I go everything 80's NWOBHM, the Sunset Strip Hair metal through to groove metal to all the modern metal and deathcore and black metal and post blackmetal.. metal is in a really great place right now. It's not better, or worse. It's all good!
I think metal as a genre and it's culture has had many ups and downs over the years. I don't think there is one that is blatantly better than the other.
So last week I decided go through all my bands from the 80's to the current day and made a playlist for each decade. And I realaized that there has never been a time where there wasn't amazing albums coming out really. There's just patterns of sub genres stagnating but at the same time other ones are being created/revived, music is constantly evolving!
the death metal, black metal and later thrash albums of the early to mid 90s are absolutely the best metal ever produced! there is a certain vibe and feel emotionally to alot of it, which is what makes it memorable for me, newer metal just doesnt have that power or edge to it, it doesnt sound as angry, deranged or sad as some of the old stuff
You haven't listened to enough new metal then. All that stuff you mentioned all sounds the same to me. To me it isn't powerful or edgy at all. You want power or edge? Listen to slaughter to prevail, Lorna Shore, Brand of sacrifice or upon a burning body to name just a few.
Power? Anger? Deranged? Sad? Heard of Whitechapel? Not into the super heavy shit? Try Falling in Reverse, Ronnie Radke and Phil Boseman are some of the most powerfully sad vocalists
I grew up on classic metal before finding 2000s metal, which I could instantly connect to since they had very clear classic influences (like A7X drawing from Metallica and GNR, BFMV drawing from Iron Maiden, Lamb of God drawing from Pantera and Slayer, and the melodeath riffs played by AILD, PWD, ABR, KSE, ATR, Trivium etc). Current metal doesn't have that same connection to the classics imo, which is probably why it hasn't appealed to me as much.
Plenty of metalcore songs have solos now. New colors by resolve (their newest single from their new up coming album) has an awesome solo in it for example. I could name several more from the past few years too. Imminence includes solos, so does orbit culture, there's plenty.
@@daltonevans3412 yeah Ik but my argument is classic solos just hits different. The attitude and style now it’s just how many notes can I fit in 30 seconds
@@thefakefrydryce6304 (with keeping in mind that everyone has their own opinions), the "lots of notes/fast playing does not equal good" arguement is so tired. A solo can be melodic and not have to be a pentatonic bendshred fest. Fast runs can serve a purpose melodically/rhythmically, and i argue there are players out there now who are making way more interesting guitar work/solos than (not all) but most classic metal has.
@@yolospartanch6577 like nik said, people are learning at a faster rate so makes sense that guitar work is changing and evolving at a tremendous rate. And I agree when done right the fast sweeps can be a useful tool. It’s hit or miss for me. For example, Dan from ice nine kills does a lot of sweeps but his solos are crazy good. I guess it’s dependent on how you use it and context. But how many guitar solos you hear on a mainstream level compared to the 80s? Just wish the idea of a guitar solo would comeback cuz it’s the guitarist opportunity to showcase his skills and talents rather than pitch-shift 0 and 1 chugs. But just like guitar solos when done right it can sound good. Idk it’s subjective I guess
@@thefakefrydryce6304 I actually agree with most of what you said, there are a lot of guitarists from back in the day too who use fast and melodic playing together, Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame is first to mind, and I also agree that the idea of “guitar solo” is kinda dead or unexplored in a lot of modern metal, but on the flip side there is also a lot of cool stuff happening right now with guitar and modern metal music, in similar ways that it was cool back when classic metal was coming out
As someone who's been playing jazz/swing music as a hobby for 30 years (jesus...) I definitely agree with the quantize comment taking the life out of song certain songs. That sort of precision works for very straight / classical music where everything is spaced equally around a beat (and therefore works well with a lot of types of metal music, especially fast stuff). But if you want real groove in your song quantizing it is going to kill it... you need that slight delay to keep the feeling.
When it comes to 'memorable solos' prog still easily makes incredible solos, for example a majority of Haken's solos are so abstract and fun they stick with me just as strongly as metallica-one from my childhood on guitar hero 3.
Absolutely agree with the weak soungwriting. Today we have songs that are just riff salads that have a very weak throughline. Back in the 80's the riff just fit the song. I think where Nick is getting hung up on is that the musicians are just so much more technical and better now. That makes it seem like the songwriting is still on the level as it once was.
@dragonballfanscantread2383 the red in the sky is ours sucks ass compared to later releases because it sounds like a demo with that awful production. Also At The Gates is a mid band, there are better melodic death metal releases like Skydancer and The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity
@dragonballfanscantread2383 how the fuck does me saying sound waves arranged together sounding good is subjective make me a solipsist. Art is, and always has been, subjective. It isn;t science or math. Some might say polyphia is great because they have complex guitars while sounding melodic, while others will argue that they are actually boring and their songs[music technically] have no meaning
The reason solos don't stand out more is because the songs they complement don't stand out. Oversaturation of a certain genre or idea will dilute all effect a good solo might have.
This and also imo modern prog has blended lead and rhythm guitars to a point where it's expected a guitarist does both, and often even both at the same time. Riffs are so lead-y nowadays that solo's aren't even necesarily the most wow-factor moment in a song, whereas I think that was their primary effect like 20 30 40 years ago. All those things combined make it why I think it's okay there's not a lot of soloing going on in modern metal. If used sparingly on an album, solo's can really hit hard and make a special song even more awesome. But I think it's good people try to focus more on songwriting, groove or interesting sections instead of adding a solo at the end of every song.
@@halloweenfan158 if you never liked solo's of any kind... that's not 'good' either. You'll lose out on a lot of instrumental music, theres more to soloing than guitars. But Im sure you were being over the top and are not actually wondering 'why people like them'
@@wavewithus4081 I am wondering tho. I don’t like instrumental music because there is no meaning. I don’t care how bad the instrumentation and the voice is as long as the lyrics are good. The lyrics are the only thing that matters to me
@@halloweenfan158 you do you. And maybe you feel like there is no meaning to instrumental music, but that's not 'the truth'. You just can't vibe with it or can't find meaning in music if it isnt given to you in words. I *feel* a lot in instrumental music, it resonates with me, it inspires me and keeps my chin up, it can tick all the boxes for me.
Being from the 2000s metalcore generation with all that remains, killswitch, trivium etc, pretty sure all the the things bradley loved about BOTH genres apply to those bands. Great hooks, great guitar, (usually) good production. Also, the black band t-shirts and cargo shorts might have been the only metal aesthetic look that gave us an identity without making us look incredibly ridiculous
I'm very new to metalcore/deathcore, it's like my tastes have been refined to this perfect endpoint. I feel like a complete n00b (and am one) finding dozens of bands that I now love. I have a bit of guilty pleasure with the new Architects song, I wasn't around for what inspired it, but the track is a banger.
@@xezmakorewarriah Favouring hooks over melody, is the single biggest reason why the vast majority of Pop music after the late 90s have been insufferable and boring.
I think there's this one phase of late 80's / early 90's experimental metal - the initial phase of tech death/thrash - that's quite weirdly intriguing to me. And I haven't really found anything that's similarly good. Except maybe Sigh and bits of Esoctrilihum. I'm talking about bands like Nocturnus and Pestilence.
I’m not a fan of “modern metal” styles, but I’ll say this- now is the best time to be a metalhead. Access to music of all varieties, old and new, is infinitely greater thanks to streaming and the barrier of entry for finding great new metal, and also writing and recording great new metal, has been very well broken. There’s plenty of great metal coming out nowadays, modern and old-school-style. I feel fortunate to live in that kind of musical environment
Being a metalhead is so good nowadays. I have access to everything ever made on a phone, decent sounding speakers and headphones are cheap, the quality of music (if you step away from streaming but even so) production is incredible.
I love this guy mentioned the production quality of old songs. Got into Amon Amarth almost a year ago now. Started with their more popular albums, but never really got into their first 3-4 albums. They sounded so rough and I couldn't vibe with it properly. However, on Spotify they released live dvd versions of the first 4 albums and my god. Their first albums are my favorite now. They played the songs very well live and the mixing was solid. I'll rarely add live songs to my playlists as I usually prefer the studio but in this case the whole 4 albums sounded so much better
in my opinion bands have way more potential that they ever had but they will stick with the generic formula and do good anyway, that's my biggest problem with modern metal. I agree 100% with the ''weak songwriting'' section that bradley mentioned, I don't think that he meant ''hey overcomplex riffs/prog/tech metal is bad'' like nik thinks, I feel like he said ''doing overcomplexed riffs does not = good if you doesn't do a good songwriting''
I'm weird. At 51, I've gone through all the stages of metal and I... like... them... all. As for modern metal, they're essentially (with a few exceptions) the polished amalgamations of the past. I think that's great. Seeing a bunch of veteran musicians killing it right now in Spiritbox, something that rarely happens in any era, is a testament to how you can't predict jack. Good music is good music and no one gets to control what succeeds.
Thats how I feel about dubstep and it's various evolutions. I like the classics, I like the stuff that came out this week, I like the old UK style, the modern aggressive tearout, the weird glitchy stuff.. Music is incredible.
Without a doubt, yes! More is better and I love the variety and sub genres. I still love the 80-90’s metal I cut my teeth on, but this is an awesome time to be alive metal-wise 🤘🏼
As far as modern metal solos go, none really jump out at me or resonate with me...that is unless they were crafted by the almighty Flo from Novelists. He's an example of a player who could shred his ass off, but reserves himself so that every note used and means of articulation are meaningful and that he could tell an effective story with them.
Personally I would say that core/modern metal isn't for me, I tried to get into bands like Sleep Token and I just can't, but thats not to say that there aren't contemporary bands that I like, there's lots of bands who have a classic sound but with modern techniques and mixing, that really hit the sweet spot for me
I personally like bands from both classic and modern era metal for different reasons. One thing I am a bit sad about is that there are not that many vocalists in the style of Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Rob Halford and Jon Oliva maybe. Don't get me wrong, there are still amazing vocalists in the modern era, but I feel that style of vibrado-heavy powerful head voice singing isn't very much present these days.
I get the feeling that most people who participate in the "is modern metal better or worse than classic metal?" discussion generally have a very narrow and limited knowledge of metal, they generally have little awareness of the scene outside of a few metalcore bands that happen to be currently popular in America, which they think is "modern metal".
7:18 as a long term musician I must say today it's all about fun and that is how it should be.. I prefer having a kid on the guitar having a fun time than a heroin addict
Ever heard of SYX from Portland whoregon or domeshots from California or five foot thick or Takeover from spokane? The fuggin agony scene, the darkest red? Carnifex, Mitch and the silent suicides, all shall perish, (original) I declare war and lets not forgettabout that good ole' "Francis and the breakdowns!" 😂
No problem with that, thinking about being counter culture is too edgy for a mature 50 years old genre. It needs creativity and expansion to new sounds, not trying to be a teen who hates the system.
@@zinAab79 it needs expansion to new sounds that aren't even a little bit metal in any traditional sense? All you are doing is making metal music into pop music and it sucks
I love modern Metal, but I feel like musicians have it a lot harder these days. Ofc the internet makes everything more accessible etc but that's also exactly the problem - so many up and coming bands, everyone can easily access everything, but that's exactly why it's super hard to make it as a band. To make yourself known and then earn money from it seems impossible in modern ages.
I think in terms of guitar work and solos classic metal is easily better, but in general the best songs from each era are equally great, even tho I might not listen to some styles/subgenres
Metal is metal. Old metal is amazing, new metal is amazing. All metal is amazing and I love everyone who listens to literally any genre of metal because metal is awesome.
My key takeaways: 1. One of a few things I agree with Nik: It is more fun today. "Poser" accusation thrown out a lot back in the day. There is still purist or elitist out there today, but they are getting call out more. xD 2. My number ONE personal point & favorite coincides with Brad's point: The lack of memorable & good guitar solo today. One of the main reasons I listen primarily to Japanese rock/metal bands with consistent guitar (and other instrument) solo, incorporated in their song writing. Try Galneryus, Unlucky Morpheus & Lovebites. 3. I'm relatively young, but the peak era for metal was early 80s to late 90s. Doesn't mean that there are no good bands today. The majority of them (really good ones) are in Japan, IMHO.
What bothers me about modern metal, is that some metal genres are losing their identity. Take Nu-Metal, which is a Fusion of metal and Hip-hop, that's fine because that is what Nu-Metal is suppose to be, that's it's identity. But when you take Metalcore or Post-Hardcore and fuse it with Modern pop/Hip-hop then that changes it into something that it's not and in my opinion is a mockery of the genre and it seems that more and more bands are now adding modern pop into their music and it worries me that within the next couple of generations, metal will no longer be metal. Even, Pop Punk is somewhat losing the identity in the pop aspect, pop punk use to have it's own style of pop that rocked, now it's like this mainstream Pop sound that you hear in your typical MTV pop song.
That’s what I’ve been noticing, as well. It’s been getting on my nerves how when you think metalcore and post - hardcore, it’s usually the modern or revival stuff, not the stuff you heard in the ‘90s, which is superior and what made the genres the way they are.
I think it should be said that classic metal has filtered out all the trash bands due to the effects of time. We can look back at prime 80s metal and see Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but we don’t see the 100s of mediocre bands that didn’t push the genre and didn’t survive.
I think people will be saying the same thing about the current trends in metal 10-20 years from now. That’s how it always is, we remember the good and memorable stuff and forget the shit
@@MrWill9894 100%, it’s just with modern metal we see everything, not just the cream of the crop. I’m sure if we were talking about this in the 80s, we’d probably say that the industry is swamped by hair metal bands that all do the same thing.
DragonForce just released a single, and it's heavily stripped down. Disco metal song. It's not like traditional DragonForce, but it sounds like they are exploring more things now that the bass player was replaced. Lots of catchy 80s-early 90s style lately. I also love the amount of bass in the song It almost sounds like they want to make more songs to bring in more fans. There's a joke at the end of every concert for a while: "this is for the girlfriends that came with their boyfriends!" and they'll do My Heart Will Go On. A side-effect, the guys are singing along at the concert.
I think an important difference is Radio Vs Streaming. Old metal has been and will continue to be overplayed by radio stations, but modern metal is so prevalent and fresh with updated tracks regularly.
Yeah something about 2000s metal hits different. Can't even call it riding the nostalgia bus because I've only gotten big into metal in the last 7-8 years. Stumbling onto new songs on spotify I hadn't heard before, I can usually tell when a song is made in the 2000s. One album that kind of threw me off was "Awakened" by As I Lay Dying. Only a 2012 album but it still sounds like its straight out of early-mid 2000s (in my opinion). Was genuinely surprised to see when that one was made
@@giveitarub7215 some albums in 2010s also were on this level but these are albums from bands that started in 2000s like The Hunting Party by Linkin Park.
I doubt modern metal bends genres more than older metal. We just view classic metal through the lens of the future and forget that it too was a product of genre-bending. For example, Thrash was a mix of British New-Wave and punk. We only view modern metal as bending genres more because we are witnessing it happen at this very moment so that genre-bending seems unfamiliar to us. Anyone listening to sleep token in 50 years will just think “yep, this is what metal sounds like”.
It can bend more metal genres than before only for the fact of being modern, the maximum genres available to bend before were less compared to the current pool of possibilities.
I think modern metal (some point in the 90s onward but more so properly 2000 onward) mixing is better as you have a much higher chance of actually hearing bass.
@@tmw3489 I did say and a higher chance, I was not saying always. One notable example is older black metal with the shit production and you definitely can not hear the bass with most bands were as like with Behemoth now you certainly can. It also depends on what subgenres your looking at like if you tuning higher than say drop g you can still hear bass for sure, at least from what I listen to.
One thing I've noticed in internet discussions about modern metal is that many think that the only new thing that came out in the 2000s is corebased. But this was also the time the folk metal became huge (in Europe at least) and symphonic metal became big. Talk about genre bending. But that also means that I have to go against Bradley that modern metal is so miserable. Not all modern genres are miserable and negative, because beforementioned genres go exactly the other way. And tbf, I think that even NWOTHM has shown crossover tendencies and progress while having a retro core of 1980s heavy metal and thrash.
To me, _Heaven and Hell_ by Black Sabbath, _The Odyssey_ by Symphony X, and _In Cauda Venenum_ by Opeth are the best metal albums. Metal has continued to be great because of bands like Symphony X and Opeth.
My take: There's always been good and bad metal. My only problem with modern metal has more to do with how music is distributed, but that has nothing to do with the artists themselves and more to do with me being old and not knowing how to keep up with what's going on in modern metal.
Listening to modern and new music is also more fun because it’s new. If I were to listen to lots of old metal I’d feel stuck in the past in some ways. And now when it’s hard to be original today, true creativity really shines.
While I agree with your general sentiment, there’s also a thriving scene of newer old-school style metal bands that are putting out awesome music, so there’s always something new even in that style
I completely forgot this aspect but yeah very good point, you can still listen to newer up and coming bands (which for me is enjoyable in and of itself) while still getting some of that classic sound.
its the opposite for me, the older late 80s- early 90s death metal still sounds so fresh and groovy even 30 years later, but the new stuff doesnt actually sound new at all, just stolen riffs and some cliché breakdowns inbetween
Personally i love every era of metal, i'm not the bigest fan of nu metal but i don't consider it bad either, but i enjoy as much listening to rust in peace or a disgutsting breakdown from lorna shore
Modern metal definitely needs to do something about its songwriting. Anytime I hear someone simp Polaris or Invent Animate it just reminds me of how bargain-bin modern metal songwriting has become and how much mediocrity has become revered.
Modern metal is best because you literally have all the possibilities, you have unlimited access to +50 years of the influences and subgenres. If you want to listen to retro old school bands, there is a bunch of them doing it, if you want hooky stuff, it exist, extremely underground and experimental deranged stuff? you have it too. The more you explore, more things you can find and be surprised.
His point about "weak songwriting" doesn't just apply to prog, most other genres nowadays are pretty weak in term of using any tasty or interesting chord progression or cohessive and intereting song structures compared to old hard rock/metal stuff, not saying old is better, but I agree with him on that point
This is a pretty braindead take. All the progressions and structures are out there, if bands shared your limited tastes they would just recreate that... But they are actively choosing not to because what you're talking about isnt interesting or a mark or good songwriting.
What I love most about this (Nik's) video is how Nik doesn't react at all to Bradley's wet fart sound effects, especially when Nik pauses right in the middle of those farts. 😂
Nah, Bradley is right song writing is weak. It’s a all chugs, riffs and breakdowns. Which sound great, but song writing is just as important. Nik is wrong. Does Nik really want to reference the 80’s when it comes to song writing? “Battery”, “Blackened”, “One”, pretty much any Megadeth song, “And Then There Were None” by Exodus, etc. Song writing certainly meant something much more in the 80’s and told a story. There are positives and negatives to both.
I mean if you go looking for examples, you're gonna find them for either side of the argument. You can say bands (former and current) tell stories with their writing, easily. ISIS, Fair to Midland, Meniscus, Devin Townsend, Baroness, Mastodon, BTBAM, Soen, The Contortionist, I could go on. If you look for it you'll find it, you just have to step out of the echo chamber.
Dude metal is metal. There's a lot of variety today. Much more than yester years. More variety means more types of music...more metal more variances of material. I think it's all Good.
*HIT THE SUB BUTTON - IT'S FREEEE!*
Ok, but I've been subbed for a while
If I do that I will unsub :(
but do you do fun metal things here?
I've been subscribed for a while, bro!
How does THAT make you feel?
Who else just loves all types of metal, new and old
Iron Horse goes hard. But I also enjoy Howdilly Doodilly.
Me. I don't listen to much pre 2000 stuff though.
I love everything but trash.
Yeah me too
I go everything 80's NWOBHM, the Sunset Strip Hair metal through to groove metal to all the modern metal and deathcore and black metal and post blackmetal.. metal is in a really great place right now. It's not better, or worse. It's all good!
The most Nik has ever sounded like a twenty something year old core kid😂
I think metal as a genre and it's culture has had many ups and downs over the years. I don't think there is one that is blatantly better than the other.
So last week I decided go through all my bands from the 80's to the current day and made a playlist for each decade. And I realaized that there has never been a time where there wasn't amazing albums coming out really. There's just patterns of sub genres stagnating but at the same time other ones are being created/revived, music is constantly evolving!
@@henrywalton5967perfectly said
the death metal, black metal and later thrash albums of the early to mid 90s are absolutely the best metal ever produced! there is a certain vibe and feel emotionally to alot of it, which is what makes it memorable for me, newer metal just doesnt have that power or edge to it, it doesnt sound as angry, deranged or sad as some of the old stuff
You haven't listened to enough new metal then. All that stuff you mentioned all sounds the same to me. To me it isn't powerful or edgy at all. You want power or edge? Listen to slaughter to prevail, Lorna Shore, Brand of sacrifice or upon a burning body to name just a few.
@@einherjar3095sounds like a wall of noise. Lorna Shore's music sounds like it's been put in a blender. Where's the fucking RIFFS?
Power? Anger? Deranged? Sad? Heard of Whitechapel? Not into the super heavy shit? Try Falling in Reverse, Ronnie Radke and Phil Boseman are some of the most powerfully sad vocalists
"Slaughter to Prevail"
Bruh
Idk i find the new death metal songs to be so much better than the earlier stuff
You are the most gen z Metal TH-camr ever and I’m kinda all for it
Probably the reasom why he is so popular he is the most relatable person in metal for gen Z.
Just recently started to follow both you and Bradley Hall. I'm a 50 yr old metalhead and you guys are awesome.
I grew up on classic metal before finding 2000s metal, which I could instantly connect to since they had very clear classic influences (like A7X drawing from Metallica and GNR, BFMV drawing from Iron Maiden, Lamb of God drawing from Pantera and Slayer, and the melodeath riffs played by AILD, PWD, ABR, KSE, ATR, Trivium etc). Current metal doesn't have that same connection to the classics imo, which is probably why it hasn't appealed to me as much.
@dragonballfanscantread2383🤡
Classic metal has one thing that modern metal can’t beat and that’s guitar solos
Plenty of metalcore songs have solos now. New colors by resolve (their newest single from their new up coming album) has an awesome solo in it for example. I could name several more from the past few years too. Imminence includes solos, so does orbit culture, there's plenty.
@@daltonevans3412 yeah Ik but my argument is classic solos just hits different. The attitude and style now it’s just how many notes can I fit in 30 seconds
@@thefakefrydryce6304 (with keeping in mind that everyone has their own opinions), the "lots of notes/fast playing does not equal good" arguement is so tired. A solo can be melodic and not have to be a pentatonic bendshred fest. Fast runs can serve a purpose melodically/rhythmically, and i argue there are players out there now who are making way more interesting guitar work/solos than (not all) but most classic metal has.
@@yolospartanch6577 like nik said, people are learning at a faster rate so makes sense that guitar work is changing and evolving at a tremendous rate. And I agree when done right the fast sweeps can be a useful tool. It’s hit or miss for me. For example, Dan from ice nine kills does a lot of sweeps but his solos are crazy good. I guess it’s dependent on how you use it and context. But how many guitar solos you hear on a mainstream level compared to the 80s? Just wish the idea of a guitar solo would comeback cuz it’s the guitarist opportunity to showcase his skills and talents rather than pitch-shift 0 and 1 chugs. But just like guitar solos when done right it can sound good. Idk it’s subjective I guess
@@thefakefrydryce6304 I actually agree with most of what you said, there are a lot of guitarists from back in the day too who use fast and melodic playing together, Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame is first to mind, and I also agree that the idea of “guitar solo” is kinda dead or unexplored in a lot of modern metal, but on the flip side there is also a lot of cool stuff happening right now with guitar and modern metal music, in similar ways that it was cool back when classic metal was coming out
Darko Us and Lorna Shore just casually changing the game in the metalcore/deathcore genre
To be honest, I think Bradly was SPOT ON in both his pros and cons of modern and old metal... from the broader perspective... It is what it is.
People think all metal is death metal but metal is in my opinion the most diverse umbrella genre out of every genre of music
Metal has easily the most subgenres that can still be considered metal
As someone who's been playing jazz/swing music as a hobby for 30 years (jesus...) I definitely agree with the quantize comment taking the life out of song certain songs. That sort of precision works for very straight / classical music where everything is spaced equally around a beat (and therefore works well with a lot of types of metal music, especially fast stuff). But if you want real groove in your song quantizing it is going to kill it... you need that slight delay to keep the feeling.
When it comes to 'memorable solos' prog still easily makes incredible solos, for example a majority of Haken's solos are so abstract and fun they stick with me just as strongly as metallica-one from my childhood on guitar hero 3.
Absolutely agree with the weak soungwriting. Today we have songs that are just riff salads that have a very weak throughline. Back in the 80's the riff just fit the song. I think where Nick is getting hung up on is that the musicians are just so much more technical and better now. That makes it seem like the songwriting is still on the level as it once was.
@dragonballfanscantread2383 the red in the sky is ours sucks ass compared to later releases because it sounds like a demo with that awful production. Also At The Gates is a mid band, there are better melodic death metal releases like Skydancer and The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity
Can't be wrong if it's all about opinions, stay ignorant
You saying that my opinion is incorrect reassures me that I'm on the right path, have a nice day
@dragonballfanscantread2383 music taste is subjective lmao, you saying an opinion is objectively wrong shows how little you understand
@dragonballfanscantread2383 how the fuck does me saying sound waves arranged together sounding good is subjective make me a solipsist. Art is, and always has been, subjective. It isn;t science or math. Some might say polyphia is great because they have complex guitars while sounding melodic, while others will argue that they are actually boring and their songs[music technically] have no meaning
The reason solos don't stand out more is because the songs they complement don't stand out. Oversaturation of a certain genre or idea will dilute all effect a good solo might have.
This and also imo modern prog has blended lead and rhythm guitars to a point where it's expected a guitarist does both, and often even both at the same time.
Riffs are so lead-y nowadays that solo's aren't even necesarily the most wow-factor moment in a song, whereas I think that was their primary effect like 20 30 40 years ago.
All those things combined make it why I think it's okay there's not a lot of soloing going on in modern metal. If used sparingly on an album, solo's can really hit hard and make a special song even more awesome. But I think it's good people try to focus more on songwriting, groove or interesting sections instead of adding a solo at the end of every song.
@@wavewithus4081I never liked solos, always hated the,, never understood why people love them
@@halloweenfan158 if you never liked solo's of any kind... that's not 'good' either. You'll lose out on a lot of instrumental music, theres more to soloing than guitars.
But Im sure you were being over the top and are not actually wondering 'why people like them'
@@wavewithus4081 I am wondering tho. I don’t like instrumental music because there is no meaning. I don’t care how bad the instrumentation and the voice is as long as the lyrics are good. The lyrics are the only thing that matters to me
@@halloweenfan158 you do you. And maybe you feel like there is no meaning to instrumental music, but that's not 'the truth'. You just can't vibe with it or can't find meaning in music if it isnt given to you in words.
I *feel* a lot in instrumental music, it resonates with me, it inspires me and keeps my chin up, it can tick all the boxes for me.
Being from the 2000s metalcore generation with all that remains, killswitch, trivium etc, pretty sure all the the things bradley loved about BOTH genres apply to those bands. Great hooks, great guitar, (usually) good production. Also, the black band t-shirts and cargo shorts might have been the only metal aesthetic look that gave us an identity without making us look incredibly ridiculous
Love your vids always, and enjoyed last night's Twitch stream enjoy the months worth of Costco chicken!
The metalcore we got this year is actually insane. The race for aoty between TDWS, heavener and fatalism is crazy
I'm very new to metalcore/deathcore, it's like my tastes have been refined to this perfect endpoint. I feel like a complete n00b (and am one) finding dozens of bands that I now love. I have a bit of guilty pleasure with the new Architects song, I wasn't around for what inspired it, but the track is a banger.
A tale of two guitar youtubers: Nik looks sleep deprived 24/7, and Brad looks like he does cocaine like it's going out of style lmao
Modern metal is becoming pop music with breakdowns.
People have been saying this for 20 years.
but is it a bad thing? like pop has good songwriting and memorable hooks, metal has a lot to take from it
@@xezmakorewarriah Favouring hooks over melody, is the single biggest reason why the vast majority of Pop music after the late 90s have been insufferable and boring.
🎯 💯 🎯 💯
@@Melodeath00 this
I think there's this one phase of late 80's / early 90's experimental metal - the initial phase of tech death/thrash - that's quite weirdly intriguing to me. And I haven't really found anything that's similarly good. Except maybe Sigh and bits of Esoctrilihum. I'm talking about bands like Nocturnus and Pestilence.
Think it really comes down to the number of bands now. While some could say it’s diluted, it also offers a ton of variety and creativity.
I’m not a fan of “modern metal” styles, but I’ll say this- now is the best time to be a metalhead. Access to music of all varieties, old and new, is infinitely greater thanks to streaming and the barrier of entry for finding great new metal, and also writing and recording great new metal, has been very well broken. There’s plenty of great metal coming out nowadays, modern and old-school-style. I feel fortunate to live in that kind of musical environment
But that's true of every kind of music.
Being a metalhead is so good nowadays. I have access to everything ever made on a phone, decent sounding speakers and headphones are cheap, the quality of music (if you step away from streaming but even so) production is incredible.
Exactly. Something for everyone!
I love this guy mentioned the production quality of old songs. Got into Amon Amarth almost a year ago now. Started with their more popular albums, but never really got into their first 3-4 albums. They sounded so rough and I couldn't vibe with it properly.
However, on Spotify they released live dvd versions of the first 4 albums and my god. Their first albums are my favorite now. They played the songs very well live and the mixing was solid. I'll rarely add live songs to my playlists as I usually prefer the studio but in this case the whole 4 albums sounded so much better
The Band Polaris Changed The Metal Game For Me!! Amazing Band 🤘
I'm an old school Metalhead, but love modern metal too 😁🤘
in my opinion bands have way more potential that they ever had but they will stick with the generic formula and do good anyway, that's my biggest problem with modern metal.
I agree 100% with the ''weak songwriting'' section that bradley mentioned, I don't think that he meant ''hey overcomplex riffs/prog/tech metal is bad'' like nik thinks, I feel like he said ''doing overcomplexed riffs does not = good if you doesn't do a good songwriting''
I whole heartedly agree
Love Bradley, he also clearly had good taste as he rates my video in the top 10 in his guitar competition 😏😏
I'm weird. At 51, I've gone through all the stages of metal and I... like... them... all. As for modern metal, they're essentially (with a few exceptions) the polished amalgamations of the past. I think that's great. Seeing a bunch of veteran musicians killing it right now in Spiritbox, something that rarely happens in any era, is a testament to how you can't predict jack. Good music is good music and no one gets to control what succeeds.
Thats how I feel about dubstep and it's various evolutions. I like the classics, I like the stuff that came out this week, I like the old UK style, the modern aggressive tearout, the weird glitchy stuff.. Music is incredible.
Without a doubt, yes! More is better and I love the variety and sub genres. I still love the 80-90’s metal I cut my teeth on, but this is an awesome time to be alive metal-wise 🤘🏼
It's better than ever right now there are so many fire artists that are amazing.
tornado of souls will always be the best metal solo of history
On the songwriting thing, I think he means that the focus is more on riffs than catchy hooks (with some excpetions).
Classic metal : "buy our new LP, cassette, or CD.
Modern metal : "stream our new song and please buy a t shirt so we dont starve to death.
Bradley has so much energy because he drinks the popular British energy drink “Rowdy Geeza”
'even with the points i specifically disagreed with, that i now forgot'
As far as modern metal solos go, none really jump out at me or resonate with me...that is unless they were crafted by the almighty Flo from Novelists. He's an example of a player who could shred his ass off, but reserves himself so that every note used and means of articulation are meaningful and that he could tell an effective story with them.
Bradley just... that guy is fricking priceless. 😂
10:19 that aged well
Bradley's got that I'm halfway through my life. I need to live a little harder Stride
Personally I would say that core/modern metal isn't for me, I tried to get into bands like Sleep Token and I just can't, but thats not to say that there aren't contemporary bands that I like, there's lots of bands who have a classic sound but with modern techniques and mixing, that really hit the sweet spot for me
6:15 Brah can't say there's less lyrical quality when we have bands like Bloodywood, The Hu, Shepard's Reign and Alien Weaponry
90s and the 2000s had all of my favorite albums
I personally like bands from both classic and modern era metal for different reasons. One thing I am a bit sad about is that there are not that many vocalists in the style of Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Rob Halford and Jon Oliva maybe. Don't get me wrong, there are still amazing vocalists in the modern era, but I feel that style of vibrado-heavy powerful head voice singing isn't very much present these days.
I get the feeling that most people who participate in the "is modern metal better or worse than classic metal?" discussion generally have a very narrow and limited knowledge of metal, they generally have little awareness of the scene outside of a few metalcore bands that happen to be currently popular in America, which they think is "modern metal".
7:18 as a long term musician I must say today it's all about fun and that is how it should be.. I prefer having a kid on the guitar having a fun time than a heroin addict
Ever heard of SYX from Portland whoregon or domeshots from California or five foot thick or Takeover from spokane? The fuggin agony scene, the darkest red?
Carnifex, Mitch and the silent suicides, all shall perish, (original) I declare war and lets not forgettabout that good ole'
"Francis and the breakdowns!" 😂
Metal used to be counter culture. Now, it's pop culture.
Yeah, that's why it quite literally doesn't even sound like metal anymore you obtuse jackasses.
No problem with that, thinking about being counter culture is too edgy for a mature 50 years old genre. It needs creativity and expansion to new sounds, not trying to be a teen who hates the system.
@@zinAab79 it needs expansion to new sounds that aren't even a little bit metal in any traditional sense? All you are doing is making metal music into pop music and it sucks
I love modern Metal, but I feel like musicians have it a lot harder these days. Ofc the internet makes everything more accessible etc but that's also exactly the problem - so many up and coming bands, everyone can easily access everything, but that's exactly why it's super hard to make it as a band. To make yourself known and then earn money from it seems impossible in modern ages.
I think in terms of guitar work and solos classic metal is easily better, but in general the best songs from each era are equally great, even tho I might not listen to some styles/subgenres
Metal is metal. Old metal is amazing, new metal is amazing. All metal is amazing and I love everyone who listens to literally any genre of metal because metal is awesome.
Can't have the new without the old. Everything builds upon each other.
@@duffman9908But without the new, the old just dries up
Metal is Metal, true, but "Modern Metal" is more derived from Hardcore punk than it is from Metal.
@@FuckTH-camAndGoogle that’s the thing. All metal is awesome, and what it’s inspired from is irrelevant because metal is awesome, no matter what
@mychannelsucks8193 No, you're free to think that it's awesome (it's not), but it's literally not Metal.
Anyone know where that chart at @3:47 is from? It looks like it'd be fun to look at lmao
Today I learned that the answer to "is metal better or worse?" Is that 82% of us are not subscriber to Nik 😮
My key takeaways:
1. One of a few things I agree with Nik: It is more fun today. "Poser" accusation thrown out a lot back in the day. There is still purist or elitist out there today, but they are getting call out more. xD
2. My number ONE personal point & favorite coincides with Brad's point: The lack of memorable & good guitar solo today. One of the main reasons I listen primarily to Japanese rock/metal bands with consistent guitar (and other instrument) solo, incorporated in their song writing. Try Galneryus, Unlucky Morpheus & Lovebites.
3. I'm relatively young, but the peak era for metal was early 80s to late 90s. Doesn't mean that there are no good bands today. The majority of them (really good ones) are in Japan, IMHO.
What bothers me about modern metal, is that some metal genres are losing their identity. Take Nu-Metal, which is a Fusion of metal and Hip-hop, that's fine because that is what Nu-Metal is suppose to be, that's it's identity. But when you take Metalcore or Post-Hardcore and fuse it with Modern pop/Hip-hop then that changes it into something that it's not and in my opinion is a mockery of the genre and it seems that more and more bands are now adding modern pop into their music and it worries me that within the next couple of generations, metal will no longer be metal. Even, Pop Punk is somewhat losing the identity in the pop aspect, pop punk use to have it's own style of pop that rocked, now it's like this mainstream Pop sound that you hear in your typical MTV pop song.
That’s what I’ve been noticing, as well. It’s been getting on my nerves how when you think metalcore and post - hardcore, it’s usually the modern or revival stuff, not the stuff you heard in the ‘90s, which is superior and what made the genres the way they are.
4:45 well that say something...
To be honest, it its music that took talent and effort to make, I'll like it! Its music, enjoy it-
DREAM BAND Bradley and nick dual guitar solos!!!
I think it should be said that classic metal has filtered out all the trash bands due to the effects of time. We can look back at prime 80s metal and see Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but we don’t see the 100s of mediocre bands that didn’t push the genre and didn’t survive.
I think people will be saying the same thing about the current trends in metal 10-20 years from now. That’s how it always is, we remember the good and memorable stuff and forget the shit
@@MrWill9894 100%, it’s just with modern metal we see everything, not just the cream of the crop. I’m sure if we were talking about this in the 80s, we’d probably say that the industry is swamped by hair metal bands that all do the same thing.
Gotta love Nik running out of energy while begging for whatever Bradley puts on his guitar strings to give him energy.
I just started to listen to modern metal. What bands should I check first?
None of them, stop while you’re ahead
DragonForce just released a single, and it's heavily stripped down. Disco metal song. It's not like traditional DragonForce, but it sounds like they are exploring more things now that the bass player was replaced. Lots of catchy 80s-early 90s style lately. I also love the amount of bass in the song
It almost sounds like they want to make more songs to bring in more fans. There's a joke at the end of every concert for a while: "this is for the girlfriends that came with their boyfriends!" and they'll do My Heart Will Go On. A side-effect, the guys are singing along at the concert.
What's about thrash prog? Xentrix (it sounds so 8-bit)? : )
Or Atrophy, Sacred Reich...
The point is not to m8cromanage the bpm, Nik. Still love ya, bro.
1:48 There is modern thrash metal
I think an important difference is Radio Vs Streaming. Old metal has been and will continue to be overplayed by radio stations, but modern metal is so prevalent and fresh with updated tracks regularly.
2000s metal for me was its prime. Metal had never so good melodies and rhythms as in this period. Whole metalcore and nu metal stuff was sick.
Yeah something about 2000s metal hits different. Can't even call it riding the nostalgia bus because I've only gotten big into metal in the last 7-8 years.
Stumbling onto new songs on spotify I hadn't heard before, I can usually tell when a song is made in the 2000s. One album that kind of threw me off was "Awakened" by As I Lay Dying. Only a 2012 album but it still sounds like its straight out of early-mid 2000s (in my opinion). Was genuinely surprised to see when that one was made
@@giveitarub7215 some albums in 2010s also were on this level but these are albums from bands that started in 2000s like The Hunting Party by Linkin Park.
I like the production/mixing of the 90s/2000s
Literally not Metal.
I doubt modern metal bends genres more than older metal. We just view classic metal through the lens of the future and forget that it too was a product of genre-bending. For example, Thrash was a mix of British New-Wave and punk. We only view modern metal as bending genres more because we are witnessing it happen at this very moment so that genre-bending seems unfamiliar to us. Anyone listening to sleep token in 50 years will just think “yep, this is what metal sounds like”.
It can bend more metal genres than before only for the fact of being modern, the maximum genres available to bend before were less compared to the current pool of possibilities.
Proof that mofern metal have great songwriting: any A7X song ever
I am sub'd to both u and Bradley
I think modern metal (some point in the 90s onward but more so properly 2000 onward) mixing is better as you have a much higher chance of actually hearing bass.
This is an insane take since the advent of the whammy means there is literally no bass guitar anymore.
@@tmw3489 I did say and a higher chance, I was not saying always. One notable example is older black metal with the shit production and you definitely can not hear the bass with most bands were as like with Behemoth now you certainly can. It also depends on what subgenres your looking at like if you tuning higher than say drop g you can still hear bass for sure, at least from what I listen to.
6:29 nah I'd say that's kinda the opposite of what he's talking about. It's probably more octane core tbh
Well the easy answer is yes. We have new music and we can still listen to old music. Win win.
Top crossover
One thing I've noticed in internet discussions about modern metal is that many think that the only new thing that came out in the 2000s is corebased. But this was also the time the folk metal became huge (in Europe at least) and symphonic metal became big. Talk about genre bending. But that also means that I have to go against Bradley that modern metal is so miserable. Not all modern genres are miserable and negative, because beforementioned genres go exactly the other way. And tbf, I think that even NWOTHM has shown crossover tendencies and progress while having a retro core of 1980s heavy metal and thrash.
I like old and new stuffs but I agree with Bradly
To me, _Heaven and Hell_ by Black Sabbath, _The Odyssey_ by Symphony X, and _In Cauda Venenum_ by Opeth are the best metal albums. Metal has continued to be great because of bands like Symphony X and Opeth.
in cauda venenum is certainly opeth's best album since ghost reveries
I am a simple man of simple means. If it's metal, I like it.
Ok but is screaming unintelligible bullshit over chugging open notes metal? Or a bunch of bullshit?
My take: There's always been good and bad metal.
My only problem with modern metal has more to do with how music is distributed, but that has nothing to do with the artists themselves and more to do with me being old and not knowing how to keep up with what's going on in modern metal.
Where did poster go?
Listening to modern and new music is also more fun because it’s new. If I were to listen to lots of old metal I’d feel stuck in the past in some ways. And now when it’s hard to be original today, true creativity really shines.
While I agree with your general sentiment, there’s also a thriving scene of newer old-school style metal bands that are putting out awesome music, so there’s always something new even in that style
@@MrWill9894 very true and I tend to gravitate towards those bands. 200 stab wounds, Riot City, Wytch Hazel are some of my jams.
I completely forgot this aspect but yeah very good point, you can still listen to newer up and coming bands (which for me is enjoyable in and of itself) while still getting some of that classic sound.
Riot city are awesome, I had the pleasure of seeing them front-row last year in Worcester. Good shit
its the opposite for me, the older late 80s- early 90s death metal still sounds so fresh and groovy even 30 years later, but the new stuff doesnt actually sound new at all, just stolen riffs and some cliché breakdowns inbetween
Personally i love every era of metal, i'm not the bigest fan of nu metal but i don't consider it bad either, but i enjoy as much listening to rust in peace or a disgutsting breakdown from lorna shore
Modern metal definitely needs to do something about its songwriting. Anytime I hear someone simp Polaris or Invent Animate it just reminds me of how bargain-bin modern metal songwriting has become and how much mediocrity has become revered.
The only part of this I agree with is invent animate's latest album, some of it was pretty meh songwriting. Polaris has great songwriting though
Lol hell no, nowadays every metal bands goal is strictly to play as heavy/fast as possible at the complete detriment of actual songwriting
7:20 attila?
Nik vs Bradley, coming soon 😅😁
Modern metal is best because you literally have all the possibilities, you have unlimited access to +50 years of the influences and subgenres. If you want to listen to retro old school bands, there is a bunch of them doing it, if you want hooky stuff, it exist, extremely underground and experimental deranged stuff? you have it too. The more you explore, more things you can find and be surprised.
You got Bradley the most energetic person you’ll ever see then there’s nik a dead in side zombie lookin mf😂😂
I mean... like...
Yo its decade!!!
His point about "weak songwriting" doesn't just apply to prog, most other genres nowadays are pretty weak in term of using any tasty or interesting chord progression or cohessive and intereting song structures compared to old hard rock/metal stuff, not saying old is better, but I agree with him on that point
This is a pretty braindead take. All the progressions and structures are out there, if bands shared your limited tastes they would just recreate that... But they are actively choosing not to because what you're talking about isnt interesting or a mark or good songwriting.
What I love most about this (Nik's) video is how Nik doesn't react at all to Bradley's wet fart sound effects, especially when Nik pauses right in the middle of those farts. 😂
Nah, Bradley is right song writing is weak. It’s a all chugs, riffs and breakdowns. Which sound great, but song writing is just as important. Nik is wrong. Does Nik really want to reference the 80’s when it comes to song writing? “Battery”, “Blackened”, “One”, pretty much any Megadeth song, “And Then There Were None” by Exodus, etc. Song writing certainly meant something much more in the 80’s and told a story. There are positives and negatives to both.
I mean if you go looking for examples, you're gonna find them for either side of the argument. You can say bands (former and current) tell stories with their writing, easily. ISIS, Fair to Midland, Meniscus, Devin Townsend, Baroness, Mastodon, BTBAM, Soen, The Contortionist, I could go on. If you look for it you'll find it, you just have to step out of the echo chamber.
We have Pain Remains.
new metal, it doesn’t rust.
Dude metal is metal. There's a lot of variety today. Much more than yester years. More variety means more types of music...more metal more variances of material. I think it's all Good.
Invent Animate is a huge reason why modern metal is fire for me.
no one said "hashtag" anything in the 90's, haha
I agree
YES
Metal is better and worse than ever at the same time. Just depends on the band.