Metal nowadays...

[phlogiston]

Do you think there's room in metal nowadays for another "monster" metal band, like Maiden, Slayer, Metallica et al? You know, those bands whose pictures are in the dictionary under "metal", and who EVERYBODY has heard of.

It seems to me that metal now is too "wide" now, with too many categories of metal for one band to come along and just totally dominate the scene. It used to me a much more narrow genre, so really good bands could crossover and be popular. Now it seems that even the best new bands can only get a portion of the metal community excited.

Thoughts?

 

[KoichCPA]

Pholggy is right.

 

[spawn]

There will be another one, all it takes is one riff. See Enter Sandman, Smoke On The Water, Crazy Train etc.

People want music to excite them, and an awesome riff that grabs your attention is what it takes. Of course, its not like its easy to write those, so we have to wait until someone comes up with one, thats what it will take to get another metal band widely recognised

Case in point (even though they arent metal): Everyone has heard of and knows Nirvana. Why? That Smells Like Teen Spirit riff!

 

[Mark]

I've heard quite a few bands that, if they had the exposure, would do well with the majority of fans (IMO). I think The Black League would stand a chance - heavy enough for the extreme set, with good hooks to catch the Trad metalhead's attention.

But, I think the main thing stopping bands getting all the exposure they need is the general fan's unwillingness to try anything from genres they've decided aren't their cup of tea. If I'd stuck to my guns about never listening to growly bands, I would never have given Opeth a second listening.

Also, metal bands these days just don't have the management push behind them that Maiden and Metallica had...

 

[Wrathchild]

Iced Earth, Sinergy and of course Dungeon all have more than enough talent to step up to the plate and be spokespeople (spokesbands?) for metal. The trouble is, no-one these days can agree on what metal is because there are so many different styles and genres. Diversity is a good thing, but anyone discovering metal today would be unlikely to listen to these bands first up because their style of music has been pushed further and further underground by the mainstream.

Label support is another issue. Back in the respective heydays of Maiden/Metallica/Slayer, they *were* the mainstream. These days, a label is unlikely to get behind a band unless they sound like Linkin Park and can be relied upon to sell bucketloads of records to people who don't know any better.

I sense another argument looming, so I'll shut my face now .

W

 

[Lord Tim]

First of all, thanx for the vote of confidence there, man!

What Mark said especially holds true - if Maiden or Metallica, etc. didn't have the management they had working so hard with them, they wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful as they were. You know me, I think Maiden are absolutely brilliant but if it wasn't for mr Smallwallet, they would have either taken 10 times as long to do stuff or be a very minor player today I reckon...

What Phloggy said was sort of true now too in a sense - there's a wide spectrum of bands and there's just so many of them to choose from now in heaps of different subgenres.

Remember back in the 80s when a new record came out? You'd play the thing to death 'cos it was like "wow - this is genius! And there's nothing else like it!" These days, for every good album, there's 10 like it released at the same time since it's become so cheap and easy to put an album out now! I know I could go out tomorrow (if I had more than 30c to spare! *sigh*) and buy 100 albums that have come out in the last 12 months and would probably never really even listen to them. Whereas way back when you bought something and then played it until you were sick of it and kept playing it until you loved it again!

Some of my fav' albums from back then really were pretty average releases now that I just became fond of because I played them so much! Onslaught is a great example - if some band released "The Force" now, they'd be bagged out something fierce and everyone would go buy one of the 20 other albums that sounded a bit like it that were done better. But since that album was the only one of its type, I listened to it and loved it!

These days, you're up against huge marketing budgets, a flooded market and a wide spectrum of readily available music from every subgenre. You need a combination of luck, great management, great record label and an album that's got enough cross-over appeal to hook in fans from outside the area that you specialise in, but also without *sounding* like you're doing that or you alienate the die-hard fans who only like your specific genre!

It's tough!!

As you've noticed by the post there, I don't have an answer! HAHA! That's just my thoughts!

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

I think Tim hit the spot there with the thing about how it was different when a band released an album back in the 80s to now.

I think part of that also, is as I've said many a time, the difference between 80s metal and current metal is the focus of it: current stuff is more about musicianship which is why there are so many albums which sound alike, whereas in the 80s, a band's style was about an attitude.

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry is musically a very average album. So is WASP - WASP and Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil, but they are lots of people's favourite albums coz of the attitude and spirit in them. You can replicate a sound but you can't exactly replicate the character of a band.

So much Euro power metal stuff sounds like same, but who sounds like Twisted Sister? Who sounds like WASP?

I'll tell you what band will be the next metal monster...
MY BAND! (When I find band members!) Hahahaha!

The next metal monster will be the band that puts the rock n roll back in heavy metal, and will probably have to have some kind of shock rock look, and a very nasty bite

 

[KoichCPA]

No offence troops but is the world really ready for more Glam bands??

 

[Spiff]

As soon as another metal band becomes huge and a household name, a million internet geeks will cry "sellout!", no matter what they sound like.

 

[Sydo]

Originally posted by Spiff
As soon as another metal band becomes huge and a household name, a million internet geeks will cry "sellout!", no matter what they sound like.

EXACTLY.
I read this thread this morning and thought about my answer all day.
I don't believe it is possible anymore because the media and multi-media communication plays too much of a role in deciding 'what is good', rather than the music itself.

Take Nevermore for example. With Dead Heart In A Dead World, the band has finally began to reach the wider audience they deserve, yet even some of the bands 'biggest' fans are crying SELL-OUT! How the hell Dead Heart is a sell-out album I’ll never understand, but the truth is irrelevant. The word soon spreads and those who have never heard the album believe the same.

 

[Sydo]

Originally posted by Koichi
No offence troops but is the world really ready for more Glam bands??

Always.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

THE WORLD IS READY FOR GLAM ONCE MORE!!!! Hehehe.

As AC/DC said... everyone gets off on rock n roll. Make some good rock n roll and you cant lose.

Nah I wouldn't cry sellout if a band becomes mainstream. If heavy metal (GOOD HEAVY METAL) became as big as it was in the 80s again I couldn't be happier. It would mean more tours, bigger stage shows, etc.

 

[Southy]

and if good heavy metal came back maybe we would finally see some of the bands we really wanna see

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Exactly! Hehe WASP and Iron Maiden and Manowar would actually come. Dio and Motley Crue wouldn't have to cancel because of low ticket sales. Etc.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I don't mind so much that metal isn't 'big' or 'mainstream' anymore. I just wish people knew what metal actually is. Wearing a Slipknot t-shirt and jeans 11 sizes too big is not metal, it is sad, and it makes those of us who ARE metal look bad...

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yes Blizty! Exactly hehe... when people say "Ahhhh who cares if its metal or not" when I say Slipknot aren't metal, it does matter because when people think metal is a bunch of idiots screaming immature lyrics out to a rap beat with the most uninventive guitar work in history, it gives us all a bad name which is a shame.

ie. People at my old school always being like "You're a goth, and you must listen to metal like Slipknot" and then make stupid growly screamy noises, just because I have long hair, jeans and a Megadeth shirt.

Goth??!?!?

 

[spawn]

Originally posted by The Trooper


Goth??!?!?

 

[Winmar]

hahahahahahahah

 

[AngelWitch73]

Originally posted by phlogiston
It seems to me that metal now is too "wide" now, with too many categories of metal for one band to come along and just totally dominate the scene. It used to me a much more narrow genre, so really good bands could crossover and be popular. Now it seems that even the best new bands can only get a portion of the metal community excited.

In full agreement.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by The Trooper
People at my old school always being like "You're a goth, and you must listen to metal like Slipknot" and then make stupid growly screamy noises, just because I have long hair, jeans and a Megadeth shirt.

Goth??!?!?

Same thing has happened to me on more than one occasion (though my hair is quite short ).

Goth??!? People are so miseducated.