Metal Band Assessment

So for my 1st band to assess, it\'s Children Of Bodom

Strengths:
Solos: Improvised soloing, dual guitar/keyboard solo battles (Alexi & Janne, highlighst are Kissing The Shadows/Lil Blood Red Ridin Hood/Mask Of Sanity) and also 3 way Guitar/Keyboard/Guitar solo battles (Highlights are Roadkill Morning and If You Want Peace Prepare For War). Plus also they make solos sound sexy xD

Song Structures: Likes to make the songs direct. Has the themes of Horror/Death and at the moment Personal Conflicts

Live Sound Best Live sound ever, before they started to go more mudded (Refer to Tokyo Warhearts album).

Personnel: Everyone can contribute to a solo minus Henkka, Legend in their ranks, Roope Latvala, combines his experience with the youth of Bodom

Technicality: Bodom sounds the best when they do Neo Classical solos

Vocals: Alexi's Black Metal Growls in the 1st 3 recordings plus Live as well, stuff of legends

Weaknesses:
Song length: They can\'t make a very long epic song, the only longest song in Bodom\'s record is probably The Nail.

Personnel: Bassist Henkka is not much of a solo person, if he did the band sound would be more complete.

Live Sound: Currently in a slump (musically) with the release of Blooddrunk and Skeletons In The Closet album, Live sound currently is too mudded (Refer to Stockholm KO live album).

Vocals: Now Alexi is sounding too American with the vocals, lacks the oomph of the gnarly guttural vocals he was famous on the 1st 3 albums

I'll do Nightwish:

Strengths:

Songwriting: Tuomas' songwriting skills are top notch, and can make a long epic song sound good and effective!

Singing: Well, this is where Nightwish is #1 in my books until Tarja left, but this was where the band had it's strength. Marco is still there, and we all know how awesome he is! Plus, the tradeoff from male to female singing is great!

Variety: Every NW album has a good variety of songs: slow, fast, heavy, epic, ballady, whatever it may be.

Weaknesses:

Lack of solos in some songs: Nightwish has a few good solos by Emppu (when he gets his chance), but normally his solos are either too short or too simple, or they just do not do solos in some songs. But sometimes, the short solos do work and flow well in the songs.

Technicality: Nightwish isn't the most technical band out there, but they do get by with good songwriting though.

This is a thread way out of my league!

@ James ^ Tarja definitely is the sound of Nightwish!!

But yeah I think I missed some points on Bodom care to add any strengths and weaknesses one em James?

Ravisk wrote:@ James ^ Tarja definitely is the sound of Nightwish!!

But yeah I think I missed some points on Bodom care to add any strengths and weaknesses one em James?

Well for strengths of Bodom, I would add the neo-classical shred influence to them. It really helps define Bodom.

For weaknesses, I would have to go with Alexi's vocals at times. He isn't the best at it TBH.

Both NW and COB are great Finnish bands though!!

CanuckFan wrote:This is a thread way out of my league!

I know Almagest would be dying to join this Assessment as well.

Ravisk wrote:

CanuckFan wrote:This is a thread way out of my league!

I know Almagest would be dying to join this Assessment as well.

yeah, he'll have great things to say!

CanuckFan wrote:

Ravisk wrote:

CanuckFan wrote:This is a thread way out of my league!

I know Almagest would be dying to join this Assessment as well.

yeah, he'll have great things to say!

Indeed! He knows his metal!

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:@ James ^ Tarja definitely is the sound of Nightwish!!

But yeah I think I missed some points on Bodom care to add any strengths and weaknesses one em James?

Well for strengths of Bodom, I would add the neo-classical shred influence to them. It really helps define Bodom.

For weaknesses, I would have to go with Alexi's vocals at times. He isn't the best at it TBH.

Both NW and COB are great Finnish bands though!!

And speaking of Metal, if you noticed James, 2001 was the year where Finnish Metal invaded South Korea, with Bodom, Nightwish and Sinergy the latter 2 in the Pusan Rock Festival I guess.

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:@ James ^ Tarja definitely is the sound of Nightwish!!

But yeah I think I missed some points on Bodom care to add any strengths and weaknesses one em James?

Well for strengths of Bodom, I would add the neo-classical shred influence to them. It really helps define Bodom.

For weaknesses, I would have to go with Alexi's vocals at times. He isn't the best at it TBH.

Both NW and COB are great Finnish bands though!!

And speaking of Metal, if you noticed James, 2001 was the year where Finnish Metal invaded South Korea, with Bodom, Nightwish and Sinergy the latter 2 in the Pusan Rock Festival I guess.

I heard of that concert! I saw a few vids of Sinergy, NW and COB playing there on Youtube! They are def. showing the world how metal should sound!

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:@ James ^ Tarja definitely is the sound of Nightwish!!

But yeah I think I missed some points on Bodom care to add any strengths and weaknesses one em James?

Well for strengths of Bodom, I would add the neo-classical shred influence to them. It really helps define Bodom.

For weaknesses, I would have to go with Alexi's vocals at times. He isn't the best at it TBH.

Both NW and COB are great Finnish bands though!!

And speaking of Metal, if you noticed James, 2001 was the year where Finnish Metal invaded South Korea, with Bodom, Nightwish and Sinergy the latter 2 in the Pusan Rock Festival I guess.

I heard of that concert! I saw a few vids of Sinergy, NW and COB playing there on Youtube! They are def. showing the world how metal should sound!

Well I'd be great if Alexi and Roope were guessed Session guitars haha on Nightwish, later they'll show some pent up Finnish Fury to the world. But too bad the American disease has slowly killed em.

Ravisk wrote: But too bad the American disease has slowly killed em.

Man, the American influence has ruined almost every European band that got mainstream there.. like In Flames, my former favorite band, good god!!

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote: But too bad the American disease has slowly killed em.

Man, the American influence has ruined almost every European band that got mainstream there.. like In Flames, my former favorite band, good god!!

Here 's my advice to Euro Metal bands out there. don't go and start appeal to the US masses, it's not worth it.

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote: But too bad the American disease has slowly killed em.

Man, the American influence has ruined almost every European band that got mainstream there.. like In Flames, my former favorite band, good god!!

Here 's my advice to Euro Metal bands out there. don't go and start appeal to the US masses, it's not worth it.

So true man! I personally can't get into any -core or nu-metal band here.. it's just too mainstream for my tastes..

I really hope Wintersun doesn't fall into this..

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote: But too bad the American disease has slowly killed em.

Man, the American influence has ruined almost every European band that got mainstream there.. like In Flames, my former favorite band, good god!!

Here 's my advice to Euro Metal bands out there. don't go and start appeal to the US masses, it's not worth it.

So true man! I personally can't get into any -core or nu-metal band here.. it's just too mainstream for my tastes..

I really hope Wintersun doesn't fall into this..

Well if you meet a person who shoves any core crap just show em the mid finger and blast away some Finnish Fury on the punks face, that'll make the deathcore lover look like an absolute Noob. Heck Ensiferum owned Summer Slaughter Hand down not even Winds Of Plague can't reach the power of Euro Metal. It's too Holy to be tainted by Commercialised Americanised Scum Metal. Good eg Avenged Faggotfold, I mean what so good about em anyways eh?

Ravisk wrote: Well if you meet a person who shoves any core crap just show em the mid finger and blast away some Finnish Fury on the punks face, that'll make the deathcore lover look like an absolute Noob. Heck Ensiferum owned Summer Slaughter Hand down not even Winds Of Plague can't reach the power of Euro Metal. It's too Holy to be tainted by Commercialised Americanised Scum Metal. Good eg Avenged Faggotfold, I mean what so good about em anyways eh?

Well for me, A7X is just another cookie cutter metal band designed for the masses.. People who usually dislike real metal (like our kind of metal) like this stuff. It has a commerical friendly sound and it usually passes through the mainstream radio. Nickelback is a prime example of that. I'd say both AX7 and NB are about at the same level as far as their status in the mainstream market, but both play different styles of music.

The current -core, nu-metal trend reminds me of the old glam metal trend of the 80's.. Very similar in marketing a style, not an artform like it should be!

Well for me I don't get bored by Finnish Melodeath at all, just that lessen the American Influences, it's just sickening, I mean I can see an inverse relatinship here, when an EU metal band tours with US metal, the EU band sounds goes downhill whereas for the US they sound better when they tour with EU. It's kinda stupid, EU should just stick with what they do best, it's the US that just need to improve.

Ravisk wrote:Well for me I don't get bored by Finnish Melodeath at all, just that lessen the American Influences, it's just sickening, I mean I can see an inverse relatinship here, when an EU metal band tours with US metal, the EU band sounds goes downhill whereas for the US they sound better when they tour with EU. It's kinda stupid, EU should just stick with what they do best, it's the US that just need to improve.

Agreed! See here in the US, we don't have a very big market here for eurometal. Everything here is just metalcore and nu-metal. I basically had to find all of my bands on sites like this so I can get better music..

Don't worry, trends always pass, and this -core band trend is just another fad that will go away soon I think.

Yeah it's overrated anyways and besides Roadrunner ain't cool anymore if you ask me, trend watchers they only sign up bands who are currently in the Trend, fuck em for laying off a lot of good bands, now Spinefarm is on the upside. Plus also American Metal Tours vs European Metal Fests, Euri tops and fuck all that BS crap that if a band doesn't tour with Ozzfest they suck, which IMO Ozzfest is overrated Wacken Open Air owns that crap and still going strong, heck Bodom are Vets on WOA.

Ravisk wrote:Yeah it's overrated anyways and besides Roadrunner ain't cool anymore if you ask me, trend watchers they only sign up bands who are currently in the Trend, fuck em for laying off a lot of good bands, now Spinefarm is on the upside. Plus also American Metal Tours vs European Metal Fests, Euri tops and fuck all that BS crap that if a band doesn't tour with Ozzfest they suck, which IMO Ozzfest is overrated Wacken Open Air owns that crap and still going strong, heck Bodom are Vets on WOA.

Hell yeah! Ozzfest is such an overrated concert! It used to be a powerhouse for the best. Don't get me wrong, there are still some good bands that go there, but not like in years past.. Wacken FTW!!

Well I am signing off for the evening.. We'll talk on this thread some more! I like where this is going!

Talk to you later man! Stay metal!

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:Yeah it's overrated anyways and besides Roadrunner ain't cool anymore if you ask me, trend watchers they only sign up bands who are currently in the Trend, fuck em for laying off a lot of good bands, now Spinefarm is on the upside. Plus also American Metal Tours vs European Metal Fests, Euri tops and fuck all that BS crap that if a band doesn't tour with Ozzfest they suck, which IMO Ozzfest is overrated Wacken Open Air owns that crap and still going strong, heck Bodom are Vets on WOA.

Hell yeah! Ozzfest is such an overrated concert! It used to be a powerhouse for the best. Don't get me wrong, there are still some good bands that go there, but not like in years past.. Wacken FTW!!

Well I am signing off for the evening.. We'll talk on this thread some more! I like where this is going!

Talk to you later man! Stay metal!

Haha I blasted Heikki from norther for being an asshole at youtube and he was so fuckin riled up, Norther should have gotten Jari Maenpaa instead of that Fatass Aleksi Sihvonen. Now Norther sounds too metalcorish.

Yeah! I have noticed that about Norther too!

efin7184 wrote:Yeah! I have noticed that about Norther too!

Well the members at Norther are getting Cocky
Btw this is one very valuable lesson:
"If you treat your fans like shit, we treat you back 10 times worse", And Heikki learned it the hard way.

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:Yeah! I have noticed that about Norther too!

Well the members at Norther are getting Cocky
Btw this is one very valuable lesson:
"If you treat your fans like shit, we treat you back 10 times worse", And Heikki learned it the hard way.

Exactly! I am not fans of any band if they treat the fans like crap..

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:Yeah! I have noticed that about Norther too!

Well the members at Norther are getting Cocky
Btw this is one very valuable lesson:
"If you treat your fans like shit, we treat you back 10 times worse", And Heikki learned it the hard way.

Exactly! I am not fans of any band if they treat the fans like crap..

Next Norther album, tell everyone to boycott at their new album and keep buying on new material from Ensiferum!! I love Petri!!

Norther just had to pull a Nightwish xP Fuck em!

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:

efin7184 wrote:Yeah! I have noticed that about Norther too!

Well the members at Norther are getting Cocky
Btw this is one very valuable lesson:
"If you treat your fans like shit, we treat you back 10 times worse", And Heikki learned it the hard way.

Exactly! I am not fans of any band if they treat the fans like crap..

Next Norther album, tell everyone to boycott at their new album and keep buying on new material from Ensiferum!! I love Petri!!

Norther just had to pull a Nightwish xP Fuck em!

Yeah.. Petri made Norther amazing!! As we said yesterday, these awesome Euro metal bands don't need to change just for the American crowd..

If you ask me, the most loyal fans and probably like bands doing the same sound is probably, Asia, South America and Europe. If America and current UK, meh the fans are just fickle and bands just have to dumb down their sound. Heck Metalhammer is just a fuckin joke esp with Dom Lawson.

Ravisk wrote:If you ask me, the most loyal fans and probably like bands doing the same sound is probably, Asia, South America and Europe. If America and current UK, meh the fans are just fickle and bands just have to dumb down their sound. Heck Metalhammer is just a fuckin joke esp with Dom Lawson.

Yeah, I agree with you on Metalhammer. I hate when bands dumb down their sound.. A lot of our Finnish metal greats have done that to appeal to the U.S. market.. But that is just causing the old fans to get mad though..

efin7184 wrote:

Ravisk wrote:If you ask me, the most loyal fans and probably like bands doing the same sound is probably, Asia, South America and Europe. If America and current UK, meh the fans are just fickle and bands just have to dumb down their sound. Heck Metalhammer is just a fuckin joke esp with Dom Lawson.

Yeah, I agree with you on Metalhammer. I hate when bands dumb down their sound.. A lot of our Finnish metal greats have done that to appeal to the U.S. market.. But that is just causing the old fans to get mad though..

I mean who in their right fucking mind, would wanna listen to shit like Suicide Silence?? It's just noise, same as Bring Me The Cuntshit. And Dom Lawson being a total retard that he is said that the current Bodom is better than the old one, like dude this British wanker don't know shit.

Ravisk wrote:
I mean who in their right fucking mind, would wanna listen to shit like Suicide Silence?? It's just noise, same as Bring Me The Cuntshit. And Dom Lawson being a total retard that he is said that the current Bodom is better than the old one, like dude this British wanker don't know shit.

You're right! Old Bodom > New Bodom!

See, when bands go commerical, they lose so much of what they were when they started, plus their identity.. It becomes about making money..