What's the Point of Bass in Metal

Recently, I've increasingly come to appreciate the role of the bass guitar in metal. This is a strong contrast to how I used to feel about it for years after picking up the guitar.
In this video I ramble on about my understanding of its importance.
Gear used:
- LTD 1989 Custom
- Ibanez GIO bass 5 string
- Bias FX
Video gear used:
Sony A7III
Tamron 17-28mm F2.8
Amaran 100D LED light
Olympus LS-P4 sound recorder
Rode lav mic
My instagram: / bedroom_guitar_hero
My band: / @bringtobearband
#metalguitar #guitargear #metalband

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Comment with your favourite songs for bass guitar parts, lets show these some love :D My favourite is probably 512 by Lamb of God, but Prayer Position by Periphery is a very close second.

[@leonidastheduck6546]

Slipknot-my plague, paul gray just was a genius😍🤤

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Thanks, will check it out! :D

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

That's cool! I need to be checking out more Korn stuff :D

[@WhiteManXRP]

That red guitar sounds great, nasty bridge pick up rig, simple but sounds awesome

[@envy7493]

any Cliff Burton bass line

[@Rob-jq8vl]

Bass guitar is something that you have no idea it's importance until it's not there. There are lots out there that want to focus on the bass solos, but the truth really is it's there to glue everything together. And I like being that glue.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Absolutely, that glue is one of the most important aspects of a band's sound and its overall impact on the listener.

[@ZeroPoint727]

Exactly… just like your trusty sock puppet. You know when its not there when needed 😜

[@uroboric]

But I still feel like the average listener won't even hear the difference between a good or a bad bass player. I also feel like there will be barely a difference between a bass player who just plays the root or a bass player who plays other notes of the scale. I'm not saying that to say that bass is useless, I just think that metal music somehow needs to change to give the bass a more important role like in a lot of pop, blues or jazz

[@salty_3k506]

​@@ZeroPoint727ew

[@salty_3k506]

​@@uroboric"the average listener" and "hear" the thing is, not every music is made for the average listener and more importantly, when bass is so low, you will feel it much more than hearing it. you might not be able to pick out what exactly happened but you will notice when the bass changes and what it plays.

[@therealeikichionizuka]

As a metal bass player, there are 2 main things for bass. 1 is to add much more weight to the music as a whole. Without it, it lacks that lower and makes it sound thin. 2 is, surprisingly, stage presence. For some reason, bass players in metal always have the best stage moves, whether it’s Cliff Burton’s wild headbanging, or Steve Harris’ wild stage charges.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

As a guitarist, my main inhibitor to going wild on stage is playing well. I feel like for bass, mistakes are a lot less noticeable in addition to parts being usually less intricate, so there's more freedom to do other stuff.

[@ode8669]

@@BedroomGuitarHero noononon if bass plays something wrong u will notice it really easily

[@flamethegame1]

@@ode8669 naahhh not really Atleast it's harder to notice in comparison to guitar

[@ode8669]

@@flamethegame1 i mean if u fail 1 note w guitar u wont hear it but if u fail 1 note with bass u will. Also u will notice bass playing out of time but will not notice guitar as easily

[@Walkeranz]

As someone who has played both guitar and bass in professional settings, mistakes on the bass are immediately noticeable and make the entire band sound like crap, a guitar mistake is much easier to play through and recover from, just do it again, and make your guitar face. Dude! That was badass!

[@FawazAzim]

My biggest problem with a lot of metal albums is how low the bass is in the mix. It's such a pity because bass (and I'm saying this as a guitar player) just makes your riffs sound better.

[@edubassplayer2]

Yes it does! I feel the same, a louder bass in the mix makes everything sound so much full

[@NiRvAnA6890]

I don't think you're actually listening to real metal then if you can't hear it.

[@beamlarochelle5001]

True facts

[@icankillbugs]

​@@NiRvAnA6890for real. Any speed, thrash, "heavy", doom, or death metal etc is usually bass-heavy if you're not listening on a little dime sized iPhone speaker lol. Not sure what this cat is smoking but I was listening to Razor, Immolation, Hobbs' Angel of Death, Morbid Angel, and Hellripper earlier and even with the bass set normally and not boosted in any way it still sounded heavy coming out of my 15 and 12 inch speakers

[@steve00alt70]

And when the bass player plays solo riff they go nuts

[@relevantbrother8964]

Watching St Anger played live and how big Robert's bass sound is makes you realise what a huge role live he plays.

[@sdimeblazer01]

A lot of people perceive bass in metal music as guitar that is bass heavy with scooped mids. I used to set my tone up like this all the time cuz I played without a bassist. The very first time I recorded a song I set my stuff up and laid down the first track and he was like “I can’t record this shit”. guitars are mid range instruments no matter what they are tuned to. You need bass to fill in the low range.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Yep, reminds me of this gem kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4rXiXWLiMSerbs&ab_channel=CSGuitars

[@domagojoinky8262]

Bass (bass guitar, synth, double bass,) is there to provide fundamental tones, life and energy to a mix. It can be viewed as a function or as an instrument, or the lowest voice in a choir. In the context of a metal mix (I am not a metal player, but I am a musician), no bass equals no heavy sound. Guitars can be tuned to drop C, I have heared lower tunings, but without the support from bass, mix falls apart. Bass has to have it s part. If it doubles guitar an octave lower, then, it can be called redundant, not cause you do not need bass, but because of something called voice leading.

[@salty_3k506]

voice leading doesn't matter that much in metal though. a lot of the heaviness comes from the bass doubling the guitar most of the time, at least when playing power chords.

[@godzilla964]

Bass helps the drummer stay on time and helps the guitarist stay in key. Bass guitar is incredibly useful, and it's a shame that people think it's easy to play because they have 4 strings.

[@antifascistfascistsquad]

I mean if you are just playing the root notes it is pretty easy.

[@jeffreyburney6161]

I learn to play guitar first that was my first instrument. And now I play both bass and guitar. I’m pretty good on guitar but I’m just a beginner and bass bass is a lot more complicated than people give it credit for.

[@BadEconomyOfficial]

It’s easier to play than electric guitar 🎸 but harder for most people who just assume it’s “easy.”

[@teddystevens6624]

I’d beg to differ, to get a great mix the bass needs to be played in a very controlled manner consistent but also emphasising attack where the guitars need it

[@bbqbanditd6237]

Alex Webster shows how important and brutal bass can be in metal 🤟He is also a really chill dude, met him at a show and he's a solid dude. He also writes TONS of Cannibal Corpse's music.

[@xNachtmahRx]

I wish metal could go back to a balanced mix, where guitars and bass complement each other. This also means that bassists should learn to add their own flavor and to not just play the root notes of what the guitarist plays. Modern metal is just a soulless race of how br00tal and low guitars can be tuned, while they all play the same derivative scales, chugs, and breakdown crap. 10 strings, 0 ideas. Drop C was the ideal tuning, and still is for all non BM, where the bass still has enough room to shine. As I Lay dying still sound more br00tal than these kiddy bree bree slam and deathcore bands. I also got used to simply tuning only 1 full step down, makes everything better. Drop Y won't make you sound brutal, creativity does.

[@YumiVanherck]

@@feelingafnar8885 Bold of you to call Meshuggah basic when their style has blown peoples minds ever since the 80's. Just because they don't play very melodically doesn't mean they are basic. I do agree their style is overdone by this ooint though.

[@dinonuggies2276]

Wow, you sir are definetly a dadrocker Keyword being "rock"

[@skrillah6259]

@@dinonuggies2276the 80s is seen as the golden age of metal, guess what they never tuned lower than c#

[@dinonuggies2276]

@@skrillah6259 its seen as the golden age by old people, and people who are into Pop-metal. Thats not representative of most people. Metallica and iron maiden sound ass in drop E, yes. But guess what, vildhjarta and nemertines sound ass in e standard too.

[@skrillah6259]

@@dinonuggies2276 Metallica gets more streams a second than those bands you mentioned get in a month lol. Im sorry but you have to realise you are in the minority most metal listeners prefer standard tuning. Pantera is also a band that rarely tune below D and is heavier than most music released today.

[@Redn87]

Right On!!! Also it depends on what you play as a bass player. If you play only what the guitar plays you will just have more body to your entire sound. The bass gets more noticeable when you step out of the box of just following the guitar. Don’t be afraid to explore with walks, but still stick to the root notes.

[@dialect64]

Bassists like Nate Newton of Converge truly carry the band with a sound that sits parallel to the guitar, rather than simply supporting in the background. His riffs drive the track along.

[@MsAhutch]

It's not about what you can hear, it's about filling sonic gaps so it doesn't sound thin.

[@theofficialsyyn]

This video reminds me of how important bass registered instrumentation is universally. When i compose orchestra, the tuba and upright bass only need to be simple syncopated stabs or hits. The mid range instruments like violin and trumpets fill the rest.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

That is interesting, is that a general classical technique, or is unity of bass and midrange instruments also a normal thing?

[@theofficialsyyn]

@@BedroomGuitarHero i believe that over time as the refinement of the various instruments that we associate with classical music came to modernization we could better understand their sonic signitures and know which varients best suit what must be played. Similar to how we know and associate the Jazz bass juxtaposed to a BC Rich :p because bass heavy instruments have such low frequency ranges they require extreme care when in comes to the mix down so that you not only retain their key, but also not muddy the other instruments that will usually end up playing the same note, EVEN THOUGH they are one or two or even three octaves above what the bass is playing. Therefore the attack and release of bass is sharp to keep it the tight style we know and love to hear in things like chugs! :)

[@AngelikaDV]

Playing the exact same guitar line except on bass does not help you illustrate much of a point here. If you played the chords differently, utilizing some of the in-between notes, you could have made the bass pop much more, making it more substantial and interesting. Still some good food for thought here, thanks for sharing!

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

For sure, my point was that even if the bass line is rudimentary and playing the same thing as the guitar, it is still vitally important to the sound :)

[@xNachtmahRx]

The typical metal bass problem

[@BlvckFyreMusik]

The best way I can put it is it sounds more “meaty” lol like it all comes together as soon as you add the bass I first found this out when I listened to and justice for all I thought it sounded awesome but something was off compared to the other albums I listened to of Metallica then I saw a documentary that said they turned the bass all the way down it’s one of those things cause it doesn’t sound too good on its own but it makes the whole thing come together

[@AAAA-lt9hq]

Reasons for bass in metal IMO: 1) Glues together the mix. 2) Melodic counterpoint. As a guitar player, I play bass much like I would lead guitar--as a melodic instrument an octave below. 3) Determining chord identities and key by determining the root note in chords like dim7 where any note can be the root (more of a thing in jazz influenced metal). The problem is thrash metal in the 80s often scooped the bass and pushed the guitar upper mids in the mix. Since the bass usually just doubled everything, it wasn't important that the bass be loud in the mix. In the 90s and 00s and drumming became more complicated and the guitar tones became thicker and more scooped, often the kick would come down on *every single guitar pick attack*, making the bass even harder to hear because it was being covered by guitars with increased low end and sampled bass drums with a click in the high end. There was nowhere for the bass to live in the mix. The recent popularity of djent and 8 string guitars only makes this worse. Also, most guitarists playing picked or fingerstyle bass at fast tempos can be sloppy, considering bass is not their primary instrument and bass takes even more right hand strength and precision than guitar does. I believe the bass is often buried to cover sloppy playing. The lows are boosted on quad or even 6 tracked rhythm guitars to make it sound like the bass and guitars are locked in when it is really just the guitar.

[@shanesauvarin]

Man, check out the intro to the old school PC game, FULL THROTTLE.....that opening part of your riff sounds so much like it. Love it

[@thebminusshow]

Hand claps. It's all in the mix and in the eye of the instrumentalists, imo. As a bassist, I hear when others are overplaying. And in hindsight, maybe I am overplaying. Bands are meant to play together as a unit for the best of the song! LISTEN and learn AMIR?

[@juliettamusic2864]

Thank you ! Very informative 👍

[@joebustos6413]

What's boring is the bass playing same thing as guitarist, bass in the 5th mode or third mode gives a beefier mix to it all around. Basicicaly

[@darkySp]

I personally think that tone is very important for bass in general, more so than guitar. Obviously, tone matters for every instrument, but for bass I feel like EQ and fine-tuning effects to nail a certain tone can really let the bass shine in the song without sounding boring or muddy. Look at TOOL for example. Justin Chancellor's tone is a HUGE aspect of his bass parts and you never wonder where the bass is. You hear it clearly, the mix sounds crisp and it all just ties together. Then you have KoЯn, where Fieldy basically cuts all the mids to let the guitars play in there and the bass itself keeping that punchy, metallic low and top end. Add some unique playing to bass that compliments the guitar tracks and doesn't just play the guitar parts an octave lower and you've got a very good sound. I'm trying to learn some Meshuggah songs on my 5 string bass and the tone I ended up sitting on is similar to the bass tone in their album "Nothing", where it has a very rich midrange zing with distortion and honestly, it sounds huge. It does effectively just play guitar, but on bass, but the tone difference is huge, because the guitars most of the time have a very loose, palm-muted low sound while the bass actually ends up cutting with the more tight, sharp, aggressive sounding mids and highs where palm muting is mostly gone on bass. You can hear it very clearly in Electric Red and Lethargica, where you can hear a very honky growl come through on the high notes and that's the bass. Like a reverse KoЯn situation. And neither the guitars, nor the bass in those 3 bands overpower one another. So even if the guitar and bass play the exact same thing like in Meshuggah, the difference in the tone can completely change the sound and feel of the whole track.

[@hubagerencseri706]

Same for me that's how I found this video cause I searched up what does bass guiter do in metal.

[@creatorhandl]

People (musicians) forget in a live show what that people feel is a deep wave of frequeicies .. studio sound is one thing .. when people feel it in the crowd is a whole different experience

[@jhernand1000]

What software did you use to build your metal drums?

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Superior Drummer 3 :)

[@edubassplayer2]

Bass is the glue between guitar and drums, take it away and everything falls apart

[@andreasbeckmann7152]

I am a Bass guitar Player in a Black/ Death Metal Band, when i am not in the room my other Band Members say we miss you so much, without you the sound is shit, Bass guitar is one importend Instrument in Metal 🤘🏻 greatings to all Bass players in the world from Germany

[@Joetime90]

I'm a weird one and wanted to play bass at 14. Having a twin brother we both got one of each (guitar and a bass). I played both but I just love the subtle power of the bass. I can do somewhat decent noodling on the guitar, but I want the power and oomph. Also, I'm introverted and have stage fright 😅

[@zosocapricorn4143]

Listen Korn songs men if you want to hear bass on metal

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Yeah Korn is definitely a good example of a really nicely present bass.

[@bassalchemist]

To be crushing.

[@atgimm2090]

Can't have one without the other

[@gshn9631]

Yoooo, why this channel is so underrated? I started to watch your video without looking how much subs you have, and I was really surprised. I thought that this channel deserves at least 100k. Keep it up 🔥💯 content and quality is already on high level

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Thank you so much for the kind words man, I will do my best! :D

[@dedg0st]

I love when people talk shit about bass and then you hear a song with out the bass parts and it's terrible.

[@sephiroth7818]

Listen to the CD version of And Justice For All and then listen to the KZbin edits where the people add the bass lines in and tell me which one is better and why its the KZbin edit....

[@mikechecka292]

Only a guitarist would think their band doesnt need a bassist. Typical guitar player attitude. I'm suprised you havent convinced yourselves you dont really need drums either. Guitar players think that since they play six strings they understand the bass as well. Every guitar player thinks they can play bass. You can play root notes and mirror the rhythm guitar but that will only get you so far and you are going to sound like shit and not even know it. Its not the role of the bass to make your guitars sound heavier either. Understanding frequencies is crucial if you want to sound good while playing live. Its essential if metal bassists want to be heard. Playing other genres will help players understand the role of the bass in a band and that different situations require different approaches. If everyone is tuned down and the drummer is working the kick drums you had better know where to be sonically or everyone will sound like shit and you will be back to playing in your garage.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Ugh, filthy, dirty, nasty, sweaty guitar players. Yuck. Serious note tho, some music has space, other music is all about the punch. In most of my fav bands the job of the bass IS to make THE BAND sound heavy ie Lamb of God, Gojira, Darkest Hour, in others, the bass is more of an additional instrument like Black Sabbath. Also, garage would be an upgrade to a bedroom guitarist ;)

[@purplechariotbass8163]

Good videoo :D

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Thank you, glad you liked it :)

[@purplechariotbass8163]

@@BedroomGuitarHero JUst keep the good work man

[@BlvckFyreMusik]

Also not watched the whole way through yet but does this song have vocals or that yet like is it a song you have made if so where can I listen to it lol again not watched the vid all the way through yet so if that is answered in the video just ignore this😂😂

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Sorry nope, but I might put it into the raw material for my band to develop :)

[@_lodeanmusic_4478]

As a bass player of 17 years (didn’t start as a guitar player) you lost me when you started trashing the bass in terms of this style of music. You take any genre of music and remove Bass you lose part of the backbone of music yes you will still have the drums but without the bass the drums in music can be looked at as a spine with no vertebrae. And if we’re being honest metal music at its birth were band like Black Sabbath and Metallica, geezer butler of sabbath and cliff burton of Metallica changed everything….

[@Veljko_Urosevic_Jazo]

3:43

[@tosakarin2875]

bro that was filthy

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Omg Tohsaka-chan I love you 🤣

[@KunaevNS]

Great video!

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Thank you! :)

[@AnderDoUrden]

I would not dare "laughing at you", on the contrary I appreciate what you are trying to do. What shocks me is... how can it be that people who clearly know at least something of music and metal even come up with the doubts about the importance of the bass? Which is the foundation of the sound. It's not only merely useful or just an improvement but a necessary element. The only possible answers are two, imo: 1) lack of hearing/listening skills or experience; 2) listening to "BAD" music. The first one is unlikely if we talk about musicians, so it's more probable that the most common case is point 2. But since "bad" is relative and subjective here comes the usefulness of your video. We are talking about bad productions, poor mixes or even more simply the kind of music or the artistic choices. MAYBE in some kind of metal subgenres (which I tend to dislike or avoid) bass is ACTUALLY useless and redundant. So IT CAN be a mere matter or taste or subgenres. But all of this is surgical nitpicking in a niche or a minority of productions. If we listen to Rust in Peace by Megadeth or to Iron Maiden WITHOUT bass there's not even the shadow of need to explain with words why bass is exactly like the drums and in some cases even MORE than guitars (yes I know how this might sound to some people) the most important part of metal and many other styles of music in general. Is And Justice for All a bad album cause there's literally de facto no bass in it due to the horrible mix? No, it's a GREAT album even if James and Kirk don't play in drop D or with 7 strings guitars etc... But if you listen to even amateur level mixes on KZbin with the enhanced bass, it becomes a MONSTER

[@bottleinajar3076]

Listen to critical mass song uses bass like a hammer to the ears

[@seancagney-kerzich1134]

I play bass I see myself as the sound between guitar and drums look at Mudvayne's dig it's hammering on bass or Korn they would not sound at all like Korn without bass and don't forget Lamb Of God and Cannibal Corpse bass just makes shit sound heavy and that gives some weight to the metal I play guitar for years but I always loved the heavy low shit then one day I picked up A bass and found out it was not the guitar I was hearing at all it was the BASS and so I switched and I ben in love with bass ever science

[@Veljko_Urosevic_Jazo]

5:50

[@vladv5126]

It's so your friend who isn't great at guitar can feel included.

[@sinlokemp]

Lars Ulrich must watch this video 😅

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Rofl

[@Zsullivan27]

Cough and justice for all *cough*

[@UserName________]

What’s the difference between a bass and a bass guitar?

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

If you mean me saying "bass" instead of "bass guitar", then none :p

[@deviationblue]

All bass guitars are basses, but not all basses are bass guitars.

[@lolligkeit_efr8141]

W guitarrist

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Sorry I dont know what that means :p

[@steve00alt70]

Slipknots bass player was the reason why slipknot existed in the first place not the guitarists.

[@Mr._E_5042]

Now just imagine not playing the root and playing a counter melody.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

I think you might have skipped a large chunk of the video or didn’t get my point fully :) I was saying that I feel like most people have the conception that without playing something individually perceivable (ie following the guitar exactly, bass has less value, but I was trying to show or say that EVEN when following the guitar exactly, bass can make the riff, such as a lot of LoG songs, great example is 512, bass makes that song from the instrumental perspective IMO, even though it follows the guitar :)

[@Mr._E_5042]

@@BedroomGuitarHero Oh I was talking to other bass players trying to invoke the urge to not just be that guy who only plays along. I'm sure you have that ability.

[@ibrahemkhames2298]

You need to to rise the low and mids and low the highs And your is great but you to learn more about the bass

[@clowncorpse7230]

It sounds too thin and empty with no bass so I think it’s essential

[@therealikitclaw8124]

If you think Bass doesn't matter, listen to AJFA and tell me it's well produced.

[@BlvckFyreMusik]

Ngl the second riffs were better in my opinion like no shit I genuinely think it sounded better on yerself ma man

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Hah thanks so much! I might try to develop them into something :D

[@punkrockboy860]

Some people in my life asked me why I even bother playing the bass since in metal “you can’t even hear it so what’s even the point”

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Its simple from my perspective - bass gives metal its heavy sound 😁

[@jorge0358]

*Cue Prog Metal and Tech Death*

[@BlommaBaumbart]

I mean in a genre where a tonne of bands play riffs composed of a a sequence of single notes played in the lowest octave of a dropped D tuning...You could say you don't really need a bass, but that's because basically you've shifted your guitar into its territory.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

The whole content of the video is basically an argument against that thought XD

[@BlommaBaumbart]

@@BedroomGuitarHero Well, what I mean is that the "bass" you need is more a range of frequencies rather than a single specific instrument. If I bring a bass guitar to a Metal band but only play the highest 6 frets, I've brought a bass (instrument) but I haven't brought bass (sound range). On the other hand, if I bring a cello (as some bands do), and play its low end, I'm playing bass even without "a" bass.

[@thefear420]

As a bass player I could see that some bands don't need a bass but I also don't think it's a great idea to substitute the bass for drop D tuning or using a cello. I've become very trained at hearing bass in a mix and it's distinct low and tangy sound adds a lot to a track. Having someone specialized in bass is also great for live performances as a good bass player will rarely miss a note and hopefully never gets out of the groove of the song. If a guitarist messes up they can listen to the bass and drums and catch on quick. Not saying it's impossible to play the low end of the mix without a bass, but bassist generally do the low end of the mix the best.

[@godzilla964]

What’s the point of bass? It’s the low-end, counterpoint, and the rhythm driver, that’s what the point is.

[@trp6062]

its simple.... A metal without a Bass guitar is like a house without it's foundation! when a strong typhoon hit... That house sucks! and got destroyed! 😆

[@loschen4073]

Especially old Music from the Classic area, only saved by notes or sheets can be interpreted and reimagend if the Bass section was saved to. Pieces only written in mid and high sections are like old and unspoken languages like Latein, you can read it, but Will Never able to know how it sounded back in Time. The F key is more than the glue, its a fundamental Frequenz that fills and builds the room / body with the tone that your lead voice and orchestral lives in. In Metal Music to be fair People often give a shit. 😂

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

What a wonderful explanation :D

[@tusharjamwal]

or you go Animals and Leaders style with two 8 strings in the band

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

We dont talk about Animals as Leaders XD

[@deviationblue]

Best lyrics in all of metal

[@avalerionbass]

Bass guitar gets a bad rap because mixing/mastering tones for bass are absolute TRASH. I've recorded with multiple producers and none of them could nail even close to what I wanted, so I learned to do it myself.

[@T.d.Mack74]

Gotta get u a compressor and some new strings Homie perhaps drop the pick.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

I did have a compressor in the chain, I think 🤔 Well I generally defo would with a bass, and I’m not one for picking on bass, but yeah in this vid I wanted more pronounced dynamics/transients :)

[@medawc519]

Metallica learned that the hard way on the ...And Justice For All. Despite the actual songwriting being good the albums sounds thin and weak due to inaudible bass.

[@TheHermit72]

Remove Geezer Burtler and you only have half Black Sabbath.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Big true

[@jamesgreszczuk1670]

No matter what a Bass-guitar follows the back-beat harmony with the drums, your using a guitar Amp to play a 5-string Bass-guitar your not too smart you need a bass-amp to play any stringed bass guitars, I just got my 1st 7-string bass guitar & I know I need to adjust my bass Amp to make sure the low B & high F strings are played properly as intended, I've been playing Bass-guitar since 1994 & all different types of string bass guitars 4 strings to 5 strings and & 6 string bass guitar & finally 7-string Bass-guitar on my 28 yrs of playing, understand that difference? Jim Greszczuk

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

I guess you havent played much metal then... :p

[@stevenzong5160]

Bass is like a Salt in a food. Whatever the spice and ingredients in a food may be, but if the salt is not there then whole food taste is waste.

[@armanborloza7981]

I love how you see things.

[@Okami400]

dude said the drums were only there to keep tempo, dude never listened to born of osiris

[@lurkwave]

This is exactly what i needed. I always thought the bass guitar in metal was just a regular guitarist

[@michaelblaney4461]

The extreme down tuning has made metal so boring compared to earlier metal / rock. Too much distortion hides a multitude of sins in the modern Metal guitarist . Guitars are in the bass frequencies now .

[@EmuInDenial]

You didn't help me at all.

[@codydion5588]

lol a guitar player playing guitar riffs on bass. this video is not a good example of what a bass player brings to a band at all. listen to bands like cannibal corpse, necrophagist, origin, deeds of flesh.. etc.

[@BedroomGuitarHero]

Absolutely agree bass can bring a whole lot more than I am showing here, but my point, if you watch the video, is that even doing the most basic thing of playing what the guitar is playing is incredibly important to a metal mix and composition, ie bass does not even have to stand out as an individual element to be vital in metal.

[@paulkiss1981]

So, basically, in metal, bass serves little to none rhythmical purpose but instead its role is to fill "the frequency emptiness" between the guitars and the drums making the overall mix sound "well -rounded"

[@K_R_N.]

Double/quad tracking the guitar has a much bigger overall impact on the mix than the bass, change my mind

[@skrillah6259]

Go ahead quad track your guitar live

[@crimsonrimbaud]

There is nothing more useless than a bass guitar in the contemporary metal music.

[@ralphieralph9176]

Such a typical KZbin look, the blue and orange lights 🤣 everyone uses LEDs in their room, you think ALL KZbins makes videos in the same room..

[@KrzychuRozpruwacz]

no point

[@jonathanmosher72]

You're gonna hate this. Being a musician for 35 years and actually being a bass player/guitarist, the reason why bass isnt prominent in metal is due to the guitarists fragile ego. It just caught on as "the sound" of metal in the 80s. When I was 16, I played bass with some metal guys who were older. I played through an Ampeg B series tube head and a peavey 215 that somebody left there. The sound was thick and bassy. You could feel the bass and the groove. The guitarist came over to the bass head and turn down the bass knob to 2. It wasnt even that loud to begin with. Me and the drummer were "WTF? That sounded great" The guitarist literally said "It takes away from the guitar, this is guitar music" The guitarist also hated anything that deviated from the single deep root note. The fragile guitarist ego is an issue. I've encountered it time and time again and it comes from stale ass 80s metal in which guitarists put themselves before everyone.

[@mr.hedgehog420]

Interesting point. I never thought about the guitarists ego. But now that I’m thinking about past bands that I’ve played in, the drummers are always on board with any parts I add… but guitarists are harder to please especially with a technical bass part.

[@jonathanmosher72]

@mr.hedgehog420 Yeah, because many don't want to think about anything other than noodling away. You add complexity it makes their job "harder" and they think their "job" is to amaze other guitarists that might be watching.

[@warrenangub4806]

There no difference when useless bass is not there during metal loud concert