What makes you like a new band you have never heard?

Me, I love a good lyrical story, but the thing that stands out most to me is overall melody in the song. Even if it is one aspect, like a vocal line, or guitar lick, but when it is all together I love it. Kamelot does that a lot. where they even use the guitar melody that mimics the vocal verse or chorus. Good stuff

Now? Basicly new bands paying homage to sounds I already love. Giving their own take on NWOBHM, melodic metal, thrash, punk, whatever. I love that. That's why I love stuff like Holy Grail, Sacred Steel, White Wizzard, Enforcer etc.

I like bands that have melody, good riffs and great vocals. There are a lot of new bands out there going that route these days..

If musically, and typically lyrically as well, the songs are something I can relate with emotionally, something that speaks to a certain mood and works well with it. I have a full span of emotions, thus I enjoy a full span of music, inside metal and outside. For me disliking a band because the production might be bad or because they may possess a certain type of vocals or so forth is really not something that ever happens.......the one thing I dislike and will not tolerate, above all else, is plastic music.. dishonest music in composition or performance or intention.

3 words: Hooks, hooks and hooks

It seems nowadays for every "main-stream" metal band there are about 100 crappy bands. and in those 100 crappy bands there is maybe 10 songs between them that really kick ass.

That upsets me the most, and I think Itunes really has helped people from making a bad mistake. When you hear one song from a band and you think "Wow that really is a great song" and then you get the album and you realize, "damn, that was the only song worth buying." The more songs i can enjoy on an album the more I appreciate the band. because a band that puts their time and effort into each song and a whole album, shows me they care so I care. as I had said, I love melody, but I agree that if a band lies to us through making a crappy album and release their only good song, what is the point of them even being around?

I remember listening to the remake of "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm, and I thought, this band did a great job, very talent musically to put off such a tight sounding version of a good song. Then I got the album it was on and I just threw it out the window into the garbage. there was not one good song on that stupid album.

I am just saying, put some love into it and stop making these throw-away songs just to fill an album. Of course, Paranoid was a throw-away song to fill the album up... But what can you say, music was different back then. Though I am not a fan of that song after hearing it and playing it on the guitar a million times over and over again lol.

Thanks for answering this question guys... Keep metal in the scene, until again...
~ Telmorn Altayon

Musically they have to be something that is not borrowed to sound like another band. I dont mean they cant have influences but just not trying to be the same thing.

Second vocals are real important, there are so many bands out there that the singer sounds the same to me as many other bands, example is this Cookie Monster stuff I just cant stomach, and musically some of those bands are off the charts but I cant get into them because of the vocals.

Another major is that they dont sound like the same song over and over like they lost ideas and just repeat what they know.

Bands that make a great example of this are bands like Porcupine Tree......I could spout off a ton of bands that fit that description as well, but even PT isnt new. Less new bands out there that I like, and that means no disrespect to those who do like em.

Guitars. That's what I notice first. The driving force. Then vocals. There are styles of singing I cannot stand.

I can't really pinpoint one particular reason. I guess I just know it when I hear it.

Stuff either hits me or it doesn't.

Alot of the music I like doesn't have hooks, so that' not it. Alot of the music I like is atonal and has no real melody, so that's not it either. And quite a bit doesn't have guitars at all...

Whether it's a 1920's Broadway musical number or death metal, makes no difference. Just has to connect with my internal rhythms somehow.

but I tend to like music with a drone in it. That could be Debussy, could be indian music, maybe the John Coltrane quartet, perhaps Mahavishnu Orchestra...or Black Sabbath. It's all related in my mind.

Typically, if it's a new band whose old style I like (tharsh, doom, NWOBHM,etc.), I'll check 'em out. Sometimes I'll branch out to other styles I'm not too familiar with (prog, psychodelia, mordern rock) but not often.

Other than that, it's either I like it or I don't. Vocals play a big part.

I can't pinpoint one thing either, I like everything from death metal to pop metal and all sorts of genres of music, I could say songwriting but then I am a fan of Malmsteen, and songwriting is not his strongest assest, I could say vocals but I have plenty of bands that sing like cookie monster in my collection, so it is hard for me to say.

I've discovered over the years that vocals don't really matter that much to me in the long run. I'm more of an instrumental fan anyway....

Vocals are not essential to me either but I love a good, unique vocalist. Love Tony Martin, J.D. Kimball or Harry Conklin.

I guess when it comes down to it, music is music... and good music is music received by a person's heart a soul... I am glad you all discussed this topic, a lot of great thoughts came out. very good stuff people, very good stuff

If a friend plays in ther band, they are "killer"!! No matter how crappy they sound. All day long !!!

If it pegs some sort o' interest, I have no set standard or formula to dictate any sort of reasoning as to why I like it. I just like it.