101 rules of black metal

[isoFlux]

See, Al is almost thinking the way I do about genres and bands.

Genre implies a category to which bands belong. I conceptualize a genre being a category of sound, lyrics, effects, styles, everything that makes a band, and the genres belong to and influence bands. Think of a band like a pie chart, and the different genres being the pieces.

Case study: Tool.

They are said to belong to many genres: alt-metal, heavy metal, progrssive rock, progressive metal, math rock, even nu-metal (wtf!?).

I say Tool is Tool. Just like Metallica is Metallica and Opeth is Opeth. What distinguishes these bands is not their \"allegence\" to a genre, or what genre they \"belong to\", but what genres they draw from in their songs.

Tool is part

Alt-metal, due to songs like Sober and Pushit.
Thrash, for their driving riffs: Lateralus, Stinkfist, and Schism
Heavy Metal, for their heavy sound, but also songs like Swamp Song reminicent of the 70s sound.
Progressive, due to their interludes (Useful Idiot, (-)Ions), song length (Third Eye, Reflection), and their general approach on the music, including attitudes and the fact that every band member has side projects.
Math Rock, on songs like Lateralus, and generally unusual time signatures
Industrial, Die Eier von Satan and Third Eye are excellent examples
Stoner Rock, as in Third Eye and Disposition/Reflection/Triad

Nu-metal, however, is not a part of Tool. They have influenced the genre, but if that were to mean they WERE nu-metal, that would mean that hundreds of southern blues artists are Heavy Metal because he influenced Led Zeppelin.

I\'d say that Tool is predominantly Progressive Metal, with touches of Stoner, Industrial, and Math rock here and there. But the point is, they aren\'t really categorized, but broken into different genres.

I\'d describe Opeth as Progressive Death, due to the cookie-monster growls