Metal in America

[SADUDE]

Im not talking about the so-called metal.
I live in massachusetts and you would assume there was scene due to the enormous New England metal fest that rivals even the milwaukee one nowadays. But it is absolute shit. It is so hard finding musicians and getting shows. It is rediculous. Even the local college radio station sucks. Although they play a lot of good stuff they play the same songs over and over, week after week. They lack the necessary support of the local scene. I know a band that busts their ass... and are just as good if not better than half the trash thats been coming out of america or even the junk thats been coming out of sweden for the past 3 years. http://www.uponcrimsonwings.cjb.net Im not even going to mention the problems i have had personally. Does anyone else know what im talking about. Sure metal seems to be exapnding(the bigger bands getting bigger). There just isn't a place to start. The destruction of the local scene means that someday new bands will stop emerging and metal will not progress nor survive. Support your scene. Does anyone know what areas in the U.S. have the bigger scenes? Im considering relocation at this point.

 

[Hawk]

I am a European and really like US metal what bothers me is the most of the US metalheads I talk to know more about Euro-bands than US metal. Kinda makes me sad when the best metal on the planet comes from the US IMHO.

 

[iAMtheblackwizards]

Hawk the problem is there are a ton more good European metal bands, granted in the US we have Nile, Deicide, and a few more, you guys have a ton more. Local metal bands in the US dont really exist, they are all either just bad, retarted emo-metal which is one of the worst ideas ive ever heard in my opinion (whining has no place in metal, or even in music in general), or the dreaded boring ass metalcore (aka metalbore).

Back to the original post, yeah i know what you mean, there isnt much promise for an upcoming metal band in the US. Take symphony X for an example, even though michael romeo is considered one of the best guitarists in the world to some, since they are from the US they had no chance of doing anything, so they had to put their first 2 albums out on euro labels and didnt even play a US show for their first 4 years of existence til they got bigger elsewhere first, yet they are from New Jersey. Although, lately more and more people are going to metal shows around here and philly than before, NYC is still kind of beat in regards to metal shows, but there may be some promise for american metal in the new jersey/philly area still. We will just have to see.

Also, i just thought of another reason for the downfall of american metal. The radio and tv refuse to play it, but they will play Nu-metal, which is a travesty to music. However kids listen to nu-metal and just assume they are metal heads (believe me, go to the mall near your house youll see it) So real metal bands have to move aside while the more marketable nu-metal takes the spotlight. Im a very bitter human being, and one time i called up a local radio station that was having an "HOUR OF CRAZY METAL" because all it was was a bunch of nu-metal garbage and metallica. I asked them to play some real metal and what they told me was basically "Nu-metal is still a type of metal so were fine" This all links back to my hatred of the RIAA but ive ranted enough for now

 

[sixxswine]

I am a European and really like US metal what bothers me is the most of the US metalheads I talk to know more about Euro-bands than US metal. Kinda makes me sad when the best metal on the planet comes from the US IMHO.

I think there's something about Eurometal that is more appealing to the Stateside metal heads...
Probably similar to the NWOBHM back in the early 80's.
I like U.S. Metal, but recently there is too much of this NUMETAL stuff & it's all the same to me. I find stuff like In Flames, Soilwork, Dream Evil, ect more "fresh." There's a few U.S. Metal bands out there that kick ass----------->Overkill, Nevermore, ect....

 

[FailingAcension]

My friends, Canada is where its at...thanks to....CRYPTOPSY
US has Nile
And Scandanavia has everything else!
And the rest of Europe!
With a few from Australia
And a couple more from the US.
Then some from Brazil.
And of course North Korea.
The last one was a joke.

 

[CONCLAVE OBSCURUM]

My friends, Canada is where its at...thanks to....CRYPTOPSY
US has Nile
And Scandanavia has everything else!
And the rest of Europe!
With a few from Australia
And a couple more from the US.
Then some from Brazil.
And of course North Korea.
The last one was a joke.

you forgot latin america

 

[LuminousAether]

American metal... all I have to say:

maudlin of the Well
Agalloch
November's Doom

Those three are easily a few of the best metal bands around right now and I think they get a lot of attention, especially for being so esoteric in styles.

But... The End Records is based in America and it is one of the best labels around these days. America gets notice for metal, just not the same old thrash bs that's been plagueing the scene since the 80s.

 

[Profanity]

America maybe the best at everything else but they're not the best at Metal.

 

[FailingAcension]

you forgot latin america

Nah I got Brazil! I honestly don't know any bands from Mexico or Central America or such...Just Brazil...:Spin:

 

[None_So_Vile]

im really not bothered where a band comes from to be honest, as long as they sound good. Im not like a particular fan of any region, admitttedly a lot of the bands i listen to are from europe and scandanavia but im not partial to where a band comes from

 

[Life Sucks]

Yeah, I live in Boston, MA and there is almost no metal scene here. The only MA metal band I know of are Year Of Our Lord, Shadows Fall, and Agorophobic Nosebleed. Of them Shadows Fall is the only one that is more well known. I'm sure there is a bigger scene in California, though I think most bands from California suck. The best scene for extreme metal is probably the New York area, as the Florida scene is pretty much a thing of the past.

 

[iAMtheblackwizards]

Yeah man, and shadows fall is still kinda metal-core ish, and Agoraphoric Nosebleed are a side project. Metal in the US just really doesnt exist compared to the amazingly large number of bands this country has. Id say maybe 1% at most of the amount of bands in this country are Metal bands (were talking bands that have CDs out not just local bands that dont do anything, and not including Nu-metal). Then, maybe only 30% of those bands that arent beyond terrible, then like another 5% that are actually really good. Aside from like Nile and Deicide, the rest of them remain relatively local (like November's doom for example, they could not headline a show out here in NJ or philly or NYC like nile or deicide could considering i am the ONLY person that knows who they are, let alone owns a cd, which i had to order off the internet). The average US citizen has no care for metal, which is a combination of non-existant exposure to it (you will never hear real metal on the radio ever, even the sattelite radio stations are largely nu-metal now), and people just not liking music that is affiliated with "being evil". I remember when i was younger, if you listened to Cradle of Filth and Pantera you were considered a scary metal kid. Now, my little sister is part of the "Scary metal" crowd of our local mall and until i introduced her to good bands, she listened to nothing but Linkin park and horrible bands like that. It's sad when Linkin Park takes the scary role that pantera and cradle of filth had like 6 years ago or so. The american metal scene has been rapidly dying since Phil Anselmo started Down, and pantera started fading away. Once again i blame the no good fucking RIAA

 

[MURAI]

Hawk the problem is there are a ton more good European metal bands, granted in the US we have Nile, Deicide, and a few more, you guys have a ton more. Local metal bands in the US dont really exist, they are all either just bad, retarted emo-metal which is one of the worst ideas ive ever heard in my opinion (whining has no place in metal, or even in music in general), or the dreaded boring ass metalcore (aka metalbore).

Back to the original post, yeah i know what you mean, there isnt much promise for an upcoming metal band in the US. Take symphony X for an example, even though michael romeo is considered one of the best guitarists in the world to some, since they are from the US they had no chance of doing anything, so they had to put their first 2 albums out on euro labels and didnt even play a US show for their first 4 years of existence til they got bigger elsewhere first, yet they are from New Jersey. Although, lately more and more people are going to metal shows around here and philly than before, NYC is still kind of beat in regards to metal shows, but there may be some promise for american metal in the new jersey/philly area still. We will just have to see.

Also, i just thought of another reason for the downfall of american metal. The radio and tv refuse to play it, but they will play Nu-metal, which is a travesty to music. However kids listen to nu-metal and just assume they are metal heads (believe me, go to the mall near your house youll see it) So real metal bands have to move aside while the more marketable nu-metal takes the spotlight. Im a very bitter human being, and one time i called up a local radio station that was having an "HOUR OF CRAZY METAL" because all it was was a bunch of nu-metal garbage and metallica. I asked them to play some real metal and what they told me was basically "Nu-metal is still a type of metal so were fine" This all links back to my hatred of the RIAA but ive ranted enough for now

I've read over there in Europe that people depend less on MTV for music unlike over here in North America where it's like the only source of music along with other music video channels like Much Music. Most of the masses don't even know any bands that aren't played by mass media. Like this guy said, it's all emo, pop punk and nu-metal over here. It gets annoying when Linkin Park kids think they're rebels but they're nothing but a bunch of trendies I tell you. Hardcore/metalcore bands(Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage, Throwdown etc.) are getting more and more popular and some of it I like but a lot of it is just bland shit. Mainstream American/Canadian music is mostly shit now but there are plenty of great heavy metal brewing in the underground.

 

[Dead Winter]

My fellow compatriots...

Having seen both sides of the spectrum, I can safely say that Europe has what I would call a firm grip on its metal, while the US has a fucking stranglehold on its, choking the life out of it. The Europeans here just know good music when they hear it, and since Europe is so compact, it's extremely easy to see a metal show at almost any time within a 4 hour drive. We're talking big bands too...festivals...huge arenas. The US has a lot of great metal bands, but they are few and far between...literally. The only reason that the US has such a large number of real metal is because it's just so fucking big! Then you take a country like Sweden or Norway and compare them to the US; it's insane! If the US were like Scandinavia with their metal, then it would be something comparable to what nu-metal is in the United States, speaking popularity-wise. There are just so many metal bands in such a small area that there's no choice BUT to have an abundance of it. Now take all of those bands in those two countries and scatter them across a country the size of the US. What you have are really great bands that are so far apart from each other and that there is so much not even mediocre shit that is in abundance...of course the good stuff gets pushed to the back.

The Europeans are more open-minded to new things as well, unlike our American culture. We're so spoiled and so used to our daily grind and everything that we rarely even look outside our borders for anything because, well, we don't have to. That's one of the downfalls of being a superpower: you get complacent and spoiled, because you know you are the rich kid on the block. While Europeans may travel to a different country every weekend just to shop, we Americans go to fucking Wal-Mart, the 7-11, and the fucking mall to do our shopping. It's because everything is right there. Anytime you need anything, you can get it at any time of the day or night. ANYTHING!!! In Italy, it's a whoooole different story. If you need gas or groceries and it's 9:00 pm, you're just shit outta luck. You're gonna starve or end up walking to work the next morning if you run out of gas. America is all about convenience, and not enough about quality.

 

[Profanity]

good information i'm seeing by you all.

 

[SADUDE]

keeping the thread up.

 

[Bryant]

I am a European and really like US metal what bothers me is the most of the US metalheads I talk to know more about Euro-bands than US metal. Kinda makes me sad when the best metal on the planet comes from the US IMHO.

I hate to always sound the same on my posts.... Bryant "the philosopher" strikes again. Here comes another ten page essay by Bryant Ha ha ha : (

Ahem.... music in America goes through cycles. Because of America's economic prowess, even most poor musicians can come up with enough money to play live and record demos to send to the record companies.

Having said that, America is corporate. The record industry decides when it is time for the latest "real metal" uprising, not the quality of bands out there deciding the next revolution. When the recording industry decides they want to sign metal bands, and produce them, they will.
America might "seem" individualistic in some ways, but don't be fooled. Americans are force fed all types of advertising and it works. People drink Coors Light, Budweiser, or Miller Light beer (American beers for example) why ? They taste like....club soda. How many Americans drink a Porter once in a while ? How many Americans know what a Porter is ? Bud, Bud Light, Miller Light, Coors Light etc. have the money for the advertising. America also brews more brands of beer than any other country, but few take advantage of that. I'm not saying that stuff is terrible, but America is based on doing what your neighbor/friend etc. does.
Beer may not be the best example (as some people don't drink beer,) but I could name others. The real America is corporate and merchandising plays a huge role. Without the music industry supporting real metal bands, they practically only exist in cult status.


Bryant

 

[iAMtheblackwizards]

Bryant, youre right, that beer analogy is good, i personally dont drink beer but it does make sense. The corporate aspect of american music is rapidly going down the shitter though because every day the RIAA does something fucking retarted to make themselves even more hated. The other day they said they found a legal loophole saying that they own the names of any given band (i think thats the loophole they found, the second half of this im sure of) so that whenever a band they have signed plays a show, they have to pay royalties to the label to even play, therefore being on a major label would just put you and your band in the poorhouse. Take a band like nirvana, youd figure those guys would be rich as hell because they were fucking huge, but after recording the In Utero album, even with all the sales they had, they were in debt 14,000 to the record label. IN DEBT FOR SELLING OVER A MILLION RECORDS! yet the record label already made 7 million off of the album not including that 14 grand. After going on tour each member only ended up with 4000 dollars more than when they started recording. Talk about shit. Corporations are great ideas for some things, but horrible for music.

if anyone found what i said even remotely interesting id check this site out:
www.boycott-riaa.com