https://www.reddit.com/r/musicians/comments/1ale6yb/why_people_dont_like_my_celtic_folk_heavy_metal/
https://www.reddit.com/r/doommetal/comments/1ala3vm/why_people_dont_like_my_epic_folk_doom_metal_music/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1am4qvb/im_in_despair_folk_heavy_metal_composer_people/
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Grand-wazoo
1d ago
Edited 1d ago
I mean first off, give me a break with that name. Anal? Seriously? This is the name you want to use to create the very first and lasting impression people will make of you as an artist? Couldn't think of a single other thing that doesn't immediately invoke a viscerally revolting concept?
And surely you are smart enough to know that writing Celtic heavy metal folk music automatically narrows your demographic by a significant amount. That's an incredibly niche and specific subset of a subset of genres and it's not going to appeal to very many people on average.
Finally, you have to play the marketing game. It sucks and I hate social media, but it's just the way music works these days. Use a distribution service and get your stuff on all the major streaming platforms instead of Bandcamp. That gives off amateur vibes.
I'm not actually convinced you want mass appeal because you're literally doing every possible thing to guarantee you won't get it.
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YomYeYonge
1d ago
Edited 15h ago
Having your project be named Anal is a huge turn-off for marketing reasons. Besides that, your weird graphic design choices and poor spelling also doesn’t help.
Celtic Folk Heavy Metal is too much of a niche genre to blow up. Just because you think you hear Celtic music everywhere does not make it mainstream.
You don’t know how to distribute your music outside of Bandcamp, which cripples your presence. I assume you don’t use Instagram and TikTok, so that kinda screws you over.
Uploading stuff like this is not appealing to the general public.
https://youtu.be/bRcuYM-1aTw?si=6B4LMn42Y_bX0fY9
The music industry nowadays is all about image.
I play in a fairly successful local band with 1.2k monthly listeners and we have been on tour, so I kinda have an idea.
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pistolpowerpete
23h ago
I'm a HUGE fan of celtic music, LOTS of folk metal, and everything metal related, I was not interested in your work simply due to the fact that your artist name is Anal...
Like... why?
I gave it a listen anyway, and you can clearly compose music, so why would you ruin your artistry by choosing such a stupid name? As a listener and musician myself, that tells me you don't take your music seriously... So why should I take it seriously?
Your instrumentals are interesting, but the vocals are not listenable, and the mix is very disorienting. The drums sound like they're ripped from an entirely different mix. They don't fit with the rest of the composition. The music also doesn't sound very celtic. It sounds like a melodic thrash metal band released a cletic "inspired" album.
Also, performing live shows and marketing play HUGE roles in gaining exposure. You can't just post on music forums and call it a day.
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brinsleyschwartz
9h ago
Yeah, I was about to hit the link and give it a listen until I saw the name in the link. No way I'm clicking on that. Also, even if I liked it, how in the world would I recommend it to my wife, family, friends , etc.? "Hey, you have to check out this Anal stuff. It's kind of different, but it's good." No, nay, never.
I saw the reasoning for the name, and it just doesn't work for this genre. Maybe for a punk band of 18 year olds playing for 18 year olds. I mean the Butthole Surfers made it work, but again, their target audience were a bunch of surf punks. Celtic folk audiences are generally a little older and laid back. Even with the metal tie in, still not working.
Maybe do a little experiment and rename yourself something much more Celtic mainstream and see what happens. I think of Flogging Mollie, a great Celtic heavy metal/punk band.
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Piper-Bob
1d ago
I listened to a couple of the tracks on bandcamp and they aren't what I was expecting from your description of "celtic folk heavy metal". I listen to a lot of celtic folk--it's mostly what I play. I'm not too into metal, but I know what it sounds like. IDK. To me what I heard is more like cinematic metal, if that's a thing. I'm not sure why you have celtic folk as part of the description, but there's nothing I'm hearing that I would identify as celtic.
I'd like your mixes more if they weren't so wide and hollow sounding.
The way most bands build an audience is by playing gigs. Your band name won't help you much there.
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slkrds
23h ago
I commented earlier and said it wasn’t memorable so I felt a little bad having only listened to like 2.5 tracks diving deeper into your catalogue I would have to say I misspoke, I will remember it - as being a cacophony of notes jumbled together like your getting paid by the note
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kylotan
23h ago
Look... I'm a metal fan, and I like celtic folk-inspired metal. But you're not focused on quality, and you need to be. You've created far too much music and it doesn't sound great. Metal fans expect real guitars, not MIDI instruments. Drums can be sampled but they shouldn't sound like samples.
When people are "only talking about the sound and mixing", that is a huge hint to you. When reviewers tell you what is wrong, listen to them. There's no point asking "why people don't like" when they are already telling you exactly why.
Put quality first. Get a coherent set of songs together as one album, and get them recorded and mixed professionally. When you have a quality release to promote you can work from there. If you truly have $5000 to spend then asking someone to cover your song is completely the wrong approach. Invest that instead in professional mix and mastering, a photoshoot, and a press campaign.
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Moxie_Stardust
22h ago
I'm also into Celtic music, and folk metal. I agree with this take.
I skimmed the 53 (?!?) tracks. Way too much instrumental, Ensiferum will put some instrumental tracks on an album, but not like this. And what I did hear that had vocals, the vocals were not appealing. Like, RGFSTG seems like maybe it has potential--yes, also, these track titles... they are among the worst track titles one could come up with.
"Oh, dude, I love RGFSTG, put that one on! Wait, actually play KAKTMJ first." - no one ever
It kind of makes me think of these random YouTube music videos we put on for background music while tabletop gaming (Gloomhaven and stuff), not too distracting to keep you from focusing on the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O4_awEHh1g
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u/crapinet avatar
crapinet
1d ago
You do have SEVERAL entire albums or even more EPs out there. Doing a massive dump of music all at once is a mistake, imo. The oldest stuff is from 2010? I think you should do a lot more frequent, and a lot smaller, more focused releases. Quality over quantity, when it comes to the tracks themselves. But it’s fine to release a butt ton (lol) of albums. It’s hurting you that you held onto music for 14 years and then released 14 years of material. Thats 14 years that you could’ve been building an audience.
Edit you said that you’ve been doing a ton of arranging? Have you considered working with local musicians (and paying them) to rehearse and then perform a concert of your music? That can be a good way to build connections and start to build an audience.
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PBaz1337
23h ago
Ok, so I'm a metal producer who's in an active folk metal band. I've been playing bagpipes, tin whistles, drums, guitar and various other instruments for 25 years. I play traditional Celtic gigs on top of metal. I listened to some of your stuff and before I give any feedback, I need to ask a very important question:
Do you want me to be nice or do you want me to be honest?
PBaz1337
22h ago
Edited 21h ago
My information is easy to find, but I'm The Amazin Bazin on all social platforms.
There's nothing Celtic about any of those songs. The presence of Celtic instruments does not make a song Celtic. That music has a very particular vibe. You keep commenting about the complexity of your riffs, when the spirit of Celtic music is in simplicity. The overwhelming majority of Celtic music is 3-4 chords max. The melody often repeats itself in the verse and chorus. Instrumentals are usually played in an ABAB pattern. The fact that you referenced My Heart Will Go On as a Celtic song illustrates that you don't understand the first thing about Celtic music. Bands like Eluveitie do an amazing job of adding a melodic death metal vibe to simple traditional tunes. Slania is just a compilation of how much mileage they could get out of Cooley's Reel. Virtuosity and simplicity can absolutely work together, but it's critical that the arrangement is done properly.
The mix is unlistenable. The balance is way off. Background elements are hitting you in the face while lead elements are drowning in a 6 month reverb tail. I knew the kicks were there but I couldn't hear them without isolating the low end, absolutely no high end attack. The guitars are tinny with no discernable mid-range. The MIDI instruments are obviously MIDI. It doesn't sound like there's any variation in the velocity and expression, in both the drums and the orch/choir samples. Everyone is telling you the mix is bad for a reason. The best thing you could do is to take the effects off each track and send them to a mix engineer who can bring your tracks to life. I'd hazard a guess that you're not using reference mixes and your listening environment is subpar.
The music itself isn't that bad. The arrangement, however, is way too busy. There's no cohesive transitions between riffs, and each musical idea doesn't go well with the next. An experienced songwriter/producer could help you trim the fat, take what you have and reformat it into great songs. There's too much going on at once, and that's an absolute nightmare from an EQ standpoint, let alone a listener's perspective. Stop comparing your music to others' in the genre, unless you're using them as a reference for production and mixing.
Your branding is objectively terrible. Anal? Seriously? In other comments you claimed that your music should speak for itself (it does, just not in the way you want it to). Doesn't matter if you have the best music in the world if you can't convince people to click on it. You don't appear to take yourself seriously, despite your comments to the contrary. A graphic designer on Fiverr could do a better job of putting all your material together.
None of these things are as much of a barrier to your growth as your attitude. You come on here saying that your music is better than established folk and doom metal acts (if you say so), and then you're surprised that they're not taking you up on your offer to record your song? Your music isn't as good as you think it is, and this is a relationship-based industry. Your success hinges on whether or not people like you. You're punching way above your weight trying to reach out to Tyr. Start with a local band who likes your material and build your reputation from there. Shit talking other musicians is band suicide. It's the fastest possible way to get yourself blacklisted, and nobody is going to want to join your band.
You asked for feedback and didn't like what you got. You're arguing with everyone in the comments instead of taking the incredibly useful feedback that you're getting and using it to take your music to the next level. I don't believe that you're going to walk away from this thread and take action with the information you've been given. You just want validation that you're right and the rest of the world is wrong, and that's not going to happen. You need to get your ego in check and be open to criticism, and until you develop a sense of self-awareness you're going to remain in this rut.
Edit: fixed some typos
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Mdiasrodrigu
23h ago
This might be long but bear with me
If they don’t like it, what matters is that you do.
I just put one of my songs in my car today, my gf was listening to it and then she had an opinion and I told her I don’t wanna hear it, because I know very well she doesn’t like the music I like, what makes you think she’ll like it now? In the past her criticism just makes me really confused and makes me stuck in the middle of the songs.
In another side of the coin I’ve actually ended up sending a song to a friend in Japan and to person that bought me a T-shirt on Vinted lol and they actually seem to like it ! That feels good, but in the end of the day I need to like it.
Lemmy said put your flag up and see if someone salutes, good luck on your endeavors and don’t let negativity bring you down
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phoe-nixx
23h ago
These 2010 things are your peak.
https://anal.bandcamp.com/track/govrip-2010-epic-doom-metal
https://anal.bandcamp.com/track/gwfawl-2010-epic-doom-metal
I hope, at some point, you will reach a new one.
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ProfessionalRoyal202
22h ago
you're funny, I think i remember your post from a few years ago. your music is half-decent but you just go about and do everything the wrong way (no offense.) Trying to keep it positive I would say if you add hooks, learn spelling, try to make 1 really memorable song you got a shot. Also curious what country you're from?
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kamomil
22h ago
Well Autumn starts out a bit catchy. But then the vocals are kind of buried in the mix
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KS2Problema
22h ago
Edited 22h ago
First, let me say I find your music to be interesting and complex. You clearly have some developed ideas about the music you want to make and I'm surprised you haven't had better luck at collecting a following. But, of course, there are a lot of metal players and maybe not that many listeners currently deeply into it who aren't players.
Now, I don't want to get into a forensic musical production pathology thing (since that's what so many folks do when they don't know what else to say about music) but I will say that there are some nitty gritty production aspects that are problematic to me as a listener. There are times when it feels like there are spatial/'3d'/phase/something processing tricks that bother my ears. It's also got some kind of jacked high-frequency stuff going on, I think. I also think it's awfully compressed -- but, clearly, a lot of folks seem to claim to like squashed tracks. But I've been listening about a half hour and sometimes the drum/bass and other elements seem to boom/blossom in a way I find physically uncomfortable. (Also, there seems to be quite a bit of variation in loudness between tracks on your BC page.)
I also am a little trepidatious about mentioning it, but, you know, you want to know what folks think -- and I think the name you've chosen for your Bandcamp user persona -- while distinctive and easy to remember -- may be putting off some listeners.
I think, overall, your music is interesting and challenging but some sonic aspects may be unnecessarily alienating some listeners.
That said, I think you can be proud of the work you've put in. I can see why you're frustrated, it seems like there really ought to be an audience for your music.
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afterrprojects
13h ago
I don't agree... There is a niche for lofi or under produced music. Especially in these kind of folk / medieval influenced stuff. Just like in black metal or dungeon synth scene, people have some taste for raw sound. To me, the problem here is (obviously) the name and the visual, which is kind of aged.
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williamgman
18h ago
My final thoughts...
The OP clearly has spent a LOT of time creating this music. That is true.
But to not ONCE mention, defend, or comment on this project being called "Anal" kills it. So much work wasted.
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reruarikushiteru
4h ago
Ok, so as a counter-balance to some meaner comments... I've listened to AUTUMN and assuming the rest of the album sounds the same I can assure you they sound good enough. I didn't really notice any of the "too midi sounding instruments" (y'all will need to tell which songs are you referring to) or "bad mix" aside maybe vocals. The vocals aren't particularly appealing to me, and the mix could prolly be improved, but these are definitely not "unlistenable" as some other people here insinuate.
I also don't think these are "too busy", I'm listening to a lot more busy music on a daily basis (As an example see "First Death" by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure, and you can't tell me TK is a niche artist considering he literally wrote for the frickin' Spider-Man), although I think they definitely could be more cohesive (it could tell a story in a much more clear way) and the transitions could be smoother.
I do advice you on focusing more on the artist image. Most people don't listen to music just for the music sake and even the most die-hard cannot do that considering how much music is made nowadays. You just have to bring and keep people in by giving them a story they can relate to, be that a persona or creating lore/vibe around the songs.
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exoclipse
1d ago
based on the one track I listened to, it's not bad. not the second coming of candlemass you're making yourself out to be, but not bad. This is going to sound harsh, but I promise I'm going somewhere with this.
Here's what's going wrong:
Your brand sucks:
The closest thing I can find to a band name is 'anal.' That's not going to work.
The design of your bandcamp looks like something my middle school friends put together on MySpace back in 2002.
The imagery you are using surrounding this project looks like you found images on google, opened up paint, and added a text box
'Final arrangements and things to rearange' is not what I want to see as an album title. Especially not when it's 54 tracks, totalling in at something like 400 minutes.
Production woes:
Vocals are thin
Drums are using the 80s Phil Collins-esque gated reverb sound. This hasn't been relevant in 40 years, and especially not on a metal album
Your personal media presence:
You sound like the musician equivalent of an incel. Like you're entitled to other people's love and adoration just because you put forth the effort. This is EXTREMELY offputting.
Recommendations:
Pick a band name that isn't a sex act in English. Stick with that band name. I was actually hesitant to open the link on my work computer because I didn't want to risk getting shock-sited.
Pay a graphic designer to make a great logo for you. Put this logo everywhere.
Pay a web designer to build a better BandCamp page for you.
Get out there on social media. Music is very FB and Instagram centered, these are places you want to be.
Find art that resonates with you. Either public domain or something you can license. Then PAY A GRAPHIC DESIGNER to turn that art into the artwork you need for an album.
Pick 40-60 minutes of cohesive music. Hire a recording studio (or even a friend who's good at production) to help you rerecord those tracks. This is your album.
Release that album on your new, revitalized Bandcamp, with your new, revitalized brand.
Send this to every record label under the sun.
I mean this sincerely - good luck.
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GreatMountainBomb
1d ago
Because your genre of choice is super niche and the way your trying to quantifying what makes your music good doesn’t resonate with others, even in said super niche genre
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Admirable-Sector-705
21h ago
There are plenty of places to promote your music, and plenty of people who will promote it. But, unless you’re willing to pony up the cash to advertise it, you’re not going to go very far. And, considering that the music doesn’t particularly have any hooks which will register with an audience, the people who hear it aren’t going to be sticking around to listen to more of it.
Metal is already a niche genre; Doom Metal even more so. And, instrumental Metal has near zero audience.
Quit whining, and improve your songwriting.
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Creatura
1d ago
This is a hard question to ask, but I get it. Firstly, I think chasing the financial success mountain with music is setting yourself up for failure. It also puts way too much pressure on your music and might make it sound worse ultimately.
Concerning your music - in my opinion - it reads like you're trying to cram as many ideas as possible into each song, with frankly not-very-good transitions. There isn't a whole lot of human element here, just a lot of grandiosity with no real driving emotion. It seems like you're trying to prove musical theory prowess instead of making something people can connect to emotionally.
The timbre of your symphonic elements are also pretty bland. They sound very much just like stock DAW samples with very little added to make them more interesting; they also don't really blend together too well. On the doom metal songs, the guitar tone is extremely compressed and lacks all of the wooly or fuzzy appeal of the doom metal that people latch on to. You say people who have reviewed it comment on the sound: I'm not sure why you're not taking that seriously but the arrangements aren't good enough themselves to ignore the tone and timbre issues. Lastly, there's very very very little space in the compositions. There's dynamics in the songs, every section is just going for 'epic, epic, epic' which unfortunately makes everything feel bland. If you want an epic feeling, you need to contrast that with some mellower sections. Ultimately, the only real work that feels like was done here is in MIDI sequencing into stock samples.
That said, the arrangements are really great overall, you definitely have a brand and a feel that is really close to being something genuinely awesome. Your biggest issues are with pacing and timbre, maybe try making a slow song with just one instrument track to start, until you create a timbre / tone you think is novel or at least very interesting?
Branding is also a pretty huge part of music these days unfortunately, and your bandcamp could use a little facelift. It would absolutely benefit you to pay a graphic designer to make you good bandcamp assets and at least one good piece of album art to visually tie your music together; it does matter. Also, a 50-song album is way too much to take in. Break it down into smaller albums and release them by genre or idea if you haven't already. Linking your entire discography is not a great move (unless this post is the only place you're doing it).
I wrote out a lot here because I think you have a really really good start, and I can sympathize with making music to only one or two sets of ears! You clearly enjoy making arrangements, and the ensemble is close to something very fun. I wish you luck!
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Creatura
1d ago
That's a valid and motivating reason for making music. If you want to see that as far as it can go, you'll want to work on better connective tissue between the parts. A stark change can be good in a song, but only stark changes will be disorienting for most listeners.
Similarly, the timbre of your instruments could also be a good place to focus on. They are very stock-sample-y and are strangely distinct in the mix; very robotic. It sounds very much like each instrument was recorded in a different room instead of what you are going for: an orchestra in the same room.
Alternatively, keep doing what you're doing for the sake of fun, and abandon the disappointment of no commercial success. I played for a room of 4 people two days ago at midnight on a Monday because I like playing music. In a lot of ways that sucks for me, but it's also still fun because I like playing music
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Prudent_Map5836
1d ago
Maybe you just make music that doesn’t resonate with people? There isn’t some secret to making music that people like. Maybe try something different sound wise if this hasn’t worked for you?
Personally, I listened to autumn, which you have listed as epic doom metal. To me, it doesn’t sound like doom at all. It sounds more like an 80s rock ballad with occasionally heavy drums and some symphonic elements. Really doesn’t work for me at all. And, imo, not a fan of the vocals.
I don’t know, to me it seems like you’re hitting your head against a wall hoping that this will magically happen for you, when maybe you should pivot to something else or start trying new sounds.
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j-neiman
1d ago
I don’t listen to Tyr, but I know there are four members.
Subtract taxes, studio fees, management and label costs, you are an unknown artist offering them a few hundred dollars each to learn and record a song they’ve never heard.
Here are a few of the top pictures of Tyr from Google -
https://distortedsoundmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tyr-2019.jpg
https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/ar0/6c7f2def79284be08aa17c5ba3222830.jpg
https://pm1.aminoapps.com/6119/84da52c7eb97536f6c9d01e4805ee8e4d7d19d24_hq.jpg
Why do they bother growing their hair, strapping spikes to their wrist, taking their shirts off - any of that?
Cool or cringe, it builds an aesthetic - something that expands on the music. It helps people to identify with a band, something to associate with their own ethos.
They stick to a genre.
They give their songs titles that aren’t ‘meaningless acronyms’.
I imagine they publish their work in manageable, 8-12 track albums, leaving some on the cutting room floor.
Can you say the same about your own project, ‘Anal’?
Greenmanglass
1d ago
Edited 23h ago
That’s pathetic. No one in the industry respects someone who tries to pay their way to the top, they will however take a huge advantage of you to line their own pockets.
Despite your strong opinions, it would probably do more damage to their catalogue than any good. “Yeah we got paid to record a cover of this unknown artist’s unknown song.” Sounds like selling out, doesn’t it?
Check, your ego. Holy fuck.
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calcuttacodeinecoma
1d ago
Is this a joke post or real? I honestly can't tell. I'll take the bait... is your band seriously just called "Anal" and you're surprised people aren't taking you seriously? Someone tells me 'check out my band Anal' I would immediately decline because I assume you're some jokey, pornogrind type band. I don't want to follow that bandcamp link to actually hear what it sounds like. I would have never guessed epic folk doom with that name, I certainly would have never guessed it a project of obsessive enthusiasm or polyphonic orchestration. "Hey TYR, will you play an Anal song for $5000? All you have to do is tell your fans how much you love Anal."
You made doom and never got popular? Welcome, you are part of the 99%. Make the music because you like making it, if it's not getting attention and that's what you want, do something else.
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_DecoyOctopus_
22h ago
It’s really not decent and you’re literally the only person who thinks that. No one is seeing your name and thinking you’re some genius for hiding some obscure meaning behind it. It’s visceral and gross and until you change it, you’re not going anywhere
calcuttacodeinecoma
1d ago
But what I'm saying is you are actively sabotaging yourself. When I saw this thread I first though, I'll listen to a track or two and try to give honest feedback. But then I saw the bandcamp link and I was like, oh, nevermind this is some half assed joke.
If you're not going to put in even the slightest bit of effort, people are going to assume ahead of time you're not worth bothering with. Why work all day long on something and then give it a name that suggests zero effort? A good way to promote yourself is finding a blog or something that reviews small independent bands, but if you're like "Hey check out my band Fart-Box" they'll probably pass.
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TurkeyFisher
1d ago
Edited 1d ago
You aren't going to get any sympathy listeners by broadcasting that people aren't listening. Even if your music is great, the only way to get people to listen is if you can make it appear that you are already a legitimate, successful artist. That means good branding, confidence, and avoid the appearance of self-promotion. You want an air of mystery and value in your work. Instead of spending $5K on a band covering your music, pay someone to create a brand for you (starting with a more original name) and try to open for whatever bands will take you. Find a niche and performance gimmick. If you are going with a folk theme, narrow it down to a specific pagan god, ritual, etc to "theme" your album art, titles, and other content.
And definitely don't do whatever this post is. It comes of as desperate and entitled, which isn't very metal and instantly turns people off.
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MoominEnthusiast
1d ago
I tried listening to Autumn out of sheer morbid curiosity after this whiney bullshit post. Absolutely unlistenable, the vocals are quiet and just don't sound good, the music sounds like you're deliberately trying to confuse me, like every time it seems like it's going somewhere it changes direction.
Are you doing this as a joke?
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lechatdocteur
1d ago
The autistic shut ins usually get popular after dying in some horrific way. Emily Dickinson. Sylvia Plath. I don’t recommend this. Music is art but if you want to sell art you have to either do business or hire someone. It helps to start with money. Taylor Swift had rich parents. I went to med school and now I can afford amps. I could buy a rockerverb every month with my fuckin student loans though. But fuck it, it beats dodging cabbies on my bicycle to deliver beer to rich assholes and it pays better than wilderness work (my other career direction though park ranger worked for Peter Steele)
It’s not enough to just have good music. You want people to know YOU and love you. Or hate you. Or at least have an opinion.
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Admirable-Sector-705
1d ago
Edited 22h ago
My two cents:
It’s obvious you can write based on the prolificness of your tunes. The problem stems from many of your compositions being meandering riff salad.
If you want to get people’s attention and speak of your music positively, you need to find the hooks and use them. Unless you can make them super interesting, you’ll be better off replaying the same exciting two measure riff four times than you are playing one aimless sixteen bar riff.
Look at the song, “Black Sabbath.” That’s a two measure riff for half of the song, followed by a one bar riff, and then an outro section. That set the template for Metal and Doom Metal.
If you’re not getting people’s attention, the one common factor here is you. Learn that.
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Venombullet666
17h ago
Honesty, the name of it is going to make people steer well clear, the description on the page doesn't do any favours either
Having all of the songs on one Upload isn't wise either, having them all divided up onto multiple hour or so releases at a cheaper price would be very wise as there's so much music to sift through and most people would prefer to have things in chunks
Being active on social media trying to promote yourself in any way you can would be a good idea too, although to be blunt it appears you're not doing a very good job of that with the account you're using, if anything it looks like you're pushing people away more than welcoming people in and that's a shame, that's something you'll definitely need to work on, releasing music and getting it heard is never easy and you have to realise that it's going to be a tough sell, you should be trying to welcome people in as much as possible and be open to potential criticism and learn/grow from it
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RandomParts
1d ago
Sincere response here: I would find other bands/artists who make music you like and try querying their management with a demo and a Bandcamp link—talent agents and the like often have submission guidelines that you should follow as closely as possible to make it as easy as possible for them to assess your work and decide whether or not they can help. Please note that I don’t know exactly how it works for music; I’m just trying to get you to look in the right place.
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carpe_noctem1215
2h ago
Music is fine and could have an audience, but change your damn name. No one wants to tell people about how they are listening to ANAL.
FFS, you’re either making music for yourself or others’ enjoyment. No one is getting enjoyment from this psychotic insistence on nomenclature that’s been going on for 17 years. Take the hint.
Other than that, your music is fine. The whiny tone in your post is deeply off-putting.
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PeelThePaint
2h ago
People are complaining about "Anal", but "DEOSFO (2024) folk thrash metal -- instrumetnal" isn't exactly a catchy song title either (the typo doesn't help). And when people see 54 songs like that, it starts to look too tedious to bother get into. You could probably divide the songs into albums based off of the year they were written/recorded, give them proper titles, and people would be more likely to dive in a check out an album. Better yet, put your 5 favorite tracks into an EP and present those, instead of leaving a note at the end to check them out. Maybe even re-record them at a studio with real instruments (or at least guitars/bass and maybe drums, perhaps a few lead orchestral instruments - you don't need to hire the whole orchestra) so they sound amazing.
themes: being an outsider, incel insanity and all the crap happening to a person who dedicates life to composing music in a narrow niche genre.
I would recommend being not so upfront about that.
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Max-_-Power
2h ago
Disclaimer: I (guess I) know how it feels to follow your passion, having ambitions and not getting anywhere. Also I am a failed musician as well.
I'm currently listening to "DEOSFO (2024) folk thrash metal -- instrumetnal".
First of all, I'm not hating what I'm hearing. Definitely listened to worse music from bigger names. It's not my type of music, but that's not saying much. Hardly any music out there caters to my tastes, that's why I'm looking for music all the time. 99,9% of the music out there is not my cup of tea.
However, the name "Anal" is an instant turnoff. I would not want anyone to see that I'm listening to a musician or band named "Anal". Not my wife, not my relatives, nor anyone else. I don't want to have to explain what music I'm listening to and why the name "Anal" is somehow funny.
If calling your music "instrumetnal" is some kind of an in-joke -- I'm not getting it. You'd want to fix the typo or make the joke clearer.
The production quality is exactly like what I did 25 years ago as (buckle up) a failed amateur. I did not know what I was doing, I did not have the tools, I did not like how my singer sounded (that's why I mixed her "into the background"). This song reminded me of that.
Chucking every song you have ever made into a single bucket and selling it for 7 USD looks very arbitrary. Sure, I'm getting 54 weirdly titled songs. But I don't buy music by quantity, I guess noone does. I want coherence, I want to see the musician has made an effort to carefully pick his or her songs.
Now, OK guess this all sounds negative and I wonder whether to publish my comment, but believe me, I know how it feels.
You obviously know how to arrange a melody. Maybe get a regular job that fills your fridge, join a band, inspire each other with your strengths while compensating for each other's weaknesses. That's what I'd do.
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PopeBasilisk
2h ago
OK everyone is talking about the name but that is not the only problem. I'm not trying to be cruel but you asked why you are not getting attention and you deserve an answer, because this music is not good.
First off, your melodies meander. You need to pick motif and work around it. You change multiple times in every song and it makes them drag on and be boring.
Secondly, you do not have a theme to appeal to an audience. It is not heavy enough for metal. It is not fast and lacks distortion and your most prominent instrument seems to be keyboard. You say you are influenced by celtic folk but I do not hear that at all. You seem to be speaking slavic language (Russian?) but it doesn't sound like Russian folk either. There is some orchestral influence but that is not very popular. It's too simple to be prog rock. I like folk metal, thrash metal, doom metal and I would not characterize the music as any of those things. Maybe individual parts of different songs do but again, you switch it up so often that it loses cohesion.
Third, you are technically proficient but the music does not speak to me at all. It is not clear what you are trying to say or what the listener is meant to feel.
If you want to be a musician you need to stop working on your own and step back from composing. Figure out what instrument you are best at and join a band where you are actually coordinating with other tastes and getting feedback because working solo is not working.
I hope that was not too harsh, like I said you are technically proficient but I think you need to make a major change if you want results.
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u/HoboSkid
5h ago
You've put into words what I was thinking when I listened to a few tracks. It's all over the place, I felt like I rarely heard a musical phrase or theme repeated before it jumped to something completely different. Also curious what instruments were recorded vs digitally recreated, because the sounds felt very generic.
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One-Zone3655
8h ago
I had a listen as it poked my curiosity. Nothing wrong with the music persay. Just been done before. I did not hear anything that grabbed me. No hooks no ear worms. Just minutes of the same thing that to me as a muso was very predictable. It's a tough genre mate. Bandcamp alone is not going to make people hear your music. It reminded me of more film soundtrack style than anything else.
I still think success in the music industry is more who you know than what you know and do.
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NOT000
2h ago
sounds like your songs would be good in movie soundtracks to me
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EvilleofCville
2h ago
Like others said, name change plus new names for each track. I played a few random ones, and they are all bangers. Great job.
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ButWhatIsADog
2h ago
That's art, man. You believe you've created something amazing and some others think the exact opposite. Maybe you haven't reached your target audience? Maybe you're ahead of the times? Maybe it's just bad? Who knows? It's all subjective. What I do know however is that musicians are getting no money by just putting an album out unless it has some widespread or commercial appeal and you took yourself out of that possibility. A niche genre is one thing, but that plus being named Anal is a death wish.
I listened to your stuff, it's certainly not crap. There's clearly a lot of talent and effort that went into it. This genre/sound just does nothing for me though, and if I were enjoying it, I might be hesitant to pass it along to others with a name like Anal. I have a feeling that's going to be a very common reaction to your stuff. Find where people discuss this genre and get your stuff to those people directly, that's your path to finding people who enjoy it. Think about changing the artist name too. The name paints you as unserious or possibly a death metal band, which you're not. You're driving away the people who will like your sound before they even hear a beat.
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soupforshoes
2h ago
Well then the next question is, do you care more about never compromising your vision, or more about making a living at it?
To quote Tool "I sold out long before you even heard my name" selling yourself is half of the job.
Lots of bands have gone through several name changes, when one wasn't working.
Could I suggest "pedantic Baird"? Gives the same idea as anal, but isn't off putting. Also pedantic sounds metal, and Baird indicates folk.
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Ivan 1:01 am
Ну я тоже считаю всё твоё многообразие треков салатом рифов поэтому и сказал что тебе бы выбрать лучшее и склеить это всё в один альбом
Не в обиду сказано. Работы много но много мест где риффы такие, как бы соединительные
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Alex, [08.02.2024 14:06]..... "as being a cacophony of notes jumbled together"
Alex, [14:06]..... Какофония.
Alex, [14:07]..... "There's no cohesive transitions between riffs, and each musical idea doesn't go well with the next."
Alex, [14:08]..... Ты налепил 5-секундных обрывков.
Alex, [14:08]..... "People forget what they just heard as soon as the track ends."
Alex, [14:09]..... В одно ухо влетает, в другое вылетает.
Alex, [14:56]..... "These 2010 things are your peak."
Alex, [14:57]..... Говнилиум - вершина твоего творчества.
Alex, [15:06]..... Они говорят то же, что и я, только на английском.
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