Why the New Wave of Heavy (Mainstream) Metal is bad for metal

[hibernal_dream]

Mastodon is complex? Unless Blood Mountain made some huge changes, I must have been listening to some other band called "Mastodon" who has albums titled Remission and Leviathan

 

[Necro Joe]

Well they did take it up a couple of notches on Blood Mountain but both their other records still have noticably technical and intricate parts. Just not in a showy, pointless way.

 

[VittraEternity]

wow, highly intelligent post there

you have the maturity of a 5 year old

...and the 'big' words of a 7 yr old.

 

[Killbot]

Well they did take it up a couple of notches on Blood Mountain but both their other records still have noticably technical and intricate parts. Just not in a showy, pointless way.

Brann Dailor does some very complex stuff on the drums, but it's not always noticable because they don't make a big thing of it.

 

[The Heartbreak Kid]

wow, highly intelligent post there

you have the maturity of a 5 year old

Look in the mirror

 

[Teh Grimace]

i never leave the social threads.


one time i do, and this is what i get.


fuck you all.




...




good article, tho.

it's my 22nd birthday tommorow.

 

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Is there something wrong with ripping it out of bigdave? Happy Birthday for then. Should probably go in the social thread.....

 

[Chairshot]

I can't really can't see Mastodon lighting the world of mainstream music on fire, and that's in no way a knock on them as they're one of my alltime favorite bands. But as this thread is kind of proving, people either love them or hate them, without much room in between.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

actually, it seems like most people either really enjoy mastodon or are indifferent to it

 

[cookiecutter]

actually, it seems like most people either really enjoy mastodon or are indifferent to it

I hate them.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Well bands of other styles have existed in the mainstream while pushing boundaries and without compromising their creativity so why can't a metal band do the same? The reason for Mastodon's huge popularity is that they (like Faith No More before them) write diverse, imaginative songs that also happen to be accessible to more than just metal fans. They don't need to change to become popular and implying that they will seems a lot like suggesting that all metal bands are fundamentally incapable of existing in the mainstream not because they're incompatible with it, but just because they lack willpower and business savvy.

Yeah I pretty much agree with you re. Mastodon. They seem to me to be the odd band out in that article to be honest, as they're a band that are able to retain musical integrity and also be hugely popular. I don't think they are anywhere near as accessible as Faith No More though. Lamb of God and Shadows Fall, on the other hand, already have commercial-fm radio-rock choruses and it wouldn't be a huge step for them to sell out completely.

But how do you market bands 'better' except by helping them sell more records? It still seems like he's suggesting less exposure be given to these bands rather than a different approach be taken altogether.

I think if "less exposure" equals less over-hype and over-saturation then yeah that probably is what he's suggesting. Better marketing would equal a more moderate approach surely, with more spread out exposure to more bands instead of just concentrating on "the big three" or whatever. It sounds like crazy talk because it never happens. The "tried & true" method is to go mental on a select few bands until the masses are sick of them and sick of that style, and then it's time for some new fad to flog.

 

[Hatebreeder]

I just listened to "Leviathan" last night and loved it. First time in a while I didn't fall asleep while listening to music (seeing as I do this after midnight each night). I love the drums.

 

[walkinbazooka]

Too bad Lamb of God's not metal...

 

[Matt]

I just listened to "Leviathan" last night and loved it. First time in a while I didn't fall asleep while listening to music (seeing as I do this after midnight each night). I love the drums.

I have "Tenticles of Whorror". I can't get into it for some reason.

 

[skeptik]

He was talking about the Mastodon album.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

I just listened to "Leviathan" last night and loved it. First time in a while I didn't fall asleep while listening to music (seeing as I do this after midnight each night). I love the drums.

brann dailor drumming - amazing!! - YouTube - The Making of Blood Mountain : EPISODE 4