Riff Analysis 008 - Yellow Eyes "Old Alpine Pang"

Some thoughts about how guitars are like bells and why that's cool.
Thanks to Callum "John" Blackmore for dramatic readings.
Siegert, Bernahrd. 2013. “Mineral Sound or Missing Fundamental: Cultural History as Signal Analysis.” Osiris 28.

[@marcchristiansen4075]

I'm a high school physics teacher, and I have an awesome unit on waves and sound where I get to discuss overtones and timbre. Now I have an excuse to talk about black metal! So thank you. Now I just have to deal with parents yelling at me for playing "the devil's music" to their children.

[@shilohsmetalcrypt4144]

You can use a lyrical analysis of one of yellow eyes' songs i made to show them that yellow eyes isnt in fact the devil's music but actually an introspective and philosophical band in their writing

[@nwelsh84]

Subbed because no one else is making guitar vids about Yellow Eyes. Sick, bro.

[@ryanpaulretouch]

Yellow Eyes....Imperial Triumphant shirt...subbed.

[@CM-if5zy]

im starting to wonder if any of the bands see your vids and think "someone FINALLY gets us"

[@XuLExcelsi]

We thank the Benevolent Algorithm for our daily spiritual bread. Analysis of Yellow Eyes?? Instant sub.

[@nanthilrodriguez]

This video reminds me of something... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it rings a few bells.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

lmao +1

[@scaryonyx]

Your profile picture reminds me of something…

[@asherplatts6253]

So, I never heard Dodecahedron as black metal since they have more polyrhythm and complexity than one usually finds in black metal. But after this video percolated for a year, I was listening to them recently with the difference that I'm working on composing from a home studio now and listening with different ears... and the way that they divide the sonic space between the main riff in the bass and/or low guitar with counterpoint or unison , and a higher guitar playing mostly static chord arpeggiations over those riffs... I heard them as being firmly in the tradition of black metal finally. And it also helped me fleshing out some old riff based tunes that wanted to be black metal but kept feeling really flat and one dimensional. So of course, I had to come back to this video and say THANK YOU for this channel! Bell tones for the win!

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Wow, love to hear it, thank you!

[@buddy.boyo88]

I know you won't believe me, but I listened to that 4:12 specific riff earlier today and then came across your channel. subbed!

[@metalmusictheory5401]

I believe you! Thanks for the sub!

[@stephenyoung2531]

Fanatic video man! Yellow Eyes have such an interesting approach to black metal and it's nice to see them getting the attention they deserve

[@hugoc.8534]

Old Alpine Pang was the first Yellow Eyes track I heard. Fucking brutal. Sick video dude

[@cultistsash]

Not all are worthy of the bell. But you my friend, are worthy of the bell.

[@uyscuti5376]

Awesome. Was looking for non-doofus reviews, and figured I would have good luck if I searched Yellow Eyes. I was right! Love this analytical viewpoint towards riffs

[@wolfjaw2018]

The way you explain everything....just...thank you, man!

[@aglees2b]

Your channel is awesome, and you present your ideas so well. Criminally under exposed channel.

[@exfalsoquodlibet]

Just wanted to say that you make wonderful videos. I hope your channel grows big.

[@dicecard921]

FINALLY SOMEONE The concept that you mention in 8:00 about the harmony, sonic character, samples, artwork and lyrics fitting together into one being is such an important concept (that I call aesthetic cohesion, idk if there's a proper term for it) for my understanding and reception of music, especially albums (sound-to-color synesthesia gang), but it's so rarely talked about in typical internet music-related discourse

[@metalmusictheory5401]

For sure! And I like the term aesthetic cohesion, sounds like exactly what I was trying to get at!

[@dicecard921]

@@metalmusictheory5401 some albums that do this thing best, in my autistic synesthetic subjective sense, are Ecailles de Lune by Alcest, Melting Sun by Lantlos, Sunbather by Deafheaven, Controller by Misery Signals, Where Owls Know My Name by Rivers of Nihil, Adore by Numenorean, and many more, all of these sound exactly like they look, and the lyrics and themes just add to that aesthetic, if that makes sense. I find that post- genres are the best at creating this aesthetic cohesion, but atmospheric black metal and different electronic genres, especially deep house and liquid DnB are close

[@metalmusictheory5401]

@@dicecard921 Love all those albums!

[@skoigoth]

Gesamtkunstwerk might be the word you are looking for, but aesthetic cohesion describes it quite well too.

[@emmahannan8563]

This is my favorite video thus far! Keep up the good work!

[@brianward851]

Been subbed here for a while. Just saw this one though. Some concepts you have gone over are really incredibly hard for me to grasp on this channel. I've got no shame in admitting that. The stuff you've done about rhythms, especially, boggle my mind. Instead of looking at the stuff you have covered as a reason to 'stay put' with my music I find the way you present it makes at least some of it seem obtainable, albeit with some more day in day out practice. I don't think I'm alone in that either. Kudos to you for sharing that kind of inspiration man. Long story short though, and I'm not really sure why, but this one I think I pretty much get after one view of your video. I was impressed with myself. Also going to purchase that Yellow Eyes album. They seem sick.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice comment, I really appreciate it!

[@brianward851]

@@metalmusictheory5401 My pleasure bro! I meant it, and can now confirm for myself that Yellow Eyes are stellar. I now own a download of Immersion Trench Reverie, and wish I could find any kind physical version of the album to buy too. Later man!

[@MoreBud-Angel]

Damn I wish I had guitarist like this near me especially younger I felt nobody cared to do much except tell people they owned a guitar.

[@Wishmasters]

I hope your channel becomes big :)

[@sktrid]

YES!!!!! Love this band!

[@sktrid]

Love that you mention Years Past Matter in this video. The guitars in it have very chimey sounds. That album is amazing

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thanks so much! And for sure, that's probably my favorite black metal album!

[@syhusada1130]

In short, the riffs emulate bells, by first laying out actual bells for asociation then use triton + minor chords? Anything I've missed?

[@Blackerer]

One of my favourite examples of a guitar sounding like something else is in The Chasm - The Eclipse: Monument to the Empire. You can find it here the-chasm.bandcamp.com/track/the-eclipse-monument-to-the-empire-i-sentence-and-burden-ii-the-voyage-iii-the-restitution . Circa 2:10 a riff starts to emerge from the background and gains a bit of prominence, then it jumps into sounding like a church organ (or even a tuba :D). You know, it might also be really interesting to delve into something else this song does and a lot of even more complex metal bands like Ulcerate or Deathspell Omega do, and that is recontextualizing riffs. Some riffs can be played with different rhythm section, or with a completely different color, and achieve an entirely different emotion.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thanks! I've been playing around with an idea for talking about this recontextualization thing, it will make its way into a video at some point! And I def have a Deathspell video on the way!

[@Blackerer]

@@metalmusictheory5401 Haha. That's no surprise. For me, the most direct and simple example is in Blessed are the Dead Whiche Dye in The Lorde. They keep the riff and just change the drum pattern. Really simple trick, but it works so well.

[@qgloafhun]

was showing but skipping Batushka intentional? :D

[@metalmusictheory5401]

haha it got copyright blocked so I used KZbin's janky video editing to cut it out quick lol