Originally Posted by axemansean
Not really. I can usually tell a band by listening to 5 seconds of a song. But, if I listen to 5 seconds and come up with 30 different possibilities we got problems. It used to be fun on long trips to see who could name the band on the radio first, now its difficult because they all sound the same. Metallica enjoyed success but they were much more different than the other heavy metal bands from that era... Slayer was more in your face, Anthrax was more fun loving, Megadeth was in your face but serious, Metallica was serious but mellow.
You can argue why change a formula that works, well I was under the impression it was all about being original and not copying someone. I actually can't listen to Pearl Jam anymore because of all the bands that copied them. Kinda sad considering they are one of my favorite bands.
well, I think sounding the same is all relative. I think that country music all sounds the same, but to a country fan it can be drastically different. If someone is a fan of pop rock/alternative/etc, they'll easily be able to tell the difference between two bands that you think sound identical.
Personally I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Megadeath, Anthrax, or Slayer, but that doesn't mean they sound the same.