Metal Reviews

i disagree, everyone i know who like bands worth supporting are like that as well

Right, there are others, but I just have to look to my friends to know that those that download outnumber those that buy like 10 to 1.

But even those of us that buy albums fall into the trap of downloading. I mean, I just—like last month—finally bought In Flames' Reroute To Remain and Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos. Those are two albums I liked right away, but I downloaded them and burned them to CD and for years that's how they stayed. I always wanted to buy them, but since I'd heard them already I always found something else to buy.

Downloading is just too easy. It's like free money. If you see $20 on the ground are you not going to pick it up because you didn't earn it? Fuck no! Are you not going to download a CD because you didn't pay for it? Fuck no! Are you then going to buy it if you do download it and like it? If I had to wager a number I'd say at least 75% of people who download albums do not buy them.

Eyesore, I do think you may be onto something. Even though the number of people downloading music has declined quite a bit since the RIAA took serious action, it's still a pretty common thing. I don't think any music fan can honestly claim to never being guilty of it (at which the RIAA might as well just take every single music fan in the country to court). So yeah, I do think downloading music is part of what's killing the industry.

Though in Sepultura's case, I kind of doubt music downloading was a big factor (a small factor at most). The release of Dante XXI was so mute. So quiet. Especially being Sepultura's first real concept album (and you know how those are often hyped to the sky). Though I have to admit, that crappy cover art certainly didn't help.

Right now, Sepultura is the kind of band that is basically out of the mainstream, out of the public consciousness, etc. but still has their small and dedicated fanbase. And apparently, they're happy enough with it to keep moving forward despite both lackluster sales and generally lackluster reviews from the press. You actually have to admire that.

Eyesore is right that even those of us that say we listen and then buy what we like have trouble living up to our standards. I'm sure I'm not the only person here that has 30+ albums downloaded they really like and that they keep telling themselves "I will buy the albums someday". Does that hurt the bands I like, probably not much. But that still doesn't make it a good thing. I'd like to have the disposable income to buy every album I enjoy, and hopefully that will happen someday.

Please Eyesore do not become the next Lars and bitch about downloading like he did with Napster.

You can't assume that poor album sales is due to downloading there are other factors like lack of marketing,change of style of a band that hardcore fans refuse to buy and other factors.

Plus you also have to understand that here in the states metal albums aren't going to be big sellers unless they are marketed on MTV or other media.If it aint on MTV it's not going to get noticed very well.

By the way if I download it's because I want to see if I like the album or not like I downloaded Hammerfall's Chapter V and I liked it a lot so I bought the album.

I support downloading only to see if a person likes the album or not we are entitled to buy an album that is good and not being stuck with a lemon but downloading an album,liking the album but not buying I do not support.

In actual fact, I am currently spending approximately the same amount on music as I ever was- despite downloading a lot. What I do feel slightly guilty about sometimes is that I never re-buy something I've downloaded. So for example, someone may upload an album by band x for me. I like it, and I hear that band y are similar. So I may go buy band y's album, but it's extremely unlikely I will ever buy band x's. I do feel bad sometimes, but like Eyesore said, it's free money... I'm not saying no to that.

But like I said, I'm still spending as much on music as I was, just a wider range of it, and I'm listening to a lot more in addition. But yeah, I agree with Eyesore that there are way too many people that just don't buy records anymore.

For this reason I'm kinda glad I can't do P2P... The temptation would just be way too much for me, and all I'd get out of it would be a vast mp3 collection and a lot of guilt. At the moment I'm limited to the free download thread at metal archives and anything uploaded for me by Stefan and Misha

As Rio said, I feel bad about downloading. I much prefer having the real album than a few MP3s, and generally can find out whether or not I'd like an album without having to download the whole thing. Eyesore's right, really, downloading is killing music, even though it helps you find new bands, yadda yadda. Do we owe the music industry something? OF course, even if they are greedy bastards obsessed with money-making. If things go on this way, the situation will get even worse...

I'm more worried about the fate of independant music stores. My wife's parents own which she works in. Downloading cuts out the distributors, who in turn lose their income.


By the way, WASP suck live.

I'm in the same boat as rio, more or less. One thing I do feel bad about is when I'm using P2P, people who you just know don't ever buy music are taking files from you.

I agree with you Eyesore even though I download a lot and buy less. Through download I discovered most of the albums I now own but the list is growing quicker than what I can afford. Buying the original is more rewarding than mp3 and I've realized that a long time ago and will start to buy more once I have a steady income.

I actually live up to my own standards of sampling via downloads and buying the art of the select few worthy acts (who probably don't care anyway, since their primary income is likely to be their day jobs). The bands that release mediocre albums, that I would have bought unknowingly before the glorious time of downloading, do not deserve my money anyway. There is no point in paying good money for an album that ends up collecting dust when it can be avioded. Those bands can go out of business for all I care. My tears would be dry if bands like Sepultura had to quit because of downloading. If they released albums worth buying it wouldn't happen.

I haven't heard the new Sepultura but I'm just talking about the general principle.

Hails to you!

Hmmm, interesting discussion. A lot of different views here

I dont think i need to mention that Sepultura was a bad example to use, other people have already mentioned that, so i'll move on

Yes, i download music, been doing it for a while. But like some of the others have said, its for 3 reasons

1: to hear the album before going out and purchasing it. I need to know whether i'll like it or not. Why buy an album that you are going to hate? If i do like it, then i do buy it, when i have the money. As an example, i downloaded Majesty's Hellforces just to hear what the album was like. Love it and bought the album a week later and deleted the mp3's.

2. To discover new music. If i'm on a forum like this, and someone mentions a band that i have never heard of, but the description sounds like something i'd like, i search for them and download their music to hear for myself. I just did that with "Bloodbound". Now i shall be buying the album cause i liked it.

3. Sometimes, certain labels dont distribute to certain countries and it is impossible to get it in stores. Some albums may even be so unknown, you cannot buy it online either. Therefore, downloading is the last option.

I will admit, that i have downloaded albums, listened to them and didnt think it would be worth purchasing, so i keep the mp3's and transfer them to disk. I see it this way. It doesnt matter what way i heard the album. Either way, i wouldnt have liked it enough to buy it, so i'm hurting no one.

One good thing about downloading is that the bands are getting world wide exposure. I see some metal band websites that are giving you the whole song to download, not just 30 sec samples. They want you to spread the word with their music, and what better way than P2P.

I must agree however, that there are a shitload of people that will just download everything in sight and will never buy anything, even if they do like whatever they have downloaded. Maybe they are lazy or dont want to spend their money or have no money.

And also agree that 2P2 would be having some effect on independant music stores. That is where it is disappointing, cause the metal store we have here in Melbourne has everything you can ask for in metal and it would be a massive shame if they were to close their doors.

Like someone else said, my purchases of metal albums hasnt changed since i've started downloading. I still go out and buy those albums and always delete the mp3's afterwards.

So for me, downloading is mainly "Try before you buy"

But at the risk of sounding like an industry tool, is it really fair to say that someone who has dedicated their life to playing music should not receive any financial reward?

Of course it's not. All these krieg fuckers would much rather make money than not (the sane ones).

And what's all this "fuck Sepultura" shit? They deserve to be as big as Metallica, they've been a lot more consistant than them.

No fucker deserves anything, it's not even as if Sepultura show signs of being good musicians. I'm sure they get plenty of money for having all their various stuff rereleased, live albums and that they actually stand some chance of coming out ahead on tours unlike most people. most bands don't get popular or kvlt enough to consider releasing live albums so I'm sure they're not exactly living out of each other's pockets.

Sure, but comparing them to a band like Metallica that throw shit-fits when people download their music, there's a definate difference. And I disagree about the "good musicians", Igor and Andreas are pretty technical...

:?

Both have gone from consistently good to consistently bad.

But this is my point: how many copies did St Anger sell in the first week? A hell of a lot more than Dante did, and (I know it's hard to believe...) which is a better album. And switch "bad" for "average".

there must be some reviewers out there giving positive scores to things like St. Anger.. that plus the fact that mista Hetfield might personally show up at your door with a meat cleaver if you choose to download the shit. heeeere's jamie

i feel like a fag for reviewing the Cult of Luna, how do these mainstream reviews live with themselves? is it something to do with horrible taste?