this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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True, but some genres just kinda are like that with a lot of bands. Metal and punk especially. I don't a 100% agree that it's always being scared of experimenting/veering off, but just kind of the nature of the genre for a lot of bands. And even then you have examples of bands still retaining "their sound". Sure it's not metal, but punk, but I think Fugazi have quite a certain sound even though they evolved a lot.
From that another great example and one of my favorites: Bad Brains! Any of their songs could've been on any of their albums and it would not have been out of place.
Metal and punk are very similar in ways though so I excuse myself not thinking of metal examples.
Like I'd say Deathspell Omega sounds have retained their sound in many ways, but they've kind of evolved their thing so much you couldn't really say they have just that specific sound. Where as Deströyer 666 still have the same sound even though they've changed quite a bit, but you could go on forever about outliers. I don't remember what my point was.
Having said all that I wish more metal and punk bands tried something more different sometimes.
I think I'm in agreement here, just a matter of phrasing it. It's very easy for a metal band to think they're stepping off genre in the albums they're making if they're a pioneer of some sort of subgenre (I think the most prominent example for me is Kamelot). So many of them end up making three or four mediocre albums that could have just been collapsed into one good one.
I also notice that some genres end up having really well defined 'tropes' that get established and then beat to death over a number of years. If you've ever listened to a band like Amaranthe, truly the Nickelback of power metal. They have like 5 albums and I can't tell which song is from where. Not to say that they're bad albums, or unlistenable, just kind of blurs together in a pleasant blob.
In comparison, Ghost really changed up their sound. They started off kind of like different Megadeth with a lot more theatrics (which is wild to think about), and now they're ABBA with distorted guitars... and more theatrics.
Pulling up something from punk(ish) land, Streetlight drops albums so rarely, and they're perfect shiny jewels every time. Not always totally fresh, but always putting a new twist on the last one.
Uncle Acid still sounds like Uncle Acid/Sabbath
And then you have examples of bands like Oranssi Pazuzu that kind of have achieved a similar thing to Led Zeppelin where they can be a lot of things across an album and throughout their discography but still very much retain their sound because they've always kind of incorporated influences from all over ito their sound and just making it their own. I wouldn't say they have ever been scared to "veer off" out of their fairly specific genrehole even if they have their sound throughout. It's tricky.