This is the kind of stuff I really get a kick out of because it illustrates just how closely certain kinds of metal are related to classical music. Check out this “dueling guitar” performance of the “Summer” theme of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons suite, as sent in by MS reader Kyle:

Now compare that composition to The Human Abstract’s new song “Faust.” Pay particular attention to the way the guitars are split up; instead of having one guitar play chords and the other play leads like most bands do — or just having both guitars do the same thing — the guitar structure underneath the chorus is much more similar to the way the left hand and right hand of a piano piece are divided (with the vocals providing an additional dimension… the equivalent of lead violin, or a brass instrument, or what have you) or the way the instruments in an orchestra are divided. A similar thing is happening in the pre-chorus and middle/bridge part.

The Human Abstract’s very talented guitarist and composer A.J. Minette has been writing a regularly recurring column for us about precisely this sort of thing, only in way more detail and with way more finesse than I can. It’s called Abstract Theory; check it out! Your inner music dork will thank you.

-VN

Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as SSSSLLLLLAAAAAYYYYYERRRRRR!!!!!, does it?

In case you doubted the connection between classical music and modern metal: in 1999, Dave Lombardo teamed up with Italian music critic Lorenzo Arruga and some other people you don’t care about for Vivaldi: The Meeting, which basically takes some classic Vivaldi pieces and futzes around with them.

Is it brilliant, garbage, or just a failed experiment.? Invisible Oranges has some mp3s of the whole affair – head over there to check it out.

-AR