Are you into Metal, or not?

Rayos

Inspired
I'm very curious with this.

Where I live (Canary islands, Spain, EU), almost every player I know who uses a digital modeler plays very metal like sounds. You know, a lot of distortion and effects. And then those very clean sounds with a lot of effects too. The lack of dynamics in the sound is absolute.

The funny thing is most of them aren't in metal bands. They play rock, pop, covers or originals, but always with that kind of metal sounds. That lack of dynamics makes them sound boring to my personal ears in those non metal contexts. The real metal heads around here (very nice people, by the way) generally use tube amps if they can afford them.

I think I'm the only one I know who uses rock and roll and rock sounds (well, and my mate in my band, who just got a Headrush Gigboard after seeing me playing with my AX8 for a few months and convincing himself that's the way to go with our very busy travelling band. He is mainly into classic rock and roll, rockabilly and that stuff). Not a lot gain and not gain monster amp models, almost no effects, just a little reverb, sometimes a little delay, some drive pedal extra push...

So I wonder if most of you are also into metal sounds or, in general, what kind of sounds are used by forum members.

It looks like it's not easy to resist the temptation of abusing this technology.

Just curious.
 
Is 80s Hair Metal still considered metal or is it now classic rock? I don't djent if that's what you're asking. Not that I don't like it, it's just not what I'm into.
 
Defining 'metal', even in terms of tone, is almost impossible.

I love certain kinds of metal and some metal tones. That said, my electric band covers nearly every genre from the 60s through the present.....except metal. Woe is me. ;)

We run direct, and have gotten compliments on guitar tone.
 
I like it, I grew up with it, but don't really listen to it, or play it, but that isn't to say I don't like it still.

If you grew up in the 80's or 90's, were into guitar and wore black tshirts to high school every day I think you'll always have a bit of a soft spot for Slayer etc, I know I do, but do I want to listen to South of Heaven on my way into work each morning....not really

As far as my own playing.... kind of boring (IMO) playing metal riffs and such just on my own. When I'm playing for fun I tend to play stuff that works better as solo guitar, lots of finger picking etc. Don't really want to sit around and chug away on a palm muted open D string for an hour, even though I do love a good chunky palm mute as much as the next guy.
 
Whether a guitar tone has dynamics or not is pretty irrelevant when taken in the context of a performance and a song; Dimebag's tone was about as saturated, scooped and fizzy as can be BUT Pantera's songs, arrangements and the way they played as a band meant those songs breathed and grooved in a very dynamic way.

The beautiful thing about something like the AX8 live is it's so easy to setup and dial in that i can focus on all the other areas of a live performance and go about making music and interacting with human beings on stage and off.
 
I play Metal, I like to listen to Metal (although most of the stuff being released is horrible imho, I e.g. cannot listen to a Metal playlist on Spotify). Metal is only one genre of music I like. The past years I developed a deep love for orchestral music, the classics (Bach being the god!!!), modern stuff (Two Steps From Hell, especially what Thomas Bergersen does), movie scores (Ennio Morricone :hearteyes:) etc.

About Metal sound: I never really liked this "typical" sound, low mids, lots of gain etc. I once played a rehearsal with a Plexi and a drive (iirc the FAS Boost) and it worked very well! Right now I play the Triptik exclusively, all I need are its three channels, an absolutely astonishingly perfect amp! I usually crank the mids to 9 or 10, bass, treble and presence to taste. I set the gain as low as possible. Not too low so it doesn't lose its sustain and rooooaring, not too high so it doesn't get too undefined and sensitive for feedback. That way I don't need a noise gate, which I'm very glad about!
 
Defining 'metal', even in terms of tone, is almost impossible.

So true. Back in my high school days it was Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, and Deep Purple that were considered metal by my peers. Heck, Led Zeppelin even got tossed into metal conversations. :)
 
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Is 80s Hair Metal still considered metal or is it now classic rock? I don't djent if that's what you're asking. Not that I don't like it, it's just not what I'm into.

That's a good question! For me... Yes, it's metal. : )

Defining 'metal', even in terms of tone, is almost impossible.

Well... It's not about defining Metal. But I guess most of us would answer the same when asked if we think a guitar tone sounds like metal, or not. Maybe I'm wrong.

Whether a guitar tone has dynamics or not is pretty irrelevant when taken in the context of a performance and a song;

That's exactly why I said it sounds boring to me in those non metal contexts.

I think Dimebag is (was) an excellent player. Impressive!

So true. Back in my high school days it was Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, and Deep Purple that were considered metal by my peers. Heck, Led Zeppelin even got tossed into metal conversations. :)

Same here. But it was mainly Deep purple, ACDC, Iron Maiden, maybe Black Sabbath what the hardest boys used to hear. Nobody (but myself) liked Led Zeppelin. And, of course, I didn't considered LZ in the same ground than those boring aficionado's bands. As time went by, we all changed our minds and they finally liked Led Zeppelin much more and I started loving ACDC.

Men, I don't know if I have transmitted some kind of disrespect to metal music. In that case, I apologise; my English is not very good. I enjoy a heavy saturated tone as much as anybody and I appreciate the gratifying it is using it. I just say that, maybe because I'm getting older (51) I appreciate more and more that kind of sounds that transmit a lot of energy without being very gainy. That sounds where it's you who makes it rock, instead of the sound rocking you.
 
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I listen metal, especially 80's bands that I grew up with.
I'm mostly in metal, but not attached to it. From time to time I must hear also some romantic stuff :)

Here are some stuff where I play guitar

 
Classic metal over here. This means it's usually the good old JCM 800 and a drive pedal. Too old for thrash, djent, doom, and nu-metal and never liked the HM2 buzzsaw sound either. Can't stand metal-growls, always prefered the high-pitched clamped-balls vocals that makes me wonder if the guy up there on stage forgot to take his pills.
 
Classic metal over here. This means it's usually the good old JCM 800 and a drive pedal. Too old for thrash, djent, doom, and nu-metal and never liked the HM2 buzzsaw sound either. Can't stand metal-growls, always prefered the high-pitched clamped-balls vocals that makes me wonder if the guy up there on stage forgot to take his pills.

But thrash is good old JCM 800 and a drive pedal, isn't it?
 
I don't think I'll sell my (RI) 800. If I ever have my own rehearsal room, it'll be there with my fenders and my divided by 13 FTR
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The lack of dynamics in the sound is absolute.

Could be crappy modelers or crappy use of them. Once I first came to Fractal-land via the Ultra, dynamics in metal tones were far less difficult to achieve, because gain and master volume interacted the way they were supposed to. Prior to that, the modelers I'd used didn't even have a master volume parameter, just level. The fizz...my god, the fizz.
 
I guess most of us would answer the same when asked if we think a guitar tone sounds like metal, or not.

Them's fightin' words. :D

A lot of metal tones are remarkably low gain, clear, and even dynamic. Some of the bad ones are so distorted and saturated that they sound like a vacuum cleaner in a garbage can.
 
Born and rised in classical music but listening to metal since ‘86.
My last purchases are Behemoth, Terror, Revocation, Parway Drive...

I’m playing my own stuffs and still searching for my sound. But it’s in the metal realm until I learn to play guitar ;)
 
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