What is the heaviest you comfortably listen to?

[ubit]

I was just wondering, as I am at heart a real rocker. My musical journey started when I was into the NWOBHM in the 80's. When Metallica came out I thought they were too trashy and metal for my taste. Later as I grew older I came to like and then love Metallica and as I grew even older and my musical tastes widened I found that my metal tastes were also widening. Music that had once horrified me as being too over the top became very normal to me. I found myself able to comfortably listen to some quite extreme metal. When I met Mrs Ubit I was amazed that she was into even more extreme metal than me. I remember our first dinner together at my house. We had the dinner, wine and tunes on and wham, some extreme metal came on. I jumped up apologising and she said leave it on I like it. I couldn't believe it. I knew then she was a keeper. EVERY girl I had dated before had hated my taste in music. As we have been together for many years now I have had her influence come into my playlist and have found that I can quite comfortably listen to Vivaldi one minute, Owl City the next and then Meshuggah. 

Just how heavy are your tastes? I don't mean quite liking but where you can comfortably listen to all of their music. Also where does this stop? Who goes too far?

I remember I thought this was extreme. Now I love it to bits.

 

[Crawford13]

I'm not a massive metal fan, mainly due to the vocals. I love the musicality of metal, I really enjoy instrument metal, but as soon as some one starts screaming I remember it's not for me. 

[Alien]

8 minutes ago, ubit said:

 We had the dinner, wine and tunes on and wham, some extreme metal came on. I jumped up apologising and she said leave it on I like it. I couldn't believe it. I knew then she was a keeper.

Ah, young love...

Nah, seriously though mate, I'm happy for ya.  She sounds like a star.

A

 

[thodrik]

I mean, I listen to lots of heavily downtuned 'doom' metal, so stuff like Yob, Inter Arma, Sleep and the like. However, I find them very easy to listen to as they are not unlike classic rock in terms of production: big valve amps, no drum triggers, no obscene amounts of compression on the recording and there is actually a lot of dynamics in the material (in my opinion obviously). However, it isn't something I listen to at home since my wife doesn't like that type of stuff, though I can generally get away with Mastodon, High on Fire and Red/Blue album era Baroness, which is my general 'acceptable' level of heavyness. However, my daughters taste in Peppa Pig usually wins out so I am pretty familiar with that too.

I generally don't listen to much modern production djent metal, so basically anything with loads of drum triggers or has that highly polished Roadrunner America modern metal mix (i.e Five Finger Death Punch/Lamb of God type stuff, I would say Mudvayne too but the bassist is utterly incredible so they always get a pass). Not because it is too heavy, I just don't like that kind of rock/metal. 

Edited June 3, 2021 by thodrik
'Lamp of God'...

[Lord Sausage]

Probably Korn and Pantera. No real need to go heavier than that.

[fretmeister]

Strapping Young Lad, some Meshuggah

Gojira, Slipknot

 

All depends on the vocalist really. Some SYL tunes are heavier than Cannibal Corpse, but DT's an actual singer.

 

[Dad3353]

Wagner can be wearing, à la longue. 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Dad3353

[Lozz196]

Motörhead is probably my limit, aside from them when I hear that constant double kick style on the bass drum is usually when I switch off 

[WinterMute]

Not a fan of the "pig in a drainpipe" vocal at all, have a soft spot for Rammstein, but rarely go much heavier a bit of Korn, SoaD maybe, really like some of Stone Sour's work, but not much of Slipknot, go figure.

I'm still of the opinion that there isn't a much better sound than overdriven guitar, but there's a lot of scope there.

[Fishfacefour]

Merzbow anyone? 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[uk_lefty]

I don't mind really heavy as long as there's contrast. So Killswitch Engage for example, they balance the really heavy with some more melodic breaks. I can handle the deep screams because it balances out over the course of the song. That does it for me, light and shade etc. I couldn't have all of one and none of the other. They're also a lot of fun live, too.

I've been into Megadeth since my early teens, they're heavy but the music is well constructed it's not all cumbersome heaviness and nothing else, but I really liked the lyrics and attitude from day 1 and that's never left me. 

[Crusoe]

In the late 80s I started listening to Iron Maiden, Guns n Roses, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne etc and gradually got heavier and into Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, then into the likes of Boltthrower, Kreator, Candlemass. Then in '91 Smells Like Teen Spirit came out and my taste changed and I started listening to Nirvana but oddly no other grunge stuff. I went for punk, like the Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, Undertones, SLFetc. Then i got into the Breeders, the Smiths, Suede and branched out. All the metal stuff fell by the wayside until a couple of years ago. Maiden rolled into town and having never got to see them when I was big into them, I went to see them, started listening to them again, then a bit of Metallica and Kreator. I don't think I would have found the band in that video heavy enough for my liking.

[steantval]

Popa Chubby

[Woodinblack]

Love all types of metal music unless there is those screamy vocals, turns something interesting into something flat and 2 dimensional, its like a pop song with a token rap section.

Basically any form of metal with singing I like.

[Munurmunuh]

🎶 ....I can take about an hour on the tower of power, so long as I gets.... 🎶 

- wha- oh, that's not what you mean? Ah. Never mind, ignore me.

[Woodinblack]

26 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Wagner can be wearing, à la longue. 

Oh no, can go wagner all day, its pretty heavy, and with a full orchestra, there is no shortage of metal.

[Doctor J]

I grew up in the thrash era and loved death metal when it came along. The mid to late 90's were a bit of a taste wasteland for what became popular in metal, so spent much of it exploring doom and stoner, all good. I dig very slow, very heavy stuff a lot. I can take gruff vocals as long as there is some character and nuance to it. I don't like someone just shouting loudly, it does nothing for me. Some dynamics are a must. Relentless screaming, relentless blasts or relentless double bass drums are just shite from a musical level and that's the border for me. 

I've yet to hear black metal I liked, too. I mean the Norwegian stuff and the countless clones which continue to follow. Venom and Celtic Frost are the good stuff.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Doctor J

[Supernaut]

Coldplay for myself. Nothing gets in the way of a nice cup of tea! 

[nilebodgers]

I like "proper vocals", so the screaming and cookie monster stuff just turns me right off. I'm also not a big fan of downtuned guitars either so those two together eliminates almost all modern metal. I did start out a heavy rock fan, but stuff like UFO/Whitesnake/Pat Travers/Deep Purple was my thing, not Sabbath or Motorhead.

I do like some of A Day To Remember's stuff, but they are probably more pop punk with metal elements than stricly metal I guess.

[Crusoe]

20 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Coldplay for myself. Nothing gets in the way of a nice cup of tea! 

get in the sea...

[Lord Sausage]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

Wagner can be wearing, à la longue. 

 

 

45 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Oh no, can go wagner all day, its pretty heavy, and with a full orchestra, there is no shortage of metal.

Not as Heavy as Stravinsky tho, That guy is messed up!

[Skybone]

No SWANS fans then?

Or Neurosis.

Or Autopsy.

Etc.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Skybone

[Russ]

Bip-bip-ding!

I like some really heavy death metal stuff. Grew up on a diet of Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Slayer, Neurosis, Bolt Thrower, etc. Spent an inordinate amount of time at the Marquee stagediving. But, the older I get, the more I like a tune to go along with my brutality.

I find myself listening a lot to various Scandinavian and Eastern European progressive death bands (Opeth, Ihsahn, Leprous, Riverside, Kauan, etc), as well as the likes of Devin Townsend and Steven Wilson (there's always a Devin or Porcupine Tree song or two in my playlists). There's also some great prog metal stuff coming out of Australia - Karnivool, Voyager, Caligula's Horse, Plini and so on. I've also developed a new appreciation for "poppy" metal, and am on a big Amaranthe and Beast In Black kick at the moment! 

[Nail Soup]

I like the extreme stuff like Napalm Death. Regular HM not so keen,  although of course a fair bit is good and does cross over for me.

Within the Grind/death genre I don't like it if the vocalist sings or the lead guitar is melodic. Bring on the noise!