Metrical just means "measured", and counting syllables is one way of measuring language. Any verse which is measured in any way, be it by beats or syllables or whatever, is metrical poetry.
I've said often that I count syllables and then allow my ear to determine the beats and rhythms, and I resent it when people tell me that I'm a free-verse poet, which I certainly am not.
As I've said before, the ear hears everything:
* beats
* number of syllables
* the relationship of beats to syllables
* duration of time
As long as the poet is imposing some limitation on the line, it isn't free verse.
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