ashogo (Level 21)

I don't listen to any of those. Not my thing. Nonetheless, I do have a great deal of respect for the talent of Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and The Clash.

@vonDread: what kind of stuff do you listen to?

80% metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Bathory, Windir, Amon Amarth, W.A.S.P., Blind Guardian, Destroyer 666, Ensiferum, Dissection, Stormwarrior, Running Wild, Grave Digger, Ancient Rites, Forefather, Enthroned, Immortal, Emperor, Sigh, Overkill, and countless others from every subgenre there is.

10% classical, romantic, and original film scores: Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Philip Glass, Dvorak, Holst, Penderecki, Shostakovich, Beethoven, Mozart, Clint Mansell, Danny Elfman, et al. Lots of horror movie scores.

10% everything else: classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Queen, CCR, the Stones, Blue Oyster Cult, more modern hard rock, punk, and alternative like Guns n' Roses, AC/DC, Soundgarden, The Distillers, The Offspring, Rammstein, Monster Magnet, System of a Down, and other oddities like Johnny Cash, Nox Arcana, Beastie Boys, and Everlast.

But above all else, heavy fucking metal.

@vonDread: I love Shostakovich's String Quartet no. 8. Deeply sorrowful, full of such breathtakingly absolute despair and terror.

I'd like to get into more heavy metal. I'll check out some of the guys you mentioned. I guess the closest thing on my list to that would be Rage Against the Machine, which is kind of rap-rock/metal. Do you ever listen to them?

Do you listen to any doom metal? It's influenced by heavy metal music, but slowed waaaay down, until it just becomes this moody, dark music dripping with brooding tension and atmosphere. I've also heard it called doom jazz. There's a German group called Bohren & Der Club of Gore, which actually started out as a heavy metal band before turning to doom jazz. Here's one of their songs.

and seeing that you're a fan of soundgarden, did you see The Avengers, and what did you think about their song in the end credits? I know it's like the first new song they've released in what, a decade or two?

@ashogo said:

I love Shostakovich's String Quartet no. 8. Deeply sorrowful, full of such breathtakingly absolute despair and terror.

Yes, he's just about my favorite classical (technically neo-classical?) composer of the 20th century, mostly for his influence on the music of the horror genre.

I guess the closest thing on my list to that would be Rage Against the Machine, which is kind of rap-rock/metal. Do you ever listen to them?

I respect them as artists, but they were never a band I was into. Their style just doesn't appeal to me.

Do you listen to any doom metal?

A handful of bands like Black Sabbath, Candlemass, and Grand Magus, but it isn't exactly my favorite genre. I like the bludgeoning heaviness, but overall it's just too slow for me. My favorite genres are power metal, speed metal, and thrash metal, pretty much the antithesis of doom (within the larger context of metal as a whole). The faster the better. But hey, if that's your thing, you should check out Ahab and Sunn O))), two of the most highly regarded doom bands out there right now.

I've also heard it called doom jazz. There's a German group called Bohren & Der Club of Gore, which actually started out as a heavy metal band before turning to doom jazz. Here's one of their songs.

Okay, that's completely new to me, but I'm not surprised there is such a thing. There are actually several notable jazz-influenced metal bands out there, and a couple of them are actually pretty damned good. Thanks for that. I think if I was ever going to make a noir/horror hybrid, those guys would do the score.

and seeing that you're a fan of soundgarden, did you see The Avengers, and what did you think about their song in the end credits? I know it's like the first new song they've released in what, a decade or two?

Ya, 15 years. Honestly, I was not impressed. It's such a mediocre song. Not what I expected. But I guess I should've suspected they wouldn't return to the glory days of Superunknown (or god forbid, their masterpiece Jesus Christ Pose), considering how their songwriting skills were starting to peter off after that album. I mean, it starts out great with a pretty meaty riff, but then turns to complete shit really fast as soon as Cornell starts singing and doesn't get better until it's more than 3 minutes in. But then that weak chorus kicks in again. Bleh. And not only that, but it doesn't fit the tone of the movie at all. It's so weak and not about kicking ass and taking names, everything we've seen these characters do for the past two hours. I will say this, it's far and away the best song on that garbage soundtrack. It's the only one I've heard, but it's the only one I need to hear.