GateXII
Soul Collector
least I have an opinion and not a follower of the masses.
That is such crap!!!! So you think it's not "cool" or "true metal" to be a fan of a band that happens to have masses of fans without losing your "underground metal fan" integrity? OK...whatever! [I know I'm putting words in your mouth, but that's the way you present yourself here.]
So I must be a sheep then for loving bands like RUSH & TOOL. Esp Rush now when their fan numbers rival almost any active band on the planet.
It seems like you're one of those elitist fans that as soon as a band you like starts appealing to a lot of people, you start making an effort to find (fabricating if you must) reasons why they've "sold out" or "compromized" their music in any way.
And FYI...your beloved pagan/folk/black/power metal genre(s) are no more than the metalcore/whatever-core of Europe!!!! It's become the new "hot" scene over there, and the majority of bands are a dime a dozen, bandwagon jumping, clones who in reality are all starting to sound exactly the same!! Sure, there are a very small handful of gems (who are actually the more open-minded ones to incorporate various music styles)...but that genre has already over-saturated the metal scene in Europe to the point of nausea & is now finally spilling over to the states.
Bottom line is...the genres of metal you hold so dear (or at least wave the flag for just to get attention) are no less a current virus/plague in the European metal scene than what the "core" bands here in the US are...multiplying like rats & 98% UNORIGINAL & BORING!!
Put that in your pipe & smoke it!!