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Don't know if I'm totally confused here but I don't have the energy to check: didn't even NIFELHEIM use keyboard on some part of the first album? So did THE BLACK (swe). It's not bad at all when used at the right place, in the right time, so to speak. If used "correctly" the listener barely notices it except for the goose-bumps that might occur!

I'm not fond of keyboards in metal music but there was a band using them in a magical way , I'm talking about the german VIVA on their "What the hell is going on" and "Dealers of the night" ; maybe they were more on the ground of Hard Rock music than metal , but I still love these 2 albums at the same level than old Trance Accept Bullet etc.

When listening to the wrong metal, guitars can suck too. Same for every other instrument, it's just how you use it. And depending on that, every instrument can be great.

The Evil Within Us wrote:When listening to the wrong metal, guitars can suck too. Same for every other instrument, it's just how you use it. And depending on that, every instrument can be great.

Indeed. Although I'm not fond at using keyboards in metal, sometimes it just fits the atmosphere or doesn't get annoying (like Feelings of Fury from Ostrogoth). It can go wrong too (Killer from Belgium: rough HM with keyboards, why?)

Check the page and song "Fraction in your Eyes". There synths justify themselves.

http://www.myspace.com/horricane

Even though I'm not into keyb stuff at all, I can stand them in some cases, when they're not annoying and give a nice sound result to My Heavy Metal Ears...

Some bands use discreet keyboard lines and such very well. Candlemass' Demon's Gate wouldn't be what it is without the distorted organ voice! I don't like keyboard solos much, heh

The keys in "The Key" are also a very welcome addition to the overall atmosphere of this great record.

I also like the keys in Emerald Steel a lot

Some bands can pull it off quite good while most of the bands with keyboards seem to suck imo. Bands playing "symphonic metal" with shitloads of keyboards are pretty horrible and I never got into any melodeath or gothic black metal. But strangely I sometimes find poppy hm/hr with commercial keyboards amusing when I'm drunk. This has nothing to do with real metal though

"Marquis De Sade - Welcome To The Graveyard" is a good example of a great metal song with keyboards.

If it suits well the music, why not ?! I like RATA BLANCA for example, which is not fully metal but use cleverly the keys. Some demo from L.A. (Denmark) too. Some pRETTY MAIDS clones on demos from Denmark were great too.

Korgüll wrote:For me the best keyboards are used in MASTER'S HAMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A totally original & incredible band

Agreed! I guess I'm with most people here, a few times keyboards actually add something to the music, most of the time they are just annoying.

I like synthesizer or keyboards in HELL,Dawnwatcher,the few Cirith Ungol songs that feature keys,Marquis De Sade and the bits and pieces of synth stuff scattered in Ripper and Slauter Xstroyes. I will agree that when they are an incredibly dominant force they usually suck and I can't think of too many instances in which they have been good in extreme metal..though Burzum(not the ALL synthesizer records mind you) and old Emperor come to mind.

Even though it's already mentioned in this thread, SARACEN is awsome!

can be good can be bad can be god-awful...very rarely do i find them just "there"

i tend to always have a strong opinion when keys are present

favorites include: hell, dawnwatcher, emperor

The ones who really knew how to use keyboards in metal were King Diamond, Paul Chain and Black Hole.

Oh, and Deep Purple, of course.