Favorite examples of "bad" tone in metal

[ExMachina]

People on forums always post about objectively bad tone. I honestly can't recall hearing a recording and thinking wow that tone is awful. Give me your favorite examples you cork sniffers.

 

[STRHelvete]

*Dimebag Darrell enters the chat*

 

[PerfectCandor]

*Dimebag Darrell enters the chat*

Honestly yeah. Can't dog how well he played or what he otherwise musically did especially at that time, but I think he is the most popular example of "bad metal tone". He makes up for it by being the best thrash guitarist in the public eye at that time tho IMO.
I know this isn't pertinent to guitars, but Metallica's bass and drums. I think some were far worse than others so much that St. Anger is almost always recognized as having the worst recorded snare sound on an album, but even still you can't hear what you probably should be able to in a metal album. Also killer players with great stuff for their time, so it's not a big deal lol.
Seems like anyone that got remotely popular after some post-thrash genres started popping up did pretty well for the most part. A lot of those early black and drone metal bands slightly missed that wall of sound vibe and kind of just sounded awful tho, and early death bands sounded super thin.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

early 90s Suffocation and Dying Fetus

 

[STRHelvete]

Lamb Of God. From what I hear their guitar tone has changed but when they got popular, I guess their first two albums..shit was so terrible I literally couldn't listen. I can't even tell you if the music is written well or what the riffs are like..all I heard was that super thin ass guitar tone and it completely turned me off of the band.

 

[Big Dumb Bitch]

Chuck Schuldiners tone sucked lol

 

[gabito]

There's not such thing as an "objectively bad tone", but Dimebag Darrell is the popular option around here and elsewhere.

I still think that Reinventing The Steel's guitar tone is pretty good, though. And the guy at least had his own sound.

Chuck Schuldiner's tone is pretty bad compared to current standards too. Also Static-X comes to mind. Deftones' Adrenaline too. And Korn's first album. Zakk Wylde sounds like shit sometimes.

But... metal guitars usually sound like shit. Even more so, distorted guitars usually sound like shit. I don't like how distorted guitars sound, and I play guitar since forever.

Good sounding drums and a good bass tone are what make an album / band sound good, ie: RATM's first album (guitar tone is not that good if you listen closely).

 

[STRHelvete]

Slayer...HORRIBLE guitar tone.

 

[ThunderUnderground]

Early Black Dahlia

 

[ExMachina]

There's not such thing as an "objectively bad tone", but Dimebag Darrell is the popular option around here and elsewhere.

I still think that Reinventing The Steel's guitar tone is pretty good, though. And the guy at least had his own sound.

Chuck Schuldiner's tone is pretty bad compared to current standards too. Also Static-X comes to mind. Deftones' Adrenaline too. And Korn's first album. Zakk Wylde sounds like shit sometimes.

But... metal guitars usually sound like shit. Even more so, distorted guitars usually sound like shit. I don't like how distorted guitars sound, and I play guitar since forever.

Good sounding drums and a good bass tone are what make an album / band sound good, ie: RATM's first album (guitar tone is not that good if you listen closely).

Lol people certainly act like it's objectively bad.

Honestly, none of these tones bother me, I think I'm just not picky.

 

[Carrion Rocket]

any and all black metal

 

[GunpointMetal]

I can’t pick an exact example, but I’ve heard a bunch of albums in the last few years where the guitar is distorted and the saturated again in the mix and it gets this crackly, over-worked-limiter kind of sound and it annoys the shit out me. It almost sounds like bad mastering/digital clipping but it’s just on the guitars.

 

[gabito]

Lol people certainly act like it's objectively bad.

Honestly, none of these tones bother me, I think I'm just not picky.

Yeah, I like the albums / music from all those people and bands I mentioned. If it fits the music, or if I'm used to it, I pretty much don't care. It's generally bad production or mixing that throws me off, not guitar tone, but that's totally subjective too.

Like Dimebag Darrell, Chuck Schuldiner used solid state amps through his whole career IIRC, hence his (their) "bad tone". But he also said something along the lines of liking the irritating (aggressive?) sound of his distorted Marshall Valvestate because it was fitting for his music. When I listen to Death's albums I usually like what I hear, but if I pay attention to the guitars only... not so much.

And then, if I do the same thing when listening to almost any other metal album, I end up thinking "Well, these guitars sound like shit" almost invariably. And why is that? Because distorted guitars sound like shit. Distortion makes things sound like shit. That's what distortion does.

 

[nickgray]

I honestly can't recall hearing a recording and thinking wow that tone is awful

For me it usually means a tone with pokey stuff in the high mid/treble region that's quite fatiguing to listen to. But then there's usually a problem with the whole production, I struggle to name an otherwise decently produced album that just happened to have an ear piercing guitar tone.

Though then again, if the music is good you tend to look past all of that.

 

[Goblet of Gore]

Would definitely take the classic 90's sharp Morrisound studios DM tones over the modern TS+5150+V30 paint by numbers Andy Sneap crap anyday

 

[prlgmnr]

 

[Big Dumb Bitch]

This mix has probably given everyone who has listened to this album tinnitus lol. This album and Bergtatt both rule tho.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Ghost. Most of the time at least

Deftones - adrenaline

Queensryche self titled EP

Randy Rhoads

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Wolves in the Throne Room, I love them but their guitar tone is awful.

City of Caterpillar, same thing. Somehow they make it sound good but their guitars sound thin and compressed and just gross.

Sleep, Electric Wizard, I know this is the gold standard and I used to spend hours chasing these sounds but anymore it sounds like flappy shit to me. It works for what they're doing but I'd be pissed if my guitar sounded that awful.

 

[Kosthrash]

Not a specific recording/artist, I just can't tolerate listening to anything with guitar synth in the mix... generally I love keyboard synths (especially analog ones) but guitar synths...