Black Metal Audiophile

[tubularbells]

So here’s the rub, they say flipping through ones my vinyl collection reveals a lot abot the owner and having just gone through a major sorting process I made the realisation that the majority of my vinyl is heavy metal (or more specifically black metal) So I apparently I like black metal quite a lot but I also like good sounding gear which an awkward paradox given that one of the defining attributes of the genre (if we ignore for the moment the church burnings, murders and other sensationalised aspects) is the low-fi production values.

"Anti-production" as Vlarg [burzum] likes to describe it where he specifically asked for the worst sounding equipment when he recorded his defining "Filosofem" album laying down his vocals through a pair of headphones as they sounded worse than any of the studio mics available, spent next to no time setting up the drums, guitars etc. as a musical statement to the genre and industry as a whole.

So based on that why the hell spend good money on gear when the recording techniques were so bad to begin with? I suppose it’s like any music fan where they want to extract everything out of a recording (good or bad) and in many ways I actually find these low-fi productions are quite good in the sense that there typically not overly processed or dynamically crushed like a lot of large metal acts tend to release nowadays. I’m also a bit weird in that I actually find a lot of the black metal genre to be somewhat relaxing music to listen to...but I digress.

 

(Like many other members here I’m sure) I also have a rather eclectic taste in music and have been known to throw on Sade LP straight after a dose of Wolves In The Throne Room and in fact it was through heavy metal music that I began to appreciate other genres as influential bands in my youth such as Celtic Frost broadened my horizons with their use of classical, opera and other avant-garde elements in there albums.

 

So I suppose my point is do you let your system dictate the type of music you listen too or is it the other way round?

 

[Guest yamaha_man]

It's sad, I found my taste in music changed as my system became more refined.

I loved stoner rock, rock, metal etc but the fact that it's somewhat low-fi meant it sounded crappy.

Put on a audiophile recording and presto! These days if I want to listen to my low-fi I'll hook the 1000's up and make some noise, if I want to make sweet music this is where the Sasha's enter the equation.

Edited October 29, 2013 by yamaha_man

[Kaynin]

Yeah, I've been listening to heavy music for decades and so much is poorly produced.  I still play it, and get into it, but the quality regularly disappoints.  I find more traditional audiophile recordings make their way onto the play list than otherwise would because they sound so good, but my tastes have mellowed over the years too.  At the end of the day, if I can get into it, then I'll play it. 

 

I can't just stop playing something because my system reveals it's flaws.  About the only CD I can't listen to is Meatloaf Bat Out Of Hell.  Sounds like crap (just like his AFL appearance), pity though because it's a fantastic album.

[caddisgeek]

I'm in a similar boat as I mostly listen to punk, my system is "forgiving" rather than "revealing" so it works for me

[Soundscape]

Interesting topic. My system has been improving and becoming more revealing over the last couple of years. I have tried, for the most part, to select components that possess musical qualities over analytical qualities. But still the detail improves as I climb the ladder, so poor recordings are becoming less enjoyable as a result. I am still on this journey and I hope it doesn't change my tastes too much, but it is certainly fun to open myself up to different styles that are clearly enhanced by better gear. I just don't want to lose the enjoyment of certain types of music for the sake of seeking better sound.

 

We will see.

[Damhooligan]

 

So I suppose my point is do you let your system dictate the type of music you listen too or is it the other way round?

My music is my music.

Always has and always wil be.

My system wil always be focussed on the best way to play my music.

Sure, as I go older I learn more about music  and are able to appreciate a lot more genres.

But nothing gives me 'my fix' more then my own music.

 

[Hec]

New to this forum and very interested in this topic for 2 reasons

1. My need for a new system
2. My love of metal

"do you let your system dictate the type of music you listen too or is it the other way round?"

 

For me it has to be the latter. They say you can't teach a old dog new tricks and although my tastes do cover wide and sometimes evolving gamut (Extreme Metal through Rock, Jazz and Classical to Ambient and Experimental), and I doubt any system would ever get me rockin' out to One Direction or Whitney Houston.

 

Which reminds me I must get on to my next project and decide on a new system that suits my listening needs.

 

PS. @Tubularbells, in case you haven't heard this, here's a VERY HOT tip given your musical taste - Gris (Band), Ã€ l’Ame Enflammée, l’Ame Constellée (Album). This is so good - I can't stop listening to it. Blackish Metal - with some great production (relatively speaking). Check it out - best metal album i've heard for quite some time.