Your input would be appreciated

[dorian gray]

I'm certain there are folks here to listen to WAY more metal (all forms) than I do so I wanted to ask a question. Here it is: why do certain acts/bands/musicians go to great lengths to portray an evil/aggressive/tough image at all times? Two people stand out in my mind right now - Phil Anselmo and Kerry King. Closely related to the tough guys are what I would call goth. I see them all the time in mags like Pit and Terrorizer. They are ALWAYS brooding and dark. How is it possible to live daily life like that? Whats the deal? My Opeth content for this thread is this: I don't recall any Opeth album photos or magazine publicity shots fitting into the above categories. Yeah, their photos are depressing (see BWP) but I would imagine that is more the photographer's skill than Opeth's acting ability. If I didn't like Opeth's music, I would respect them for their attention to quality musicianship and their avoidance of clown-like behavior.

 

[MightyA]

Yeah?

Why don't the guys of Opeth look like Manowar?

How is it possible to live daily life like that? Whats the deal?

Do you seriously think they're always like that?

http://members.tripod.com/~panterasite/bios.gif
http://deborahabbott.com/_debb/images/faces/pantera.jpg
http://www.lalefa.com/musica/pantera/imagenes/phil2.jpg
http://ncscene.com/metalshop/photos/slayer1.jpg
http://www.best-of-phoenix.com/images/kerry.jpg
http://www.americanrecordings.com/slayer/gallery/8455-112001-115109.jpg

Heavy Metal is morbid. No, my name isn't Tyrant.

Opeth try to look like a bunch of prog fags from 70s in their photos.

 

[synergy]

I just hate bands that have to stick to some certain image through their entire career:
eg: cannible corpse with the gore - Dimmu with their flaming spiked pants and evil makeup or whatever the hell they do - and CoF with their whiny little gay midget image...or is that unintentional? And Opeths photos may be depressing, but they still give me the urge to prance around naked in an enchanted forest.....specifically a vast enchanted forest where the surrounding skies are one torn apart by the phenomenon of lightning......

 

[jaykeegan]

Dimmu with their flaming spiked pants and evil makeup or whatever the hell they do

Haha, dimmu. Such a good band.

 

[Miller High Death]

I'm certain there are folks here to listen to WAY more metal (all forms) than I do so I wanted to ask a question. Here it is: why do certain acts/bands/musicians go to great lengths to portray an evil/aggressive/tough image at all times? Two people stand out in my mind right now - Phil Anselmo and Kerry King. Closely related to the tough guys are what I would call goth. I see them all the time in mags like Pit and Terrorizer. They are ALWAYS brooding and dark. How is it possible to live daily life like that? Whats the deal? My Opeth content for this thread is this: I don't recall any Opeth album photos or magazine publicity shots fitting into the above categories. Yeah, their photos are depressing (see BWP) but I would imagine that is more the photographer's skill than Opeth's acting ability. If I didn't like Opeth's music, I would respect them for their attention to quality musicianship and their avoidance of clown-like behavior.

Yeah I know what you're talking about. I don't like the whole image thing either. It is childish that these bands want you to believe they are evil. Black metal is the worst when it comes to image. Your spikes and corpse paint get old real fast. I think some of these people could use to step back into reality and just chill out a little. Just play your music and remember we all walk the same earth.

 

[lord667]

Probably because they want to. Here's another brain-teaser: why do many people who "don't care about a band's image" (not any of the posters in this thread necessarily) carp about bands' images, and give preferential treatment to bands who have a "non-image" (i.e. never wear ANYTHING except 'regular Joe' clothes)?

 

[TheFourthHorseman]

Yeah I know what you're talking about. I don't like the whole image thing either. It is childish that these bands want you to believe they are evil. Black metal is the worst when it comes to image. Your spikes and corpse paint get old real fast. I think some of these people could use to step back into reality and just chill out a little. Just play your music and remember we all walk the same earth.

Stop talking out of your ass. Obviously corpse paint, spikes and the stuff aren't a necessity in black metal, but that sub-genre happens to rely a lot on atmosphere. Obviously the way you portray your music live and in pictures adds up to that.
Now, I think you're the one who could use a step back into reality. You think the black metal guys wear corpse paint, armors and spikes all and every day? Granted, Dan Swanö did mention some black metal band he recorded wearing the armors and stuff in studio, but they gave up on it when they realized no-one was going to come there anyway. Black metal can we hilarious for an outsider (or/and an insider), but it's just lame to go around complaining about the image.
The image is a part of the music. Deal with it.
This "remember we all walk the same earth" shit has nothing to do with the whole subject at hand.

Although, I'm glad they have caused your petty mind such trouble.


To the thread starter, probably half the people you think "portray an evil/aggressive/tough image at all times" are people who fit the society more or less properly, and don't go around burning churches (anymore), killing Jesus (anymore), or getting drunk all day (you guessed it, except Phil Anselmo).

 

[Miller High Death]

Stop talking out of your ass. Obviously corpse paint, spikes and the stuff aren't a necessity in black metal, but that sub-genre happens to rely a lot on atmosphere. Obviously the way you portray your music live and in pictures adds up to that.
Now, I think you're the one who could use a step back into reality. You think the black metal guys wear corpse paint, armors and spikes all and every day? Granted, Dan Swanö did mention some black metal band he recorded wearing the armors and stuff in studio, but they gave up on it when they realized no-one was going to come there anyway. Black metal can we hilarious for an outsider (or/and an insider), but it's just lame to go around complaining about the image.
The image is a part of the music. Deal with it.
This "remember we all walk the same earth" shit has nothing to do with the whole subject at hand.

Although, I'm glad they have caused your petty mind such trouble.


To the thread starter, probably half the people you think "portray an evil/aggressive/tough image at all times" are people who fit the society more or less properly, and don't go around burning churches (anymore), killing Jesus (anymore), or getting drunk all day (you guessed it, except Phil Anselmo).

Over reaction perhaps? Chill out, really. Just because I think the whole corpse paint thing is a bit tiring at this point doesn't mean I don't like black metal or that I won't buy it. Some of these bands do a good job at the whole image thing but most just look rediculous. I haven't lost any sleep over it and didn't even really think about it till this thread was created. And yes I know that they don't wear the spikes and corpse paint all day.

Does cutting down on other make you proud? Really, we are all metal heads here, there is no need for the personal attacks.

 

[indian_metalhead]

I know this is kind of random, but reading this reminded me of this thread:

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115357

 

[Demilich]

Okay, so many people seem to agree here that being concerned with image is a bad thing. It has been raised in this thread already that directly avoiding dressing in any way that would lead people to label you as image-based is using image as performance just as much as being overly concerned with image. The point of this post is to express my opinion that if you like something, wear it, whether it is representative of a type of image or not. We can't be so afraid of one extreme that we jump right to the other one without thinking where our feet are gonna fall.

 

[TheFourthHorseman]

That was a really smart post, but I don't totally understand what you mean with the last sentence.

 

[Nico]

I'll go along with what IAmEternal said

 

[dorian gray]

thanks for the thoughts everyone. i think i irriated a couple people though. i didnt mean to say that certain acts ALWAYS look this was or act that way. Im sure that when the nerds in dimmu borgir or whatever are heading to bed, they are wearing pajamas - probably not embedded with spikes. i was just curious as to WHY certain musicans find it necessary to portray an image in EVERY single damn publicity spot. i am all for looking any way you want and living any kind of lifestyle you want but why do certain people feel the need to portray a tough-ass image? i can also understand the corpse paint and spiked pants of certain black metal acts but its just kind of embarrasing. i GUARANTEE i could kick everyone in slayers ass at the same time so why do they have to be so tough acting? same for pantera. sorry guys, you arent tough. i dont go around looking or acting like a bad-ass motherfucker, for one thing, i have other things to do, but i also know there are guys who could give me a serious beat down. my point is that there is a high degree of phoniness in music and phoniness in any respect, is not cool. furthermore, for the above poster who stated that dimmu has to wear spiked pants because thats the genre (paraphrase) - does that mean i shouldnt take their music seriously? thats what i think when i see them dressed up as clowns.

 

[kno talint]

"i GUARANTEE i could kick everyone in slayers ass at the same time" :Smug:
hmmm...sounds like your the one acting tough now. maybe 1 or 2, but all of them at the same time? heh, anywho, yea i agree the whole image thing makes the music less credible. its hard to take a band seriously, when they look like idiots... so there goes most of the black metal genre. then again, theres bands such as emperor, mayhem, dissection, etc. in which band members have actually killed people. so yea...i guess those guys really are evil :Spam: (just like this evil can of spam)

 

[osse87]

Let's not forget, people who kill are idiots, not only do the look like them.

 

[MightyA]

This thread is full of incoherent sentences.

 

[adnilem]

This MightyA is full of smart-ass coments

 

[stringy]

I try not to look at band pictures. I have no idea why, I just do. I find I can appreciate the music a lot more not knowing what the musicians themselves look like.

"What the fuck" you say? Yeah I know. It is weird, just an old habit I guess.

 

[mot-]

Exactly, i find myself doing the same.

 

[Korlich]

Personally I don´t care much for what image a band has. What bothers me though is what they use it for. Like Dimmu playing the big antichrists when it has nothing to do with reality and really is only a media stunt to get more fans (who said Marilyn Manson?). It´s also kind of anoying that these "band images" are reflected in the song writing. I´m tired of the fact that almost all BM bands write about slaying christians or praising the devil or whatever. First of all it´s NOT very original since they all do it and always has. Secondly it would be nice to keep religion out of songs since IMO that should have nothing to do with writing music because religion is a personal question. And it ALWAYS end up with the band trying to impose religious belifes down on you, whether it´s satanism or christianity or nordic religion etc.

Under these circumstances I really enjoy Opeth steping away from that and keeping the focus on quality song writing and pushing musical boundaries.