zedowns
Member
Cool. Their latest album was actually ranked really high on rateyourmusic.com's 2011 list for a while which surprised the shit out of me. It actually scared me off too since the users there don't usually have very good taste.
US touring halted?
- Thread starter adaher
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Cool. Their latest album was actually ranked really high on rateyourmusic.com's 2011 list for a while which surprised the shit out of me. It actually scared me off too since the users there don't usually have very good taste.
Jasonic
Doom On!
LOL, I have been trying that on every forum for MANY years.
It's always met with, "Jason, no one cares about those bands you like" LOL!!!
Let's face it. There are many metalheads who like to go with what is "socially acceptable." DragonForce for a while were socially acceptable to the general public. Sonata Arctica never were nor never will be. Certainly has nothing to do with their talent. It will just never be hip for a 16 year old kid to walk the mall with a tshirt with a wolf running through the snow on it.
And people, PLEASE don't take this too personally, but many of you here have admitted MANY times (and though I haven't been to the fest, I have participated on this very forum for what, about 8 years?) that anything outside of your core listening habits only comes from what might be booked at Prog Power. I would say WHILE HEAVEN WEPT was a perfect example. While I am not a fan, many people here have recommended them for years which was met with lukewarm responses from most. Of course that changed once WHW were put on the bill which increased their "social acceptability" for some. It's not a knock. It's human nature to want to be in the "in crowd".
Back on topic, the majority of US power metal bands were never hip, nor have been given the opportunity to get in front of more of a mass audience. Maybe this is why their fans love them SO much because it has always been more of a kvlt thing. Its the reason why festivals catering to these bands draw in the 300 range, as opposed to 1,000+. There seems to be more of an appreciation for it, esp with the younger crowd.
Should be interesting to see how things play out these next couple of years.
DuchessOfDork
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WHW is a good example. These guys can play huge shows in Europe, but not in the US. However, you get one of these big Euro metal bands to play in the US, and people really want to see them. Is it because they're from Europe? Maybe they figure they've always got the chance to see these American bands, so why bother? I do not know! But there's a bunch of American bands that play similarly to the bands that are mentioned here often, and as far as I know, they don't sell out their shows. Yet a Euro band with similar style will visit and people will come from miles around to see them. (as long as they're not overbooked, that is.)
I feel like this is a case of not appreciating what's right in front of you.
TribunalRecords
Record Label(s)/Vocalist
Well, DAMN! I was hoping you, of all people, could get them over here. Love them. Cheese to the max.
Jasonic
Doom On!
Yeah, no doubt that is a LARGE part of it.
I mean, TROUBLE can play some pretty big shows in Europe, but I have seen them play in their own hometown in front of 50 people.
Well, maybe we should just consider this.......
ENUFF ZNUFF sells out arenas in JAPAN, but couldn't sell out the bathroom at McDonald's in the US.
Jasonic
Doom On!
No, I know what he was saying.
My point was more to showcase that interest in PM must be declining overall, even in this circle, if such a statement could be made without much disagreement, ya know????
Sonata Arctica never were nor never will be. Certainly has nothing to do with their talent. It will just never be hip for a 16 year old kid to walk the mall with a tshirt with a wolf running through the snow on it.QUOTE]
Glad my son has never cared about being hip.
SA has really tried over here. Several tours, supported Nightwish, supported Dragonforce. There just isn't enough of an audience over here to make it work, no matter how good these bands are.
I've been to too many shows here in Dallas - Blind Guardian, Kamelot, Symphony X - with probably no more than 500 people to know the score.
dcowboys311
Member
I do find it kind of odd that so many people consider 400-500 a 'bad' turnout. These things aren't unique to metal. It's not like every indie rock band, emo band, rapper, whatever draws in the thousands night after night after night. The vast majority do as well/badly as metal bands. These tours aren't special by any means.
AngraRULES
Member
You CLEARLY has never heard of this shirt before:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/The-Mountain-Three-Short-Sleeve/dp/B000NZW3KC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344277088&sr=8-3&keywords=wolf+shirt[/ame]
The reviews speak for it.
Agreed.
I'd be on cloud nine if 400+ people ever turned out to see my band. "Only" 500 people at a single show is pretty successful.
You guys are talking about more obscure power metal bands. I mean we know them because of this festival, but average joe is going to go "who"?
I mean it's just the perception of metal in the states in general. I wore my Iron Maiden shirt to work and a lot of people ask, "they are still together?"
Power metal is closer to 80's metal than anything, and there is still that stigma that it died in the 90's with grunge.
It's true that Maiden drew a good crowd in Atlanta this year. I also saw them in Texas with Dream Theater where they played mostly new material.
Being in the audience I can tell you that more than one Maiden fan when home disappointed because they didn't play more "classics".
It's almost as if they saying, "it can't possibly be good, it wasn't done in the 80's".
Of course Maiden's more recent work is very well accepted in other countries, because apparently they don't have that negative stigma attached.
So the question is, how do you overcome that? And it's been a question I have had for years since I started listening to this stuff and tried to get others into it.
Maybe venue's that specialize in power and prog metal, but then you would need some kind of airplay to let people hear the bands.
Honestly, i'm just going to be happy to see Symphony X play on a decent stage and one that they deserve.
I just think the problem is a bias that this genre just can't seem to get out from under.
And yes, the music is deserving and deserves better. Honestly if progpower usa was not here, the following would be even smaller.
But, how do you get mainstream attention when you have the stigma to overcome? I think that coverage of prog power in some way would help, but it would need to be something like Rolling Stone (good luck with that)...I don't even like that magazine.
But you guys see what I am saying...
The fact that XM will not do a progressive or power metal station is very telling.
I mean it's just the perception of metal in the states in general. I wore my Iron Maiden shirt to work and a lot of people ask, "they are still together?"
Power metal is closer to 80's metal than anything, and there is still that stigma that it died in the 90's with grunge.
It's true that Maiden drew a good crowd in Atlanta this year. I also saw them in Texas with Dream Theater where they played mostly new material.
Being in the audience I can tell you that more than one Maiden fan when home disappointed because they didn't play more "classics".
It's almost as if they saying, "it can't possibly be good, it wasn't done in the 80's".
Of course Maiden's more recent work is very well accepted in other countries, because apparently they don't have that negative stigma attached.
So the question is, how do you overcome that? And it's been a question I have had for years since I started listening to this stuff and tried to get others into it.
Maybe venue's that specialize in power and prog metal, but then you would need some kind of airplay to let people hear the bands.
Honestly, i'm just going to be happy to see Symphony X play on a decent stage and one that they deserve.
I just think the problem is a bias that this genre just can't seem to get out from under.
And yes, the music is deserving and deserves better. Honestly if progpower usa was not here, the following would be even smaller.
But, how do you get mainstream attention when you have the stigma to overcome? I think that coverage of prog power in some way would help, but it would need to be something like Rolling Stone (good luck with that)...I don't even like that magazine.
But you guys see what I am saying...
The fact that XM will not do a progressive or power metal station is very telling.
When Sonata played here in spring 2010, the place wasn't that full, but Tony actually said "this is the biggest crowd we've played to here" on stage. A surprising statement, but, if true certainly suggested more positive than negative.
DuchessOfDork
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I very much agree with you, but the only way for this to change is for people to actually support the local power/prog metal bands that they like. I know too many who think they don't have the time/money to attend local shows, but will travel to see Euro bands. Well, how do you expect Euro bands to even want to come to the US when we don't even support our own artists?
(Please believe me, I'm not just bitching for the sake of my own band... XD I see this happen to a lot of my fellow musicians!)
dcowboys311
Member
I disagree with this entirely. My support of local Atlanta metal bands doesn't really have much of an impact on bands in New York, Idaho, or Finland. Finberg isn't booking his latest tours based on how many people came out to see Mangled in a pizza joint. And contrary to the spirit of this thread, Euro bands do tour the states. A lot. Maybe not the 4 or 5 bands OP wants to see, but that's life! There will always be that missing strike on your band bucket list....
People in Europe have this same problem with US bands all the time but the fact is, not every band can hit every city on every tour. Just not feasible and never will be.
DuchessOfDork
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I can guarantee you that if Mangled and friends sold out that pizza joint, moved up to bigger venues, and people actually came, it would effect how people see the US in terms of metal. I'm willing to bet that if we saw bands like Seven Kingdoms, Anubis Gate, Division, While Heaven Wept, and Burning Shadows play to full houses in the US, we would start to see more European bands look toward us as a market willing to pay to go to metal shows.
You've got to give all these American bands a chance. No band is born famous, and even those bands that are suddenly signed to a label without ever having put out an album often won't be huge successes. They've got to build an audience, and if you want there to be a big metal audience in the US, you've got to get up and be a part of it.
Hmm, I know of Theocracy as far as a good usa power metal band. Most of the bands I have seen open up for Euro bands have been incredibly generic (just my opinion).
It used to be about radio and getting a DJ to give a band a chance. Case in point I think the new Circus Maximus CD has a few tracks that would probably go over well mainstream, but how do you get them airplay. I don't even know if radio is relevant for this anymore. I used to think that movie soundtracks might be a good way to break some of these bands. Ugh, it makes my brain tired...
And lets say for the sake of arguement that some radio jock spun say Reach Within from CM, and it got really freakin popular. Then you would have people upset because it's not "their band" anymore and they would be called sell outs and...now I have a headache.
It used to be about radio and getting a DJ to give a band a chance. Case in point I think the new Circus Maximus CD has a few tracks that would probably go over well mainstream, but how do you get them airplay. I don't even know if radio is relevant for this anymore. I used to think that movie soundtracks might be a good way to break some of these bands. Ugh, it makes my brain tired...
And lets say for the sake of arguement that some radio jock spun say Reach Within from CM, and it got really freakin popular. Then you would have people upset because it's not "their band" anymore and they would be called sell outs and...now I have a headache.
DuchessOfDork
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I'd like to hope people aren't stupid enough to play the hipster. Hell, I was uber happy when Sabaton got enough success to tour the US! I wanted to see them so bad and now that they have a nice US fanbase, I can do that. Why WOULDN'T you want the band you like to have success? So silly.
Symphony X has put out how many albums?
Remember that comment I made about seeing them in the states on a decent stage?
They are that "OTHER" band from New Jersey.
They have to go overseas for a decent crowd.
Remember that comment I made about seeing them in the states on a decent stage?
They are that "OTHER" band from New Jersey.
They have to go overseas for a decent crowd.
dcowboys311
Member
Isn't that what already happens with bands and how headliners are born? Bands like Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Job for a Cowboy, High on Fire, really any headlining-size band in the US. All that means is more people are going to come out to Mastodon, BTBAM, JFAC, and High on Fire shows. Not that the public's interest in supporting bands they don't know from different continents is all of a sudden peaked. Local bands being popular locally =/= a thriving country-wide scene.
Look, I'm not shooting down supporting your local scene. I go to probably 2-3 local shows a month. But it's not going to make Bolt Thrower come over here.
DuchessOfDork
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Not if you're the only person who goes. But if more people would put their money where their mouth is and actually support the scene that they love, you might find a different situation. Like, for example, there's a reason why so many Euro metal bands used to come to Jaxx. They knew they had a venue and an audience. If there were more places out there with built-in audiences, the way Jaxx used to be, it would be more profitable for Euro bands to visit.
