One thing everyone will notice once they start voicing their opinions to a wider audience is that some turns of phrase they commonly use may not be as commonplace as they think. Some phrases that appear in the reviews on this site in particular may not be as immediately obvious as they are to me. So I thought an interesting way to clear up any ambiguities was to include a glossary on the site.

I don’t claim to have come up with any of these terms. This page was started as a bit of fun, but it might help some of you to better understand what I’m getting at. Also, some terms are very commonplace, but I decided to include them to better explain certain distinctions made in my reviews.

If you find any confusing terms in my reviews that aren’t here yet, please feel free to leave a comment. I will answer there and add the culprit to the list.

A

Acoustic rock: Acoustic guitar-based music with a reasonable degree of power and occasionally aggression in the songs. Examples include Days of the New and Alice in Chains’ acoustic albums.

Aging gracefully: Used to describe veteran musicians or bands that have not forced themsselves to chase new trends and/or desperately tried to hang on to their youthful aggression.

AOR: Always used to describe the melodic hard rock stylings of the likes of Foreigner, Journey and Boston. Overlaps heavily with Frontierscore, especially these days. Never used to describe the radio format, because I am European and American radio formats make very little sense to me.

B

Backloaded: Adjective used to describe an album or song that has all of its highlights near the end. Nowhere near as common as frontloaded.

Beefy: Big-sounding. Most commonly used to refer to a chorus that has wide chords and extensive backing vocals, though beefy intros without vocals exist.

Bile-spitting vocals: Gruff vocals – though not quite growls – that feature a lot of force behind the dental and labial consonants. Most prominent in thrash metal. Examples include Martin Walkyier, Ron Broder, and Marc Lopes.

Breakdown: Section of a heavy song where the tempo feel slows down to the point where the snare drum hits are often only on the one of every other bar, though breakdowns with a snare hit on every three exist. As a general rule, I hate breakdowns with a burning passion, mainly due to the way twenty-first century metalcore bands employ them: always after the second chorus, typically with the china cymbals counting the beats, palm-muted accents on the lowest guitar strings, and, if you’re unlucky, there’s an electronic bass drop once every four bars. At least the hardcore bands the idea was adapted from were a bit more creative with them.

C

Cappuccino machine growl: A throaty growl with not a lot of body, shaped by pushing phlegm and air through the vocalist’s throat. For more detailed information on different types of growls, see What Kind of Growler Are You?

Chops: Musical skills. Most commonly used to referred to musicianship of a certain level, but I frequently use it to refer to songwriting skills as well.

Cinematic: Adjective used to describe songs with a film-like atmosphere, which is often, though not always, created by adding symphonic elements or extensively layering different guitar sounds.

Crossover appeal: The potential of a song or release to be appreciated by an audience outside of that of the scene or genre the artist is most commonly associated with.

D

Dip: A section in the middle of an album with multiple consecutive songs that make notably less of an impression than the rest of the album. Could technically refer to a section of a longer song as well, but rarely does.

Double-time (feel): A rhythm in which the snare drum hits are either on every beat or on every afterbeat, creating the impression that the song’s tempo has doubled. Might also be called a thrash polka when referring specifically to the drums.

Downtuning: Possibly a confusing term for those outside the metal scene, as there are old blues songs with crazy low tunings, and the term didn’t really become commonplace in metal media until he mid-nineties, and then became more widespread when guitars with additional, extra low strings hit the market. Used to refer to tunings where the lowest guitar string is tuned lower than D2, but some modern heavy progressive bands are going far lower than that these days. As a general rule, I am not a fan of ultra-low tunings, though that is admittedly influenced by not liking the types of bands that frequently used them.

Dynamic: Adjective used to refer to songs or albums that vary their tempos, volumes, intensity, or all of the above in a positive way.

E

Epic: Almost always used to refer to a longer song, typically one that keeps building or often changes its mood. Never used to mean “cool”.

Epic heavy metal: Genre description for music which is too fast to be categorized as epic doom metal, but does strongly overlap with that style in terms of atmosphere, overall songwriting style, or both. Examples include Argus, DoomSword, and Manilla Road, although the latter predates the moniker by many, many years, and is usually a primary influence for bands in this style.

European metal festival pop: The kind of music where one would end up with a Eurovision-style pop song if the distorted guitars were to be taken away. Very popular at the European metal festivals since the late 2010’s. Often female-fronted, but prominent male-fronted examples like Sabaton, Powerwolf and latter-day Kamelot exist.

F

‘Fireball’ syndrome: The misfortune of being a good album, but not being acknowledged as such because of both your predecessor and your follow-up being a fan favorite and/or critically acclaimed release. Named after Deep Purple’s 1971 album ‘Fireball’ not being held in as high regard as their 1970 breakthrough ‘In Rock’ and their 1972 hit album ‘Machine Head’.

Flow: The way the song order impacts the listening experience on an album. Could technically apply to the order of sections within a song as well.

Folky power metal: Power metal with folk elements rather than full-on folk metal. Examples include latter-day Elvenking, Falconer, and Orden Ogan.

Frontierscore: AOR or melodic rock of the type that Frontiers Records releases in staggering numbers. Characteristics include keyboards that are as prominent as the guitars, singers with multi-octave ranges that more often than not mostly employ their higher registers, hypermelodic guitar solos that tend to ape Neal Schon by using the vocal melody as a starting point and then adding more notes, and more saccharine power ballads than one should care to listen to in one lifetime.

Frontloaded: Adjective used to describe an album or song that has all of its highlights in the beginning, after which it just kind of fizzles out.

G

Gallop: A rhythm that consists of repeating patterns of a single eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, which at high tempos suggests the rhythm of a galloping horse. Might be called a trot at a slower pace if I’m in a particularly pedantic mood when writing the review. Often incorrectly used interchangeably with a triplet rhythm.

Gang shouts: A backing vocal arrangement where typically three or more people shout the same lyric or phrase non-melodically in unison. In studio situations, they are usually recorded with the same microphone. Very common in thrash metal and certain punk styles.

Gothic: Always used to refer to bands that either were the likes of Fields of the Nephilim, The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, and early The Cure, or were inspired by such bands. Never used to refer to symphonic metal bands with female singers, the only exception being my gothic metal reviews section for search convenience.

Glorified demo: An officially released song or album that sounds as if it was recorded non-professionally or not mixed properly.

Glossy: Adjective used to describe synthesizer sounds and a production style that were very popular in the eighties, which was very focused on bright-sounding frequencies and copious amounts of reverb. Sometimes it’s good the eighties are over.

Guitar tapestry: An arrangement in which two or more guitars play very different notes that are woven through each other. A guitar tapestry most commonly exists of single-note parts, though guitar tapestries with chords exist. Differs from twin guitars, where the same parts are generally played at different pitches.

H

Half-time (feel): A rhythm in which the snare drum hits are on the third beats of every bar only, provided the song is in 4/4, creating the impression that the song’s tempo has been halved.

Heavy drinking songs: Used to describe the simple kind of folk metal with lyrics about the consumption of alcohol that I don’t like and that, to me, often sounds like folky punk rather than metal. Could be construed as heavy songs for drinking or songs for heavy drinking, and it would be correct either way.

Hendrixian: Like Jimi Hendrix. Typically used to describe guitar parts that blend the melodic progressions of blues, the overdriven guitar sound of early hard rock, and the groove of soul and funk music.

Hooky: Including melodies that stick, or sound like they are intended to. Typically used for choruses, though intros in particular have a tendency to be hooky as well in hard rock and metal.

Hopeful melancholy: One of my favorite moods in music. Not quite as sad or depressed as resigned melancholy, not cheerful enough to be considered upbeat. Often comes with lyrics about hope for a better future or the will to fight for one.

J

J-metal: Japanese metal with distinct visual kei and modern European power metal influences. Modern J-metal bands also flirt with influences from metalcore.

L

Light power metal: A style that combines elements of hard rock and power metal, similarly poppy as European metal festival pop, but notably less bombastic, and often somewhat more complex compositionally. Also known as power metal lite.

Live energy/feel/interaction/vibe: Sounding as if the band is playing a concert on a studio album. Often, though not necessarily, a result of the band or a part of the band recording together in one room.

Live staple: A song that is always or nearly always played in concert.

M

Mainstream metal: The kind of harder, yet accessible rock music with fairly heavy guitars that even the most metal-averse radio or tv stations would play in the nineties and early 2000’s. Ironically heavier than what headlines most European metal festivals these days.

Manufactured supergroup: A group of already established musicians recording together at the insistence of a management, record company or other corporate entity. If the musicians start working together at their own volition, it would be a regular supergroup.

Meat-and-potatoes: Simple, straightforward. In metal reviews, it almost always refers to bands that imitate the simplest aspects of Judas Priest and Accept.

Melismatic singing: A manner of singing where a single syllable is stretched out over multiple notes. Very common in Arabic music.

Melodic sensibilities: The ability to come up with well-crafted melodies and understand how they enhance a song.

Melodic themes: Composed melodies that generally appear multiple times within a song. Most commonly played on guitar, but keyboard themes are fairly common, and melodic themes on bass exist as well.

Middle-classed out: Used to describe how certain more rebellious or working class elements are getting increasingly rare among contemporary Western European and North American metal bands due to the artists that break through more commonly coming from somewhat wealthy families than in the past.

Mission statement: Used figuratively almost exclusively. A song, typically the opener of an album, that contains all the characteristics that listeners can expect from the rest of the album. Might also refer to an album released after a period of absence or in a different style.

Mordern edge, modern metal-isms: Used almost exclusively for metal bands that add modern elements to their music, most commonly tuning down and breakdowns, without actually going full modern metal.

Modern heavy progressive: A stylistic description I like to use to distinguish the heavy progressive music that has become common in the twenty-first century, such as Animals as Leaders, Periphery, Tesseract, and Intervals, from actual progressive metal. Overlaps significantly with is often referred to as djent, but I would say that bands like Meshuggah and Textures are more overtly metallic.

Muddy: Adjective used to a guitar sound that has a lot of low-end, but not a lot of treble, and therefore, not much definition. As a result, not the best choice for music characterized by high tempos and precision. Obituary is a positive example of this guitar sound, Kreator’s ‘Hordes of Chaos’ a negative one. Albums with a muddy sound overall exist, but are significantly less common.

N

Neoclassical hard rock: The kind of hard rock pioneered by Rainbow and Michael Schenker that has a relatively strong focus on melodies inspired by classical music, most often played on guitar or Hammond organ, but is still clearly rooted in blues traditions. Differs from neoclassical (power) metal, which has moved away from rock music’s blues roots almost entirely, and tends to be played at higher tempos, featuring different keyboard sounds, as well as generally a far more polished production style.

Neoclassical metal: Metal – often power metal – with a large focus on clasically inspired melodies, which are typically played on guitar, but might also be played on keyboards. Yngwie Malmsteen is typically a primary influence. Overlaps with symphonic metal, but is not synonymous. “Neoclassical” refers to a specific type of melodies, “symphonic” to arrangements with string sections or keyboards or programming that mimics them.

O

Organic: Adjective used to describe a production style or specific sounds that sound natural, as opposed to heavily processed. In interviews, artists often use it to describe a songwriting or recording process that is allowed to freely unfold without any interference or preconceived notion.

Overproduced: Adjective used to describe songs or albums that have their impact lessened by having either a mix that is too polished, or extra layers that could only have been added in the studio, but maybe shouldn’t have.

Overtones: Sonic elements often associated with genres the reviewed artist does not necessarily play. Always paired with an adjective referring to the genre (i.e. gothic, industrial, progressive, metallic, classical), and most commonly referring the arrangements or production rather than the songwriting.

P

Panning: The way the instruments are divided over the speakers. Most commonly refers to how bands with two or more guitarists divide them specifically.

Post-thrash metal: Transitional style between thrash metal and groove metal. Slower than the former, faster than the latter. The aggressive elements owe more to hardcore than to heavy metal. Examples include early Machine Head, early nineties Prong, and Fight.

Pop metal: Generally used to refer to bands that write very poppy songs in which the guitars play a supporting role almost exclusively. Examples include Powerwolf, Amaranthe, Ad Infinitum, and Amberian Dawn. Some music media use the term to refer to the arena rock bands of the late eighties (i.e. Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Europe), but I personally would not describe those bands as metal, and neither would most of those bands themselves.

Power ballad: A rock ballad that has soft verses and bigger choruses with distorted guitars. Songs that build from a soft beginning (i.e. ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘Free Bird’) might be classified as semi-ballads instead. Deliberate inversions of the formula (i.e. ‘The Unforgiven’) might still be classified as power ballads.

Pre-Dream Theater prog(ressive) metal: The type of heavy metal that focused on more advanced songwriting styles, such as non-standard song structures and occasional odd meters, before Dream Theater’s breakthrough shifted the genre’s focus towards downtuning, more frequent odd meters and a bigger focus on virtuosity. Most commonly an evolution of USPM. Tends to be more melodic in the guitar department than the post-Dream Theater variant. Obvious examples include the early works of Fates Warning, Queensrÿche and Crimson Glory. Savatage’s early work is borderline.

Production (job): Generally used as a collective term that encompasses the way an album is mixed or mastered, sometimes the way it is recorded as well. Producers used to have a fairly big hand in the arrangements as well, but I tend to refer to the arrangements separately if I have something to say about them.

R

Range of expression: The ability to express multiple emotions convincingly. Typically used to describe vocals, though the term could technically be applied to any instrument. A wide vocal range isn’t strictly necessary to have a wide range of expression.

Raw-edged clean vocals: A somewhat roundabout way of describing the vocals of the likes of Ronnie James Dio, Mats Levén, and Russell Allen. Not nearly as gruff as sandpaper throat, and as a result, typically more melodic. I would love a more concise way to describe this vocal style.

Resigned melancholy: A mildly melancholic mood devoid of the melodrama that actually depressed songs possess. Often comes with lyrics about accepting one’s fate.

Riffy: Adjective used to describe songs or sections that are driven by guitar riffs rather than chords and/or melodies.

Rock ‘n’ soul: Music with both rock and soul elements. Typically used to refer to rock bands with more soulful vocals than average (i.e. Bad Company, Glenn Hughes, most stuff that Richie Kotzen sings on), but soul songs with more distorted or overdriven guitar riffs qualify as well.

Roots rock: Music with elements of rock and roots music, most commonly country or country blues. Overlaps with southern rock, but roots rock typically has a bigger emphasis on americana and a less polished production style.

Rootsy: With americana elements. Most often used to describe songs by bands that don’t quite fit the roots rock genre, but do have similar influences.

S

Sabbathian: Like Black Sabbath. Adjective often paired with “riffs” or “grooves”. Sabbathian riffs are slow to mid-tempo riffs, often using minor scales, and almost always single notes rather than chords. Sabbathian grooves are rhythms that commonly accompany them, frequently more shuffle-heavy than usual in metal.

Saccharine: Adjective used to describe (mostly) ballads that aim to tug at the heartstrings by employing copious amounts of melodrama and typically a highly bombastic production style.

Sandpaper (throat): A singing style that is rougher-edged than the average raw-edged clean singer, but still fairly melodic. Examples include Blackie Lawless, Leather Leone, Takenori Shimoyama, and Józef Kalapács.

Semi-ballad: A song that has both balladic and harder-hitting elements. Overlaps with power ballad, but covers a wider range of songwriting styles. The term “semi-ballad” includes songs that have distorted guitars all the way through, or different structures than soft verses and big choruses.

Snarl: A vocal style that is typically fairly nasal, somewhat gruff, and reasonably intelligible, the most obvious example being Dave Mustaine.

Stomper: A heavy song, most commonly one with the emphasis on either every beat or every other beat. Stompers are typically mid-tempo.

Stonesy: Like the Rolling Stones. Typically paired with “grooves” for the type of laid-back rock ‘n’ roll groove with guitars that still have a bit of bite on top them.

Stopgap release: A recording released to bridge the gap between two albums, often a live album or an EP. Typically released if the break between two regular releases is expected to be longer than usual.

T

Thrash polka: A rhythm that has a bass drum hit on every beat and a snare drum hit on every afterbeat. May be alternated with two bass drum hits between snare hits. Named after being common in fast thrash metal songs, but it is equally omnipresent in first generation black and death metal, as well as punk music.

Through-composed: With no recurring songwriting elements, such as a verse or a chorus. Not very common in rock and metal, though Gonin-Ish has multiple albums that are entirely through-composed.

Tight: Adjective used to describe either a playing style in which musicians hit their notes at the same time, or an arrangement that has no excess elements.

Time feel: The way the tempo of the song feels rather than the actual tempo in beats per minute. See double-time and half-time for examples. Normal time feel typically has snare drum hits on the two and the four of each bar.

Track sequencing: The order in which tracks appear on a release.

Tribute band with original material: Could technically refer to a band that started out as a tribute band, but later started writing their own original material (i.e. Gonin-Ish, Them, Deathless Legacy). More commonly, however, I use this term to refer to bands that sound so much like the band that primarily influenced them that they might as well be tribute bands (i.e. Orchid, Thulcandra, Gruesome).

Triplet rhythm: Often incorrectly used interchangeably with a gallop. A triplet rhythm consists of three notes of equal length where there would typically be two. Songs can also have a triplet rhythm feel by being in 6/8 or similar meters.

Twin guitars: A guitar arrangement in which two or more guitars play the same part at different pitches, often at a set interval, though twin guitar parts with variable intervals are common as well. Through the years, I have phased out the use of this term in favor of the less jargonic “guitar harmony”.

U

Undercurrent: Compositional elements often associated with genres the reviewed artist does not necessarily play. Unlike overtones, an undercurrent is typically part of the composition rather than the arrangement or production style.

Underdeveloped: Sounding like an idea, song, arrangement, or the production would have been better if more time had been spent developing it.

Unnecessary double album: An album consisting of two cd’s that could easily have fit on on,e either because it is already less than eighty minutes long (i.e. Metallica’s ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’) or almost, and would have been with its weakest tracks cut (i.e. Iron Maiden’s ‘The Book of Souls‘ and ‘Senjutsu‘, or ‘Sunburst ~Gamushara~‘ by Loudness). Mostly happens to veteran bands with comfortable recording budgets and poor self-editing skills.

Uptempo: Adjective used to describe songs that are faster than mid-tempo, but not quite fast enough to be categorized as “fast”. Typically used to distinguish songs from truly fast ones on thrash metal and power metal albums.

USPM: United States Power Metal. Used to distinguish the American power metal sound pioneered by the likes of Riot, Manilla Road, Savatage, Warlord, and very early Queensrÿche from the more polished – and more popular – European variant. Tends to be a more traditional heavy metal sound, not too far removed from the British heavy metal pioneers of the late seventies and early eighties.

V

Variation in the tempo department: Often used negatively to criticize albums that feature a majority of songs in a similiar tempo, most commonly mid-tempo.

Vocalist: Technically synonymous with “singer”, though I typically use the term to distinguish between melodic singers and non-melodic vocalists, such as growlers.