What ANUS have been saying about the newer death/black metal bands

[no country for old wainds]

Anus certainly doesn't disregard the atmosphere/feeling of the music, in fact, I'd say it pays more attention to it than most. It's very difficult to describe an album's abstract 'essence'. Prozak usually briefly describes the mood which creates the aesthetic, be it 'romantic' or 'hateful', 'dark' or 'disconnecting', but he acknowledges that the essence of an album is subject to interpretation and isn't a universal truth, and thus concentrates on describing the music itself - ideas+execution. You can usually presume that the albums he praises are spiritually rewarding in some sense and are on the same wavelength as the site itself, though, seeing as he appreciates art that provides an interesting representation/expression of something he values.

I have the same problem as you though, I often have little idea about what he's trying to say in his reviews, although unlike some of you I believe he is usually making more sense than it would appear (perhaps not linguistically), 'cause I know he's an intelligent guy.

 

[CountSorion]

Some people confuse the two concepts "living" and "existing" when we are talking about metal. Sure, bands release music, but does that mean that the genre is producing anything that is truly relevant at the moment? The scene is stagnant. When an artform has run its course, it is dead from a perspective that measures the artform as art. At the moment this is clearly the case with metal, and thus it's hardly alive anymore, yet still exisiting.

If you view music as entertainment, then the concept "to be alive" receives a new meaning. Entertainment is alive if it merely exists. I guess the confusion in this case originates in the fact that metal can be interpreted as both entertainment and art. If we were talking about dance music, we wouldn't have this discussion. It's obvious for anyone that dance music has no relevance as an artform. Possibly because it never was... (I am not thinking of old folk music here)

I guess this had to be made clear. The ANUS bashers will never be able to understand why, as an example Prozac, thinks metal is dead , if they don't understand what difference it makes if you view music as art or as enterainment. Metal is dead as an artform (unless something drastic happens) but alive as a form of entertainment. Just because bands release new records (that are enjoyable) doesn't mean that they are somehow advancing the genre. Just look at pop music. Most records do nothing but mimic something that has already been done before. New lyrics, some new tricks with the production and a different set of chords doesn't change the fact that they are essentialy the same thing.

 

[skeptik]

That's the case with everything though. Everything becomes stagnant, and then someone or something comes along to rejuvenate it. However, I'm fuckign tired of reincarnation. I consider all music as entertainment. I listen to music because I want to enjoy it, not because I want to gawk at it.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

I guess this had to be made clear. The ANUS bashers will never be able to understand why, as an example Prozac, thinks metal is dead , if they don't understand what difference it makes if you view music as art or as enterainment. Metal is dead as an artform (unless something drastic happens) but alive as a form of entertainment. Just because bands release new records (that are enjoyable) doesn't mean that they are somehow advancing the genre. Just look at pop music. Most records do nothing but mimic something that has already been done before. New lyrics, some new tricks with the production and a different set of chords doesn't change the fact that they are essentialy the same thing.

Metal is the new classical. Metal can be advanced by studying the history and development of classical music.

That's the case with everything though. Everything becomes stagnant, and then someone or something comes along to rejuvenate it. However, I'm fucking tired of reincarnation. I consider all music as entertainment. I listen to music because I want to enjoy it, not because I want to gawk at it.

I somewhat agree with you. However, I would like the art I enjoy to be advanced as opposed to the entertainment. There will always be a new power metal band with a crazy catchy melody that I'll love forever. However, the music which I listen to as art, like brutal death, needs innovation. Arsis came along and opened a new door for death metal with melody, and I think if more bands follow that path(i.e. Intestine Baalism, Fragments of Unbecoming, etc.) melodic death will become hot again. Then again, that's not exactly innovation. Besides, I like melodic death for both art and entertainemnt simultaneously.

I think the notion that metal has exhausted all possible innovation and has become permanently stagnant, or dead, is laughable. Prozak's a smart guy, I agree. But he has no faith.

 

[no country for old wainds]

I think it's more a case of Prozak being bored of metal generally and only wanting truly groundbreaking, boundary-stretching releases rather than just bits of innovation here or there. There's hardly any of those being released nowadays.

 

[Edgecrusher]

I think it's more a case of Prozak being bored of metal generally and only wanting truly groundbreaking, boundary-stretching releases rather than just bits of innovation here or there. There's hardly any of those being released nowadays.

All the good ideas have already been taken, and I think maybe some bands don't want to take the chance of trying and failing to come up with a new concept, so they just kinda go with the flow of what's out there to get their fanbase.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Precisely, although a few excellent recordings over the past few years suggest that there is still a some room for new ideas.

 

[Profanity]

Metal is getting even better in my opinion.

 

[skeptik]

I don't see much room for innovation left, personally. I don't see where else Metal can go that doesn't sound like horse shit.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

Hmmm...let's see.


How about:

clean-vocal death metal

neoclassical NWOBHM - Maiden with 'wrong notes'

newer renditions of industrial death

TRUE rap-metal - never explored to the fullest

acoustic death metal

full-on DM/BM/PM symphonies with true classical style and structure

metal elements being adapted into jazz/classical/funk

 

[Edgecrusher]

Hmmm...let's see.


How about:

clean-vocal death metal

neoclassical NWOBHM - Maiden with 'wrong notes'

newer renditions of industrial death

TRUE rap-metal - never explored to the fullest

acoustic death metal

full-on DM/BM/PM symphonies with true classical style and structure

metal elements being adapted into jazz/classical/funk

Arent you in a band? why not explore some of these?

 

[anonymousnick2001]

I would if anybody else I knew in the real world gave a shit about creating art and pushing boundaries. In the place I live, I'm the resident Prozak.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

That must fucking suck.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

Meh, not really. I know plenty of people who're willing to take chances and open their minds and experiment, but they're not 'metal fans.' They just happen to tolerate and enjoy some metal because they're open-minded and experimental. Anybody I know that claims to be open-minded knows jack about experimenting. They're happy playing arena rock or "I-hate-the-world" metal. So, when it comes to making music, it's a lost cause. But sharing and listening's always fun.

 

[Demilich]

I don't think the resource of "new ideas" has dried up. I don't think that's possible. We've existed for thousands of years, it'd be a bit narrowminded to assume that we've reached the zenith now. We have a lot further to go. People probably say things like this in every age, simply because of how warped hindsight can be.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

In the early 1900's, some composers thought all possible music had been written.

Then we got jazz, country, rock, blues, metal, hiphop, dance, and not to mention minimalist classical ambient electro classical, film scores, and neoclassical.

:Smug:

 

[no country for old wainds]

Just in case some people were forgetting this: Prozak thinks that METAL is dead, not music as a whole.

 

[R.I.P.2]

In the early 1900's, some composers thought all possible music had been written.

In the early 1900s some people believed that everything that could be invented, had been invented.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Just in case some people were forgetting this: Prozak thinks that METAL is dead, not music as a whole.

and I was referring to metal as far as new ideas/innovations.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

In the early 1900s some people believed that everything that could be invented, had been invented.

Haha yeah, I heard that somewhere and laughed so much.