Nick dissects the false notion that metal relies on smooth transitions between riffs and digs into how abrupt changes are essential in metal. The following songs have been used At the Gates: Through Gardens of Grief Mayhem: Cursed in Eternity Morbid Angel: Fall from Grace
Posted inAnalysis
Why Transitions are Useless
Post navigation
Next Post
Interview: Theomachia 
I think a better title would be “why transitions aren’t necessary.” You and I had a discussion a few years ago regarding the relative quality of Enjoy the Violence and Final Holocaust and if I remember correctly, one thing we agreed on is that Final Holocaust suffers from its failure to tie together otherwise fantastic riffs.
Yeah I was being hyperbolic there haha. I do believe there is a difference between having unrelated riffs that don’t add much to each other and sudden transitions that move the narrative along significantly.
I think if you really ponder and consider your music as the medium to convey your idea, all the things you put into the misuc will be reasonable.
Transition in the music is of course one aspect of communication: what ypou expect to harvest by putting the transitions between riffs, and if you would like to reach to effctive conveyance of your ideas, you definitely have to sharpen everything in the songs: including the riffs themselves, transitions, and so many aspects of the music.
In sum, I think the good music consummates itself by all point of views. There is not certain criteria to judge the music because you can “feel” the musical and compositional quality. Based on it, transitional consideration, riff composition, etc, are not that worthy to be specifically pointed out. Good music is composed out of good instinct.