I'm sorry for double posting, but...
Since joining Metal Hell I've been trying to find out "what metal is"... And why certain bands (you all know what bands *coughslpkntetc.cough*) are not classified as metal even though they have the message and heaviness in their music. Now I think I've come across one idea I could very well agree with. This was taken from another topic, but the poster never mentioned the source, so I have really no way of knowing if it's originally from Metal Hell itself:
METAL:
"Metal is best defined by it's use of complex guitars. It can range greatly, bands with heavier bass/drums are usualy considered heavy metal, stuff with dual guitars at a fast pace is grindcore, etc. etc.
This is the reason why bands like Slipknot are NOT metal. Jim plays several chords, but only in a few songs does he change. This isn't to say he's a bad guitarist, it's just to say that's all the songs call for. Mick is just 'noise' guitar, if you've seen them in concert you'll know he plays very little variations. Yet, Chris and Shawn both play their custom precussion, along with Joey's drum, which gives SK a very heavy, primal sound. Few bands achieve this sound, and Slipknot is very hard to categorize because of this, but a general name for it would be just plain ole hard rock.
Bands like Nightwish use the complex guitars, mixed with classical vocals and a VERY skilled keyboardist xHe is one of the nastiest out there, if you know anything about keyboards) to do much like slipknot do, and give themselves their own unique sound. But, because the basic feel is that of a fairly fast paced, complex guitarist, it can be generaly categorized as metal.
The key to categorizing bands is breaking down their formula. You find what the center of the band is, what the supporting pieces are, vocals, etc, then look at the band. Korn is in no way metal, because of the expansive bass lines they use, Disturbed focuses heavily on it's vocalist and the rest of the band uses a basic heavy rock sound to support it." -Not by me.
So there. I think this might have some truth to it, don't you? As I'm sure everyone already knows , I'm a huge fan of Disturbed and had some trouble understanding the weird quircks of categorizing hard/heavy music. Now my tormented soul might finally find some peace...
....okay.. go on and dump this theory... If you can...
