JUMPING DARKNESS PARADE: EYAL WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU CARE ABOUT METAL LYRICS
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 3:30pm by Eyal Levi
So Vince and I were talking the other day about this question that both of us have wondered about from time to time, and since then I haven’t stopped thinking about it. So here it is: DO ANY OF YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT LYRICS IN METAL?
Is it just the sound of the voice and how it works with the sound of the music, or is it also what the vocalist is saying that matters to you? I’m going to take a guess and say that fans of hardcore and straight edge bands really do care about the lyrics because the bands are representing the ideals and beliefs of their respective communities. But what about in death metal, black metal, or any other genre of metal? When you listen to Necrophagist or Cannibal Corpse or Suicide Silence, can you comprehend what they’re singing about, and do you even care? Is it what they’re singing about, or is it more what it sounds like with the music, or both?
I can tell you that I can barely understand what pop singers are saying half the time, let alone extreme metal vocalists. To me, in general, it’s how it sounds with the music. Back in the day of GN’R and Alice in Chains, lyrics meant a shite-load more to me, but for some reason nowadays I never ever find myself scanning lyric sheets. I just don’t really care. I just care about the feeling the vocals give me, and what texture they add to the music.
Perfect example is Opeth. I love Mikael Åkerfeldt’s clean vocals. So beautiful when they’re used. That band wouldn’t be complete without them. Do I care what he’s singing about? With all due respect to the genius that Mikael Åkerfeldtis, no, I don’t care what he’s singing about.
Now, I know a group of metal fans that DO care about lyrics. Those would be Lamb of God fans. They tend to know every goddamn word that comes out of Randy Blythe’s mouth. I even have a theory as to why that is. Have you ever noticed how loud the vocals are on a Lamb Of God record? They’re the loudest things in the entire mix. OF COURSE everyone knows the lyrics to Lamb Of God songs. They’re as loud as the vocals on a pop record. Why do you think everyone remembers the lyrics on pop records? On the other hand, do you think that if death metal had pop vocal mixes like Lamb Of God does, that people would remember the lyrics to Cannibal Corpse’s “Fucked With a Knife?” I think that Randy writes vocal lines that are incredibly memorable, that are then mixed in a way where everyone will understand them and get stuck in their heads.
Why am I going on about catchy lyrics vs. mix technique vs. vocals as just a texture vs. what communities they definitely mean something in? Because I’m trying to figure out overall what impact lyrics have for you guys, the listeners. Could a band get up there and kick ass and have an amazing vocalist that just screams nothing but gibberish and still get huge, or are the lyrics a vital part to connecting with the metal audience? Tell me your thoughts.
-EL
Sean Z has written some pretty cool lyrics for Daath. Why don’t you find out by visiting them on MySpace?
Most people probably dont bother to read lyrics anymore but I always read through the lyrics when I buy a great album. I feel like it helps me understand the band even more.
I disagree, I think most people will at least try to see what the singer is saying…
I, for one, really like the fact that there a quite a few lyricists in metal that have an amazing understanding of written composition; it definitely gives metal a boost when you’re arguing with someone about the merit of the music when they don’t actually like the genre…so I guess I concur on that point.
I mean, how badass/meaningful is it that say…Insomnium uses a poem for the main base of the lyrics in “Drawn to Black?”
Yeah god damn… I love Insomnium, so stoked for their new album… kinda shitty it leaked but real fans will buy the album. The night has a thousand eyes, and the day but one, yet the light of the bright world dies, with the dying sun… so fucking epic.
Not really, being a guitarist I tend to focus on riffs, playing and the drums. I pick up a lyric here and there but overall what I listen for in regards to vocals are the tone and cadence of the them against the music.
Yes and no…
My stance on metal lyrics is if a band chooses to make the vocals discernable from the wash of sound that is metal music, then the lyrics better not suck. Conversely, if the focus of the recording is simply the music and the vocals are merely to compliment the instrumentation, then I don’t really care about the lyrics.
Yeah man, if I can’t understand them I typically don’t give a shit, but if you can understand them they have to bring it. Good lyrics are always a welcome bonus, though, and bear significant weight on my impression of an artist.
Of course the one true way to find out is do what I do – replace the lyrics in any song with some combination of dick and/or balls (there hasn’t been a song that’s undicknballs-able yet) and sing it ala true metal..screaming, yelling, grunts, etc and see if anyone notices.
I enjoy reading the lyrics, and if they’re good/meaningful then it just enhances the experience that much more. However, I still cringe when I hear some Mustaine lyrics.
Taaaaste the hiiiggggh spppeeeeeeeed diiiiiiirt.
Only if they are well written.
soon after my fifteenth birthday i started having anxiety attacks and i kept worrying about lots of different things which is why to this day i still dont like bands that make satanic and occult references because being in a situation like that you begin to realize your own mortality. Lyrics have always meant alot to me and now i prefer poetic lyrics from bands like insomnium as opposed to satanic lyrics from bands like dark funeral, i make exception for more nefarious lyrics with goatwhore however because they are awesome, but i personally find it really easy to understand extreme vocals
Depends upon the type of metal. Black and Death metal…lyrics don’t matter as much. Power and Progressive…they matter a bit more.
Pretty much this. In general, not really, but for some bands like Clutch, the lyrics add a whole new level.
Completely agree with Clutch. Neil Fallon is a genius.
You really think Power metal lyrics are important? forgive me if i’m being ignorant but i thought they generally revolved around your typical dungeons and dragons fare……..
Some power metal, yes… the more progressive power metal bands often end up more in sci-fi territory. Still, the fact that you can understand them makes their lyrics more obvious.
ANTHRAX! Ham radio, and liquor.
+100
Everybody looks for different things in what they listen to, but the lyrics will certainly leave an impression on you if they’re at all intelligible. That’s true even if you’re focusing on the instrumentation. The lyrics will (at the very least) affect your overall impression of the song.
Plus, not many of us would listen to Skrewdriver and say “I don’t give a fuck about the lyrics, I just like the guitars.”
I think that many of today’s metal records hide the vocals because many of today’s metal vocalists simply don’t have enough vocal chops to warrant a higher placement in the mix. If a guy is making the exact same grunt into the mic for 40 minutes, there isn’t much point in having him on the record. If there’s no change in pitch or tone, he might as well be a floor tom. Randy Blythe is a good example of an extreme vocalist who has enough colors in his palette to keep a song interesting. See also: Devin Townsend, Mikael Akerfeldt, Michael Stanne.
If it’s just about growling lower or shrieking higher than the next guy, then it’s not music, it’s sports.
Personally, I do have certain standards when it comes to lyrics. If they’re too juvenile (sorry, Municipal Waste), too hackneyed (sorry, Rhapsody), or just things I don’t agree with (sorry, Stryper), I can’t listen to the music, because I just can’t take it seriously.
imo Randy Blythe is the best extreme vocalist out there (Phil Anselmo is not an extreme vocalist)
I wouldn’t necessarily say the best, but he’s definitely one of my favorites… and you can usually understand him. You can’t say the same for most extreme vocalists.
True, and I also think Randy Blythe’s or Lamb of Gods lyrics are pretty damn badass. I like reading into a bands lyrics and figuring them out or putting my own spin on them. It definitely makes it feel like “my” music if i can connect ith the lyrics. Otherwise if it jst sounds badass thats fine with me too.
True that! I never noticed the vocals on LOG records were mixed louder. I do think he can write some bad ass shit though. One of my favorite parts is from ‘Beating On Death’s Door’ off of Sacrament. Goes something like this…
“There’s no shoulder left to cry wolf on. You’re tied in knots that can’t be undone. No more warnings will fall on deaf ears. You lied too many times now no one cares. NO ONE CARES!”
What the hell that means, I don’t know and it really doesn’t matter. Those lyrics flow fucking perfectly with that part of the song and it’s my favorite part of the whole record.
Anyone should give it a listen if they haven’t heard it or can’t remember. Machine worked with them on Sacrament, which I believe also helped.
On the other hand, there are some stupid lyrics out there and can’t be put well with the music. Dez from DevilDriver and Mark Hunter from Chimaira are some examples. The lyrics can be good or meaningful but suck when put over the music.
“One door closes, another door closes and now you’re boxed in.” – Dez
“Another day, another town, another city. It’s all the same!” – Mark Hunter
It depends, some lyrics are quite powerful and have a true message, others are just cheesy and don’t do much for me (but never as cheesy as those gangster wanna be rappers). although some cheesy lyrics are sometimes really good, example is opeth, i love opeth and love akerfeldt’s writing but they are quite cheesy sometimes, but it never bothers me when it comes to opeth
Speaking about lyrics that get caught in your head..
SHARRR PEN THE BLADES
THAT CUT THROUGH OP O SITI ON
STABBING IN TO SUB MISS ION
For fucks sake that song was stuck in my head for almost a week.
SLICING RIGHT THROUGH EVERYTHING!
I don’t really care about the lyrics, but if there’s a song I really go crazy for I like to read the lyrics so I can sing along when I listen to it (because I listen to it over and over etc.). Especially if I know I’m gonna see a band live I like to check up on some lyrics so I can sing with at the concert.
Sound is very important. But as for lyrics, I generally don’t know/pay special attention to them unless I’m really in to (is it into or in to in this case? someone help me out) the band. Like Gojira, I’ve read the lyric sheet for all their songs, most of them as I’m listening to it.
it’s into ;)
it’s kinda complicated… I do care about the lyrics, I just don’t care what the artists message is. I love Lamb Of Gods lyrics, but it’s because Randy Blythe is so good at producing great one-liners, plus, he’s like the best metal-singer EVER!
anyways, even if Cannibal Corpses vocals were mixed like pop vocals, I still wouldn’t care. perhaps its got something to do with the fact that I am something as rare as a right-wing guy in a metal community… but I don’t know, you tell me?
Not me dude, message is very important. Otherwise there’d be a (very, very, very small) chance that I would actually listen to bands like Burzum and other Nazi shit.
I don’t really listen to black metal, partly because I don’t like the music, partly because I can’t agree with the lyrics in ANY ways… so there you have the meaning-thingie again.
my point is that I listen to both SOAD and RATM and read the lyrics, glad they have a cause to fight for and sing for… I just don’t share their opinions.
My favorite vocalists are the guys who not only write well, but can sing/scream clearly. I think it makes a huge difference. Yeah you can have a great scream, but if there’s not one intelligible word in there somewhere, a lot of that power just gets lost. But if you can clearly understand the lyrics, it makes the hooks that much better. Some of my favorites:
Randy Blythe
Phil Anselmo
Keith Buckley
Byron Davis
Jake Luhrs
Greg Puciato
Eddie Hermida
I care when I can understand whats being said or I feel compelled for whatever reason to check the lyrics out. Since you mention Opeth, most of the time I can pick out words from an Opeth song but not entire sentences – or at least not sentences that register in my brain as meaningful – so like you said, it just sounds good and thats good enough for me.
On the other hand, I was listening to the new Bloodbath record yesterday and on the track “Iesous”, I had no idea what Mike was growling in the chorus but for some reason I decided to look up the lyrics and apparently the chorus goes “Eeso / Yeshua / Iesous / Die by our rage”. Now that’s a badass line if I’ve ever heard one and whenever I hear that song from now on, I’m going to think of that line – thus, my appreciation of the song was raised in a way it might never have been if I didn’t decide for whatever reason to look up the lyrics.
On the other hand, I don’t listen to several Porcupine Tree – excuse the non-metal band example – songs because I DID understand entire sentences that registered in my brain as meaningful but they came off as really trite, and for whatever reason that bothers me. I even downloaded an instrumental copy of their latest album so I could listen to their awesome drummer etc without being distracted by the silly vocals.
I used to care but like dicknballs, I tend to focus on listening to the guitar work. For all I care, vocals could be exiled from music all together but that’s just me. I DO enjoy reading the black dahlia murders lyrics though, I swear you could give that guy dark subject matter and he could write lyrics better than Edgar Allen Poe himself.
yeah man, i was so thinking that too, and im not even a huge fan of TBDM
Lyrics matter, but in our genre its often very difficult to tell whats being said so we make up our own. We don’t know that were doing it, but we are because it sounds good to us. When I was younger I though Bark at the Moon was Fuck on the Moon. I was happy with that.
Yeh i used to do that a lot, especially on reign in blood. But seriously, you couldn’t put the name of the song with the lyrics on bark at the moon? wow, how young were you?
Bands like Chris Barnes-era Cannibal Corpse, you just can’t understand what they’re saying. Same with Converge, I saw a comment on a video where the guy was saying that Bannon sounds like he screams “FUUUUUUUUUCK” over and over again, and it does sound like it. In these cases, I don’t fucking care about the lyrics.
But whatever other bands who are not death/black/grindcore, I will try to understand the lyrics, I wanna know what the guy was thinking when writing the song, etc.
However, I do agree that people put too much emphasis on the vocals. I think they should be considered as just another instrument in the mixing.
They definitely matter. That’s one of the reasons I love Unearth. I love bands that have stupid lyrics (Slayer) but i would never want to relate to them (Dead Skin Mask).
I love lyrics! I just hate bad lyrics(Annihilator’s METAL comes to mind), they have to be great or decent….some examples of bands with great lyrics:
Sacred Reich
Scar Symmetry
Artillery
Forbidden
Orphaned Land
Check out Toxik’s Time After Time….the amazing lyrics are almost as well crafted as the song itself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9A9jL7k4ME
If the lyrics can be understood then they had better be good, otherwise it just ends up ruining the whole song for me.
I used to read liner notes for lyrics all the time but these days how a vocalist sounds with the music playing is more important. If one doesn’t fit with the other, I don’t bother. I think the other part of the equation for me is, if I can pick out the words and understand the lyrics, then the lyrics need to make sense. They need to have a point and not just some rambling incoherent vision or thought thrown into the mix.
I can pay attention to interesting political lyrics a la Misery Index, and really convincing occult/satanic lyrics stand out to me, particularly Dissection and Behemoth. For the most part, I really do not give a rat’s ass.
Generally, yes. If the lyrics are intelligent, I like the band more, because I feel like they’re not just some meatheads grinding out riffs – there’s some thought put into the process. One of the reasons I like Scar Symmetry so much is because their lyrics are about cool, scientific topics I find fascinating (case in point, I read Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series with Holographic Universe on repeat through the whole thing, and it was awesome). Lyrical themes in metal tend to be more esoteric and have more thought than your usual radio fodder. I’d rather hear about sci-fi, occultism, or social issues than hear some pop star go on about how sexy she is or some guy rap about how much money he has.
I also like lyrics to be memorable, because when I’m singing along to a song, if I forget the lyrics, then I forget the tune and am reduced to lame mumbling.
For me the best lyrics are both intelligent and thought provoking and also fit the tone of the music. The music conveys most of the feeling, and the lyrics are there to supplement and nail it down to something concrete.
In addition, the way most metal records are mixed leads me to investigate the lyrics because on first listen, I can’t understand what the fuck they’re saying, so I read the lyrics, and hopefully I’m not disappointed because they’re stupid.
i only care about the lyrics if i can understand them. if it’s a bunch of gurgles and brees, who gives a shit.
They matter to me, and can completely change how I feel about a band or song, but most of the time I couldn’t really give a shit less as long as the lyrics don’t suck completely. Death metal lyrics, for example, are pretty stock and I can’t understand most of it anyway…it’s more how the voice fits with the music. On the other hand, great lyrics can make a band mean a lot more to me even if they are unintelligible. Case in point: After the Burial. Awesome, uplifting lyrics even though I can’t understand a word of it until after I’ve read them. For bands like Chimaira, Pantera, Lamb of God, etc, the lyrics have to be passable because they’re at the forefront of the music. For example, I can’t STAND “Worthless” by Chimaira. Fucking love that band, and the music to the song is good, but the middle-school level lyrics (”You’re worthless, you are fucking worthless, nobody cares if you die”….come on) completely kill it for me. Opeth wouldn’t be as good of a band to me if the lyrics weren’t so phenomenal. And so on and so forth…
That is the art isn’t it? Using all these elements to meet the artist’s goals. Music is a magic art form and the lyrics, the mix, the vocal sound and the song are all tools used by the true bad-asses to get the point (emotional connection) across. It is great art for Cannibal Corpse to bury the vocals, great for Preist to use delay, etc. All these tools are there to be used or ignored so that others may do the job.
Its mostly the sound of the voice and how it works with the sound that matters. However, if the lyrics are intelligible, then they better not be corny or chessey or, in my case, not Satanic. I’m not talking about lurics that just mention Satan and whatnot. They’re fine. I’, talking about lyrics that have a Satanic religious bent to them. Also, cheesey lyrics are the reason I can’t listen to Pantera’s “A New Level”
I know I’m gonna take heat for the comment above, so let’s get this out of the way: Fuck you all
Like Pantera or not, Phil’s lyrics were pretty bad. He had grown a bit by Trendkill and the first Down album. Maybe it was the dope?
“When I was younger I though Bark at the Moon was Fuck on the Moon.”
As far as I’m concerned, it’s the latter from this point onwards.
I don’t feel like complete without knowing the lyrics.. the voice is an instrument also.. haha but yeah I gotta hear the lyrics to really feel what the band was trying to achieve, even though bands like misery signals and BTBAM can write instrumental songs that speak to you just as much as lyrics do. I think if the vocalist took the time to write the song then you should give him the respect of understand what he is saying. Plus you feel it that much more when you know every aspect of the song and it hits you good.
For the most part lyrics couldn’t matter less to me. I’m a firm believer that in metal, death metal in particular, that the vocals are just another instrument in the song. Take The Berzerker for example. The song Massacre is fucking amazing and it’s mainly from the vocals. They’re so intense that it takes the song to a new level. Not to mention “Call to arms you do not have cuz torn flesh is all that’s left” is a pretty cool line. Benighted uses a variety of vocals to add to the song. Foetus is in french ( so i OBVIOUSLY understand it) and the chorus is to this day one of my favorite uses of vocals. Origin’s probably the greatest example of using the voice just as an instrument. He follows the guitar pretty much through the entire song. It’s pretty amazing, check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZy1cVH8NjU
There are cases though were I look up lyrics. After I got into Behemoth I decided to see what Nergal was singing. If you really look into those lyrics and look up stuff, it’s fascinating. Cannibal Corpse just has hilarious lyrics.
Some bands I listen to just for the lyrics. That’s why I listened to older Manson stuff, when he actually had a message to convey. Same goes for Murderdolls. They lyrics are just amusing. But in conclusion, in metal, lyrics don’t matter, it’s all how the vocals are used.
As a musician I tend to gravitate towards what the instruments are doing, specifically guitar riffs, on my first listen. When I get a chance though, I love diving into the lyric book or just giving it an intense listen to try and determine what the vocalist is aiming at. Like most young metal and hardcore fanatics growing up, I wanted to know EVERYTHING about the bands I loved, from the gauges of picks the guitar player was using to what inspired the meaning of the song itself. Even though I’m a grown ass man now, I still live and breathe this stuff. So the amount of creativity that musicians put into the song I expect the vocalist/lyricist to put into as well. There are a lot of bands out there, however, that have pretty abstract and vague lyrics but I still dig on them because the music is that radical… bands like Cynic, Opeth, and Meshuggah are pretty prime examples. I think one of the reasons why I dig on Daath so much is because you dudes embody the whole kit n’ kaboodle: songwriting, creativity, technical prowess, and lyrical substance. The lyrics for The Worthless blew me away the first time I heard them!
On a side note, I’m the Nick you stayed with in San Marcos, CA after you dudes played the Jumping Turtle. My phone was ran over by a vehicle a week ago and I lost all my contacts including yours. If you ever feel like hitting me up via text so I could get your number back and keep in touch that would rule man. I hope you’re great! Sweet blog.
nice, cynic.
If it’s EYEHATEGOD, I want to know every scathing, drug-addled and acerbic word that comes out of Mike Williams mouth. Pure demented genius.
Also if the lyrics don’t match the greatness being put out by the other band members they kinda clash. Like it sounds like they are not in tune with eachother.
I think the tone of the vocals and the way it blends with the music is more important than the actual substance. That’s why I listen to both christian and satanic bands. The music and the way the vocals interact is more important than what they’re actually saying.
Vocals are the easiest thing for the majority of people to connect to, so they are important to the masses.
For me, it’s a little of everything- Great lyrics, not matter what band, always seem to shine in a live settings. You’d be surprised what fans latch onto and yell out when those particular lyrics come along.
I love vocals that you can hear everything just as much as a death grunt that is used more like another instrument… But solid, well-written lyrics are important, regardless if you can understand them or not.
I don’t necessarily care what they are saying, but some, like Lamb of God and some Job for a Cowboy, just stick in my head. And yeah, most of the time I don’t understand most of what they are saying.
Yes, almost always.
i only read them once to know that the hell they are saying. i dont memorize them to sing along.
One of the nice things about listening to bands that sing in languages other than English… it doesn’t matter what the fuck they’re saying.
By and large, I don’t really care about lyrics. A lot of lyrics are cheesy, cliched, or utter nonsense anyway.
Yes, lyrics matter to me. One of the reasons I listen to metal is that the lyrics are more likely to be thought-provoking than the lyrics of your average pop song. (Some indie rock/alternative bands have great lyrics, too.)
Whenever I hear a band singing about some kind of obscure ancient mythology or text or something, I have to wonder if they’re poring over piles of obscure academic texts in their free time, or it’s just something random they learned about in passing. Like a few others have mentioned, due to my own beliefs, I draw the line at overtly Satanic lyrics, but I don’t mind lyrics that critique my spiritual beliefs or talk about pagan/heathen mythology. Really horrific lyrics (Cannibal Corpse, etc.) are in the same category as watching a horror movie to me – entertaining, and basically harmless.
That said, I’m much more likely to pay closer attention to the lyrics if I can actually understand at least some of them. If I don’t, it’s just noise to me.
Look at it like this If theres a stupid hot chick your talking too you don’t really listen to what she says but you listen just enough to get her in the sack, But if you meet a girl you like and want you listen to what she says because your into her.
I guess it works the same way for metal lyrics (enjoy the ride but you don’t care for the person involved).
I’d say I definitely fall into the “mixed” category here. I really appreciate bands with interesting and thoughtful lyrics, like Gojira, Meshuggah, LoG, etc. I tend to like knowing what the lyrics are saying, at least to some extent. However, I also put a high value on how they sound – since you often can’t understand a large portion of the lyrics without reading them, it’s often more about how they meld with the music as a whole. I also refuse to listen to bands that have interesting lyrics but whose singers screech or pig squeal or do other sorts of really annoying singing. So it’s definitely a mix of lyrics and general sound for me.
*whose singers screech or pig squeal or do other sorts of really annoying singing*
C’mon man, you don’t like Disturbed?
Lyrics can make or break a song just like the music can. So I think they are just as important as the music and vise versa.
Could a band get up there and kick ass and have an amazing vocalist that just screams nothing but gibberish and still get huge? I don’t think so
are the lyrics a vital part to connecting with the metal audience? Not necessarily
I think it’s somewhere in between in a means-to-an-end kinda way.
I also used to care about lyrics but I don’t anymore. But there are people out there actually paying attention.
If it was me writing the lyrics I’d try to write stuff with some meaning behind it, or at the very least I’d try to come up with interesting shit. But a vocalist screaming gibberish would be like me playing random notes on my guitar.
i don’t give a fuck about metal lyrics unless they’re good, and most of the time they really aren’t. sure, it’s cool to hear about fucking whores with decaying logs of shit when you’re 15, but i’m 28 now, and i want to hear songs about raising children and paying taxes on time. no, i’m kind of kidding, but i just can’t relate to most of the shit lyrics in metal so i really just tune them out.
that said, if you’re a lyricist, and your fucking job is to write lyrics and sing them, you have no business sucking if that’s all you do in your band, especially if the rest of the band is amazing. if all you have to say with your words are that you’re pissed off at your mom because she wants you to get a job. i mean, i’ve never read daath’s lyrics, but i’m assuming i wouldn’t think very well of them. no offense, eyal.
but that’s not saying that a good band is completely hindered by shit lyrics. it’s just really disappointing when you hear a song that is fucking amazing and the lyrics are total shit. i’m just glad that most of the time i never bother to do that.
With metal, it’s usually the overall feel of the music that grabs me first. Even if the words are unintelligible, if I really like the band, I usually check out what the lyrics are. If they are well written, it can really add to my connection with the song. If they are not, no big deal. I still like the music, but good lyrics can definately add to how your fan base connects with the band.
Most of the time, Lyrics are very important to me.
there are some bands, on the other hand, like say…Aborted, where you can’t fucking understand what their saying anyways, so looking at lyrics is just for shits and giggles (seriously Aborted has some ridiculously funny lyrics.)
Most of the time lyrics make the music that much more exciting.
There’s a couple sides to the issue for me. For example, I love the lyrics on Misery Index’s last album. Goatwhore’s new album, not so much. But I noticed the music first for both bands, and could only understand words here and there to get the overall theme and feel of the music. Which I think is what extreme metal vocals should convey. Some people are just better are putting content behind the conviction, y’know?
That having been said, given how much I love metal, I’m also capable of enjoying the more stereotypical aspects of it. For example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WSAaRp7sVM
I laugh my ass off every time at that moment at 1:13 in that video. That is, to me, quintessentially metal. Just totally over the top and awesome. Amon Amarth, by the way, has amazing lyrics. As a student of Scandinavian history I can assert that their lyrics are both thematically and factually accurate. And Hegg is a great storyteller.
Anyways, people get into arguments with me about metal’s lyrics a lot but I don’t think they’re any worse, as a genre, than any other. For every Tupac Shakur in rap there’s ten 50 Cent’s, for every Frank Black in indie there’s 100 bands that just spew inane gibberish without any of the wit or charm. I think most people listen to the music that speaks to them on a sonic level, then project the meaning they want onto the words.
Great lyrics help. Bad lyrics don’t matter.
I do care about the lyrics if i cant comprehend the lyrics in the song I’ll go look them up and listen to the song again to see if i can understand them. Then there’s the other times that I’m not worried about the lyrics just the music like drinking at a party the last thing on my mind is what the singer is saying when i cant even understand what I’m saying.It would be funny though a room full of drunks(among other things) trying to understand the lyrics we’d probably come up with some funny shit.
In general, no, I don’t shive a git. Because in general, I don’t understand them. whether or not I can actually make out the words, most of it, I just don’t understand. I’ve never been very good a metaphor. or english in general. If I can make out the words, I will sing/scream along, but I don’t analyze anything. I don’t have time for that. I know how hard bands try on lyrics and I feel bad about not paying more attention. Even when I was younger and listened to albums over and over (because I didn’t have so many) even though I know every word, I never analyzed them. I try and write lyrics myself and I find it hard not to be literal. I also find it hard not to write about myself. So as a “lyricist” if I put myself out to the word and nobody gives a shit, that sucks. But it’s the truth. As guess really as long as the lyrics aren’t stupid sounding when they are supposed to be serious, all is good.
Remember when Obituary didn’t have lyrics? that was awesome. Whenever I scream along to whatever I have spinning, I get the general sounds but not necessarily the words. I just like screaming.
So, if I had time, and was any good at analyzing lyrics, I would care. But since I don’t have either, it’s not a big deal for me. If I was trying to cover a song, I would want to know the lyrics even if they are indecipherable. Problem is, my vocal style is decipherable, so I better not write stupid lyrics.
you have a band? i seriously want to hear that shit.
Psycroptic have some pretty damn good lyrics (love the sci-fi stuff).
I sometimes feel bad that i can’t understand a fucking word he’s saying.
Psycroptic have some of the best lyrics. Lord Worm’s Cryptopsy lyrics too.
If the vocal performance is good enough, good patterns etc it makes me want to know what they’re saying. More often than not, its way more fun to make up your own words.
Bands like Cannibal Corpse, the lyrics are not really important, its all just about gore, but i find that some bands even new ones releasing albums in 2009 and such have some really interesting lyrics in their songs if you can pick it up. bands like BTBAM and other prog metal groups make concept albums and the lyrics are just as big a part of the entire piece as any other instrument
plus when you read the lyrics to songs and listen along, once you memorize what they’re singing, it gets you into the song so much more
Lyrics are just kinda the icing on the cake for me.. I can definitely enjoy a band even if i cant understand the vocals (Behemoth, Hate Eternal) but it is nice when a singer can enunciate even with extreme growling (Misery Signals, Corpsegrinder era Cannibal). And it’s especially great when you have a very talented lyricist that makes you want to read the lyrics (Every Time I Die)
Yes and no.
That’s because, like all things that requires talent or effort, some metal bands have great lyrics, and others have shitty lyrics. Even ones I like. Look at Alexi Laiho for example. He’s not the greatest lyricist out there. Hell, he’s not even the greatest vocalist out there. Rob Flynn, with some exceptions like Clenching the Fists of Dissent, leaves a lot to be desired lyrically and vocally as well.
Then there are guys like Mark Hunter, Trevor Phipps, Randy Blythe, and the dude from Kataklysm. Those guys write pretty damn good lyrics. I’m also a huge fan of Korn and Slipknot and part of the appeal of those bands if you ask most of their fans are the lyrics of Jonathan Davis and Corey Taylor.
As far as reading through the lyrics, I eventually do when I acquire new albums, but not right away. Usually I listen to them enough to know what the dude is saying anyways, except for most death metal bands.
However, Alexi Laiho is responsible for “I refuse to be brought down by you” in Sixpounder. That is just awesome. I said that to an ex once. And it’s fun to yell “incoming” during In Your Face, even though it’s kind of random.
I agree with Eyal here, I used to care about lyrics a lot. I remember when i was a kid and didn’t speak english yet I would print out SOAD lyrics and sit for hours with a dictionary just translating them, came in handy when I started learning the language in school. Nowadays I don’t really care.
Its a violent pornography, choking chicks and sodomy, the kind of shit thats on your TV! Yeah thats pretty much how everyone should learn english.
Nah I never watched music programs on TV, just got pirate versions from my friends.
Hmmm. For those who dont care about lyrics and just care about how the vocals sound and fit in with the music, Dan Swano, of Bloodbath and Edge of Sanity fame, did a project call Pan. Thy. Monium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan.Thy.Monium
Where there are no lyrics and he just growls. Not my thing because i love good lyrics, but it did intrigue me.
As a lyricist/metal singer, i care about the quality of lyrics a great deal. I almost never dismiss a band for shitty lyrics, but that also precludes that band from being a favorite. I think in a genre that leans toward grand concepts and complex themes like some metal does, then lyrics are important, even if they aren’t immediately intelligible; case in point–Pig Destroyer.
I’m curious, who do the MetalSucks talkbackers think are the best lyricists in metal?
I’d definitely put Randy Blythe toward the top of my list. I’d put Akerfeldt on there too, the man’s a poet.
Any others?
Åkerfeldt is definitely up there for me, but that’s also because I’m a huge Opeth fan. I’m also partial to Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity), Henrik Ohlsson (Scar Symmetry) and Tomas Haake (Meshuggah), not least because I’m a big fan of those bands. It just so happens that all of those guys, though all Swedish (hmm), don’t shy away from using some heady terms in English to tackle complex topics (though Ohlsson’s subject-verb agreement could often use a little work).
I sometimes pen lyrics to songs I write, just has a hobby, and I tend to like similar topics and intellectualism, so I’m obviously biased toward lyrics that show a similar bent.
Ironically enough, I touched on this in my reply to your post about how non-musicians hear music.
As I said before, music (to me) is a language in which combinations of tones are used to convey, manipulate, and invoke the emotions and thoughts of people (listeners, ears with feet, whatever). While do I believe that lyrics play an integral roll in the overall workings of a “song,” the initial (most important part) impact of a song on a person is derived from the music itself and not the lyrics. A lot of people place so much emphasis on lyrics when judging a musical piece, however they don’t realize that the mental imprint it has left in their head is originally burned into their memory because of the tones that entered their ears and remembrance of what they felt when first hearing it. A common example I use to convey this is the theme song of Titanic (yes i know, but bear with me here). Consider how many people fell in love with it during the movie’s release. Now listen to the lyrics. A 5 year old could have written those. Its the sad feelings induced from the “flute” carrying the melody throughout the song that has made the impact on people’s memory and emotions.
How does this apply to metal? Well, I ask you…….how does it not?? Metal fans are drawn to its aggressive patterns and tones due to what they seek out of music. Lyrics in the background of the songs give a meaning to the listener but its not why they listen to it initially. You could take the lyrics from a cannibal corpse song and put them over a hip hop beat. Do you honestly think any real metal fan would listen to that? Hell no! lol
So yes, I do think lyrics are somewhat important in the actually final product of song writing. But the meaning behind a song is not even close to the importance of the music itself due to how the human brain initially is drawn to a particular genre of music.
Cheers!
It really depends on the band. Here are some I DO pay attention to lyrically:
Every Time I Die & Pig Destroyer – I will read those lyrics again and again. Buckley and Hayes are poets, and two of my favorite lyricists ever.
Mastodon – I pay attention to the lyrics of individual songs, and well as how they relate to the overall theme of the record. Excellent storytelling with these dudes.
Faith No More / Tomahawk / Peeping Tom / Mike Patton in general – usually concentrates more on the sound a word makes, rather than its meaning when stringing together lyrics, but he tends to evoke some disturbing thoughts and imagery through his warped sensibilities regardless. My favorite might be “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things”, with Dillinger. Speaking of…
Dillinger Escape Plan – there’s usually some weird, twisted shit in there, too. Check out “Phone Home” and “Baby’s First Coffin”.
Darkest Hour – How else would one find out that “With A Thousand Words To Say But One” is a touching love song?
Lamb of God – you nailed it, Eyal
Clutch – Neil Fallon is a goddamn genius with his rock ‘n roll sermons and surreal stories.
Slayer – Not so much anymore, but I know every word to Reign, South & Seasons.
Cannibal Corpse – It’s really more about the excellent song titles here; sometimes I check out the lyrics, and sometimes I don’t get around to it.
Somewhat, but I myself don’t have the proper blues education, so I don’t speak nor understand growl.
is that a livecast joke? if so nice one
Yes, yes it was. Atleast someone in here who listens to them gold livecasts.
i know all the lyrics to “Fucked with a knife” :)
i dont care as long as their not blatantly christian. subliminal religion in lyrics is cool , i just dont want to here he was your savior screamed at me. as far as death metal and even genres with screaming like metalcore, its more for me how the enunciate the words rather than what the words are. that makes it more of a guessing game as to what they are saying. sometimes i look up lyrics. if they’re good thats great but i cant remember them anyway
better said: if i cant understand them i dont care
It depends, but without the tone, delivery, and feeling, I don’t care either way what they’re saying.
I’d say you can generally get an idea if the lyrics have any relevant meaning or depth just by scanning a few songs. If the person has something to say worth knowing, I think the lyrics matter…if not, as long as it goes with the music I’m happy.
Exactly right about Lamb of God fans, myself included! Eyal’s description made me laugh.
I always liked Phil Anselmo’s lyrics before he got completely fucked with heroin.
Again, a vocalist who was mixed up high and who you could understand every word they were screaming
It doesn’t matter what you sing if you can’t play.
In metal, more so than in other genres, it’s music first, lyrics second.
Damn, that’s a good topic and question.
Me personally having been a vocalist and a guitarist, would have to say yes lyrics are an important part of all metal genres. Even if their incomprehensible they still have an important role in the artistry of the whole thing and what is music but an art. A good story or idea is like icing on the cake and is always a good compliment to the music. Story telling shouldn’t be taken lightly even if it’s about throwing bricks at someones head or making a commentary on the state of our government.
I love listening to all the singer lyrics. Hell I know our singers lyrics in the band and they are actually connect with me. My favorite lyrics come from John Henry of Darkest Hour. He writes solid songs!
I really like certain bands’ lyrics, like Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad and Animosity, but in general, I have to say that a certain lyrical style will probably not turn me off from a band or make me like a band more than I previously did. I care more about delivery, and if the lyrics are catchy enough, I may crack open the lyrics booklet and learn some.
If the lyrics are not by Steve Austin, Jacob Bannon or poet laureate J.R Hayes they´re usually not worth reading. Please give me pointers if there are any other lyricists you think belong in this small group.
It depends on the band usually. I’ll almost always give a quick scan or two on a lyric page or sheet and see if anything jumps out at me.
Depends. When it comes to death metal, the best vocalists(in my opinion) tend to be the ones you can understand, but still sound brutal(for lack of a better word). For example: At first listen, you can understand almost every word that ever came out of Chuck’s mouth on a Death record… and his lyrics are relevant/worth paying attention to. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure no one can understand what the fuck Muhammad says on a Necrophagist song…. The vocals compliment the music and that’s enough, everyone’s there for the musicianship anyway.
I personally like to know the lyrics so i can sing along. Sigur Ros has a great untitled ambient album, however, that has no lyrics or song titles. The singer sings gibberish throughout the entire album and it doesn’t matter that he’s not using words.
Eyal, Sean Z was a definite upgrade for you guys! Love his vocals and the lyrics. He’s melodic, but still heavy as fuck.
i dont care about lyrics. i dont even realize a song has lyrics till like the third time i hear it. for me it was always about the riffs. i dont think i can remember the lyrics to any song no matter how many times a hear it. and i guess i dont like lamb of god as much as other people guess cuz i have no idea what that dude is angry about in every song
When I was 13 I wore out my megadeth album inserts along with the album itself, reading them over and over like a fiend. I remember trying to force myself not to read ahead of the song, since I wanted the music to convey the message along with the words at the same time for maximum effect.
That was years ago, and now like a lot of you I think I’m over the impressionable phase in a metalhead’s lifecycle where the lyrics resonate with me in a meaningful way. Once I read TS Eliot and Yeats in high school, I changed my opinion to leave poetry for the poets, music for the musicians. Now I’m in my twenties and just want to headbang. Glad to be in an instrumental metal band, since otherwise I’d probably hate my own band’s lyrics and that would be a weird situation.
It actually made me a lot more openminded towards music in the end. I listen to tons of great metal bands with godawful lyrics and love it (as a diehard power metal / death metal / black metal fan, bad lyrics are mandatory)
One of my favorite power metal bands, Galneryus, have the most atrocious lyrics of all time, and I like them way more because of it. A sample chorus:
Spark is the last scene you’ll see
MY SWORD BRING YOU THE END OF YOUR LIFE!!!!
Your blood is spilling on the ground
It’s like silent revelation!
They’re Japanese and obviously aren’t fluent with their English, but I like it better than way. Was very disappointed when they started singing in Japanese, and more disappointed when the singer quit. A sad day for cheese…
Yep, after all, it’s a large part of why I’m hated around here.
“I’m going to take a guess and say that fans of hardcore and straight edge bands really do care about the lyrics because the bands are representing the ideals and beliefs of their respective communities.”
Just no.
They sing about pussy and getting drunk, see DEP.
Oh wait, they’re straight edge.
They sing about pussy and how it pisses them off.
I think only one or two of the guys in D.E.P. are straight edge…Every Time I Die songs are pretty much ALL about getting drunk and/or pissy
Yes I care about the lyrics, the inanity has driven me away from most death metal. But if I stopped listening to metal because of absurd or childish lyrics, there’d be nothing left.
Lyrical content does matter. I was just listening to your album the other day. I like your vocalist a lot. I think he brings a great vibe to your band.
I am an old curmudgeon and I used to like metal lyrics, but now I don’t care. The only metal band with lyrics that matter to me at all is Nevermore. Most other lyrics mean nothing. If I hear lyrics I want them to say something that matter. I don’t care about rebels or demons or crap. I am old. Lyrics about pirates, phaores, wizards, the devil…that’s greasy kids stuff.
With metal, I don’t really care about the lyrics, just the overall thematic content. Sometimes I’ll pick up on a lyrical hook here and there that might make me want to learn what the rest of the song is saying. It amazes me when I go to shows and I see kids singing along with bands like All Shall Perish or Suffocation. I can’t help but wonder “You actually took the time to learn those? Seriously?” I own over 2,000 CD’s and I’m pretty sure that my brain would explode if I tried to memorize the lyrics to all of my favorite songs.
“Could a band get up there and kick ass and have an amazing vocalist that just screams nothing but gibberish and still get huge, or are the lyrics a vital part to connecting with the metal audience? Tell me your thoughts.”
Didn’t Obituary kind of do that already?
I have to have lyrics in my songs. I can barely stand instrumentals. Some moments of genius occur, yes, like in Metallica’s “To Live is To Die,” but for the most parts, a song means very little to me without any meaning. Hell, I’d bet a good number of people here hate Slipknot and Killswitch Engage because they don’t find them heavy enough or because of whatever genre you consider them. But I can identify with what Taylor and Jones say, and especially in songs (Two for example: People = Shit, and Never Again) where the vocals sound absolutely fitting to the message AND music, it strikes a chord in me. And yeah, pun intended. But still. What the song means decides how much I listen to it, really. Hey, if it sounds good, that’s great. But if its got no meaning, why the hell are you even writing songs?
LAMB OF GOD RULES.
I really like a well-turned lyric, but if the music’s good & the set of the piece is to my taste, I can ignore a weak or passable lyric as well.
I can’t ignore something I find really awful, like racist crap or what have you.
Lyrics are completely unimportant in metal. Half the time if the band is foreign, the lyrics either won’t make sense or will be so ridiculously cheesy it would just embarrass you to hear them. Metal is all about the overall sound. I do have to admit though, I find myself mouthing along to whatever sounds I do pick out of the mix – it’s just a way to connect to the music, especially for those that don’t know how to play an instrument. So do I wish lyrics mattered a bit more? Yes, I love being able to sing/mouth along, but I do that anyway…. it’s just sometimes random sounds of whatever I can pick out.
Also, it’s important to take metal lyrics with a grain of salt. That satanic/pagan band very well might just be atheist, they’re just putting religion into their songs to add to an image.
I usually ignore them because it’s impossible to understand them, but when I can understand them I pay attention. The quality of the vocals matters more than the lyrics.
It most definitely does matter to me but it depends on the genre. I grew up as a grunge kid and was hooked on the depressing lyrics and didn’t give a shit about random screaming or anything. Now I am entirely drawn to bands like Cold, Hurt and Shinedown on the Alt. rock side for the lyrics and love them all to death but I am very lenient when it comes to a lot of metal. Bands like Behemoth and Opeth can sing about whatever the hell they want I agree and they’ll be fucking badass. But if I can distinguish the vocals and the album is memorable enough to listen to a lot I want them to be meaningful or at least logical. Take a band like Mastodon, they’re fucking incredible and their lyrics mean nothing to any of us but they always tell a very cool story so we can all enjoy it. Too many bands sing about stupid shit or sound like they want to be tough guys though and that’s pretty obnoxious. We all love catchy Lamb of God hooks and how they get stuck in our head but when it’s entirely cheesy like anything Marilyn Manson has done over the past seven years then it blows. As for bands like Cannibal Corpse I think they’re out there to push the boundaries when it comes to whatever in the hell they are talking about. They will always have their own following of fans who are usually too much of elitists or what not to care about any bands with distinguishable, rational lyrics.
STEPHEN
FREEZE FRAME STEPHEN
I absolutely care about lyrics in metal, mostly because I am also a vocalist, thusly I enjoy listening to others’ expression through their lyrics.
Unless a song truly has no point, which is seldom at best, the lyrics tell the story.
The instrumental aspect may set the mood, but without the lyrics you would have no true understanding of what was attempted to be portrayed, much akin to a color blind man standing before a Jackson Pollock painting…
As a guitarist I tend to focus a lot more on how the music sounds and how the vocalist/singer sounds with the rest of the band, but I also pay some attention to the lyrics. For the most part, I don’t really care what the lyrics are, but if they have some deep meaning that I can relate to, then I pay a lot of attention to the lyrics, so I always do look into the lyrical content of any band I like to see if they have good lyrics, or just random brutal and/or Satanic stuff. There are bands, like Daath and Scar Symmetry (just to name a couple examples) that I like for the lyrics and the music…and like Dustin says, the lyrics sometimes tell a story; like in most Amon Amarth songs, and I like stuff like that too.
I listen to the lyrics and pay attention to the concept of the song. I like songs that get a point across. Most of the time, I listen to the songs and read the lyrics at the same time. By the same token I pay attention to what the words are trying to say. The way I see it, the vocal content of the song plays a role in making music. HOWEVER: the words and the lyrics matter in the song content too. There are a lot of listeners out there that will latch on to the singers words and they will want to ask questions based on what the song is about and where the ideas come from. I can figure out what some of the songs in DAATH’s new album “The Concealers” are talking about. The song “Sharpen The Blades” is basically saying destroy everything in your path at all costs. The chorus “Sharper the blades that cut through opposition, stabbing into submission, slicing right through everything” pretty much says it all. The song “The Worthless” sounds vampyric to my ears. The words “in the darkness of death bathed the blood of the worthless” are words of immortality. Kind of reminds me of the legend of the “Iron Maiden”. Not the band, but the iron coffen built from steel and have needles used to drain the blood of virgins. Overall, lyrics do matter to me (at least). I like songs that get a point across. I don’t like lyrics that don’t make sense.
The thing is for me, when I can understand the lyrics in Metal, it makes it a much more brutal experience. Everyone’s talking about Randy from Lamb of God, but all the dudes in that band are fucking gods at their instruments. Like I love metal because the instrumentalists are extremely extremely talented and actually write songs that take serious skill to be able to play. But when a screamer is spouting lyrics that can be understood then it’s just an ultimate metal listening experience.
The only lyrics that count are the ones you can easily understand. This takes away nearly 70% of metal bands out there. The extreme barking and unintelligible stuff is good to serve as another instrument in the band. It can sound good if you use it right.
My Top 3 “Easily Understood” in metal are Phil Anselmo, James Hetfield and Joe Duplantier.
My Top 3 “Grunters” are Jens Kidman, Vincent Bennett and Chris Barnes.
There is a huge difference. Plus, you ever notice that your mom likes the metal bands with the easier listening vocals? Heh.
I love Metal lyrics. when i was in my teens in the early 80’s,listening to bands like Slayer,Venom,Exodus,Celtic Frost,Possessed etc,i couldn’t really say I related to all of them,but I didn’t expect them too sing about puppys and love,and a broken heart. The intensity of the music made the lyrics easier to relate to,in a way. Metal lyrics go with the intensity of the music.
Personally, I DO pay attention to lyrics. And yes, I DO know pretty much every god damn word Randy Blythe says in every song.
I really like Cannibal Corpse with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. I mean CC with Chris Barnes was classic, but Fishers ability to fit so many syllables in one line, is fucking insane.
Though then there are bands I like where one can barely understand a single word sometimes. For example, Pig Destroyer, Behemoth and Necrophagist. Those songs usually have excellent lyrics, though you can’t understand, but I still enjoy it all the same.
Then, there’s bands like Children Of Bodom. They’re pretty good overall, though I often have trouble understanding Alexi Laiho. And the lyrics sometimes sound really stupid.For example, from Roadkill Morning off of Blooddrunk:
“Sleeves up, lightning sucker punch
Can’t stand my jumper cables on my junk”
Why is he talking about putting jumper cables on his junk..? Sometimes he doesn’t even make any sense.
In addition to the Alexi Laiho thing, there are lyrics for only one song on Something Wild. The rest of the time, he’s just yelling nothing. Literally. I think that says a lot about extreme metal and lyrical content.
I think this question can be answered several ways as shown above. I didnt read all of them but here are some of my thoughts:
I care about the lyrics in metal but to an extent. it also has a lot to do with the band. But before that, it also has to do with how it goes with the music and what kind of texture it adds to the song instrumentally. Mitch from Suicide has a really rhythmic way of vocalizing his lyrics so it gets me interested in what he’s saying and it proves to be something worth looking at. This also proves true with Phil from All That Remains. His lyrics are poetic and beautifully put together indeed. Bu then there are some bands with lyrics that just add shock value. There are bands that just do it for that purpose and I could really could care less about those bands because anybody can sing about rip the skin off someone’s body. But do they do it? No. I don’t care. To me it all boils down to who the band is and who it is put together with the music.
In black metal the lyrics are awesome. Give Emperor a listen. Not only are the instruments top notch but the vocals are beyond epic.
“Memories of torment strikes me,
Attempts were made to suffocate me at birth,
FOOOOOLS! I was already ancient,
Thou can not kill what breeds within thee”
But in death metal, ehhhh i don’t really care.
either good or bad: they always matter
period.
To me it’s mainly about the way it adds to the music itself. Some lyrics can mess up a song just because they’re not written well with the music. I actually by all my CDs and download nothing because I like the complete package with the lyrics included. I skim through them most of the time, but when I do actually read them, I never understand them. Most times because they are in metaphors and I just can’t figure things out that easily.
I believe it is very important to write the lyrics to go with the music. I feel it makes it so much stronger. I feel that Christian Machado from Ill Nino does it very well. At the same time, Ill Nino’s music differs a little from hardcore or metal or whatever it may be but he does it well.
I don’t know how some vocalists do it but they tear shit up some times just by taking the time to work with the music. Just changing a scream with dynamics to flow better will do a lot. A good example I can use is Sean’s vocals in “Self-Corruption Manifesto.” In the verse where he says “HATE-perceived as living,” since I bought the album I’ve always loved the way he screams “hate.” Same goes for the part in the chorus where he goes a little higher when he says “…of self corruption!” Maybe not a lot of thought went into making those parts higher than the others, but it sure does help and make a difference!
On a closing note, some times I don’t enjoy a song as much once I read the lyrics. I some times like a song better not knowing what’s said because I concentrate on the music more than the lyrics. Once I’ve read the lyrics and know them pretty well, I can’t help but singing them when the song plays which draws me away from the music a little.
I can tell you that Sean Z regards his craft,art, and instrument with the same seriousness and passion as the rest of us in the band. Every word, every pitch, every type of scream is that way for a reason.
as a lyricist myself, I am unendingly interested in lyrics. if a band has shitty, generic lyrics, then I just won’t bother with the lyrics, and simply enjoy the music. but if the lyrics are well written and passionate, I love the band all the more. The delivery is key as well, if your lyrics are important, I’d like to hear them and be able to decipher them. Many bands waste good lyrics on garbled delivery, but there are far more who are unintelligibe and its no loss. At the gates is a perfect example of good lyrics and delivery. Tomas is a brilliant lyricist, succinct, catchy, beautiful metaphors, and in a language that is not his own. The delivery makes the lyrics all the more heart stopping and gorgeous, when he screams “never again, my shattered eyes have seen enough of all your lies” I want to throw toddlers through windows! so, I think lyrics are like a bass player, if they’re average or not so great, no one can tell, but if they’re show stopping and astonishing, you have something few other artists do.
Yes lyrics matter. If a singer just gets up there and screams jib then its no better than the suck A*S radio pop BS! I dont know about the new wave of metal but us old school metal heads really look get into lyrics, they usually involve things that we are into.
Hi Eyal,
Lyrics are important to me because of the genre itself. I’m probably repeating a lot of what other people here have said…
We are metal heads and we need to experience every aspect of a metal song…
When I first heard Napalm Death’s From Enslavement to Obliteration, I could not understand jack shit of what Lee Dorian was singing (if you can call it that). I had to open the lyrics booklet to figure out what he was saying and although he had some really serious stuff to talk about I would have appreciated it if he sang more clearly…. Mark Greenway on the hand other is quite clear in his vocals even though he growls most of the time….
You cant have senseless lyrics on a heavy metal song just because the focus lies on the guitars and drums….
Even though South of Heaven was not Slayer’s best album you feel the impact when he screams out “before you see the light…. you must die!!!!”….. and hearing Zack De La Rocha screaming “fuck you I wont do what you tell me” over and over again makes you want to get up and throw something…..
The content of the lyrics and the vocal ability to deliver the lyrics are important if one would consider themselves to be a serious metal band….
That said I love the lyrics and vocals of the following bands:
Slipknot
Slayer
Napalm Death
Lamb of God
Megadeth
Metallica (first 4 albums)
Pantera
Cheers!!
I’ll only bother learning the lyrics if it’s a song I really like, and even then usually I’ll just go off of whatever few words I happen to interpret (which are sometimes wrong haha). I think for the most part the vocals are a part of the music and mostly add texture, maybe not in pop music but certainly in extreme metal. However I think lyrics are still essential. It gives the band a unique identity, something that they are about, and sometimes lyrics can be very interesting and insightful (take Death for example). It adds more depth to the artist and their songs. Just a bunch of grunting noises and random growls in every song would make the band seem like a joke I think. But yeah, mostly I don’t really listen to lyrics too closely, it is mostly just a part of the sound.
Yes deffinatly do lyrics and album art are the reason i still purchase cd’s rather than using buying online
i always read the lyrics in metal, one of the reasons i love metal so much is because of the kick ass lyrics and the fact that they usually mean more than most people think.
The entire reason I don’t like Hatebreed is their lyrics sound like some sort of metal self help tape. I can understand being positive but they push it WAY over the top and into the realm of bromance.
Of course lyrics are important!
There are some really well thought-of examples out there, and I myself am still amazed at the level of (most) Slayer lyrics, for instance.
I have always read the lyrics, and frequently even quote a line from here or there,- here and there.
I still read the lyric sheets and liner notes every time i buy a new album, its all a part of the experience!
That said, the question of sheer quality differs a lot.
There are fantastic stories and poetry and thoughts in lyrics,- but also double cheese, idiotic chants, mindless repetition of one phrase, or just plain humor.
Understanding lyrics and reflecting over the meaning enriches the listening for me (for the more ‘deep’ ones) , but a great (if cheesy) singalong chorus or verse can also do the trick.
Compare Slayer, Opeth, Municipal Waste, Turisas, Amon Amarth or Mötley Crue for that matter- for example.
I admire those who can write a good lyric, and are able to transform their poetry to music – no matter in which particular style those lyrics are uttered. True artists.
I’m a big lyrics fan. Actually, one of my favourite lines (recently) comes from ‘Something Invisible’ by Suicide Silence:
“As long as I can remember you’ve always been this miserable,
And it’s all because you’re still believing in something fucking invisible.”
Gotta love those bible-bashing lyrics. And it rhymes too; bonus!
I care about every wizard, every dragon, every child garrotting, Christ sodomizing, corpse eviscerating, Odin praising lyric. All of them. The more indecipherable the better.
You are a gentleman and a scholar.
I care about lyrical content to some extent. In Power and Progressive Metal, I expect fairly well written lyrics. If you don’t have catchy lyrics in Power Metal, don’t expect to succeed (the chorus makes a Power Metal song). On another note, I think bands like Cynic and Death have/had a reputation to maintain as far as lyrics go. As soon as lyrics become cheesy gimmicks, though, that’s when it gets irritating.
I hope that made sense, I just got out of bed.
From experience I know that fans of In Flames are kinda the same in this respect as LOG fans. I was at IF show and nearly the whole venue (me included, I fucked up my voice for a few days that night) sang along with Anders, word for word.
As for me personally – I do care about lyrics most of the time, f.ex. I do care a lot about The Haunted’s lyrics, because I listened to The Dead Eye a whole fucking lot when I was going through some unpleasant times. But generally if I like a CD a lot I tend to sit down with a lyric sheet and think about them (recent example – Crack In The Skye). Though like someone said earlier, I tend to tune out when listening to bands satanistic/occult oriented lyrics. To give an example here – I avoided Behemoth for a long time, and though they hail from country, because of the lyrics. The riffs on Evangelion finally put me over the edge and I bought the album. but I still don’t really pay attention to the lyrics.
Being a metal vocalist myself, I think really that it comes down to this.
Death metal and Black metal, the singer never sings, just growls. I find myself caring less what they are saying then say what a Howard Jones, or Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) is singing since they actually sing sing too.
Another good example is Cradle of Filth, their old stuff, I could care less what he is singing about, it sounds bad ass and that is all I worried about, but then they released ‘thornography’ and Dani did some singing on it. Then I was real into it and was learning the words and singing along.
my 2 cents.
Hey Eyal !! cheers from France!! to give an answer to your thoughts , i reply to your request !! I think the lyrics in a song are quite important! Imagine: a very dark song or extremely violent with lyrics about love or something like that , it’s not credible at all for the band, however the other way is incredibly funny !! Sure i think too that the texture of the voice is the more important in a band , i prefer a good voice with shitty lyrics than a shitty voice with good lyrics !! for me , the lyrics are there to explain, to show the ideology of a band or to complete the song in the way that you can travel , make a scene in your minds , imagination !!
I give an example of a singer who has a loud growl but of who you can clearly understand the lyrics : Aeon !! The singer’s voice is loud as hell but he has a good diction and he articulates a lot !!
I’ll say when I hear elysia’s song filthy the lyrical content of today’s music is sub par tp lets say …and justice for all back in the day. It really just depends on the message the band is attempting to convey to the audience. I can listen to Dimmu Borgir all day and it not bother me that they have lyrics like ” I could pull out your fingernails one by one/ or take you to my chambers/ and rape you till you find no hope” becuase their music overpowers the energy of the vocal in alot of their older music but lets say Im listening to Gorgoroth and all I hear is them chanting “Praise satan” over and over in songs like incipit satan etc… I find the intelligence of the song lowered several steps. Now if you want a opinion on somethng more metalcore like August Burns Red they have amazing metal riffs but the lyrics and vocals are BY FAR not metal to me.
In the instance of GNR and Alice in Chains who can argue with such things?
Ive seen Daath Before (with the old Sean Farber) and I will say in my opinion the lyrical content of songs like festival mass soulform are interesting, but then you have songs like blender for the baby that seem a little more filler when it comes to lyrics. Id prefer all instrumentals seeing as my whole misanthropia causes me to see human voices as taking away from the music (exceptions being choirs).
fuck yea of course it matters what they’re sayin… otherwise “christian hardcore” would be as big as real fuckin black/death metal! simple as that, in my opinion. =/
That could be attributed more to what the bands represent than what they’re saying
Once again, great writeup, Eyal, especially the part about LoG’s vocals being high in the mix. Of course, I can see that being the case because of their major label, or because they’re a simplistic metalcore band set for mass appeal.
As for lyrics, I don’t really care much about them as long as the vocal melody fits, but if there are some exceptional lyrics, I do notice (e.g., Dark Tranquillity, Cormorant, etc.)
I know a lot of the lyrics to the lamb of god albums and I know a lot of the lyrics to Cannibal corpse and almost every word to songs by the Black dahlia murder albums, most people might not but being a singer and writer myself I find myself looking at the lyrics sheets. I think the words empower the song, but at first glance or first listen I should say it is more about how the voice interconnects with the song. After getting to know the song and wanting to sing the more catchier parts of the song is when I try to find out the lyrics. So my answer? Yes the lyrics matter a lot because singing about pink ponies wouldn’t coincide very well with the music.
Hey Eyal!!
You make a lot of very valid points. I write a lot of poetry, so for me, lyrics are fairly important. I might not be able to relate, but if it works with the music, then it’s still rockin’. Personally, I DO like to be able to relate to them, in some way. Which is why I don’t listen to a lot of pop/rap. I just find most of it completely ridiculous, as far as lyrics are concerned. In reference to your question at the end of your blog, “Could a band get up there and kick ass and have an amazing vocalist that just screams nothing but gibberish and still get huge, or are the lyrics a vital part to connecting with the metal audience?” I say, YES. Just look at Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter. One of the most misheard songs of all time. People just kind of interpret the lyrics, and make them their own, in a way. I don’t think anyone (even Eddie Vedder!) knows what the exact lyrics are to this song, and I’m not quite sure anyone cares! It’s just the vibe behind it, that made it great for it’s time. And since it’s even more difficult to actually understand screaming/growling vocals, I think it would be possible, fer sure, for someone to get up there and spew total non-sense. Could that band get huge, if it were that way on their album? That’s a different story. I’m not so sure if that would work. But I do agree, that it’s not necessarily what the vocalist is saying, it’s more about the texture of the vocals, and how they’re delivered. Also, I think nowadays we have a lack of TRUE musicians. I think people want to play guitar, or sing in a band, because it’s the kewl thing to do. Because of this, bands today end up lacking emotion in their music, and meaning in their lyrics. Which is why you don’t find yourself going out and scanning lyric sheets. :-D That’s all I’ve got to say for now. See you soon, I’ll bring the 1800. :-D
Do yall ever think that maybe you aren’t suppose to understand the lyrics first listen, and they are not suppose to be easy to hear. Bands want you to read the lyrics, the guitars and drums are saying the same thing the vocalist are saying. I am hugely surprised that everybody on here is just listening to music without even knowing what the main goal of the album was about, but then again I used to be that same way.
i always check lyrics to see if they’re worth reading (converge) or not (DEP). i think the “right” lyrical message in a song can make it more powerful.
yeah man exactly.. like fuck a winds of plague or iwrestled a bear once homo shit
I think most people will say they don’t care what the lyrics are, but if you hear some terrible lyrics, you’ll care. As a vocalist, lyrics are just as important to me as patterns and tones, and if anyone takes the time to check them out or try to understand them, I appreciate it, but I don’t expect it.
I suppose this is a Catch 22. In one way, lyrics are just there to have something to go along with the music. The vocals are still an instruments (in some metal bands). Take for example the late great Layne Stanley. Why Alice In Chains stood out in that grunge (I still say they are metal, not grunge) era is because of the musicianship, but his vocals are haunting. They didn’t just have vocals to go along with the music…with Layne..it feels like the music revolves around his singing and melodies.
However, on the other side of this coin, some bands lyrics are meaningful to the listener. The music is significant, but the lyrics tell a story. I know that some bands’ actual music can tell the story, but lyrics add another dimension to the story. Certain people need the lyrics. The music represents the feeling, but the lyrics are more personal. Take for example, if you are in a rough patch in your life, and you come across a song that represents you, or that time you are in. The music makes you release all that frustration, but the lyrics seem like you would have written them. That band isn’t just a band you listen to…it is a band that represents you.
It comes down the middle. Lyrics in some bands are just there to have something to have with the music, while some lyrics only add to the music…making it either personal or telling a story with the music being the soundtrack to that story.
(Sorry for the length of this comment…but I feel that I had to atleast break it down for it to make sense)
Fuck yeah lyrics matter! don’t get why someone would buy an album if they couldn’t understand the lyrics. Plus, it contributes to the songs, with usually some epic or shit like that. You know, like Braile by BMTH. If you don’t understand what the fuck the singer says, its just foreground noise.
It’s harder to pick out lyrics so it takes a concerted effort to care, but I know I definitely do. Lyrics matter a lot to me in any style of music. It’s really awesome to hear someone like J Bannon who can put such dark poetic matter into his songs, even if most of the time it’s completely unintelligable in the song, even with a lyrics sheet in front you. Tone is definitely also a big deal, but lyrics should never be written off.
Take a band like the Black Dahlia Murder- They have amazing guitar ruffs and the drums are also kick ass. Trevor(vocals) has an amazing voice with a extreme degree of variation between low, almost growls and high pitched almost screams. It all sounds brilliant together, but almost utterly incomprehensible if you dont know what you’re listening for. However, once seeing what he’ss,,err, singing-screaming- growling about, the lyrics are quite morbid,sadistic,masichistic, but FUCKING.SWEET. The Black Dahlia Murder is just an example of a band that if you dont know what the lyrics are you miss a huge chunk of the band-the music-and the genre.-Just my thoughts
If I can understand the lyrics like in LOG or MPB, then they matter. For instance, MPB’s (Most Precious Blood) vocalist chased me away from them. Everything in the band works EXCEPT they’re vocals. The first line of the song “Type-A Personality” is “I am my father’s son”, and it gets so retarded down the line that I don’t even listen to the rest of the song. Now bands like Cannibal Corpse (as mentioned) and Goatwhore I can’t understand so I don’t give a fuck if thier lyrics suck or pwn.
I think it usually depends on the predisposition of the listenener. For instance, I am a vocalist so naturally the lyrics come front and center for me right with the sound of the vocals. Everyone picks out the parts that make metal and rock mean something to them.
I would have to say that it really depends on the bands stance, image, and the way the band portrays itself in the scene in regards to the lyrics. If a band has taken a political or emotional stance to represent themselves, then I had better be able to understand what the lyrics are and mean if they are trying to convey a message to their audiance. If they are just doing metal for the fun of it, then I would say that the lyrics really don’t matter. If they have some kind of genre backing them ie. Horror Metal, and are using samples from horror movies and shit like that, then I would want to understand the lyrics just to see what kind of songs they are making to imortalize their favorite movie or comic or whatever. Basically it comes down to the bands image and message they want to convey to their audiance. They make the lyrics, they make the music. If they want to have a message or something like that, then yeah the lyrics are important. But honestly it doesnt really matter if they have good or bad lyrics. If the fans don’t give a shit about the lyrics then it doesn’t matter what they say. Who cares about a message if noone is listening to it?
It really just comes down to the band and how the music is put together for me. For example, two of my favorite Black Metal bands(Dissection and Immortal) have lyrics that complement their music, and for the most part(Dissection more so than Immortal at times) you can understand them right out of the box.
Now another BM artist I just recently started listening to more is Burzum, Jesus Tod is a great song, but I cannot understand a word he says because of his vocals and well, I don’t speak Nowegian :P. But I think Burzum so far because a lot of his music is very atmospheric, and I enjoy it.
Cannibal Corpse and Necrophagist are amazing bands, but I can only pick up a few words here and there(The Faceless is another example of this), but I usually don’t care because as a whole the song sounds amazing and in the end that is all that matters, the vocals compliment the rest of the band.
Now my favorite band of all time(Opeth) is a whole other example, I actually care what they are saying because the music is so well put together and just creates this beautiful melody that takes your mind on a trip and because of the clean vocals, whispers etc. that Mikael Åkerfeldt does the lyrics really have to stand out if the song is be amazing(as all their work is for me). Nevermore is another example of this as well because the lyrics are made to be understood and if Warrel Dane wrote shitty lyrics, the band as a whole would suffer imho(Optimist or Pessimist is a prime example of great lyrics that if they were not great would make the song horrible)
So again it varies by band, I could go on and on about bands where the lyrics don’t matter, but knowing them just adds more flavor to the song(Amon Amarth, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Korpiklanni, Behemoth to name a few) and sometimes not knowing them is fine and even putting your own twist on the song(whether in fun or because you dislike the band) makes it even more enjoyable. The PERFECT example of this is Trivium’s Pull Harder on The Strings of Your Martyr(ridiculous), I actually enjoy the song, mainly because I love Carcass and the are using one of their best riffs as the backbone of that song, and I know every word to the song, but I prefer the You Tube, BOAT, RUDDER, STRANGE, MOUNTAIN version better lol.(If you haven’t seen it, look it up. Classic)
I think lyrics are a big part of metal, just sets the tone even better, i do my best to figure out the lyrics without having to read them..i Hate seeing bands that sound badass and having there lyrics random as fuck its kind of annoying.., there are bands out there that can pull it off, but its not for every band..
I think a lot of it also has to do with the phrasing of the lyrics in relation to the arrangement of the other instruments. Lamb of God does this exceedingly well too. That breakdown part in ‘contractor’ is a great example of how catchy his lyrics are. The phrasing and patterning, rhyming, descriptive, and of course the mix has an overall factor as well.
Tool is also a great example, though Maynard admittedly does not have his vocals as high in the mix, which in turn gives the entire band a bigger sound. His phrasing and the way he uses his voice makes it come off like he’s another instrument in the band, nevermind the genius that are Tool lyrics.
Bad lyrics, bad phrasing/rhyming/whatever else makes for bad music…a lot of death metal lyrics I don’t care for because the satanism ends up being all the same, but if there’s at least evidence of intelligence behind a song/lyric then I will want to know more.
Lyrics in METAL! I Could Care Less§
Great topic to raise. I quite honestly don’t give two shits about the lyrics in most metal. In fact, sometimes the lyrics are a downside. Iron Maiden is an excellent example. They made some of the most timeless and kickass music of all time, but come on, Alexander The Great? All those songs that are just about war and history? Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is such a fucking kickass track, but those lyrics are horrendous. Sometimes I feel like a complete douchenozzle listening to them just because of their lyrics, despite the fact that their music kicks so much ass. When it comes to death metal and black metal, I’m into the imagery that the music conjures up in my head as well as the artwork, but honestly how can you really care about lyrics that you can’t understand without a lyric sheet? When it comes to extreme metal, I look at it this way: Take the simple standard of rock, where the vocalist is the lead musician and the drummer keeps the beat. Then reverse those roles, and you’ve got extreme metal. The drummer is usually the standout musician in an extreme metal band, while the vocalist keeps the rhythm and provides emphasis.
That being said, I have to agree with some of you that there are exceptions, especially the guy who mentioned Tool. I don’t usually give a shit about lyrics, but Maynard forces me to care. Maybe I’ve smoked too much weed, but his lyrics in conjunction with his melodies are just fucking perfect. Pig Destroyer has some really twisted and darkly humorous lyrics, but once again it’s hard for me to really care about that when I’m listening to the music because I’m too busy having my face melted off by Scott Hull’s riffs. In short, lyrics are not at all an essential component of metal, but writing good lyrics is a plus. Like extra credit.
Totally depends on the band. I love Primordial and Dark Tranquillity’s lyrics but I’ll never give a crap about Children of Bodom’s.
Whenever I was younger (I’m 37 now) I loved reading the lyrics of bands, especially when they had meaningful or thought provoking lyrics. Hardcore band Life of Agony’s River Runs Red album was personal and insightful. Thrash band Dark Angel always had some great lyrics. I remember having to open up a thesaurus/dictionary to find out what some of the words meant!
I felt I truly learned more out of life from the lyrics I read, especially an a skewed view of history, anti political sentiments, various understandings of religion/spirituality, etc
What I find now adays is I pay attention to lyrics more from bands that has an interesting band name and/or song titles, then I’m more inclined to look up the lyrics.
I’ll either like a band becasue of the overall structure of music being played or from the lyrics being sung. A truly great band will have insightful and thought provoking lyrics that are from the heart and the music is there to follow it through.
Sure, stick Britney Spears in place of George Fisher and go on tour. Who’s going to like the sound then, regardless of lyrics?
Yes, it’s sound that gets things to work, regardless of what the lyrics are. You get a feel from the song. But if the lyrics match that feel from the song then it’s perfect. It’s like an ambiance that gives you the feel and a voice or words to enhance it instead of just another sound, such as Hypocrisy’s Blooddrenched, Incised Before I’ve Ceased, or Compulsive Psychosis, or Pain’s Have A Drink On Me, No One Knows, or On and On.
Whether the lyrics are based around the feel of the instruments or vice verse, in the end all fits and the song’s twice as many times better.
Hey, Eyal, you should write a blog about drum triggers. itd be interesting to here peoples opinion about triggers..and all that cubase drum machine studio magic shit.
I always read the lyrics, because when I pick out shitty bands from the diamond in the ruff bands, it goes, how the music makes me feel, how insane the guitar or drum work is, then it’s if the singer is sending a message, or if the singer just says something that just sounds badass.
yes the lyrics matter. a voice is just another instrument in the mix. you have to have something that is catchy and flows together with everything else. everyone remembers how their favortie solos go. its basically the same with lyrics. just instead of a particular sound its a word (just another particular sound). eyal is right. its all about sound. but lyrics give that extra little bit of flavor to a song that either makes it a hit or shit. it can sound good but if you can understand the words and they suck, then it just kinda ruins the whole thing in my opinion.
I’m not gonna read the comments that came before me but, I’m sure what I’m about to say has been sad at least 10+ times. Anyway, I do read the lyrics of metal bands, even with bands like iwrestledabearonce, and Heaven forbid Cannibal Corpse. If a band has intelligent and profound lyrics, it gives me a respect for that band beyond just making good music. This is the only reason I wasn’t able to get into Five Finger Death Punch. The music was decent but the lyrics reminded me of the lyrics I used to scribble down in the 7th grade.
I’m SO glad you asked!! I actually care about lyrics. Most metal fans are insatiable egocentric idiots who could care less about what a singer bellows. However, I HAD to learn to get over it when I first got into death metal. i make an exception if they sound good [Necrophagist, Cannibal Corpse, 90% of death metal lol]
but
I love when a band can make INTELLIGENT lyrics. it makes a band that much more amazing to me. and LOG is SO overrated, not to mention that their lyrics aren’t all that great. i especially enjoy reading Opeth’s lyrics [Mikael is a wonderful lyricist, you should really reconsider looking at them], Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, etc. i think melodic death metal fans care more. thankfully YOU GUYS put some thought into your songs which is also why i like Daath [yes, even the new stuff that everybody's hatin on lol]
and that’s my two cents. =D
Lyrics do make a difference.
That’s why Mudvayne and Nevermore suck.
And Death and Emperor forever rule.
Nevermore suck???……geez man, I think they are great .
but i totally agree about Mudvayne…
Yes and no. I normally don’t care what the lyrics are about. Occasionally I will check out the lyrics. I noticed that when I DO take the time to read them, I tend to favor that song more than others. Also, when I review CDs for Adrenalin and am sitting there listening to the CD from beginning to end, it is nice to have something to read. I have also totally hated a band because of their lyrics so it has its pros and cons. Overall though, most lyrics go unread by me.
My wife is different. If she can’t understand the vocals, she always reads the lyrics. I have other metal friends that are the same way.
Eyal,
I like both but I want to say that I take into account what the band was trying to do in the first place. An extreme example would be that obviously if a band put out an instrumental album it would be retarded to critcize the lack of lyrics.
So if a band is trying to push just musicianship then yes the lyrics are less important, but the music had best be that much better.
However, if a band puts out lyrics that are intended to be serious and come of different….like funny for instance yeah that detracts.
I don’t listen to one scene in particular at all. I personally thought hardcore kids cared more about doing drunken kung-fu and getting accidentally punched in the face but that’s just my observation.
Metalsucks love Gojira so I’ll talk about The Way of All Flesh and say….I FUCKING LOVE the lyrics on that album and they added immensely to MY experience with that record.
It’s one thing to play technically impressive music but if you are able to have a coherrent theme that even the little details like album art reflect you are able to cement yourself in the psyches of fans like no guitar solo by itself can do. Song lyrics are just one way of doing this. This can obviously be done without lyrics or even great musicianship. Simply put if you can put out a vibe that other people can feel one way or another that’s all it takes in my mind.
Anyways it really depends on what fan you ask and how deeply they decided they want to get into their music. Personally I dig immersiveness because I am usally trying to detract from something boring that I’m doing at that particalar time ( like working or driving).
Summing it up….lyrics don’t matter 100 percent, however, if done right they add a lot and if done poorly can severely take away. That’s my 15 cents.
In Metal music, with screamers, I tend to lean towards how they do it…how they apply it…almost like they are their own instrument and add another rhythm on top of whats going on…Metal vocalist are very rhythmic
it’s been a long held belief of mine that caring about the feelings of other people has no place in metal… the only times it’s ok to enjoy the lyrics in metal are as follows: tom araya commands you to KILL for 30 seconds straight james hetfield makes you scream DIE for 15 minutes straight and when david vincent speaks sumerian
ammendment!!!!!! also anything both oderus and cronos say are to be taken extremly seriously, and with open ears
whatever is going on in life theres always a connection to a record that helps you relate. especially metal for me, and there’s probably 5 albums that i think were specifically wrote for me. Thats how in tuned your personality can be with the bands you confide in.
In general, I’ve always been a “music over lyrics” sort of guy.
But whether lyrics are important to me completely depends on the band and/or style. For brutal death metal and BM, stuff like that, I don’t care that much. The voice is just another instrument. Half the time I can’t discern what they’re saying anyway.
If the style of the band or the song is such that I can actually discern the lyrics, they obviously become more important (mostly insofar as crappy/dumb lyrics can detract from the song).
Sometimes the right tone or words at the right time can have a huge impact on my enjoyment of the song. So I guess I have to again, “it depends on the band/style/song”.
Music over Lyrics.
HOWEVER.
There is some music I simply won’t even bother to listen to due to a horrid vocalist or horrible lyrics.
Megadeth is one of the biggest ones I can think of recently. Mustaine was never the god of lyrical performance – but put some fucking effort into it. I’ve heard nursery rhymes that took more thought to write out than some of his lyrics.
It sure helps. It is not necessary to have great lyrics, but when you do it makes your band really stand apart. Think what you will about Job For a Cowboy…the lyrics on the last two albums are fucking amazing. It makes a difference if it shows that you care bout what you are screaming/barking/singing about.
Generally, I prefer to listen to the music for its own sake, since, after all, I’m not at a poetry recital, I’m listening to MUSIC (that’s the keyword there). However, if a song catches me to the point where I find myself genuinely wondering what the lyrics are, or if listening to, say, a concept album, or anything by Opeth (who have some of the best lyrics I’ve ever read, with the possible exception of Watershed), then I might actually look up the lyrics.
But, generally, it’s the texture of the vocals and the vocal lines that gets me. I used to care more about lyrics, but I think I was probably put off by the cliched and childish-sounding lyrics of bands like Amon Amarth, SotS-era At the Gates, and pretty much any other band with lyrics that could’ve been written by a five-year old. Now, I just go wherever the song takes me…