Catchiness, accessibility, and popularity in metal.

[wagontrain]

I find myself wondering why there is such a huge backlash against the idea that many of the most popular metal bands are popular for the same reason that the biggest pop bands are popular. That is, catchiness and accessibility.

Generally speaking, the biggest pop bands in history have been those that are catchy and accessible. I am using catchy to define music that is easy to listen to and has immediately identifiable pleasant sounding qualities. Accessible, or at least how I am using it here, means that it is unoffensive to a majority of people, and that it can appeal to people from a wide range of music listening backgrounds.

I'm not going to write a book here. I just want to say that those are the things that make a band popular. It says nothing about skill or quality of the music - it could be amazing, or it could be shit - it doesn't matter. Metal is no different. The huge bands, Sabbath and Maiden and Metallica, are popular for those same reasons.

All I am wanting here is maybe an idea why fans of metal are so averse to this notion? Why is this so hard to handle?

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

There also popular because metal bands tend to develop cult like followings. (How often do you see people carve Kelly Clarkson into there arm as apposed to slayer?)

Dark throne, emperor, mayhem and bathory are popular, how catchy and accesible are they?

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

they are popular up to a certain extent Rabid.. otherwise the close minded people on this board would not consider them metal and/or BM or whatever metal genre they previously were admired in...

 

[Blue_Jay]

There also popular because metal bands tend to develop cult like followings. (How often do you see people carve Kelly Clarkson into there arm as apposed to slayer?)

Dark throne, emperor, mayhem and bathory are popular, how catchy and accesible are they?

All of those bands you listened are very accessable except Mayhem.


At the topic, my only guess is it makes people think their cool to listen to underground music that isn't popular. Disliking music just for being popular is absurd. Look at Orhpaned Land for a prime example. Great music, very popular to.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

then what about opeth? they would hardly qualify as catchy or accessible.

 

[skeptik]

Anybody with a brain knows this. Thanks for reporting the obvious, Captain.

However, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica are so highly popular because they were also pioneers in their field and were given the needed exposure as well. These bands were not merely regurgitating what everybody else was doing, but rather were blazing new trails, which is not the case in most pop music.

 

[Blue_Jay]

then what about opeth? they would hardly qualify as catchy or accessible.

Opeth is very accessible imo. I got into them on my first listen to Ghost of Perdition.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

I was thinking of early opeth. Yea I guess you have a point with GR

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

At the topic, my only guess is it makes people think their cool to listen to underground music that isn't popular. Disliking music just for being popular is absurd. Look at Orhpaned Land for a prime example. Great music, very popular to.

Oh....my...god...

BlueJay just said something intelligent.

 

[~Derek~]

^ Catchiness also occurs in bands like Six Feet Under, it's accesible and I enjoy it though I'm sure from what I've read most of this forum doesn't like them very much, but plenty of people who like music not as brutal on the fringes of death metal and genereally listen to less extreme forms of metal make up a lot of thier fanbase.

 

[zoidberg]

All of those bands you listened are very accessable except Mayhem.


At the topic, my only guess is it makes people think their cool to listen to underground music that isn't popular. Disliking music just for being popular is absurd. Look at Orhpaned Land for a prime example. Great music, very popular to.

and mayhem may not be accessable, but i saw them on VH1 the other day, so yeah.

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Like I said. Cult following. Slayer isn't the flavour of the month for most fans, It's a lifelong admiration.

 

[Blue_Jay]

and mayhem may not be accessable, but i saw them on VH1 the other day, so yeah.

Mayhem on VH1 no way!!!! VH1 is improving it's taste and smartness to it's music selection, atleast.

 

[General Zaroff]

and mayhem may not be accessable, but i saw them on VH1 the other day, so yeah.

 

[zoidberg]

they were! they were on something called "Heavy: a headbangers journey" or something like that. it was a documentary, the talked about the guy who killed himself, and interviewed necrobutcher! they also talked to a guy from Gorgoroth! Im Being serious! And george Corpsegrinder Fisher! they talked alot about CC

 

[General Zaroff]

they were! they were on something called "Heavy: a headbangers journey" or something like that. it was a documentary, the talked about the guy who killed himself, and interviewed necrobutcher! they also talked to a guy from Gorgoroth! Im Being serious! And george Corpsegrinder Fisher! they talked alot about CC

They talked a lot about CC because they kick so much ass

 

[zoidberg]

They talked a lot about CC because they kick so much ass

true. also VH1 had gorgoroth on the 100 most(or was it least) metal moments. they preformed in alabama, and got kicked out of the town they were in because of thier obscene theatrics.

they also show sniplets of interviews with CC and goatwhore on headbanger's ball.

 

[General Zaroff]

true. also VH1 had gorgoroth on the 100 most(or was it least) metal moments. they preformed in alabama, and got kicked out of the town they were in because of thier obscene theatrics.

they also show sniplets of interviews with CC and goatwhore on headbanger's ball.

haha Ghaal probably kidnapped and beat the mayor for kicking them out.

 

[~Derek~]

^ I need to watch that, Gorgororth came to Alabama? Maybe they'll come to Tennessee.

 

[cookiecutter]

they were! they were on something called "Heavy: a headbangers journey" or something like that. it was a documentary, the talked about the guy who killed himself, and interviewed necrobutcher! they also talked to a guy from Gorgoroth! Im Being serious! And george Corpsegrinder Fisher! they talked alot about CC

Welcome to last year. It's called Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.