I dig the new format - feels more like a zine (whatever the fuck that means).
ND interview was good. I can see why being compared to 3 unlike bands could be annoying, but when said groups are some of the top sellers within the subgenre, I don't think he should view it as reviewers being lazy or disrespectful, but rather trying to get fans of the more well known bands to check out ND's shit. But hey - I understand his frustration... it does suck to be as good as ND and have to take the backseat most alla time.
I'm not of the opinion that Nu Metal is killing the underground, cuz as ya pointed out - commerical "Metal" has always been outselling the underground. To point out how the 80's were
not the Golden Age, I saw Megadeth in Cleveland at the height of their MTV "Headbanger's Ball" glory ("Peace Sells" tour) and there were only 1,500 in attendance (this was the show where Overkill recorded the "Fuck You" ep - that dude yelling "Fuck you!" That was me!). I'm sure Motley Crue was filling 30,000 seaters at that time. C'est la Metal.
I thought you were awfully nice to the Zool dude - I seem to remember you pretty much hated that record when ya reviewed it ( but I could be wrong though, my memory being what it is).
At first, I thought the album was good but cribbed far too much from "Perfect Strangers" (no surprise after reading your interview)... but I do enjoy it now. However, I embrace sameness (when done well).
Which brings us to Dark Tranquillity - a band I've never been enthralled with in the first place... first place for me being 2000, when I finally got some of their shit. I like "Damage Done" because I think they did a good job capturing the old Gothenburg vibe while maintaining enough of their bloopy keyboard shiznit to keep things "modern." I do not miss the clean vox , and tend to think that their removal of them has pissed off you "progress or die" fuckers so much that the album as a whole is suffering due to it. I see no reason why they should feel bad for returning to a sound that they helped create. But then I like Motorhead and AC/DC.
I dunno. In a genre where everybody gets rip shit over a band for getting softer, it's amusing to see people get pissed when a heavy band that lightens up goes back to being heavy. Damned if ya do, damned if ya don't.
Mebbe they shoulda waited another 5 years - then they coulda pulled a Halford.
Regarding Nocturnal Rites, I felt that "Afterlife" was a monumental step backwards for them, and nothing at all progressive. Dropping the stellar solos in effort to streamline the structure and doing the Beezlebub lyrics didn't strike me as anything worth persuing to begin with. Zackrisson, why infinitely inferior to Lindqvist in terms of ability, had ten times the heart and conviction. The band will never be what it once was, but I for one was happy to hear Nils attempt to capture some of the exquisite soloing magic he displayed on earlier discs (particularly "The Sacred Talisman" which has some of the finest melodic soloing ever).
I haven't heard anything by Into Eternity, but I'm definitely intrigued now.
I don't remember anything about Lillian Axe... they must have been posers.
And regarding the back cover - you are definitely far more a nerd than Symphony X, because you
write about music rather than
play it.
