I've noticed that traditional blues, country, and folk music is getting darker and darker, as evidenced by groups like Wovenhand and Jaimeo Brown. Also, obviously extreme metal is starting to branch out and crosspollinate, as with Oathbreaker.
It seems like the tone, mood, and feel of these groups is starting to come close to matching. I'd like to fuse the black metal of groups like Oathbreaker, and more straightforward acts like Behemoth and Goatwhore, as well as the dark crust of bands like Amebix (and maybe a skramz element), with the primal country blues that people like Wovenhand, Benjamin Booker, and Jaimeo Brown are doing.
There is some precedence for this kind of fusion, like the black metal spirituals of Zeal and Ardor, and the gospel post-punk of Algiers.
Thoughts on this? Should it be called Devil's blues? Voodoo blues? Blackened blues?
Judging by album covers alone, this year's batch of quality Alt. Country seems muted compared to previous years. But it's always been serious music. I don't really see any significant change in tone. It's still adult music made by adults for adults, reflecting the times.
Sebastian Lopez
rec me some good evil sounding blues
Wyatt Evans
I have to disagree with you there, I think that the Alt. Country scene is changing rapidly and not in a good way at all, it's becoming more and more "pop" influenced and the groups are becoming boybands.
Spoopy NEET used to make dsbm and now writes ds country
Justin Moore
Nice
I agree that it isn't dark by extreme metal standards, but it seems like it's heading in that direction at least in part, which is why I'm interested in pushing it a lot further in a black metal/crust punk direction... I imagine emotive, pained vocals (crooning or yelling), with thrashy, noisy guitars, and a blues groove/stomp
Thanks, this is really good It's more blues rock than I'm imagining, but definitely the right type of stuff
Xavier Jenkins
well i mean there's a lot of outsiders crashing the party, the usual suspects, hipsters, washed up rock stars looking for a soft place to fall, etc. i've always had to dig for stuff i like, even in genres i like, alt. country is no exception. poseurs abound. i feel like rock is slowely being absorbed back into country where it came from. more and more strats and teles, you know? i'll just argue that Country Pop is as valid a genre as Country Rock or Country Blues. And as always, you don't have to listen. But furthermore, there's actually quality Country Pop out there. I've heard it. So I'm not about to start dumping on it without cause.
Jack Hill
I don't find this songs dark except maybe Zeal and Ardor. Have you ever listened to older blues or work songs? Jaimeo Brown is just blues fused with jazz, which I like a lot, but it's not very dark or whatever you mean. Algiers have punk influences. Woven Hand, I don't know this band so I'm judging by one song, but it sounds like regular folk-rock. The other two have more to do with rock music with just a bit blues in it. I think you might just like heavier instrumentation and you somehow associated it with a darker feeling or you never listened to actual blues or maybe both.
You know what? You're absolutely right and I apologise for coming off as critical as I did. I hope you enjoy listening to your music man.
Jacob Peterson
I'm sorry, but I can't deal with this kind of bullshit elitism. I spent some of my teenage years obsessed with Delta Blues people like Charley Patton, Son House, and Lead Belly. That's a big part of why I love this new music. You misassessed the bands you just tried to break down. Jaimeo is a jazz musician who incorporates slave spirituals and a tiny bit of blues. Wovenhand and its predecessor, 16 Horsepower, were the flagship bands of the gothic country movement. Z&A combine slave spirituals and black metal, that seems obvious. They're the only dark one if your idea of darkness is a superficial metal conception. Algiers are gospel-influenced post-punk. It's ironic you come out with that know it all attitude when you know so little of what you talk about. I'm sorry, but get fucked.
Caleb Foster
is this pasta?
Nathan Hughes
How would it be pasta? I'm responding to very specific bands. I posted twice because autocorrect messed up a couple words I wanted to correct
Elijah Evans
>thread about some music I enjoy but just recently discovered >gets fucked up by autism and elitism this is basically /meal/
Easton Jenkins
lol dat samefag
Camden Williams
"Blackened Blues" sounds the best.
William Young
What are you so angry about? I've never ment to judge you or anything. I tried to explain it in a simple manner because it seemed like you were new to blues. I didn't say the music is bad, actually I like some of the bands you listed. >You misassessed the bands you just tried to break down. I didn't try to break down or assess anything, I just wanted to explain what you might like about the music you posted because non of it is actually blues. >a tiny bit of blues >combine slave spirituals and black metal >gospel-influenced post-punk >the flagship bands of the gothic country movement But you seem to understand that, so now I'm asking why do you want to name it devil's blues or voodoo blues and what is dark about this music at all? >They're the only dark one if your idea of darkness is a superficial metal conception. I don't listen to metal
Bentley Evans
it's not always mixed with black metal tho
Sebastian Myers
I've listened some songs of this Z&A shit here in Sup Forums and read people saying the "black metal" stuff. I can't see any of you guys being actual black metal listeners. Im not really a black metal fan, but I've listened to lots of it. Starting from the high definition, trendy haircut videoclip, to the style of the music, to the very "concept" of the band, I can't see any black metal in there. It's a heavily pop influenced black music revival stuff trying hard to be original.
Levi Lee
They're actually my least favorite of the band's I mentioned, and I agree they're a concept band. But since I'm talking about a black metal/blues fusion, I felt obligated to mention them since they're the band most explicitly doing it. Some of their songs are pretty straight up black metal, though, just not this track. On others they break into BM guitars and BM shrieks.
Jason Mitchell
Maybe I read too much into the condescending tone of assuming I didn't know blues. I don't want to recategorize these bands, I don't even think they play the same music. I'm saying I'm interested in a new kind of music that could grow from this type of stuff.
Luke Edwards
>Starting from the high definition, trendy haircut videoclip, to the style of the music, to the very "concept" of the band, I can't see any black metal in there. So you're jugding if it's black metal or not mostly based on the videoclip, a haircut in said videoclip and a concept of the band? No one said Z&A is black metal. It incorporates black metal and blues, mostly the guitar playing style of metal and vocals from blues. I have no idea where did you hear the pop influence. >trying hard to be original Yeah, let's make the same music again and again. I think our ideas of dark music are a bit different, that's why I assumed you didn't listen to blues. >I'm saying I'm interested in a new kind of music that could grow from this type of stuff. I agree this somehow increased popularity of blues might led to something very interesting.
Carter Kelly
it's a rare thing to see civility on the chan, especially on Sup Forums, but there you go.
