Ever feel like you're just a rippoff?

[Scar Symmetry]

Going slightly off-topic here, but this and similar remarks make me cringe. Unless you're running out of space, I say keep every recording, no matter how unoriginal, messy, or flawed it might be. You'll probably never want to let anyone hear that stuff, of course, but it's such a cool feeling to go back into your several-year-old collection of trash clips and listen to where you came from. You might even be re-inspired by an old silly riff and come up with some crazy variation that blows everyone away. (That's usually how I'm inspired; I hear a simple riff or progression and think "Wow... If they did this instead, it would sound so awesome." The same thing can happen with your old riffs.)

As for your polyrhythms sounding too much like Meshuggah, try listening to some math rock for inspiration. Try Hella, Tera Melos, Don Caballero, and Rumah Sakit (fanpage), which are pretty much all instrumental. Most of it is polymetric, not polyrhythmic, but you'll have some of both.

best post in this thread so far

 

[Anos]

well my advice as a prog metal guitarist and vocalist, learn a different instrument. I learned drums. It helped me so much i cant emphasis enough. I play drums 3 hours a day and guitar about 2 hours. I am MUCH better at guitar.... Also find a drummer or drum machine to jam with. Improving new material over a track is very good for adding new direction to your music. I can't express how much learning and practicing drums helped me. I still suck per se, but not bad since i started with Gojira. learning on instument shows you different ways to phrase. This gives you new inspirations for guitar, new ways to phrase. So there is my two cents, I wish you the best!

 

[sevenstringj]

Meshuggah essentially redefined "heavy" in metal, particularly with their Nothing album. Until someone redefines the genre again, almost everything "br00t4l" will sound derivative.

But that's how it is with all genres.