Good melodic metal? (no harsh vocals)

Plankton · 07-31-2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

That's cool. What kind of band is Zoetrope?

Thrash Metal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope_(band)

grindy · 07-31-2018, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

I'm taking these strictly chronologically. Your pick is either next or quite close.

Sorry, didn't notice that you handle it that way.

Anteater · 08-01-2018, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

Queensrÿche - Neue Regel

WARNING, major unedited ramble incoming. Love it or leave it!:

I've known about this band for years and years. They're prog metal giants, so how could I not? But, while I've given them a listen here and there, I've never really connected with their music. Part of that is because of Tate going by that particular "yelping" style of singing that several prog and thrash band vocalists did back then.
Like with most things, there's exceptions. For the second time in this thread, I want to bring up Flotsam & Jetsam. I quite dig the album where this song is from
(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxVOnNVhxwY), despite the vocalist going for that exact style of singing.

If I may be allowed to go on a tangent here, that specific vocal style was always a bit weird to me. I generally like singersto be credibly expressing some real,
relatable emotions or states of mind.
This Geoff Tate style "yelping" thing is... a bit odd to say the least. It seemed to downright dominate some avenues of metal at a certain point in time, but I never really connected with it. James Labrie (of Dream Theater fame) is the main bad guy in this story, since he took this vocal style to an extreme, where absolutely NO LINE HE EVER SUNG could possibly register as being truly "felt". He always comes off as being fake to the maximum possible degree. I'm wise to the fact that most vocalists have to pretend to some degree, but that's not really the issue. I'm okay with knowing that the singer is acting, but I want that acting to be convincing. That's the difference.
To me, Tate and his luminaries are B movie actors, acting in films that could benefit from something more real (or at least a convincing lie (which is how actress Juliette Lewis once descdribed acting in an interview: It's not hard. You just have to lie.)) Now, for sure, B-movie acting can be great. I ****ing adore Brad Dourif in the cult movie classic Spontaneous Combustion. That's B-movie acting, but with a heavy load of energy and charisma. Geoff Tate doesn't quite pull that off.
He's not an active detriment to this music, but apart from having good vocal range, I'm not really sure why he's so adored by prog metal heads. He's better than James LaBrie.
Let's leave it at that.

Fair enough. Just remember that, especially on Rage For Order, Tate is expressing more abstract ideas about mankind's evolving relationship with technology. It's a reoccurring theme throughout the album and so when he sings he takes on a role similar to a prophet. I like Flotsam & Jetsam too, but as you mentioned they're very similar at times to the prog-metal approach that QR cultivated, so I'm not sure what they're doing different that you like more. Glad you generally enjoyed things overall though.

~~MicShazam~~ · 08-02-2018, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

The only melodic metal I need.
Interested to hear Mic's thoughts about the band.

Psychotic Waltz - Butterfly

I feel like this is basically Nevermore for people who don't like Nevermore. Which means it's for me, sincee I think Nevermore is kinda meh.
This just seems more exciting and less overbearingly melodramatic. I also feel like the guitar playing has comparatively more purpose and less widdly-widdly-wee.

Of course I'm being simplistic here, as it doesn't sound that much like Nevermore, but there are a few ways in which I think Psychotic Waltz seems like a similar band.
Cool rhythm section btw. This becomes obvious when listening through the whole thing.
Seems like they probably wont fall in the trap of being too one note. There's several kinds of dynamism to this particular track.

Definitely a band I'd like to hear more of.

~~MicShazam~~ · 08-03-2018, 05:01 AM

I like several things with Anneke Van Giersbergen, including the Gathering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi6J4f3MjTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX9nHYj95gw

Mondo Bungle · 08-03-2018, 07:50 PM

~~MicShazam~~ · 08-04-2018, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

How about Mammatus? The focus is on melodic guitar work, and the vocals, when they do make an appearance, are not harsh.

Mammatus - Dragon of the Deep Part Three (Excellent Swordfight)

Never heard about these guys before. Is it really metal though? I know it gets kinda muddy when you go back to the genesis years for the genre, but my personal metal-o-meter wouldn't be moving at all if no one had told me it was metal. I Googled the band and see that they formed in 2005. Damn convincing retro artwork and music style/production. Almost had me fooled. Which shows you how little I've been listening to proto-metal, probably.

Either way, I gave it a few listens. Maybe a bit too stoned for my tastes at times, but it's pretty good. I liked some of the grooves and there's a lot of neat things going on in terms of how everything sounds. I've checked out loads of modern metal bands with a retro style. This band has more personality than the vast majority of them. When the singer finally comes in during this lengthy track, I felt reminded of anotehr "modern retro metal band". Haven't listened to them in a few years, but the obvious Ozzy-aping made me think of Count Raven.
To a lesser degree, maybe Pagan Altar. They're both more directly Sabbath inspired though. This band feels more well rounded than most bands who just rip off one aspect of another band.
Now that I think of it, I should really listen to Count Raven and Pagan Altar again. It's been years! Maybe I'll like them better now.
If anyone here likes them, let me know!

Flotsam and Jetsam - I Live You Die

Bungle posted this one. Didn't work in my territory, so I had to find another version. This one is remastered, but I don't know what difference it makes.
I've owned the Flotsam and Jetsam album "When The Storm Comes Down" for years, but for some reason, I never went out of my way to get any other albums.
I've listened to the album this rec is from ("No Place For Disgrace") before on YT in the past, but never really had that moment where I felt impressed.
The thing is, I'm just not more of a thrash metal guy at the end of the day. This is pretty allright, but I prefer how the other album I mentioned is a bit more proggy and
less thrashy. I don't know. I feel torn. This seems like good music, but I just feel so much like this particular boat has sailed for me in some way.

Anteater · 08-04-2018, 07:25 PM

A few others came to mind for this thread recently.

These guys have lost their edge over the years, but in the late 80's and early 90's they were a force to be reckoned with in melodic metal.

Radakka were a weird band who formed in the mid 90's in Chicago who had elements of progressive metal, funk, thrash and some groove metal. Malice And Tranquility is a hidden gem IMO. Might be up your alley if you like the Flotsam & Jetsam's proggier side.

The Batlord · 08-04-2018, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

A few others came to mind for this thread recently.

These guys have lost their edge over the years, but in the late 80's and early 90's they were a melodic force to be reckoned with in melodic metal.

Dude wtf. The video hadn't loaded and I was reading this and Pretty Maids popped into my head. Good ****.

galt54 · 08-04-2018, 11:44 PM

Does Blue Öyster Cult count as heavy metal?

BÖC were making melodic heavy music way back in the early 1970s.

08-04-2018, 11:44 PM	#120 (permalink)
galt54 Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: A suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. Posts: 191	Böc Does Blue Öyster Cult count as heavy metal? BÖC were making melodic heavy music way back in the early 1970s.

08-03-2018, 05:01 AM	#115 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	I like several things with Anneke Van Giersbergen, including the Gathering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi6J4f3MjTc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX9nHYj95gw