Comment by Doug Reardon on February 16, 2010 at 8:09pm

Aren't there any atheist ballads or classic rock? Or is it just heavy Metal bands need the "in your face" posturing?

Comment by Nathan Hevenstone on February 25, 2010 at 7:24pm

Hey Doug... I'm a Blues Rock musician. My album is no where near to being completed, yet (I'm in the writing phase), but I'll have rock and blues songs released hopefully before the end of 2011 (even better if it's before the end of 2010, but I have to be realistic).

To be honest, there's this misguided idea that in order to get a message across in music, the music itself has to be heavy... to the point of washing out the lyrics. Of course this totally ignores the likes of John Lennon and Bob Dylan and such (both of whom have forced across some ultra-strong messages with relatively poppy, sometimes really weak music), but for some reason that's the way it is.

IMO, really heavy music takes away from the lyrics. If your point is the music (which I am all for), then yeah, be heavy. But if your point is the lyrics, don't distract from them with guitars so distorted you can't hear what's being played and bass so loud the listeners' hearts are jumping out of their mouths.

But, of course, that's just me.

I would LOVE to hear some atheist Blues, myself, but since I've never heard such, I'm gonna have to write it (although any atheist Blues song probably won't make my first album since I haven't written one yet and I don't want to overdo the anti-religious songs [I have a very Liberal song called "USA Blues", a rewrite of "Nobody's Fault but Mine" to reflect my dislike of proselytizers, a cover of XTC's "Dear God", and a currently unfinished song called "There's Grandeur in this View of Life"... no, they probably won't all make it to the album]).

Comment by Silenus on February 25, 2010 at 8:09pm

if you don't like death metal, than don't watch it, and bitch about it.

Comment by Mario Rodgers on February 25, 2010 at 9:07pm

Can't say I'm into death metal. Their time signatures and chaotic riffs tend to give me a head ache. I tend to enjoy Dethklok because they actually put an orchestral and approachable spin to their wailing.

I'm more into brainy stuff like Metallic and Megadeth. And also the goofy stuff like Dragonforce.

Comment by Nathan Hevenstone on February 25, 2010 at 10:42pm

No one's bitching, Forrest, just bemoaning the lack of Blues, Classic Rock, or Progressive/Psychedelic atheist songs.

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