ahh, i've stayed quiet mostly here, just because...well, i mean, i'm sort of an old fogie around here, and ive seen this happen for years with tons of bands.
IMO, my 2 fav albums are SW and HCDR(yeah, first and later, go fig). I actually dig AYDY, it's not the strongest, but there are some songs that I can get into.
But the arguing/trolling from either side IS quite pointless. You get it with anything. I mean, alright, take Metallica. I liked em, like most, up to the black album, and including it...I think it's pretty good overall. But, it indeed DID alienate a lot of the older fans. Same with Slayer..yeah, im not too into the newer stuff(tho their last album was better than the ones after Seasons in the Abyss), but again, old fans alienated. Hell, Slayer i remember even alienated old fans with South of Heaven...it WAS a slower, a bit more melodic(for them) album than their previous thrash opuses.
But seriously, it happens with practically every band. If a band stays the same(i mean, Angus Young was quoted in an interview, and i love this, as correcting the interviewer that they havn't released the same album 10 times, it was 15 times), then they keep their fanbase. But bands will do what they want...if they feel like they wanna change, go for it. Some bands change for the better, some not...but again, i think every band has alienated old fans at one point or another, bands that change anyway.
Happened with ...And Oceans as well. Whent they made their treck to the cybermetal realm(which, to me, i like better...but then i'm a big fan of the industrial/metal), a LOT of older fans were turned off...but they gained new ones. I don't think they changed for them...they changed cos they wanted to.
I dunno. I guess i'm just jaded to bitching on either side anymore cos i've seen so much of it from one thing or another over the years.
But really...neither side gains anything in the end of 'wow how can you not like the new album it r00lz!!11111' or 'how can you like this shit, old stuff is where it's at, change is teh suck'.
But, alas, it will never change. I'm not defending either side really...i mean, if you like it you like it, great, if not, that's fine too...i've heard bands change and not liked it, too! I think we all have done one or the other at one point in time(liked older or newer stuff).
I'll just sit and watch like i've been doing now.
