i'm a huge fan of lyrics. as someone that doesnt play an istrument, i feel it's a way to feel "closer" to the music, like a different angle of appreciation. the music hooks you in, but well written lyrics are just a huge extra bonus. there's been many times when the quality of lyrics can make or break the decision for me buying an album or not.

i hate when bands, especially super raspy black metal or death metal with real low gutturals, dont include lyrics. it could be due of a lack of band funds but if im willing to drop my money, i'd at least like to sing (or in some cases, grunt) along with the songs.

To me, lyrics are essential. I mean, I wouldn't completely discredit a band if they have dumb or cheesy lyrics, but bands with lyrical depth (both in form and meaning) are so much more interesting. Bands such as Peste Noire and Amesoeurs have beautiful, breathtaking lyrics, and I don't think I would've held these bands in the same, high regard if their lyrics would've been the stereotypical 'Satan slaughters the virgin's son argh argh' stuff.

About the 'I can't understand what they're singing' comment, that's not really true for a lot of bands. For instance, I can understand pretty well what's being sung in most songs from Agatus, Zemial, and Dimmu Borgir. Yes, I mostly have to read the lyrics to completely know what they're singing, but I find this to be true for a lot of clean vocal music as well. If anything, it's a good thing, because it encourages the listener to get deeper into the lyrics by reading them over and over. Plus, it gives us another good reason to keep buying music instead of downloading it.

A song having good or decipherable lyrics isn't necessary for me to enjoy it. Usually I will only look up the lyrics if I really enjoy the song. If the lyrics are well done they can move the song from 'enjoyable' to 'amazing'.

A good example of this is Moonsorrow. I don't speak Finnish, so I have no idea what they're saying. But if I take the time to look up the translated lyrics it lets the atmosphere of the song really shine because the lyrics are written very well.

Lyrics do have some meaning for me in this sub-genre because they are more philosophical than some found in other sub-genres. However, to be honest, I listen to the music first and then I look at the lyrics. Today though, I rarely check the booklet for lyrics, only when I am interested enough.

i listen to death metal, Cannibal, deicide, mortician, ect..

Lyrics really mean nothing to me, I can usally catch a line and make it sound like something its not at all

To me Extreme metal vocals have to be good, not just growling into a mic but making a new instrument with the human voice that takes actual talent to go along with the sounds of the guitars and drums and whatever eles people may use.
its cool that bands like Nile and amon amarth do there research and tell some really amazing cool stories but its all about the music for me

Lyrics in extreme metal are unequivocally worthless. I've yet to find anything of value in the lyrical material of any black or death metal band, and I've looked more than any reasonable person ever should. You can bombard me all you want with lyrics you think are omg so deep by some shitcorner black/death metal band you and 15 other people on the internet have ever heard of, I'll take my chances in pre-emptively calling it a bunch of puerile, trite garbage.

^Bombard starting- Deathspell Omega, anything from Si Momentum onwards, some lyrics by Solefald, Blut aus Nord, Cradle of Filth (eh, sometimes), Woods of Ypres....lotsa great lyrics that give the music context I'd say. In the case of CoF I actually only really like their lyrics....

I think if we are to say lyrics in metal are shit, then we could say lyrics in general music are shit- most popular stuff contains the worst lyrical content, so yeah.

Once again, Darkspace- who do not sing in a known language. Total killah awesome dude.

Deep lyrics, bro.

Next time, try a band that doesn't write cheezy "intellectual satanist" lyrics that read like extracts from the poetry book of the lone black-lipped goth kid at the playground who's high on himself and his "deep thoughts and feelings".

The rest I've never bothered with and probably never will beyond the old one-two of "right-click --> Empty Recycle Bin".

So, what lyrics would you call good, and how are you determining that they are? In evaluating lyrical quality, you can't really separate lyrics from the music they're part of. If Shakespeare is the metric you use for quality writing, then virtually all lyrics, in all forms of popular music, suck. I mean, compare the lyrics of classic rock bands like the Rolling Stones or the Beatles to the work of classic poets, and the former come up enormously short. Even those musicians who are considered great lyricists- people like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan- aren't really in the same league as the great poets. But lyrics aren't meant to do the same thing as poetry (and vice versa), and what seems trite and/or poorly written on paper can be much more effective in musical form. And thus evaluating lyrics as lyrics, the track record of extreme metal doesn't really seem that much worse to me than that of any other sort of music. You've made it quite clear that you will dismiss any examples anyone names out of hand, but even if they aren't the majority, there certainly are extreme metal lyrics that, even if you wouldn't put them up there with Shakespeare (and again, what lyrics do reach that level?) have plenty of intelligence behind them, are competently written, and work very well with the music. That's pretty much the definition of "good lyrics", I'd say. (Anaal Nathrakh, though they don't release their lyrics, actually are one of the best examples of this I can think of, based on what's been deciphered and what they've said about their lyrical themes and influences. They don't really draw much attention to it, but they're a very intellectual band from what I've gathered.)

Also, maybe this doesn't count since the bands didn't write the original lyrics, but a number of extreme metal bands have used classic poetry for lyrics. To name one example, I doubt you'd say that the lyrics to Horn's "Landscapes on Hold II" were "unequivocally worthless", unless you think Robert Frost's poetry is that. Or "Alone" by Arcturus, which is Edgar Allen Poe's "Alone" set to music. And outside of the English-speaking realm, you have bands like Drudkh, who mostly take their lyrics from Ukrainian classic poetry, and Peste Noire, who often use the poems of people like Baudelaire and Verlaine for their lyrics. There are a number of examples of this, and it alone is enough to illustrate that not all extreme metal lyrics suck, IMO.

The whole "black metal band that you and 15 other people on the internet have heard of" thing got old a long time ago, it's not a valid criticism against anything and you should stop it.

With that said, Atheist. If you don't think their lyrics are good then you are trying too hard yourself.

Indeed, he doesn't.

In music, the vocals provide the content (emotions) and the lyrics provide the context. Truly well-written lyrics, I believe, can provide context AND content, and are able of standing on their own.

Well-written lyrics are one of the reasons I enjoy Pig Destroyer as much as I do. Insect Warfare on the other hand, while having crappy lyrics, I can still like. A lot. If Rahi's vocals weren't as unintelligible and vicious as they are and I could actually tell what he was singing about, then the lyrics could be a problem. Otherwise, all is good.