Metal Return

[daniel481]

Hey guys, a little confused about a return I just received on a track that I submitted to a recent metal listing. The listing specified that all types of metal were OK, including death metal, which this one definitely is. With that in mind, a lot of the comments he made don't really fit with how that style is produced. Here's the song and critique:"King Moody"http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... que:Really like the mood creation here. A bit dark and ominous. I'm glad that you did include lyric sheets.. because w/o them, I wouldn't be able to "get" many of the lines... they are delivered quickly, and the "effects" on them is a bit overpowering. I do like the "tongue in cheek" approach to the lyrics. different and interesting. However, adding a tag or "hook line" as a "payoff" can add another "layer" to this song. Right now, we power thru this idea, and there is not all that much in the way of sectional contrast (between V+CH). (FYI...drum sound is a bit too mechanical as well).Overall CommentsHey dan-Thanks for the chance to listen and review your idea for this Taxi Listing. Feel wise, you are right on the mark, I do like the feel here, and the powerful mood creation. (a bit dark and ominous, but certainly works for this listing. Your delivery of the lines (with the effects on the vocals) can be tweaked a bit. As a listener, I cannot "get" all of the lyrics (thanks for the sheets!), and for some, they may stop listening. I "get" the speed vibe, but consider the "cadence/flow/measure" here as you deliver the lines. Also, adding a hook or tag (that you can release to) can add a bit more in the way of sectional contrast. A memorable tag here can empower this idea as well. (verse lines are OK, well thought out). BTW...drum feel is a bit too mechanical, and can be tweaked as well).Ok recording...a bit too much in the way of "effects" on the vocals. "drum feel" is also too mechanical.The main reason(s) you were or were not forwarded for this listing is:The feel is on the mark. The delivery of the lines can be stronger. The effects (and speed of delivery) now "muddle" certain lines. There can also be a bit more in the way of sectional contrast between V+CH. Hook can stand out more.***Alright, so here's what I'm confused about. One of the reasons for return is that there is not a strong hook and the vocals can't be understood well....isn't that one of the hallmarks of the whole Death Metal genre? You can never understand what those guys are saying, and there's really no such thing as a "hook" in one of their songs. They don't really on traditional song structure, either, many times building from one new section to another up until the end. And in comparing the recording (which he marked as "OK, but not great") to those of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, or any of the other top DM bands I compared it to, mine sounds quite a bit better, quality wise.Finally, he says the drums are too mechanical, which again is pretty standard in that genre. I used the Drum Kit From Hill library on this, and the drum parts themselves were played by one of the genres top drummers from the band Meshuggah.I don't know, I was just a little frustrated by some of those comments. What it makes me wonder is if we should be going for authenticity for these types of listings, or strictly marketability. Anybody have any thoughts?As a side note, this was forwarded for another Death Metal listing about two weeks ago.Thanks!Dan

[billg]

Not my genre Dan, so I'm afraid I'm not much help. Not that long ago I did some video gigs with some speed/death metal groups and heard many, many hours of live performances. I will say that the vibe seems right to me. Also, I never understood one word of their lyrics either. I think that probably marketability will trump authenticity most of the time. What I mean is, I think if someone thinks something is extremely marketable they might tend to overlook things that would bug them on something without that "marketability" . . . does that make sense?

[cowriter]

Hi Dan,good job! ...and yes, this is death/hardcore metal - definitely! Not that I like that genre much but as a technical consultant for the German Label "Massacre Records" I know what I'm talking about. Being not familiar with the listing I can only guess why your song was returned. Maybe they've been looking for more melodic stuff. Or did the screener know more than the listing was saying? Considering the amount of such listings I'm asking myself if TAXI really has an expert available for this specific genre, or...was it the regular metal/hard rock guy who reviewed your song? A lot of questions..., but hey why not asking TAXI directly - I'm sure they're happy to clear those things up.With best regards, AndyPS. Huh, ...first I was slightly shocked, thinking it was you on the drums again - The Meshugga guy rules ...even in EZDrummer

[daniel481]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments. The listing was for metal songs in all genres, and it specifically stated Death Metal as one of them. I actually called Taxi about it, and was surprised to find out that this one was actually screened by the president of the listing company...so there wasn't really anything they could do about it. This was strange, since I was under the impression that they don't allow people besides actual TAXI screeners to write critiques...Thanks again for your opinions,DanPS: Yep, the guy from Meshuggah is crazy!

[jamienelson]

The song is def Death Metal. Was this for listing S080411HR? Mine was returned by #274 for production and broadcast quality. They checked the box "Too Much Distortion" I got a kick out of that. "Purity Turned to Sin" http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... =trueMaybe they were looking for Hooks like in old school Slayer's "South of Heaven" or "Season in the Abyss". At least that's what I got out of it.

[matto]

Apr 25, 2008, 9:23pm, daniel481 wrote:.........(comment deleted).........Hey Dan, just as a little piece of advice, this is the type of comment best kept to yourself and off a public forum...It's a return for one of your many songs for one among many opportunities...big deal. You've got tons more songs and there will be tons more listings.On the other hand you never know who's gonna read these forums...FYI Taxi does allow people who are not regular Taxi screeners to critique songs, as long as they are willing to undergo the normal Taxi screener training.

[daniel481]

Yeah, I gotcha, I'll take it down. Just had a little bit of bad luck with some returns and let myself get frustrated. I know it's not a big deal, but sometimes I forget to not let it get to me...And I just wasn't aware that other people were allowed to screen, so thanks for clearing that up. I was mainly just surprised because the listing said that it would be screened by TAXI, but I understand.Thanks Matt,Dan

[matto]

Apr 29, 2008, 8:57pm, daniel481 wrote:Yeah, I gotcha, I'll take it down. Just had a little bit of bad luck with some returns and let myself get frustrated. I know it's not a big deal, but sometimes I forget to not let it get to me...And I just wasn't aware that other people were allowed to screen, so thanks for clearing that up. I was mainly just surprised because the listing said that it would be screened by TAXI, but I understand.Thanks Matt,DanNo problem, happens to the best of us... To clarify even further. Any of Taxi's clients is allowed to come in and screen their own listings (meaning they decide what they want to "forward" or "return"), but they can't do any critiques unless they have undergone Taxi's screener training.That's the reason for some of the "Yes/No listings" Taxi runs.Normally it will say it when the listing party screens and/or critiques the submissions, but sometimes this may not have been decided when the listing is published.

[daniel481]

Yeah, let me correct myself, I wasn't aware that other parties were allowed to critique, so thanks for clearing that up

[windowman]

Apr 29, 2008, 7:48pm, matto wrote:Apr 25, 2008, 9:23pm, daniel481 wrote:.........(comment deleted).........Hey Dan, just as a little piece of advice, this is the type of comment best kept to yourself and off a public forum...It's a return for one of your many songs for one among many opportunities...big deal. You've got tons more songs and there will be tons more listings.On the other hand you never know who's gonna read these forums...FYI Taxi does allow people who are not regular Taxi screeners to critique songs, as long as they are willing to undergo the normal Taxi screener training.I read this earlier & have since noticed that Dan deleted his comment. Probably good advice there Matto. I'm curious though Matto... Well, about a few things. We all know that you're very successful through TAXI & your other endeavors in the music biz, and good for you. I've punched in your name on the net & watched your YouTube videos about TAXI. If I had the kind of success that you have had through TAXI, I'd tread lightly too. I know you're very knowledgeable about the music business, at least this part. I do my homework. I get it, I really do. My questions & comments are these.......I read Dan's comment about the Company's prez/rep/whatever & I didn't find it to be demeaning in any way. I read it before you posted your comment. Maybe if I was the rep at the company, I'd be a little slighted at best, but I wouldn't do a witch hunt on the guy. (Not to mention he should be a METAL guy... Get some balls.) If people that work at big A&R jobs have enough time on their hands to be searching the net for personal attacks, they're probably not spending as much time on their job as they should. And that's a disservice to their clients. And they probably wouldn't be there long enough for it to matter. The paranoia here on these boards is just a reminder of what kind of world we're living in. Everyone is terrified to speak their mind. But, I'll tell you this much, most people are thinking it & talking about it with people they trust. I usually don't comment on someone's return if the song was ridiculous because I don't want to hurt somebody's feelings. But I want to. I want to tell them "Piss off, get out of this business. Go back to your day gig where you've made more than I'll ever make & keep your hobby to yourself." But here's the thing Matto. I HATE this type of music. F***ing hate it. But Dan nailed it. He f***ing nailed it. There's a lot of music I don't like, but I always do my best to understand it & take from it the best parts. This is how new things are created Matto.So my questions to you are these-Why didn't you comment on the song & the fact that Dan nailed it & should have been forwarded? Why are you here just to give the TAXI PC answer? Can't you see that there is something wrong here? I haven't been here that long, but I've never seen you question the TAXI integrity. I understand that this listing was not listened to by TAXI. So before you go there answer me/us this... Why doesn't TAXI do a better job with the listings? The listing was WRONG. Why doesn't TAXI serve its customers better when it comes to specifics on listings? Why don't they demand the company to be more specific or exact. "WE want 'Brown Eyed Girl' but with different lyrics?" I've seen a lot of listings on these forums where folks are just plain confused, including the senior members. Some of these listings are like playing the lottery, which I don't want to do.I'm not trying to be a jerk here Matto, but the fact that you make a lot of $$$$ from TAXI doesn't make you a more deserving member here than anyone else.With all doo doo doo respect Wade