This is the most popular forum! WOOT

nij

Rock and Metal is the most popular forum in the music section here, and I'm sure on many other boards - maybe the suits should take note, eh? Quit shoving Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake down our throats!

If Metal rose to the top of the commercial latter though, would that begin to alienate the core fans? Maybe we like the slight 'underground' feeling.

What do you guys think?

qwertplaywert

Imo the top music charts would be better if the top 10 lists were represented by all genres, dont get me wrong, I like my Slayer, but I also like my Justin Timberlake

Karl Hungus

nij wrote:

If Metal rose to the top of the commercial latter though, would that begin to alienate the core fans? Maybe we like the slight 'underground' feeling.

What do you guys think?

If Metal rose to the top of the charts, it wouldn't be Metal as we know it, it would be something watered down, stripped of originality and character, and something thought up by producers to have mass appeal.

Pretty much anything in the charts has to conform to a simple verse/chorus/verse song structure, and it generally has to be 3 or 4 minutes long. The beauty of a lot of metal is that it doesn't conform to the simple song-structure, songs don't have to be any set lenth, you can have songs that are less than a minute long, or songs that can be over 10 minutes long, or even more in the cases of some bands.

The fact is, if we think of the 80's, we probably think of bands like Metallica, Testament, Megadeth and so forth. But even then, they didn't recieve any kind of chart success, it was all the awful Hair Metal bands that got up there in the charts.

irish_boy90

i like things the way they are.
whos with me?

cournioni

irish_boy90 wrote:

i like things the way they are.
whos with me?

Can't say I really agree, I find that good metal is getting rarer and rarer by the day. Thats just my opinion.

projectmayhem

PORNAPSTER wrote:

Can't say I really agree, I find that good metal is getting rarer and rarer by the day. Thats just my opinion.

i 100% agree. i used to find myself buying new cd's all the time, and "discovering" new bands online all the time, but not anymore. i like many different genres of music, and metal right now is the most stale in terms of finding new, or just generally good metal.

the genre needs a good kick up the arse, but i've no idea who could deliver it.

Malice

projectmayhem wrote:

i 100% agree. i used to find myself buying new cd's all the time, and "discovering" new bands online all the time, but not anymore. i like many different genres of music, and metal right now is the most stale in terms of finding new, or just generally good metal.

the genre needs a good kick up the arse, but i've no idea who could deliver it.

Arch Enemy's new album is out soon
I suppose there's a saturation point whereby you've discovered all the bands you're likely to enjoy but that would surely number in the thousands! Did anyone watch the Roadrunner 20th anniversary DVD? Joey Jordison had their entire back catalogue which took up an entire wall of one room :eek:
Last.fm is great for trying out new bands by entering the name of a band you like

Karl Hungus

I don't agree with either of you, Projectmayhem and Pornapster.

I honestly think there's never a lack of new stuff that's excellent, and I rarely need to really dig around for it. In the last while I've loved releases from Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend (His new album, Ziltoid The Omniscient is one of the freshest things I've heard in Metal) To-Mera's debut was fantastic, new albums from Dimmu Borgir, Aghora, Zero Hour and Nile were great, and I'm looking forward to the debuts of Divine Heresy and Gnostic (Whenever that comes out) and I'm sure there's load more I can't think of right now.

Bottom line, I don't know about you guys, but Metal is as good as ever.

Check out Bulb and listen to the song Fuf.

A Primal Nut

Karl Hungus wrote:

If Metal rose to the top of the charts, it wouldn't be Metal as we know it, it would be something watered down, stripped of originality and character, and something thought up by producers to have mass appeal.

Pretty much anything in the charts has to conform to a simple verse/chorus/verse song structure, and it generally has to be 3 or 4 minutes long. The beauty of a lot of metal is that it doesn't conform to the simple song-structure, songs don't have to be any set lenth, you can have songs that are less than a minute long, or songs that can be over 10 minutes long, or even more in the cases of some bands.

The fact is, if we think of the 80's, we probably think of bands like Metallica, Testament, Megadeth and so forth. But even then, they didn't recieve any kind of chart success, it was all the awful Hair Metal bands that got up there in the charts.

I agree and don't agree at the same time. Metal is extremely popular - i know loads of people who like metal, moreso than most other genres. Even the likes of Dream Theater and Opeth who would be considered unknown to mainstream audiences have a decent level of popularity - or i know lots of people who like them anyway. But, as there is never gonna be a standout band or a hyped-up band from the genre it probably is unlikely to reach the top. So its not a question of Metal having the popularity, more that its much more sustained than hyped- up pop acts who sell all their records and singles in the first week.

If Metallica came back with a real metal album they could top the album charts no bother, its hard to see anyone else getting the hype required.

As for Rock, it would be nice to see a good band top the charts, but with rock its definately a quality issue at the moment. Velvet Revolver should easily have topped the album charts with their alumni and hype (slash on the front cover of every rock/guitar magazine) and everything else, but their first single was such a letdown. The album was just weak overall and they failed to attract any new fans so had to rely on curious GnR/STP fans.

Malice

A Primal Nut wrote:

I agree and don't agree at the same time. Metal is extremely popular - i know loads of people who like metal, moreso than most other genres.

I know lots of people that like metal too. But that's because metal fans tend to hang out with other metal fans. Just because most of the people in our circle of friends are metal fans doesn't make the genre popular overall. You have to take into account all the sheep.

A Primal Nut wrote:

If Metallica came back with a real metal album they could top the album charts no bother, its hard to see anyone else getting the hype required.

I don't agree with this. Partly because Metallica won't release an album of sufficiently high quality but also because there must be another band out there that could get the hype. Unfortunately I can't think of one.

A Primal Nut wrote:

As for Rock, it would be nice to see a good band top the charts, but with rock its definately a quality issue at the moment. Velvet Revolver should easily have topped the album charts with their alumni and hype (slash on the front cover of every rock/guitar magazine) and everything else, but their first single was such a letdown. The album was just weak overall and they failed to attract any new fans so had to rely on curious GnR/STP fans.

Was Velvet Revolver's album not enough to attract fans also? I have both their albums and while I don't think they're absolutely brilliant, they're not that bad. Plus Slash is Slash....

SirLemonhead

Karl Hungus wrote:

The fact is, if we think of the 80's, we probably think of bands like Metallica, Testament, Megadeth and so forth.

JUDAS PRIEST \m/ :cool:

Thundercracker

nij wrote:

If Metal rose to the top of the commercial latter though, would that begin to alienate the core fans? Maybe we like the slight 'underground' feeling?

Yes, I like the Underground feeling, but in all honesty a 14yr old going around in a Nirvana hoodie proclaiming to be the worlds greatest Kurt Cobain fan while listening to Chemical Romance makes me think some bastardised version of metal has gone mainstream. Frankly if I see the words 'Over 14s welcome' written on a gig ticket then I know that metal is appealing to a mainstream audience and that audience converses upon the Central Bank every Sat. Its a pity they couldnt organise themselves, theyd have a right little army

Personally I think Metal should go more underground, so we didnt have as many people supporting the genre as we do now just because their friends like it, and get rid of the type of 'they dont really know the names of the bands, they just bought a Deicide T-Shirt because they wanted a black one' fans

Ph3n0m

For me the last good albums released were from Nile, Mastadon, Meshuggah, Obituary, Arch Enemy, Machine Head and a few others (oh and Devildriver...sue me, I have a soft spot for them)

Good metal is hard to find, good music is even rarer these days

That said, the only thing I am looking forward to is Vader's 25th Anniversary re-recording and DVD combo that is coming out

adox

Karl Hungus wrote:

it was all the awful Hair Metal bands that got up there in the charts.

Hey I liked alot of the 80s hair metal bands.:D

Malice

Thundercracker wrote:

Yes, I like the Underground feeling, but in all honesty a 14yr old going around in a Nirvana hoodie proclaiming to be the worlds greatest Kurt Cobain fan while listening to Chemical Romance makes me think some bastardised version of metal has gone mainstream.

In fairness though, people have to start to develop their musical taste somewhere and generally they go with what they see. The band that they most identify with might be from the deepest, darkest fjords in Norway but unless they happen to stumble on a page with that Norwegian band's music on it, they'll never know. In my case the first two albums I bought were Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion 1 and Appetite For Destruction. That was because I'd read an article in the Sunday Times giving out about them I'm pretty sure if I was a few years younger I'd have been more of a Nirvana fan. I still love Guns N' Roses and I break their albums out periodically but I know that my musical taste has gone far beyond what they offer as a band.

Thundercracker wrote:

Frankly if I see the words 'Over 14s welcome' written on a gig ticket then I know that metal is appealing to a mainstream audience and that audience converses upon the Central Bank every Sat. Its a pity they couldnt organise themselves, theyd have a right little army

I'm not sure what you mean here...

Thundercracker wrote:

Personally I think Metal should go more underground, so we didnt have as many people supporting the genre as we do now just because their friends like it, and get rid of the type of 'they dont really know the names of the bands, they just bought a Deicide T-Shirt because they wanted a black one' fans

Personally I'd love to be able to turn on the radio in the car, tune to an Irish station and hear Deicide! Or in fact any metal at all bar the occasional shortened rendition of Enter Sandman. In all honesty though, are there that many people who'll buy a metal band's t-shirt just because their friends do it? Or is this back to the 14 year olds again?

A Primal Nut

Thundercracker wrote:

Yes, I like the Underground feeling, but in all honesty a 14yr old going around in a Nirvana hoodie proclaiming to be the worlds greatest Kurt Cobain fan while listening to Chemical Romance makes me think some bastardised version of metal has gone mainstream. Frankly if I see the words 'Over 14s welcome' written on a gig ticket then I know that metal is appealing to a mainstream audience and that audience converses upon the Central Bank every Sat. Its a pity they couldnt organise themselves, theyd have a right little army

Personally I think Metal should go more underground, so we didnt have as many people supporting the genre as we do now just because their friends like it, and get rid of the type of 'they dont really know the names of the bands, they just bought a Deicide T-Shirt because they wanted a black one' fans

I don't know why people get so worked up about what 14-year olds like. We know they are influenced by those around them but what they like doesn't hurt or improve a genre. Everyone's music tastes and their reasons for liking it mature. I'm sure lots of people look back at how they were when they were 14 with regards to music and cringe to some extent. I was fortunate enough that I was influenced by my older brother when i was 10 before my peers got into music so I listened to the good stuff and for the right reasons, even though I knew very few people who listened to the same music. The funny thing is I regularly meet many of those people who when they were 12 or 13 laughed at my musical tastes but are now as big a fan of it as me. I'm like: "your a metal fan now?" If I had a penny for every rapper-turned-metaller i know......

irish_boy90

well i kinda liked music on tv when i was -15. i enjoyed the rock. never liked hip, hop or dance or any of that.

well my mates in school went around with soad,slipknot,trivium etc shirts.
i tested these bands and enjoyed some of it anyway. (not trivium though)

as i got into the metal i found diff bands and developed my own tastse for it.
for example korn is my fav band, none of my mates like them at all.
i am 17 now still don't have a black t shirt. (don't believe i need one to like a band)

doesnt appear to be the most popular genre in my school. i would say about 20 people out of 700 like it. (ok maybe 30)

Karl Hungus

Honestly, who gives a damn what some 14 year olds are listening to? It's up to them, and if you're going to get upset about it, you're just being elitist about it, and frankly that's almost as juvenile, if not more so, than a lot of teeny antics.