Speaking with the Ravi recently, I remarked on how I listen to a lot more music from the more extreme metal genres now than I did, say, in my 20s. More black metal, more death metal, more grind, more sludge. We debated about whether it was because of better access to downloads, or perhaps the overall levels of competency in these genres has improved, with the basic templates being set and bands now using their own imagination to take the sound to new places, or applying their talent to work the formula in a more focussed way.

What do you guys think?

you're telling me the black/death/grind of today is better than it was when it started? can't go along with that.

It's a matter of taste, obviously, and in some cases the pioneers are still the best. But there's just so very much tight and kickass DM now, and in the black metal genre, bands as different as Blut Aus Nord or WITTT who are taking the genre into spaces that I, as someone who wasnt a big BM buff in the past, find interesting.

You'd be misrepresenting what I said if you think I'm claiming that the stuff in these genres is just better than it was - my point was more that the genres are better defined now and there are more people coming and trying out different takes on them, so there's a lot more to get into and more chances that there's stuff that will appeal to your particular taste.

I now listen to a lot more extreme doom (the bluesy kind and not just the euro-peaceville variety like before), hardcore, crust, sludge, d-beat, grind, bands than ever before.

I have more tolerance towards black metal than say 5-6 years ago (midi-casio bands not included).

On the other hand, old school style is more or less the only death metal of my interest now, whereas I used to dig up all sorts of brutal, technical type robot bands.

It's overall a very very very good trade, but I don't think the time I spend listening to the extreme stuff has gone up or anything over the past few years. What has gone up big time is my love for the rawer heavy music of all kinds, not just extreme.

On the whole I don't think it's increased in any way. I actually listen to a lot less death metal now than I used to 5-6 years ago. At the same time I think I listen to about the same amount of black metal now that I used to then although my preference for style has changed quite a bit from Immortal and Marduk to WIITR and Negura Bunget . Only had a few grind favourites back in the day and even now it's pretty much the same bands that I listen to so in terms of genres I don't think my listening tastes have changed too much.

I think downloading ability has played a huge part in finding out about new genres. Back in college the only sludge band I'd heard was Crowbar and it fucking blew my mind but simply had no access to similar stuff till Acid Bath came along into my life a few years later. Only got into that genre about four years ago when I was downloading stuff in Bombay. Even now, I listen to a lot of extreme music that doesn't really fit into the metal scene which is all thanks to downloading. Everything from bands like Gnaw to Those Poor Bastards are pretty fucking extreme but not really metal.

Anyway, I think I listen to more or less the same amount of extreme metal that I always have but have almost entirely stopped listening to power/ prog/ traditional.

some of it may just be more access, and my tastes going through a more extreme phase (my metal tastes, that is, outside of metal I listen to all kinds of soft stuff). And the softer stuff acting as a gateway (more bluesy, or metallic or funereal doom via the peaceville stuff). But at least in the case of BM, i think the genre genuinely has more to offer me than it did in the past.

Well I definitely hear a lot more extreme metal than I used to but that's because there was a time when I lost all interest in the genre. After hearing lots of very hyped stuff that didn't deliver, I gave up on it. Mental Funeral by Autopsy (an album I revisited recently and still found rather boring), was the straw that broke this camel's back. From 94 to 2002, the only extreme metal albums I heard were The Fourth Crusade, The End Complete, As The Flower Withers, Utopia Banished, Words from an Exit Wound and Dusk and her Embrace (I don't count Slayer and Sepultura as extreme metal).

It was only after I first met you guys that I returned to it - thanks especially to KC and GK who threw a lot of the more loopy interesting stuff my way like Gorguts and also some of the flatout impressive stuff like Pungent Stench, Immolation and Brutality. Also Blabbermouth.net - epsecially Scott Agilosu and Keith Bergman have a generally very reliable taste in extreme metal and I've been turned on to a lot of great albums via their reviews.

I do think there are a lot more interesting albums being made now - a lot of the NWOBM to coin a term is pretty fucking good - stuff like Blut Aus Nord, Wolves, Cobalt etc. I still don't consider it my preferred genre of music and a bad extreme metal album is potentially a LOT more annoying than a bad cock rock or trad heavy metal album, but yeah I follow it avidly and listen to it a lot more. Somehow all the growling and aggression seems to become more and not less relevant as you get older.

i was always pretty much inclined towards the extreme stuff right from the start,lotta guys back then who told me i was crazy listening to "noise" and after a couple years suddenly most of them acquired a taste for it which was too funny for me to digest.Suddenly Death Metal had become acceptable and to some very fashionable to listen to not to mention a large number trying to play it too,without any conviction of course.
I still enjoy Extreme Metal as much as i did in the past,(havent grown up,matured,moved on,am 30 so its time to kiss ass to Jazz or been afflicted by any such similar syndromes) but over the years i have been listening to a little bit more variety and styles than just hurtling down a one way road at full speed like earlier...

I don't get much time for music now a days and whatever I get goes into reading but I see myself listening to more and more black metal and doom now a days. I think there is way more variety to extreme stuff now with explosion of net and obscure stuff tends to come forward due to webzines. I exclusively listen to black/doom/ambient music since last couple of years and it is really satisfying to find new bands [ menace ruin, Blut Aus Nord, Spectral Lore, SUNN))O, Catacombs, Esoteric etc.] I'd never have accessed without net and zines like DC and doom-metal.com. [though d-m.com tends to love almost every album which crosses their path!-.]

I couldn't get into DM except for Death albums and that also mainly due to technical wankery and that hasn't changed with time. I listen to lot less stuff now but access to right zines and people makes it up for the lack of quantity.

Hmmm.. Not really. I've listen to as much extreme stuff now as I always used to. My death metal listens have probably waned slightly over the years (not nearly as interested in the uber tech bands like before), but I still listen to as much black and doom as before. Never used to be too much into grindcore save for a couple of bands and it has remained that way too.

Considering when i first started listening to metal, i listen to more extreme stuff now than before. It just depends on what i feel like listening to, as of now im in a sludge, post rock, jap noise rock phase. So the DM and Tech DM listens have lessened a bit compared to before.As for black metal its the same as before.. Nil.

Lots of old school death metal nowadays. Stuff like Vader, Quo Vadis, Celtic Frost etc. I've started listening to a lot of death/grindcore stuff like Job For A Cowboy, Inima etc which I never used to about 2-3 years back.