingAnvil (Feb 11, 2011)

Jstring said:


> Just doesn't it it for me, just because they can cram a million notes in doesn't mean I'm going to find it musical in any sense, and just because their drummer can do ridiculous blast beats and is very fast doesn't make him appealing... Also tastefulness is a huge part of music, and to me odd times signatures used mathematically is tasteless. Prog in general, whether it be metal, rock or any variation, is the most complex music around in my opinion... Nothing will change my opinion, heavier and faster doesn't always mean better, I'm not trying to bash your opinion either, its just that; an opinion. I'm not gonna say I'm right, or your right



Last time I checked, music was an expression. It's not up to you to decide whether or not something is music. Don't come in to a thread about death metal just to answer a question no one asked and spew a bunch of precocious crap about progressive rock.

It is what it is, and it certainly doesn't need your approval or redundant statements.


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## CrushingAnvil (Feb 11, 2011)

Jstring said:


> Matter of opinion, they're old stuff is HIGHLY melodic, with great song structures and great musicianship, and while they aren't one of my favorite bands, I like their music and think it is intelligently written.



Children of Bodom are melo-deathy but if you associate them directly with death metal, you obviously don't listen to much death metal.


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## adb (Feb 11, 2011)

riffs


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## Kali Yuga (Feb 11, 2011)

adb said:


> riffs


Best answer.


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## shanejohnson02 (Feb 11, 2011)

I can only assume you're speaking strictly of the highly technical side of death metal with blastbeats and such. While I can appreciate it (heck, I was a music performance major in college...if I can listen to German expressionism, I can listen to anything), I think death metal has such a huge amount of sub-genres (or sub-sub genres, since death is a sub of metal) that you can go as extreme or not as you like.

For instance, as a guitarist, I appreciate the guitar work on the extreme stuff. As a showman, I appreciate the shock value it can have. Personal preference though leads me to like the bands that JString mentioned (Arch Enemy is one of my favorites.)

My attempt at the definition of "technical": It describes a form of music (not always metal) where the product is secondary to the substance. By "product" t I mean the song as a whole, which doesn't have to follow what 99% of people think of when they think of a song...intro/verse/bridge/chorus etc. Not to say a technical style doesn't use those, it just approaches songwriting in a different manner. As far as the substance part, that should be obvious: musicians pushing the limits of the instruments, songwriting, theory, structure, and what is "musically acceptable". This is why I say the substance takes precedence...the skill and knowledge of the musicians is on full display, with the music itself secondary.


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## josh pelican (Feb 11, 2011)

I listen to death metal because it's the greatest.

If you disagree, I really don't give a shit. I probably don't like you or care about your taste in music. 

EDIT: Funny enough, there are some death metal (or extreme) bands I don't like that surprises people. Behemoth, Nile, Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir...


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## Grand Moff Tim (Feb 11, 2011)

Scar Symmetry said:


> I often think about this, but I rarely make progress on why.
> 
> This is as far as I've got:
> 
> *The brutal, violent emotive of Death Metal is cathartic* for all the caveman rage inside me that's not socially or morally encouraged to vent.


 
That's pretty much the bar I set for _all_ types of music. If it isn't cathartic on some level, if it doesn't help some part of my brain space out, it has failed. I suppose that isn't so much a statement against any genre so much as it's a statement against bands within any given genre that are "doing it wrong," as it were.

That made sense in my head. Blame 103 proof bourbon if it didn't make sense in anyone else's...


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## Evil7 (Feb 12, 2011)

I loved the sound of powerfull distorted guitar early in life.. 
Later I learned it was simple power chord riffs that I like. 

Metal Music holds passion and agression. 
I have not found another style of music that has a more diverse range of acceptable topics for lyrics.

No fucking rules.

You can write a metal song about:
War 
bad Relationships of any kind.
Questioning your own existance and Religions.
Murder and Chaos.
Zombies and fantasy.
Metal ballad love songs.lol

I think I like metal for more meaningfull non filtered emoations.... 

A true pure release of emoation and energy even if its a social taboo topic!

I can find you examples of 
Rap Metal, Classical Metal, Southern Metal, Gothic Metal, Rock metal, Jazz Metal, rockabilly metal, Techno metal, melodic metal, Crazy Lead guitar metal, Blues Metal, Latin guitar influenced Metal, Island / tribal sounding metal.

Its endless.


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## Eric Christian (Feb 12, 2011)

I like specific Black, Speed, Death, Grindcore bands but I really draw the line when the whole song is one big long blast beat or the vocals sound like crickets, frogs or pigs...


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 12, 2011)

CrushingAnvil said:


> Last time I checked, music was an expression. It's not up to you to decide whether or not something is music. Don't come in to a thread about death metal just to answer a question no one asked and spew a bunch of precocious crap about progressive rock.
> 
> It is what it is, and it certainly doesn't need your approval or redundant statements.



i was stating opinion, if you can't handle that other people have other opinions then thats on you dude. And I was simply stating that I feel prog is more complex, in REPLY to a REPLY to one of my statements, in which it was stated that death metal was the most complex music, BUT the thread was what makes you (or ME in this case) like EXTREME/death metal, and as there are MANY types of extreme metal, and apparently your only reply is to get defensive then again thats on you, i never once said it needed my approval, and was in no way redundant, simply stated my OPINION on death metal and extreme metal in general, and why i like what kind I like. thanks


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 12, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> I totally feel you, I think I misunderstood you though. I thought you were saying that death metal has no technicality, not whether or not its appealing



Not at all, I can appreciate the level of technical skill involved, and as i earlier stated i like a lot of death metal, I am just pick about it


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## stryker1800 (Feb 12, 2011)

It's really hard to pinpoint why I like Death Metal, and some days I simply can't stand it, now a days I'm as likely to put on Jay-Z as I am Cynic. I got into death metal because I grew up listening to Punk Rock, so I was used to Abrasive music but wanted something to identify with for myself rather than following the footsteps of my brother.

The music having a cathartic effect is a good one I never thought of but really rings a bell with me, but to me a lot of Extreme metal has an almost emotionless feel, which can be just as cathartic as some very emotionally driven blues. Of course being a guitar player the extreme stamina and technical ability required is very stimulating as well.


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## ZackP3750 (Feb 12, 2011)

I listen to it because its fun. I usually ignore the lyrics, both for not being able to understand them and not really finding much interest. Now, 3 years ago, I would've told you the Acacia Strain is the most br00tal band ever, with lyrics like "You're gonna taste my DNA, whether you like it or not", but alas, I've grown up, and have since focused less on how scary a band sounds and more on what the band is playing.


That said, the musicianship of extreme metal is unmatched in today's commercial music. But the question remains, why extreme metal? Metal musicians can find a groove while still being heavy as fuck. One of my favorite bands is Danza, and for good reason; they can find a groove in the most craziest-sounding passages. 

But I think this is the big one...


Metal is one of the only genre's that can incorporate ANY style of music into its composition. I've heard every kind of music in a metal album, but I can't say the same for every other genre. Metal has already broken down the barrier for what is acceptable in music, so to hear a little bit of country or hip-hop thrown into a metal song isn't all that crazy. Take BTBAM's "Ants of the Sky"; the song starts with sweeping and an overall heavy, fast-paced feel and ends with a country-style hoe-down. I've never heard a country song throw a breakdown in the middle of a song and return to the "country" sound. Extreme metal allows musicians to do whatever the fuck they want without having to worry about what will fit into their genre. 


You're more likely to find metal heads into a much wider variety of music than just metal, whereas people who listen to country or rap or mainstream rock really don't have the avenues to expand outside of their genre.


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## josh pelican (Feb 12, 2011)

Uh, for the record, you can edit your posts and quote more than on person per post.

Double posting doesn't make you metal.


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## Demiurge (Feb 12, 2011)

ZackP3750 said:


> But I think this is the big one...
> 
> 
> Metal is one of the only genre's that can incorporate ANY style of music into its composition. I've heard every kind of music in a metal album, but I can't say the same for every other genre. Metal has already broken down the barrier for what is acceptable in music, so to hear a little bit of country or hip-hop thrown into a metal song isn't all that crazy. Take BTBAM's "Ants of the Sky"; the song starts with sweeping and an overall heavy, fast-paced feel and ends with a country-style hoe-down. I've never heard a country song throw a breakdown in the middle of a song and return to the "country" sound. Extreme metal allows musicians to do whatever the fuck they want without having to worry about what will fit into their genre.
> ...



Well-put. It's exciting that metal is moving from extremity in terms of pushing all known parameters to the max to extremity in terms of abandoning parameters altogether. 

More on-topic with gist of extremity here, I don't consider myself to be supremely fussy about music, but (and here comes the fussiness) it's got to be very beautiful, very sad, very inspiring, very groovy, or very ugly- I have no patience for anything that doesn't quite make it.


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## Larrikin666 (Feb 13, 2011)

I really used to confuse speed with technicality for the longest time. I was incredibly impressed when I first heard bands like Viraemia and Brain Drill. Over the last year or so, I've become more infatuated with bands like Gorod and Son of Aurelius that cover a wider part of the metal spectrum. I'd consider both bands to be more technically proficient than the previously mentioned "sweep fest" bands. I still enjoy both styles, but I feel like my tastes matured a bit. The compositions that Gorod puts together are incredibly complex and difficult to play, but they rarely sound technical the first time I listen. It's like they prefer to veil they're ability to the untrained ear. I find that concept fascinating. 

I've always loved brutal and technical death metal, but rarely for the lyrics. I have a considerable amount of trouble taking most of the words chosen by most vocalists in the genre to be anything but comical these days. Perhaps that stems from the drunken manner than we used to write our lyrics in the studio, but I remember frequently laughing my ass off as I read lyrics even before that. I'm someone who loves the macabre, but the over-the-top subject matter covered by most bands has just worn a little thin with me. I really prefer the themes of bands like The Faceless and especially Gojira.


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## The Somberlain (Feb 13, 2011)

I mostly listen to variations of doom, black, post, and sludge metal, like what you'd hear on the Southern Lord, Crucial Blast, or Profound Lore catalog. In art, I want to see the breadth of the human experience, and listening to Ehnahre or Portal, I see fear and madness, just as I see passion while listening to Jacques Brel or grace and enlightenment while listening to Hildegard.

Also, I like the refreshing commercial suicide of playing extreme metal, to see people love something so much that the effectively preclude their success in our capitalist system gets me giddy with the joy of subversion.


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## JeffFromMtl (Feb 14, 2011)

What extreme metal I do listen to, I listen to for the exact same reason as I'll listen to any other type of music. If it stirs something in me, whether it be something profound, or just something as simple as a one-word emotion such as anger or happiness. If it moves me in any way, be it mentally, emotionally or physically, it's something that I'll come back to. Obviously _what_'s stirred in me while listening to extreme metal will be different than what is by hip-hop, classical, indie, folk or whatever the hell have you, will differ greatly. What _does_ remain the same is that I listen to the music because there is nothing else that can evoke the same things in me, in the exact same fashion.


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## Scookers (Feb 15, 2011)

I listen to death metal because it hits hard. It makes you listen. I draws you in hard. Some great playing involved, too. What people forget is that death metal started out much different than it is today. Think of the old stuff like first few Death albums, Obituary, Entombed, Possessed, Autopsy. Didn't have to be a virtuoso to play the stuff but it still kills. I like it stripped down. It sounds great. Raw and primitive. Hell yeah. Plus it scared the shit out of me when I first heard it. Still moves me after all these years.


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## highlordmugfug (Feb 18, 2011)

BuriedAlive said:


> It's all opinion, I could sit here and rant on why I hate different music, but I like death metal because it's just what I like. Everything about it I like, *you could say that the lyrics are perverse or whatever but thats your own opinion.*


perverse in English - Google Dictionary

SongMeanings | Lyrics | Cannibal Corpse - I Cum Blood
I love DM, but no... no it's not an opinion.


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## PyramidSmasher (Feb 18, 2011)

I like it for the same reason I like white bread. I just do.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 18, 2011)

Jogeta said:


> It moves me more than all the "I love you" bullshit that the world is awash with.




Big into death (tech and non) and grind here, but also big on black and drone.
In a general sense part of it is acknowledging the darker parts of our psyche, I got into death metal when I was in a pretty stark and empty place emotionally, and it helped knowing that there where people who weren't trying to cram that "sunshine and roses" view of the world down my throat. People that accepted that there was horror and insanity, negativity and hatred instead of trying to wish them away. I knew that humanity isn't bad all the time, but many people try to sweep all our massive fuckups under the rug. So for me I guess it helps me deal with the harsh and upsetting thoughts/ideas/feelings by embracing them, letting me know it's okay to feel these things, but also as a motivator to no wallow in them though. A perfect example of this was Meshuggah's ObZen, which was to point out the very worst of humanity, but in an interview later they stated it was about knowing and letting out these particular things rather than being immersed in them constantly.

The dark and sometimes abstract feel of the music draws me in due to a large interest in nightmares, dreaming, visions, and hallucinations. 

A good part of me is obsessed with taking things as far as they can go, so I welcome over-the-top technicality/brutality/speed/abrasiveness/complexity. Especially since the bands are proud of being able to do that kind of stuff on their instruments. There weren't any pre-existing genres for that, so they made their own.
"HEY!! I just got this BADASS IDEA!! Instead of having those once or twice per album moments where we truly go all out, let's just do that all the time!!"
   

I never got the idea that one should be a virtuoso-and then only put those finely honed skills to use less than 1% of the time.
"Practice your ass off at 250BPM and then never play above 160"
  

Part of me laughs at many of the classic rock bands and some of the old school metal bands, not in a mocking or disrespectful way though. But they all always seem to talk about trying to rock harder and more intensely than the next guy and then scoff at many/all of these "extreme" genres.
Sort of them asking you to raise the bar and then as you go to move it they say "On second thought, don't."

Another reason is it just sounds really cool even if IDK how to make "Sense" of it in the usual way, I don't usually care how "musical" something is, if it catches my interest by sounding novel I will continue to listen.


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## josh pelican (Feb 18, 2011)

If it makes me move my head, I'll listen to it. Plain and simple.

Whether it's slam, brutal death metal, technical death metal, black metal, grindcore, country, hip-hop, or pop punk.


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## ittoa666 (Feb 18, 2011)

josh pelican said:


> If it makes me move my head, I'll listen to it. Plain and simple.
> 
> Whether it's slam, brutal death metal, technical death metal, black metal, grindcore, country, hip-hop, or pop punk.



 That's the pure essence of good music.


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## PostOrganic (Feb 18, 2011)

Because I play guitar. I don't think I would have ever given it a chance otherwise. It's the most fun to play on an instrument... + it's catchy  (once you are used to listening to it anyways...)


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## Joospocks (Feb 19, 2011)

Sometimes "extreme" music feels like an outlet, I suppose. Some days I get totally sick of it and have to change it up, but I always come crawling back. I like the first two posts in this thread a lot.


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## josh pelican (Feb 19, 2011)

ittoa666 said:


> That's the pure essence of good music.



It makes me do the Drewsif head bob.


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## Faine (Mar 7, 2011)

You guys just inspired me to choose this topic as my " controversial issue " essay. haha


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## ChainsawVsGod (Mar 7, 2011)

I hate when these ignorant psychologist types come out and say that the reason people like Death metal is because of the attraction with violence, or a trauma in their past, etc. Complete and utter fucking bollocks. I love death metal because it is brilliant music. Simple. The majority of death metal bands don't even sing about gore. And I don't even pay attention to lyrics in music.


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 7, 2011)

when i think of "death metal" I think more of the bands Death and morbid angel more so than bands like torsofuck.

I listen to death metal for the music and couldn't care less what they were singing about. i listened to dimmu borgirs cd Stormblast for quite a long time before i realized it was in another language.... thats how little i care about lyrics....


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## 4String (Mar 7, 2011)

Death Metal is what I've grown up listening too. I remember listening to Rob Zombie (not death metal) and thinking... HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME. I was about 2 or 3 at the time. Since then I started getting into more and more harder music as times has gone by and NOW I listen to full on real shit. Death Metal.

It also has a darker side to the music, which I am fond of.


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## CrownofWorms (Mar 7, 2011)

It is extremely difficult to give reasons since almost all of the comments above give most of the reasons why. All_¥our_Bass made an amazing point throughout his whole post

I started off with thrash and early metal and within a matter of 6 months I began to listen to Death Metal. What attracted me was the insane guitar musicianship. Carcass(ironically) and Bodom was the cause and I grown respect towards the genre. I've grown a large respect to Brutal bands when I watched Frantic Disembowelment. It was a natural progression to get heavier and heavier. Now it is whatever is good no matter how technical or brutal. 

The fact that Death Metal is a type of music that is literally limitless. Unlike pop with intro or verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/maybe outro or repeat, Death Metal could be changing every second within 2-15 min. Every member is in a way featured. Without DM I probably wouldn't be paying attention to the bass since I find this is the only genre(except jazz) that gives the bass player a role rather than some invisible guy. I was born and grew up in a jazz background so complex music was easy to grasp and be attracted to. Changing time signature and riffs but still give some kind of flow the way I see it. 

Death Metal imo is the most diverse kind of music out there. Though sub-genres do not matter every band is doing something different. You have Melodic,Technical, Brutal, Doom, Symphonic, Blackened, Thrash-Death,Core,Grind,Death n Roll, Gore, Industrial and fusion of those genres. Even bands that are within the subsubgenre have distinction(ie Nile,Vital Remains, Cannibal Corpse) 

Also I love the artwork. As a visual artist this is a plus to listening to the music. I for some reason always been interested in horror and macabre ever since I was 4. They dont even have to be Gory Vincent Locke type stuff. Look at covers like Bolt Thrower with their Warhammer related artwork or Amon Amrth Viking fantasy. It is just incredible

Lyrics wise they are extremely controversial but most of the time I ignore or don't care. But I came to study lyrics sometimes. IE Morbid Angel is satanic but most of there lyrics in later albums talk about Lovecraft and Necromonicon fiction. Though I don't agree with most lyrics by Immolation,Aeon, Morbid, Vital Remains, Behemoth etc.... Their lyrics make you wan't to think even if you agree or disagree they make a point,questioning what you should and shouldn't be and I respect that. Unlike most people when they hear a song that sounds satanic they jump the gun or a band with a suggestive title or song title (ie Dying Fetus) they automatically view them as a slam/gore/grind band without even listening. Death lyrics are one of the most intelligently put out lyrics or text I have ever read. You can write about Vikings to Satan to Philosophy/Religion to Slasher Film gore to Humanity to Vegetarianism to whatever. It is boundryless

The reception from others became negative. I have gotten alot of flack, ridiculed, ignored, stereotyped due to my enjoyment towards this style of music. Even when you explain what we all just said alot would still all it a bunch of noise. But we live in a world of ignorance so it is uncommon. Most get what I'm saying and know what it is like when people see you at the super market with your Cannibal Corpse shirt(or any other metal shirt or guy dressed not normal). But What I don't get are the people that listen to DM just to piss off people. Sure that Suffocation shirt would piss of parents and teachers. But I like the shirt and the band. Doing it for the Image for a sub sub sub genre that has no true image(trust me when I saw Dying Fetus I thought that was Mr Clean) and not for the love is what I call a poser.

Pretty hard to convey something that has been covered already, so I try to convey the least mentioned. But at the end of the day it is because it is good music to our ears


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