Metal Heads Assemble!!

[Forlorn Drifter]

Any of you guys have "deal breakers" when it comes to metal? Anything that you just can't do/won't listen to?

Mine would have to be bad vocals. I don't know how many bands I liked... until I heard their vocalist. This applies more to harsh vocals, but a lot of newer power metal I've looked into, along with symphonic, have some poor vocals now.

I also don't do bad drummers/drum machines. More of an issue for small or local bands, but still an issue for me.

[Lone Wanderer]

Any of you guys have "deal breakers" when it comes to metal? Anything that you just can't do/won't listen to?

Mine would have to be bad vocals. I don't know how many bands I liked... until I heard their vocalist. This applies more to harsh vocals, but a lot of newer power metal I've looked into, along with symphonic, have some poor vocals now.

I also don't do bad drummers/drum machines. More of an issue for small or local bands, but still an issue for me.

Bad vocals is usually the biggest deal breaker for me. I LOVE harsh vocals, but anyone who's only screaming at mid range should usually not be a vocalist. I'm not a big fan of a lot of styles of singing, so that's a problem too.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Any of you guys have "deal breakers" when it comes to metal? Anything that you just can't do/won't listen to?

Mine would have to be bad vocals. I don't know how many bands I liked... until I heard their vocalist. This applies more to harsh vocals, but a lot of newer power metal I've looked into, along with symphonic, have some poor vocals now.

I also don't do bad drummers/drum machines. More of an issue for small or local bands, but still an issue for me.

It's hard to say. Most of the metal I detest has multiple things wrong with it, as opposed to a singular "deal breaker."

That said, I stay far, far away from anything NSBM/Nazi related (obviously).

[Forlorn Drifter]

Bad vocals is usually the biggest deal breaker for me. I LOVE harsh vocals, but anyone who's only screaming at mid range should usually not be a vocalist. I'm not a big fan of a lot of styles of singing, so that's a problem too.

I'm seriously starting to question it all. I've had huge issues dealing with some of these crappy vocalists. I don't know if there's just a lack of ability, or these people really think they're good.

Of course, I don't like shrieky vocals, and not many "extreme" bands use clean vocals well.

It's hard to say. Most of the metal I detest has multiple things wrong with it, as opposed to a singular "deal breaker."

That said, I stay far, far away from anything NSBM/Nazi related (obviously).

You can have more than one dealbreaker per band of course. Just anything you might not like.

On the second point, I think most everyone here does. I really question anything that Stormfront would be proud of.

[BoneSnapDeez]

If I had to list thinks I dislike in metal I would say.......
- flaccid, raspy mid-paced vocals used by "mainstream" black metals (like modern-day Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, etc).
- wanky, soulless technical riffs.
- production that's way too clean and pop-like.
- useless intros, outros, and filler tracks.
- some more stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting...

[BurningDoom]

My dislikes:

-Completely gutteral vocals without anything else to ever break it up (like Cannibal Corpse or Six Feet Under, for example)

-Extremely whiney vocals. Where it sounds like the band is always crying about something. Staind went though this for a while. And Korn has always sounded like they're whining.

-Rapping in metal. I can't think of a single band I like that does this. I hate Limp Bizkit, I hate Kid Rock, I hate Uncle Kracker, I hate P.O.D., and I hate Rage Against the Machine. I do like a little Linkin Park, but the songs I do like pretty much don't have rap in them.

-No complexity in the music at all. Metallica's St. Anger album immediately comes to mind. I hated how simplistic and stripped down it sounded, especially coming from such a normally big and epic sounding band.

-Any band that commits acts of violence against churches or people (this stuff is really happening in Europe). And what I really hate about it, is that I really enjoy the Black Metal style, and it's pretty much only bands from that sub-genre that are doing it (that's not to say it's all of them, though, it's only a small handful of incidents).

[Forlorn Drifter]

Bone and Doom both have some good ones.

Another personal one would be Anti-Christian bands. Just a no go.

I'm also aggravated by overdone metal. There is a point where you try to fit in too much at once. Technical metal is really bad about that. It gets to the point that its not a riff or any kind of tune, its just a mash up of guitars, drums, and more than likely shitty vocals.

[Ack]

-Rapping in metal. I can't think of a single band I like that does this. I hate Limp Bizkit, I hate Kid Rock, I hate Uncle Kracker, I hate P.O.D., and I hate Rage Against the Machine. I do like a little Linkin Park, but the songs I do like pretty much don't have rap in them.

Ever listen to downset.? Of all the rap/hardcore fusion bands, I always preferred them.

Example: Anger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqh_AzlEjKU

[AppleQueso]

I can't think of much that's an actual outright deal-breaker.

Maybe 90 second porn/horror samples? Dammit Mortician look what you've done...

[Gamerforlife]

I should point out that a lot of stuff I mentioned in an earlier post are not things I hate about metal, just things that I think would seem weird or ridiculous to an outsider. For example, I don't really have an issue with pagan worship personally, but that stuff would seem pretty effed up to the average American

As for the current discussion, I don't know of anything that is a complete and total deal breaker as I'm open minded. There is some stuff I don't generally gravitate to in metal though

I generally don't get into Doom metal or black metal. I do like Agalloch though, and some Cradle of Filth songs

I don't generally like overly cheesy power metal, especially when it's about the played out D&D/LOTR fantasy type stuff. I find Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth really silly. I much prefer listening to a metal album about real life medieval battles, like some of the stuff Eluveitie covered in their last album Helvetios. There's a fine line for me with power metal in general. Some of it seems ridiculous to me, but I always enjoy Kamelot and a few Grave Digger songs too oddly enough. In general though, if I hear a song with a rousing chorus of medieval dudebro warriors singing about slaying a dragon, I turn off the song.

I gravitate heavily towards melodic metal bands. If there's no melodic elements, it's harder to catch my interest. Melodic death metal bands like Kalmah usually hit the sweet spot for me, or Dethklok, In Flames, etc.

I don't have much interest in anything that passes for Christian metal. I don't need religious preaching in my music, though I don't mind songs based on religious stories or characters if it's just about telling a story through music rather than sending some kind of message

I don't like really long songs in general. Anything over five minutes can lose my interest unless it's done REALLY well, like Iced Earth's Gettysburg trilogy or their epic Dante's Inferno

I'm not really into banshee, wailing singers but I don't mind Judas Priest or some of Iced Earth's stuff with Ripper Owens. Generally though, I prefer growly vocals or just plain clean ones

I'm not generally in metalcore

I don't like overly complex songs, or I guess what one person referred to as "technical" metal. I'm not sure how to explain it, but with some bands it's like it's more about showing off their skills than making genuinely good songs

I'm a sucker for a good guitar solo. When a song doesn't have one, or just has a really brief one, I tend to get disappointed. A good, long guitar solo can sometimes be the most awesome part of a song

I have always been a big fan of Metallica's early years, yet oddly enough I don't listen to much thrash metal these days other than Metallica's early material. It's like it's so good I don't feel like anything else will be able to compare

I'm not big into nu metal, but I don't have as much hate for it as some people. I'll admit to having enjoyed the occasional Linkin Park or Korn song, but for the most part I ignore mainstream metal