Metal Reviews

If I could be so bold as to interject briefly?

I think we're all agreed Mastodon have gone progressive...yes?

Well, it's fair to say that not since approximately 1975 has progressive rock been comercially sucessful.

Just because they've gone "softer" doesn't automatically mean they've gone commercial. Soft, complex progressive music can easily be more challenging than straighforward heavy music.

With all due respect, I don't buy your interpretation of this for a second. Still Life was a 'softer album' then their first Roadrunner album, Ghost Reveries. Another pre-RR album, Blackwater Park, saw Opeth seeking the input of producer in Steve Wilson who fronted a more popular and 'softer' band. Don't forget 'Damnation' was released before they switched labels, either. Yes, 'Watershed' was a bit on the soft side, and for that reason I wouldn't be surprised with 'Deliverance' type album next. Roadrunner would be incredibly stupid to interfere with uniquely talented and egotistical Akerfeldt; to tamper with a band which gives it 'credibility' and likes jumping labels would be foolish.

Judging by what I can make of Akerfeldt's personality and how he did an acoustic song for the Gods of War EP probably because they expected brootal metulz from him, I'd say he'd react fairly unpleasantly to creative interference.



imo it was pretty slow. It's not like they suddenly dropped the growling and started writing poppy choruses; they've slowly gotten less violent from Remission to Leviathan, Leviathan to Blood Mountain, BM to the new one. I'd imagine they'd have gone on exactly the same path if they hadn't gotten popular since to me it sounds like the natural progression of musicians getting older. Getting less aggressive is a common trend to almost all bands, whether they're popular or not, metal or not, etc.

As for why the change is seen as progression, it could be because repeating yourself is looked down on by most music fans, so change is viewed positively. Also agree with the people saying that most of the bands you listed haven't been praised much for their softening, especially Metallica, Soilwork and In Flames.

Others have addressed other points, so I'll just say that it seems a bit of a claim to say that 'niche' bands can make a comfortable living. Wasn't there an interview with Soilwork's guitarist where he said the band are barely making any money? Even relatively mainstream metal like Chimaira struggle to make a living, despite being on Roadrunner in their time, and I'm pretty sure that Bolt Thrower have day jobs.

And Korn haven't got softer that I can see. Maybe I'm missing some nuance in 'DUNH DUNH DUNH whine' over the years, but that new Oildale song seems like it could have come from the early albums - comparing them with Opeth and saying the two have a similar path is bonkers.

What can I say, my cynical soul still has some hippy light and optimism in it.

When I got out of the mental institution I was listening to Funeral Mist and black metal and other crazy metal because I was screwed in the head and on a bunch of drugs.

Now I listen to Jose Gonzales because I'm not a crazy teenager anymore.

Pretty simple. People grow up, they mature, they get tired of a wall of noise blasting at them every second of the day.

Something tells me you haven't matured.

Ok, Misha

I don't think changing musical tastes has anything to do with maturity.

Heck, I listen to heavier stuff now that I am 30 then when I was 16. Since then I've gone from being a drunken lout to a responsible adult.

I think people should always change what they listen to on a regular basis, so everything stays fresh and nothing gets boring.

To a degree very true. One interview with Dimmu Borgir revealed that certain band members could only given up their day jobs after Puritanical Euiphoric Misanthropia and even Devin Townsend couldn't afford one particular tour in Europe cause he would have to get a second mortgage on his house.

It still doesn't detract from my hypothesis of three different marketing approaches (gradual change, rapid change and no change).

It just shows that there's not much money in metal. But then that's what often happens in niche markets.



Persoanlly I have never liked Korn but most of my friends did and their first 3 albums were flogged to death at parties. Hence I have an unfortunately good knowledge of them.

There was definitely a softening of their sound from the 1st album to the 4th one. Follow The Leader really toned things down and that was their first truly big album. The 4th one whose name I can't remember was even softer.

I tried actually listening to Korn twice way back in the mid-1990's. Both times I got a serious headache and needed a lie down.


Anyhow the comparision in terms of heaviness does exist.

Whilst very true, I'm a bit of a nostalgia freak. I still love Guns N Roses despite first getting into them in 1992!

It helps to have a big CD collection and have access to other people's collections as well.

Prog rock is perhaps the most popular it has been since 1975! While this popularity doesn't compare to say Britney Spears, it's still becoming a major force in the alternative side of things these days. Look at the popularty of Dream Theatre, Opeth and now Mastodon. Look at the increased popularity of Porcupine Tree (whom noone heard of before Akerfeldt talked about them). And then there's bands like Enslaved which are also getting considerable praise (whether this translates to album sales is debatable).

Prog Rock/Metal is a current darling of the underground rock/metal world.

Popular for underground music, sure. But you're still talking about underground music.

Even the very best contemporary prog artists still sell tiny amounts of records. The only one I can even think of that doesn't need a day job is The Mars Volta.

Spock's Beard got dropped by their label, for christ's sake. They had to take pre-orders on their unrecorded-at-the-time 10th album just to pay for the recording. So they probably aren't even making any profit whatsoever. I know for a fact that the members have other jobs as well. The drummer tours with Cirque du Soliel playing live music for them, for instance.

And this is a band who gets ENOURMOUS respect within prog circles. Other prog bands suffer even harder.

Hence my disclaimer of "whether their popularity translates to CD sales."

Metal and underground rock is a very small and very fragmented market. It's also a highly competitive one.

Back on topic, I suppose I prefer my heavy bands to stay heavy and in my mind their evolution shouldn't necessitate getting rid of those original elements that made the band.

I listen to Mastodon cause I liked the whole violent, sludgy vibe mixed with wierd soft stuff vibe. I don't like the new approach as it's got rid of the elements that I like.

From the marketing perspective, that means that Mastodon have missed out on AUD$60 for the last two albums.

Another good example is the obvious one, Metallica. Metallica progressed with Load/Reloand and St Anger. However they lost a number of elements that made Metallica appealing to its original market segment.
(Before I get called a metal luddite ( )I don't mind Load but the other 2 were bad).

Metallica's approach did result in continued massive sales but eventually it wore thin with the fickle mainstream so they reincorporated some elements to come back with a product the original customer/fan base liked (they screwed it up with St Anger but many fans saw Death Magnetic to be a step in the right direction).