I understood the thread the same way as you, what don't I get from metal that I get from other genres I listen to? And yeah there's a few things, that's why I listen to a bit of other stuff besides metal. But ultimately it's kind of a weird idea to read the thread this way even if it is originally meant that way, because the answer would boil down to something like "what's lacking in metal is that it isn't non-metal", and kinda really useless to think about because that way it's not really a lack. I mean I don't listen to other genres because metal lacks something because it's the same way that I'm a huge Star Trek fan, and when I watch Lord of the Rings for example it's not because I find that Star Trek lacks orcs and elves, but because I want to watch Lord of the Rings. What I'm trying to say is that I listen to certain non-metal genres for certain things they have to offer, but I don't feel like they are lacking in metal because they're simply not supposed to be there.

Biggest thing for me metal lacks is songwriting. Obviously you can argue that bad songwriting is universal to all bad music, but I find songwriting tends to take a backseat to things like tone or just riff salads or being extreme or whatever, even with widely praised projects. Too many metal bands are content to sort of just meander from riff to riff and back again until the song ends, without any kind of hook, buildup and release or any other reason to remember the song. Maybe I'm just getting bored, but it just seems like the albums I end up liking the most aren't necessarily ones that are novel and are filled with riffs I've never heard before, but it's more about how it's all put together. Every subgenre kind of has it's way of doing this, even the noisy and less structured stuff does interesting things with textures, walls of sound, dynamics, etc... The new Abyssal is a great example. It's not catchy in the traditional sense, but it's put together in a very satisfying way that keeps you listening.

The other thing would be decent lyrics and the delivery. I'm not saying that metal needs to be like woke or conscious or even have a message at all, but I dunno... I just can't relate to a lot of the escapist stuff anymore. I still like a lot of the classic themes, but far too often its just meaningless, might as well have been algorithmically generated. The other part of this is vocal deliver.y/arrangements. Especially with harsh vocals, way too many bands have put seemingly zero thought or effort in the vocal arrangements, leading to song after song with the same vocal delivery/cadence. I think were a lot of the most popular extreme metal bands succeeded was having catchy vocal rhythms, something like Decade ov Therion by Behemoth is a good example (lots of hardcore bands are good at this too). Also, another pet peeve of mine with extreme metal is the having too many/too little syllables in the verse lines. It doesn't feel like a cohesive song with any identity when the vocalist is just doing whatever during the verses.

I'd like more dynamics in metal. In general regarding the sonic quality of the music. More dynamic range. But also in the way a song or album is written. A building up to something, a crescendo and a thought out ending. I find that the most emotional responses I have to music is where I'm taken on a journey and that is never when the whole album goes on in the same vein. My two examples are progressive metal in style but I don't feel it has to be. But I think The Oceans Pelagial which is a theme album musically centered around the oceanic depth zones. This is reflected in the music in how its faster, brighter and lighter in the beginning and gradually getting darker, slower and heavier. I also think the title track to Dream Theaters Octavarium is an excellent example of this. Such a journey in emotions and that crescendo never ceases to amaze me. Some black meta does this well also but in another way. Especially the repetitive and more atmospheric kind. There is more thought and feeling behind it.

I find metal rather buzzkiller and hard to listen to while being in a lady's company. It is everything but sexy. Maybe Pleasure Slave by Manowar. Not sure.

Maybe you're just dating the wrong girls

Do you know Insomnium? A lot of their songs starting with Across the Dark have the structure that you are talking about. Winter's Gate is a whole album built around this idea.
In general, progressive/proggy bands tend to have this, at least if they are any good.

I'd like more dynamics in metal. In general regarding the sonic quality of the music. More dynamic range. But also in the way a song or album is written. A building up to something, a crescendo and a thought out ending. I find that the most emotional responses I have to music is where I'm taken on a journey and that is never when the whole album goes on in the same vein. My two examples are progressive metal in style but I don't feel it has to be. But I think The Oceans Pelagial which is a theme album musically centered around the oceanic depth zones. This is reflected in the music in how its faster, brighter and lighter in the beginning and gradually getting darker, slower and heavier. I also think the title track to Dream Theaters Octavarium is an excellent example of this. Such a journey in emotions and that crescendo never ceases to amaze me. Some black meta does this well also but in another way. Especially the repetitive and more atmospheric kind. There is more thought and feeling behind it.

So for example could (actual) death metal ever produce that effect for you ? Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse, as repetitive as they may sound to the non-fans, are some of the catchiest dm bands out there and I'd say their albums do have the dynamics, at least they feel like they've got 3D volume to them and don't come across as flat. I know it's often considered a commercial record but MA's Domination is an absolute roller-coaster ride from start to finish and if some outsider listened to the first track (Dominate), then Where the Slime Live, then one from the middle (say, Nothing but Fear) and then the last (Hatework) they might think those are all songs from separate albums.

There are quite a few groups in the gothic, doom, and folk metal genres can sometimes fall into "quiet" territory. I'd say Agalloch, some songs/albums from Swallow the Sun, later era Katatonia, arguably even stuff like Summoning, all qualify. But admittedly that's usually because they're going more for a depressive or atmospheric feel, rather than "laid back", and definitely still aren't what I'd call elevator music.

I only know this band by name. I will check them out. Any suggestions on which album to start with?

Yes the progressive part of the metal scene aim for this but I also want to mention the post metal type stuff. I find it to often be emotional and dynamic. Long builds and massive crescendos.

More original sounding local scenes. In the past we had bay area thrash, east coast thrash, minas gerais thrash, sweden death metal, norwegian black metal, LLN, finnish death metal, polish death metal etc, all of them with unique sounding characteristics and classic bands. Now we have nothing

I personally wish more bands would make alternate versions of their albums that were instrumental and/or acoustic.

If modern metal (and music in general) is lacking anything its originality. Songwriting, and to a certain extent lyrics. Basically everything that's supposed to make music good in the first place. I feel like the majority of bands these days are trying to imitate established bands from the past rather than creating a new sound. For example, in the 80's and early 90's there were sort've different genres like thrash metal and black metal, but alot of bands seemed to strive for their own image and sound, whereas now most bands seem to stick to one or two established formulas.

That's not quite the dynamics I'm wanting. Although I really like Domination (or an album like Edge of Sanitys Infernal) I'd describe them as more diverse than dynamic. If anything an albums that is to diverse can often suffer from that fact. Even though each song might be excellent the whole can suffer from it.

But of course death metal can achieve a thought through dynamic approach even though the limitations of the genre might not make it as easy as it is for other bands. I think Nile has created this to some extent with In Their Darkened Shrines for example. It's not just all guns blazing but it actually builds something up. If we are to take Morbid Angel as an example I think the track God of Emptiness does this well. Not death metal per se but Entropias album Vacuum does this dynamic approach, in regards to song writing, very well. It's easily one of my favourite extreme metal albums of all time.

For example, in the 80's and early 90's there were sort've different genres like thrash metal and black metal, but alot of bands seemed to strive for their own image and sound, whereas now most bands seem to stick to one or two established formulas.

I personally wish more bands would make alternate versions of their albums that were instrumental and/or acoustic.

I personally wish more bands would make alternate versions of their albums that were instrumental and/or acoustic.

On the more Traditional/speed/power metal side of things I think sooo many bands today are lacking a second guitar (track) that throws in leads to fill out the sound. So many bands just have the one rhythm guitar, and bass repeating the riff as a vocalist does their thing, but with no lead trickery until the solo. Best example of doing it right, off the top of my head, is the classic Helloween Walls of Jericho. On most songs the leads were constant and played off the vocal melodies, while the second guitar attended the riff but sometimes harmonized with the lead guitar. It never got old and i wish more bands today would try for that.

On the more Traditional/speed/power metal side of things I think sooo many bands today are lacking a second guitar (track) that throws in leads to fill out the sound. So many bands just have the one rhythm guitar, and bass repeating the riff as a vocalist does their thing, but with no lead trickery until the solo. Best example of doing it right, off the top of my head, is the classic Helloween Walls of Jericho. On most songs the leads were constant and played off the vocal melodies, while the second guitar attended the riff but sometimes harmonized with the lead guitar. It never got old and i wish more bands today would try for that.

Shows that start at a decent time.