Metal Reviews

Just some thoughtsa I had. If you don't agree with them feel free to abuse me preferrably using the word CUNTOXEN.


Why it's important for Metallica to make even mediocre Metal albums

Death Magnetic was a good album for Metallica but in all reality it was a mediocre album by general Metal standards. Beyond Magentic EP was actually much better.

But I'm happy with Metallica making even mediocre Metal albums cause it somehow makes the world feel right.

Metallica aren't even close to being my favourite band (Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Iced Earth, Nevermore, Carcass, Edge of Sanity, Bathory, Pantera, Dark Tranquillity, Blind Guardian, Atheist, Slayer, Anthrax, early The Haunted etc etc all rank equal or higher).

But Metallica are the commercial kings of metal. They were the first Metal band I liked. They are what many people think Metal is about. In some ways they connect Metal to the rest of the world as Metal's ambassador in more mainstream markets.

So having Metallica make Metal is like a security blanket. It means the world is spinning properly.


Phil Anselmo

Sure the guy is a junkie wanker, but he does have a true passion for heavy music.

I think Phil has done more for promoting extreme music than many other musicians. He pushed Pantera into extreme territory in the mid 1990s. He's done lots of extreme projects including Black Metal.

And he has always talked about his love for heavy music in mainstream magazines.

I think Phil has enriched Metal, especially with DOWN and Pantera and I am glad he's still around making killer music.

Why we need Commercial Shit Pseudo Metal

Sure Korn and Limp Bizkit etc are utter shit. Sure Extreme weren't that extreme. Sure Bon Jovi's contribution to Metal is having something that one can play in front of their girl friend. Sure Axl Rose is a fucktard.

But I think Commercial Shit Pseudo Metal plays an important role in Metal. It is the gateway drug into heavier things.

I started on Poison, then Guns N Roses, then Metallica, then Iron Maiden/Megadeth, then Sepultura/Slayer/Pantera and then Morbid Angel/Carcass/Atheist.

Younger guys I knew who are into metal started off with Nu-metal ala Disturbed/System of a Down/Rage Against The Machine, then got into Slipknot/Fear Factory and then into Black Metal or Goregrind.

And some Commercial Shit Pseudo Metal is actually decent to listen to. And some it is more extreme than some of the True genres (e.g. compare Slipknot to Euro Power Metal or the Symphonic Girl Metal ala the band with that red headed chick Simone Simmons)

Is Metal getting too far from Metal?

I've noticed that a lot of the big names in metal (Mastadon, Opeth, Devin Townsend and even Enslaved) are getting further and further from Metal.

They're evolving into other things not entirely connected to Metal. Going from Prog Death Metal to 1970s Folk or from demented Sludge Metal to prog rock isn't exactly furthering the cause of metal.

These bands are allowed to do as they please but I'm surprised they're still labelled as metal and embraced as leaders in the genre by the community despite no longer being metal.

Shouldn't the big names in Metal be about riffs and heavy shit and Metal?

Ironically the older big names are still churning out heavier stuff than the new big names many of whom have toned down considerably. Many of the older big names have also reembraced Metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Fear Factory, Machine Head etc) after periods of wondering through the Nu-metal/Hard Rock.

Interestingly enough it's ok for Opeth to turn 1970s rock but not for Metallica to turn Blues-rock. Go figure.

Above point has nothing to do with bands but rather everything to do with the fans.

That new Phil Anselmo split is pretty solid.

"compare Slipknot to Euro Power Metal or the Symphonic Girl Metal" Oh no, you didn' !

Death Magnetic is good metal album, not mediocre.

I liked it but there were some niggling issues with sound quality that really hamper it. I prefer the sound on Beyond Magnetic EP.

And yes I confirmed Slipknot to Euro Power Metal ala Kamelot (I know they're American), and Symphonic Girly Metal stuff ala Epica and Nightwish.

A lot of stuff regarded as legitimate metal these days is often closer to pop music than metal.

CUNTOXEN. On a more serious note, I agree with most of what you have to say.

I agree, this is a retarded double standard. I like both of these bands excursions into non-metal. Having said that, Opeth are much more musically diverse and interesting, which might have an effect on why it is more accepted.

Yeah, that. Also, better songwriters, better musicians, and a far better album produced that doesn't scream of seeking mainstream kudos...

Direct hit.

It's still a double standard.

And it's also personal preference - I'd rather listen to Metallica's Load than Opeth's folk stuff anyday.

And that is the bottom line for you here. I didn't care for Heritage either but I understand why there is a double standard.

The double standard is hypocritical though. It should all come down to the music really.

Though personally I don't care much for rebranding - if I listen to Band X because they're a super awesome Thrash band I don't really want them to become a Hard Rock band or Death Metal band or Pop band.

Though personally I don't regard heavy metal as art but rather as an entertainment product.

Generally if I like a band I like whatever they do regardless of genre.

wrong thread.

I don't know if I have anything definitive to say bands evolving their sound. Sometimes bands change and I continue to like them (Enslaved, Sonata Arctica, Grand Magus, Avantasia, Mastodon) and sometimes I don't. Generally I am more concerned with quality than style.

There will always be another band to come along anyhow.

Agreed. Just let artists be artists, and if they don't meet your expectations then press on. God knows there is always another band waiting in the wings.

My thoughts exactly.

if a bands sound improves for the better like Death's sound did I have no issue but when a bands sound changes for the worse like Metallica I don't view that as a good thing for metal, the only way our genre can survive is by putting out quality music, not by abandoning the things that make us stand out from the mainstream genres

Metal survives regardless though.

not necessarily, as pop influence becomes more prevalent in metal those features which make it unique will begin to disappear so that metal dies and a new hybrid genre is born

I think pop influences are more prevalent when the genre is popular - e.g. Glam, Nu Metal or Euro Synth Pop Metal.

The best stuff originates in the underground where it stews in it's own little cesspit, generally isolated from the mainstream music community.