I think I've said this before but it bears repeating. I'm glad metal as a genre has such an authentic ambassador in the academic world. I hope that in 100 years it follows the same trend that jazz has. Going from reviled as "noise polluting the minds of the youth" to something very respected. It seems unlikely to me metal will ever be associated with wealth like jazz is now. But I believe it can gain a similar level of respect one day none the less. That won't ever happen without people like yourself. Cheers!
I love that we have to talk about how metalheads are snobby about true metal in this music theory video lol, It was never my favorite style but I always felt like melodic death metal got way too much hate. It had a period of being oversaturated, but I mean, what genre hasn't gone through that? Anyway, excellent analysis as always! I've always seen Arsis as one of the emblematic examples of more straightforward tech death. Aside from maybe We Are The Nightmare, I've always felt like their songwriting and structures were pleasantly direct and simply executed with a lot of flourish. I love the more adventurous and experimental tech quite a lot, but sometimes, you just need a regular death metal song that's faster and fancier.
Great vid man! I got super excited when you brought up Lofty Grave, it's my favourite Artificial Brain song. If you end up making a video on Artificial Brain I swear I'll be the first one to watch it!
I've had this video open for the last week and am using it as a reference point for making some melodic death metal. Thanks dude! You are the absolute man!
Harmonic Death Metal would absolutely be a more apt genre name! I've always thought of melo-death as taking the harmonic building blocks of traditional heavy metal and running them through the filter of death metal's texture and technicality, rather than a more "melodic" take on death metal itself. Since I'm a filthy millennial poser, my favorite melodeath bands (Darkest Hour, Light This City) are actually hardcore bands.
Interesting theory. Another metal subgenre that seems to share this sense of metric and formal regularity, alongside regular diatonic harmony, is blackgaze. You see these features in blackgaze classics like Deafheaven's 'Sunbather' and Oathbreaker's 'Rheia', as well as more recent stuff from bands like MØL and Wake. Obviously there are plenty of others features that distinguish melodeath from blackgaze, but perhaps you could view their similarities as a form of parallel or convergent evolution, with traditional heavy metal (in the former) and shoegaze (in the latter) playing similar genealogical roles in mixing simpler, more regular features into death metal and black metal respectively.
I think you are right on the money with melodeath being just tonal death metal. Though I would add "primarily" 😅. Anyway, my favorite melodeath albums/bands? The Chasm - their whole evolution. They are one of the "smoothest" song writers I know. Examples: ruclips.net/video/3ROL45ildPE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/DeKa66Wnv3E/видео.html (This is 1998 even! So a relatively early melodeath and their first full length is 1994). Anata - definitely the last two albums are awesome melodeath. Examples: ruclips.net/video/Rq1Rv3XBkTo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/-cdn6NT-6CI/видео.html .
My 2 years into studying music theory brain actually caught most of this on the first watch. Great ep! I only ever really listened to At the Gates and In Flames of the OG melodeath stuff but man did this sound have a big influence on the metalcore that I loved in my teens. And yes then Black Dahlia came along and that's all I ever needed after!
Interesting idea that the "melody" in Melodic Death Metal isn't really what defines it, but more the harmony and song structure, but that definitely lines up with my impressions. Put it much better into words than I could have. A lot more intuitive to call it "Melodic Death Metal" than "Death Metal with more straightforward harmony and song structure" or something like that. This album and Nocturnal from The black dahlia murder are definitely up there, but Wintersun's self titled easily stands above the rest for melodic death metal to me. That album is legendary. Time I is also fantastic, but maybe not quite as groundbreaking. For something a bit more obscure I'd also say Mors Principium Est's Liberation=Termination to be up there too. I remember people saying The Unborn is better, but I haven't listened to that or their other discography as much, it just didn't have as much staying power as Liberation=Termination for me. That album has just the best absolute non stop driving melo death riffs and some of the best solos in the genre, maybe in all of metal in my opinion. There are some songs that also dabble a bit into electronica like The Animal Within, which works surprisingly well with their riffing. Maybe I should give some of their other stuff a closer look some time.
Here I knew about Artificial Brain, and now I love this album. Hope there's more dissonant/black'y stuf like this that is not overloaded with existential heaviness.
James definitely got a little too deep into the "let me make wild riff A B and C and turn that into a song" in his later albums, but yeah, A celebration of guild has the perfect amount of cohesion along with its speed and prowess. And as for favorite melodeath albums I do prefer the EU sound more, with the legendary three gothenburg 95' albums, along with stuff like The Somberlain, The Art, Mirrorworlds, Once Sent From The Golden Hall. Abysmal Dawn, Vital remains, Vehemence (the Phoenix band not the FR one) are also good brutal US bands incorporating melody into a good chunk of their albums.
You should check out the new Autarkh stuff. Former dodecahedron guys with anew vocalists. But also thanks for the clarifications. I'm not really versed in sub genres of death metal. I just know who I like. And I usually like subversion
Miasma is my favorite melodeath. Maybe I just haven’t spent enough time with their later albums, but none of them grabbed me as much. Not to speak Ill if Trevor, his voice was incredible.
Sick man! Lots of great music to check out after this video. On the black/thrash/melodic side, Skeletonwich is my absolute favorite band. Check them out if you haven't! Of Ash and Torment in Forever Abomination is killer.
Yo, how is that Legator compared to your other fiddles? I’ve had two of their lower end “performance” line models, but I’m super curious about how the higher end offerings stack up.
Black Dahlia Murder just sounds not so much like most melo death they have something mean/harsh/aggressive/devilish/badass which other melo death bands lack. For me it only worked until they released Everblack everything after sounds different/boring to me and I don't like the production soundno more like I did on Miasma (dirty and not that clinical) or Nocturnal (perfect guitar tone just fat and rich, damn I love Nocturnal)
Same about Intestine Baalism, which I was really surprised people classify as melodic death band. In some people's words "best melodeath band ever". Its gnarlier and more brutal than most of mdm albums
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I think I've said this before but it bears repeating. I'm glad metal as a genre has such an authentic ambassador in the academic world. I hope that in 100 years it follows the same trend that jazz has. Going from reviled as "noise polluting the minds of the youth" to something very respected. It seems unlikely to me metal will ever be associated with wealth like jazz is now. But I believe it can gain a similar level of respect one day none the less. That won't ever happen without people like yourself. Cheers!
A Celebration Of Guilt is one of my favorite albums of all time! I'm so glad you talked about it.
I just checked the album out and I am fucking glad i did! 🤘🤘
@JSaltyfabricator hell yeah! Glad to hear it! 🤘
ARSIS MENTIONED
A Celebration of Guilt and then A Diamond for Disease are still albums I listen completely through to this day.
I love that we have to talk about how metalheads are snobby about true metal in this music theory video lol, It was never my favorite style but I always felt like melodic death metal got way too much hate. It had a period of being oversaturated, but I mean, what genre hasn't gone through that?
Anyway, excellent analysis as always! I've always seen Arsis as one of the emblematic examples of more straightforward tech death. Aside from maybe We Are The Nightmare, I've always felt like their songwriting and structures were pleasantly direct and simply executed with a lot of flourish. I love the more adventurous and experimental tech quite a lot, but sometimes, you just need a regular death metal song that's faster and fancier.
I guess I've been incorrectly calling this album a celebration of dust and guilt for almost 20 years. 😂
Hope you do another “favorite albums of the year” again
Great vid man! I got super excited when you brought up Lofty Grave, it's my favourite Artificial Brain song. If you end up making a video on Artificial Brain I swear I'll be the first one to watch it!
You’re in good company! I’d love to see anything Calder has to say about the Brain!
A celebration of Guilt has to be my favorite Aris album. It just has such a good sound and cool riffs
I've had this video open for the last week and am using it as a reference point for making some melodic death metal. Thanks dude! You are the absolute man!
I would love and would absolutely DIE if you'd make a video on Obliveon, Suffering Hour or early ATG
Harmonic Death Metal would absolutely be a more apt genre name! I've always thought of melo-death as taking the harmonic building blocks of traditional heavy metal and running them through the filter of death metal's texture and technicality, rather than a more "melodic" take on death metal itself. Since I'm a filthy millennial poser, my favorite melodeath bands (Darkest Hour, Light This City) are actually hardcore bands.
Plus the obligatory use of the harmonic minor scale
Interesting theory. Another metal subgenre that seems to share this sense of metric and formal regularity, alongside regular diatonic harmony, is blackgaze. You see these features in blackgaze classics like Deafheaven's 'Sunbather' and Oathbreaker's 'Rheia', as well as more recent stuff from bands like MØL and Wake. Obviously there are plenty of others features that distinguish melodeath from blackgaze, but perhaps you could view their similarities as a form of parallel or convergent evolution, with traditional heavy metal (in the former) and shoegaze (in the latter) playing similar genealogical roles in mixing simpler, more regular features into death metal and black metal respectively.
My favorites would be Wintersun's self titled album and Primalfrost's Prosperous Visions
I think you are right on the money with melodeath being just tonal death metal. Though I would add "primarily" 😅. Anyway, my favorite melodeath albums/bands? The Chasm - their whole evolution. They are one of the "smoothest" song writers I know. Examples: ruclips.net/video/3ROL45ildPE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/DeKa66Wnv3E/видео.html (This is 1998 even! So a relatively early melodeath and their first full length is 1994). Anata - definitely the last two albums are awesome melodeath. Examples: ruclips.net/video/Rq1Rv3XBkTo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/-cdn6NT-6CI/видео.html .
My 2 years into studying music theory brain actually caught most of this on the first watch. Great ep! I only ever really listened to At the Gates and In Flames of the OG melodeath stuff but man did this sound have a big influence on the metalcore that I loved in my teens. And yes then Black Dahlia came along and that's all I ever needed after!
Just wanted to let you know that you are my favourite channel on YT. 🎖️
Interesting idea that the "melody" in Melodic Death Metal isn't really what defines it, but more the harmony and song structure, but that definitely lines up with my impressions. Put it much better into words than I could have. A lot more intuitive to call it "Melodic Death Metal" than "Death Metal with more straightforward harmony and song structure" or something like that.
This album and Nocturnal from The black dahlia murder are definitely up there, but Wintersun's self titled easily stands above the rest for melodic death metal to me. That album is legendary. Time I is also fantastic, but maybe not quite as groundbreaking.
For something a bit more obscure I'd also say Mors Principium Est's Liberation=Termination to be up there too. I remember people saying The Unborn is better, but I haven't listened to that or their other discography as much, it just didn't have as much staying power as Liberation=Termination for me. That album has just the best absolute non stop driving melo death riffs and some of the best solos in the genre, maybe in all of metal in my opinion. There are some songs that also dabble a bit into electronica like The Animal Within, which works surprisingly well with their riffing. Maybe I should give some of their other stuff a closer look some time.
your vids continue to be hot fire, cant wait til the next one
My favorite should be definetively Dark Tranquillity - Character
That mathy Stairway arrangement is sick.
Here I knew about Artificial Brain, and now I love this album. Hope there's more dissonant/black'y stuf like this that is not overloaded with existential heaviness.
Dmn bro Im so fcking glad I found this channel
Lmaoooooo the Abbate ref, ONLY TRUE MUSIC ACADEMICS WILL GET THIS
James definitely got a little too deep into the "let me make wild riff A B and C and turn that into a song" in his later albums, but yeah, A celebration of guild has the perfect amount of cohesion along with its speed and prowess.
And as for favorite melodeath albums I do prefer the EU sound more, with the legendary three gothenburg 95' albums, along with stuff like The Somberlain, The Art, Mirrorworlds, Once Sent From The Golden Hall.
Abysmal Dawn, Vital remains, Vehemence (the Phoenix band not the FR one) are also good brutal US bands incorporating melody into a good chunk of their albums.
Omg found your channel again! Not forgetting to sub now!
You should check out the new Autarkh stuff. Former dodecahedron guys with anew vocalists. But also thanks for the clarifications. I'm not really versed in sub genres of death metal. I just know who I like. And I usually like subversion
Miasma is my favorite melodeath. Maybe I just haven’t spent enough time with their later albums, but none of them grabbed me as much. Not to speak Ill if Trevor, his voice was incredible.
Love the TBDM t-shirt
Sick man! Lots of great music to check out after this video.
On the black/thrash/melodic side, Skeletonwich is my absolute favorite band. Check them out if you haven't! Of Ash and Torment in Forever Abomination is killer.
My man lookin' goode wit da beard.
Yo, how is that Legator compared to your other fiddles? I’ve had two of their lower end “performance” line models, but I’m super curious about how the higher end offerings stack up.
Is Jamie Hyneman relative of yours, haha?
Arses heh heh heh
Black Dahlia Murder just sounds not so much like most melo death they have something mean/harsh/aggressive/devilish/badass which other melo death bands lack.
For me it only worked until they released Everblack everything after sounds different/boring to me and I don't like the production soundno more like I did on Miasma (dirty and not that clinical) or Nocturnal (perfect guitar tone just fat and rich, damn I love Nocturnal)
Same about Intestine Baalism, which I was really surprised people classify as melodic death band. In some people's words "best melodeath band ever". Its gnarlier and more brutal than most of mdm albums
So basically MeloDeath is boring.