Impure Metal: How Underground Heavy Metal Became Mainstream Heavy Music
- Thread starter Jim LotFP
- Start date
This is huge! The amount of real and valuable info given here surpasses everything metal-related I have read since long (if not ever since).
However, I foubt that many people will do themselves a favour and read it in its entirety. If this was just a "snippet" - what about the whole thing? The research preceding this must have been enormous...and this from a person that obviously does not make a living with his writing: people with a job in the music media calling themselves journalists: this is journalism, my friends!
Hats off to Mr Burns - you should get a publisher for a book deal, I am going to translate this into German, Jim into Finnish, so you can start the crusade for the truth from two places where metal has gone wrong in many respects...
This contains things that should concern music writers and critics in general. Transfer this to other subcultures or the literture scene. There are many parallels.
However, I foubt that many people will do themselves a favour and read it in its entirety. If this was just a "snippet" - what about the whole thing? The research preceding this must have been enormous...and this from a person that obviously does not make a living with his writing: people with a job in the music media calling themselves journalists: this is journalism, my friends!
Hats off to Mr Burns - you should get a publisher for a book deal, I am going to translate this into German, Jim into Finnish, so you can start the crusade for the truth from two places where metal has gone wrong in many respects...
This contains things that should concern music writers and critics in general. Transfer this to other subcultures or the literture scene. There are many parallels.
Occam's Razor said:
I'd love to see the reviews if this was turned into a 'real' book from a 'real' publisher. The metal press would trash it because it trashes them. Who else would touch it? Academics? Wouldn't they write a full review as soon as they see the words 'heavy metal' without reading anything? Or am I just making gross assumptions there? What about the 'alternative' press that's so lovingly described?
I'm suddenly sad for all of the valuable, informative, critical work we don't have because people don't pursue it in their spare time.
Self publishing is the way to go (www.lulu.com is how I plan to do my book), but publicity will be a problem.
Occam's Razor said:
hah. Talk to me in 2015...
Occam's Razor said:
If somebody can give me a nice slick 'press release' (*giggle*), I'll submit it to Blabbermouth and try to get this article's release mentioned as news. It's times like this I regret telling Borivoj that he's a boring writer with shitty taste.
Jim LotFP said:
was that a misprint? - Brilliant actually, because this is not only "metal journalism", but also "meta metal" and "meta journalism", because in this article, metal journalism reflects itself, both metal and journalism...
I want to read that at blabbermouth, but who could sneak this in?
With publishing, I had Iron Pages in Germany in mind. They have released all those encyclopaedias (NWoBHM, US Metal, Eastern European Metal,...), biographies (Lemmy), as well as some other things in German. I applied for translator in their house once, but they are lacking new projects...
Anyway, is the article now okayed and ready to be plugged elsewhere?
Occam's Razor said:
heh. Yes it was.
Occam's Razor said:
I'm going ask a few people if they can submit it for me (mainly because it's not me that wrote it, I'd feel weird bothering other people about plugging my stuff to somebody else) that hasn't bashed Borivoj in print. Not that I know if he even remembers my name, but still...
Occam's Razor said:
I have that NWOBH encyclopedia. Insane.
Occam's Razor said:
Oh, yeah.
We're getting hits from the Miskatonic board now... it would be nice if I wasn't BANNED from even looking at what was being said.
BenMech
student of the d'eh
Having read through the 45 page pdf, the words "Slight", "Superficial" and "Outdated" flash across my mind.
So: Terrorizer, a UK publication, is trend oriented? Gosh, whoda thunk?
Roadrunner is corrupt and trend oriented? Gosh, whoda thunk?
Metallica as trendriders, hypocrites? Whoda thunk?
Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax as vague rogues who HAD money once? Whoda thunk?
non metalheads using "metal" for irony? Whoda thunk?
Seriously Dave, why did you bother writing this obvious stuff, digging only at the low level minds?
So: Terrorizer, a UK publication, is trend oriented? Gosh, whoda thunk?
Roadrunner is corrupt and trend oriented? Gosh, whoda thunk?
Metallica as trendriders, hypocrites? Whoda thunk?
Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax as vague rogues who HAD money once? Whoda thunk?
non metalheads using "metal" for irony? Whoda thunk?
Seriously Dave, why did you bother writing this obvious stuff, digging only at the low level minds?
BenMech said:
Why does it matter if Terrorizer is based in the UK?
BenMech said:
Not heavy metal mags like BW&BK apparently, who put that Roadrunner United thing, not an artist, on the cover of #93.
BenMech said:
In establishing the particulars of that early, the article demonstrates how behaving like Metallica is now standard and unnoticed behavior for just about everyone now.
BenMech said:
... a great many people seeing *metal* rise in popularity thinking it's a sincere commercial trend.
Even though some of this is obvious, it needs to be pointed out as a basis. Furthermore, things that are so obvious are often not seen - remember "The Purloined Letter"?
Anyway, especial the intrduction with the historical connection was interesting. It also made me aware of the fact that the bands usually frowned at nowadays like Sabbath (blame the Ozz...) or Tankard (they are a fun band, but the music was never irrelevant) were and are still more metal in this original sense than lots of newbies and Schmiers that have ducked out of metal for years and come back now beating their "steel"-chests...
Anyway, especial the intrduction with the historical connection was interesting. It also made me aware of the fact that the bands usually frowned at nowadays like Sabbath (blame the Ozz...) or Tankard (they are a fun band, but the music was never irrelevant) were and are still more metal in this original sense than lots of newbies and Schmiers that have ducked out of metal for years and come back now beating their "steel"-chests...
DBB
Member
- Dec 20, 2005
- 370
- 1
- 18
I don't claim to be anything more than a simple man, so that should serve as your answer.BenMech said:
I also wanted to add this note here after thinking it over a bit:
I just wanted to add a brief note that did not come through in the text. I do not think that Advance and Vanquish is an atrocious album across the board. It is way too long and is like bubble gumthe flavor is strong and tasty to begin with but becomes flat and course after repeated chewings over time. Almost all the songs begin to sound too much alike due to the healthy dollops of metalcore ladled into the mix. Two or three of the songs remain solid tunes and at an Overkill show an old schooler came up to me and asked who they were when Deadly Sinners was playing over the PA because they did remind him of something he heard way back whenso they do manage to get the sound right on occasion. But they represent a disturbing trend where metal values are being turned into something to package and present as marketing hooks devoid of any meaning.
If the band would have merely released their music without all the erroneous fluff in the bio about crushing the scene from which they emerged and spent their formative years in and channeling the spirit of the bands that were dropped by Roadrunner a long time ago while remaining within the scene for all intents and purposes it would not be something disturbingif the band or the label is responsible for this who knows? It is something that is quickly becoming common practice. There was a section dropped from the article due to time constraints about Chimaira being presented as true metal in Revolver and what true metal ended up being was Pantera. It is almost as if there is an orchestrated campaign beyond Terrorizer to redefine what constitutes classic, true and heavy metal and the PR behind 3 inches of blood is part of this fragmentary process that may or may not be a wider move towards a new scene that replaces one already in existence and creating excellent heavy metal and existing under the radar of the press for the most part.
Anyway, to denigrate Goat Horn as raping the past and utilizing retro-thrashers to tar the band as inauthentic opportunists (which is what the term retro-thrash signifies to significant contingent of critics) and give 3 Inches of Blood a free pass because they incorporate some metalcore into their sound is insanity and reveals how precarious of a ground heavy metal inhabits in todays extreme scene and how the forward-looking, ground breaking ethos has a great deal of contempt for trend-free heavy metal.
I'll be back soon--for more "low level" conversation soon.
BenMech
student of the d'eh
some points:
A) Bands don't write press releases. But they are requested to read the scripts for continuity.
B) The "life was better back in the 80s" shtick gets old FAST, kill it, NOW.
C) Goat Horn is rather obscure anyway. As was Early Man. The casual metalhead couldn't be bothered to care.
A) Bands don't write press releases. But they are requested to read the scripts for continuity.
B) The "life was better back in the 80s" shtick gets old FAST, kill it, NOW.
C) Goat Horn is rather obscure anyway. As was Early Man. The casual metalhead couldn't be bothered to care.
Three Inches Of Blood are a caricature - it is so exaggerated...just like Dragonforce, only in a different way. They stylise metal and all its stereotypes so it jumps into your face in an unpleasant way. They might stand behind it with a metal attitude as much as they want, but I think the mark is overshot when you boil it all down to the music and realize it to be a poor rendition of what made the old bands great. Repka cover? - who cares? Spikes and leather? - We have had that before... whatever-core musicians allegedly resocialized into metal? - maybe this is for naive die-hard metalheads that see part of their wish to convert "unbelievers" through metal confirmed.
BenMech said:
I'm sure the casual metalhead in the late 80s/early 90s couldn't be bothered to care either...
I plugged Dave's thing on various German boards - people like it for the most part, especially at RH-forum, they think it's good somebody pisses on Three Inches Of Blood, because they are a fave of some RH-staffers.
...and then there are people that call Dave a whiny bastard how gives questionable definitions of "underground"...guess that is because the Nazis are mentioned - that is when many of my country-fellows just switch off because they can't or don't want to deal with it for whatever reasons.
So Mr Burns: you are whiny!
So Mr Burns: you are whiny!
DBB
Member
- Dec 20, 2005
- 370
- 1
- 18
This is petty but if you insistBenMech said:
Early Man - Ads in most of the major metal mags a few months ago when the album was initially released. Top 20 2005 album in Revolver (150K circulation) Currently on a cross-country tour of US sponsored by Decibel (25K circulation) Probably an upcoming feature in Metal Maniacs (55K circulation) (appeared in the playlist of three writers in most recent issue). But as a former employee of Metal Maniacs pointed out, these circulation numbers are most likely (Metal Maniacs numbers were at one point at least) inflated to keep advertisers breath baited. It does not seem to me that the band is flying under the radar. Of course, there are people who could care less about what is presented in the major mags because they are above worrying about thembut I am obviously not one of them.
As for Goat Horn, the obscurity charge is not one I am going to argue, but the band is going to be popping up all over the place soon. I did not use my obscurity meter on the article though, so there may be other cases where something was not prominent enough for your liking.
I believe that the best days of heavy metal are ahead, whether bands will be around to make music is another matter. That was the point of the articlenot that everything was better back in the olden days, just some things.BenMech said:
This is beginning to sound like a compliment.BenMech said:
Yes, yes. That is to be expected. Somebody somewhere is probably saying that I need to get laid or that I am jealous. At this point, if I never write another word about metal, it will be no skin off of my back. I never thought about the Germans getting touchy about the underground definition section ah well. Also, thanks for the comments and enthusiasm above.Occam's Razor said:So Mr Burns: you are whiny!
The general feeling on the RH-board now is that people are not interested in true/untrue and listen to bands as long as they like the music. I reproached them of mere consumerism and got some pretty harsh words from somebody whom I assume to be the editor. Too bad they had a huge Roadrunner Special and label sampler a few issues ago... Monte C. is the holy cow even in Germany, obviously.
They did not understand that you were not so much criticising the bands but rather the machinery behind them.
News of the blabber-day: "CoB-frontman breaks toe - vows to carry on"
Let us pray he does not break that vow, too...
They did not understand that you were not so much criticising the bands but rather the machinery behind them.
News of the blabber-day: "CoB-frontman breaks toe - vows to carry on"
Let us pray he does not break that vow, too...
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