Alt-Metal

What can I say?

Well for one, this is pretty much my favorite genre. Second, not enough people know about it. Third, I can link to our page on it.

My favorite Alt-metal bands:

• Alice In Chains
• Alter Bridge
• Audioslave
• Deftones
• Disturbed
• Faith No More
• Marilyn Manson
• Mudvayne
• Soundgarden
• Stone Sour
• System Of A Down

PS:Yes, we have a metal topic, but most of these bands probably can't be discussed there.

edited 17th Oct '14 10:23:54 AM by Alucard

I enjoy alt-metal a lot. It's a criminally-underrated genre (especially since its public face is kind-of embarassing).

Favourite alt-metal bands:

• Alice in Chains
• Deftones
• Disturbed
• Faith No More
• Korn (yes, I know, they started Nu Metal, but I like what I like)
• Nine Inch Nails
• Rage Against the Machine
• System of a Down
• Tool
• Type O Negative, though they'd be a lot more welcomed on the metal thread than the other bands.

I would also add Nirvana, and they are on the alt-metal band list, but they're more "technically alt-metal" and not a straightforward example.

I also like enjoy Primus and Living Colour, but I wouldn't consider them favourites from the genre.

edited 26th Jan '10 3:41:02 AM by Lordnecronus

not enough people know about it

Haha.

edited 26th Jan '10 7:23:57 AM by Litis

... "Altmetall◊"? ._.

^ lol.

not enough people know about it

My view on this: it's not that people don't know about it, it's just that they lump it all together as Nu Metal.

• Alice in Chains
• Breaking Benjamin
• Celldweller
• Coheed and Cambria
• Dir en grey
• Disturbed
• Evanescence
• Faith No More
• Incubus
• Korn
• Linkin Park
• Machinae Supremacy
• Nine Inch Nails
• Rage Against the Machine
• Red
• Slipknot
• Stone Sour
• Three Days Grace
• Trapt

I think it's funny to note I included damn near half of the list I previously gave in the Metal topic. Maybe that's why I'm not really a metalhead. That and the fact I listed four Post-Grunge bands.

edited 27th Jan '10 12:14:35 PM by Kitsune Inferno

^ The overlap between post-grunge and alt-metal is minimal, but it's there. Note that if a post-grunge band becomes heavier, they usually become a Nu-metal band. If a post-grunge band becomes heavier while following more closely with their classic grunge roots, they're alt-metal (one of alt-metal's many forms is "heavy grunge")

I'd like to note that I have music by:

• Evanescence
• Flyleaf
• Incubus
• Jane's Addiction
• Ko Rn
• Saliva
• Slipknot
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Staind
• Three Days Grace
• Tool
• Trapt
• Rob Zombie

But I either don't enjoy their music as alt-metal, or they aren't amongst my favorites.

edited 12th May '10 6:03:29 AM by Alucard

Which explains why so many Nu Metal bands switched to Post-Grunge. Just eliminate the hip-hop/electronic influences, take one actual guitar lesson, and keep the wangst levels the same. All for having the undeserved attention of uncritical music consumers once again. I don't really hate Nu Metal and Post-Grunge, it's just that almost every band in those two genres sound EXACTLY the fucking same!

But why do people insist on calling Linkin Park alternative metal? They don't have any heavy riffs. Like, at all. I guess

edited 27th Jan '10 7:05:08 AM by Litis

Probably because they were a Nu Metal band, which is a subgenre of Alternative Metal. Or because Chester screams a LOT. Then again, does Incubus really have heavy riffs? Or do I just have a VERY lax definition of metal?

edited 27th Jan '10 12:22:07 PM by Kitsune Inferno

Or do I just have a VERY lax definition of metal?

If you're categorising Linkin Park and Incubus as metal, then yes. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

That's the beauty of alt-metal: the definition is extremely loose and floaty, yet it still manages to be an exclusive club.

You could throw the alt-metal tag at a million bands and they could fit, but less then 1/4 of them will be considered good alt-metal bands.

In my mind it's either Faith No More or Tool who are the kings of alt-metal.

edited 8th Feb '10 6:01:06 AM by Alucard

Alt-Metal is probably still my favorite genre. Maybe because I insist on considering some branches of melodic death metal and most metalcore as alternative metal anyways.

Look- call me stupid- but I've looked at some of those lists, and some of those bands sound nothing alike. I've counted industrial, nu-metal, grunge... you name it. How exactly are Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine part of the same genre? Or is 'alt metal' just a catch-all term for 'mainstream rock and metal'?

^ In a simple way, alt-metal can be described as "metal + alt-rock". Considering how vague those two genres are on their own, combining them results in... the most vague genre of all time. There's no defining alt-metal sound, at least not that I can hear.

Before anyone brings it up (alternative genre being mainstream), the reason it's called alternative metal is because it serves as an alternative to the other metal genres, which are on the whole not so mainstream.

edited 28th Jan '10 1:10:04 PM by Lordnecronus

so, I delete posts and put my feet in my mouth how?

edited 28th Jan '10 11:02:10 PM by Jackpot

Oh, OK. I sort of get the gist...

"Alt-metal" is kinda tongue-in-cheek definition, since it involves any metal that isn't traditional, and what is "traditional" is really subjective. The only think you can definitely make up for this genre is that Iron Maiden, Dragonforce and Cannibal Corpse aren't part of it. HAHAHAH

edited 30th Jan '10 9:41:00 AM by NEO

What I like is that alt-metal bands are rarely focused on heaviness, give more attention to melody (not saying other forms of metal don't do this), and they enjoy the use of Mix And Match Genres. I think that could be why several alt-metal bands overlap with prog.

edited 31st Jan '10 3:52:52 AM by Alucard

DISTURBED!!! Wait, do Deathstars count as alt metal or simply metal?

From what I've heard, no. But they combine aspects of Gothic metal and industrial, so Your Mileage May Vary; Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie sit in the industrial side while Evanescence and Type O Negative are on the gothic side. All of these I consider alt-metal bands.

Anyone listen to Bleeding Me by Metallica? It's so alt-metal it could be an Alice In Chains song.

edited 8th Feb '10 6:06:39 AM by Alucard

Hell yes, I totally love it. Bleeding Me is one of my favorites, right after Enter Sandman and No Remorse.

the most vague genre of all time

Yo, Indie, I'm real happy for you, and I'mma let you finish, but Alt-Metal is the most vaguely defined genre of all time, OF ALL TIME!!!

Type O Negative are NOT alt-metal. They are classic Gothic/Doom Metal.

Interesting case regarding Type O Negative... even though I listed them as a favourite alt-metal band earlier in this thread, I don't think they're exactly an alt-metal band, at least not to the extent of the others. Which begs the question: why did I add them to the above list if I don't think they're alt-metal? The mind boggles.

I was waiting for a while for someone to point out Type O Negative, and was tempted to do it myself just to see what would happen. I've been beaten to it, it seems. As for actual reasons as to why they're considered alt-metal, I've got none.