SapperSaint

Why was it closed?????

Here is my perspective on the death of metal.

I was raised with the music of Jimi, The Who, The Stones, Zepplin, Marshall Tucker, Sabbath and so on and so forth. My first metal song I ever heard was Killers by Iron Maiden. I feel in love with metal. Then Number of the Beast came out. Then I really felt committed to metal. Too fast for Love by the Crue and then Shout at the Devil. Maiden was my all time favorite band, hands down. Owned; and still have quite a few, of the Eddie posters.

When I heard Kill 'em all for the first time, I was like "HOLY SH*T!!! THIS IS METAL!!!" Then came Slayer. Nothing else needs to be said about Slayer. People always asked why I loved Metal so much. I couldn't articulate an answer back then, other than "Because". Yes, I listened to some of the hair bands. Crue, Cinderella, Tesla, NO POISON. I have always loved the classics, like Van Halen and always will.

Bands like: Slayer, TestAmenT, Metallica, MegaDeth, Anthrax, SOD, DK's, Obituary, EXODUS, PanterA, MotorHead, Sepultrua, Danzig, Death Angel; just to name a few; were true musicians. They didn't play 2-3 chord "lolli-pop" songs. Their music was complex and gives you an internal drive. Slipknot, Korn and Alice in Chains redefined and helped to awaken a stagnant culture. By the way, AIC is my favorite band of all time.

New metal to me sounds like the same "cookie cutter" "Cookie Monster" vocals, all of the music runs together like a sea of diarrhea. I just don't like it. Rob Zombie gave metal a groove sound. Both with White Zombie and on his own. Just listen to ThunderKiss'65 and tell me that song doesn't groove.

Why is metal dying.... because there aren't any real musicians left. I know I can't stand to listen to "BROAHMAGDA TROMETODRIVE MESTUPID". Along with speed drill guitars. It's like they think the faster you play, the more metal you are. Listen to Slayer's Decade of Aggression and to TestAmenT's Live at the Filmore records. THEY ARE PERFECT. Master of Puppets and Injustice for All, are PERFECT. DOWN's song Landing on the mountains of Meggido, and Pantera's Vulgar display of Power are PERFECT.

I always tell my daughter that in 20 years, you won't hear the crap she is listening to, played on the radio. You still hear Sabbath, Metallica, Pantera, Crue, Slayer and AIC being played. Yes, a lot of their music is over 20 years old. AND IT STILL ROCKS!!! Who doesn't get excited when you hear Master of Puppets played on the radio????

I love metal. Always have and always will. I've had the pleasure to see a lot of these guys in concert. Still wish I could have seen the Maiden tour

May it live on, even though it has been pronounced dead and buried; it will still rise again. I just hope some of these bands can learn from the old guys and carry it into the future.

"We are number one. All others are number two, or lower."
-The Sphinx
http://blackandgold.com/groups/28-ou...tsman-s-corner

Mardigras9

I agree completely. My girls always accuse me of being stuck in your same time warp. But it is truly because the new "metal" of today sucks, IMO. It will be awful when the few metal bands still making music today, hang it up for good.

QBREES9

Why is metal dying.... because there aren't any real musicians left. Nail hitting the head.

neugey

Metallica, Priest, Slayer and so many others did set the bar very high.

But the root of the problem is, is that what is happening to metal is a smaller scale version of what is happening to rock and roll in society.

This is something I had wrote a few days after Prince died. A lot of it applies to metal as well as rock.

I've pretty much understood for a while now that rock and roll was a 1955-1995 thing. Gene Simmons is 100% right. I could list hundreds of reasons why the spirit of rock and roll vanished in the mid 90's, but most of them are probably obvious. And though there's been some great music made since 1995, music ceased being a cultural phenomenon. You can enjoy and find new quality artists, but now it's an underground experience and you're often left looking at genres of sub-genres of what should be much more acclaimed art form with a shared existence in the world.



The point is, by my observation, rock and roll has been dead for 20 years now. That's quite a bit of time, but it's certainly long enough to determine that there will be no rebound. The music industry and the dynamics of the world we live in have decided to go in another direction. It's most apparent with my teenage kids as it's obvious they don't view rock or pop music the same way as my generation does (I was born in '72) nor the same way my father or aunts and uncles do. The sense of discovery and attachment to music just isn't there any longer. Sure, my kids still enjoy music but it's a much more transient thing. Music is now a casual diversion. It's no longer a savior, it's no longer a ****-kicker, it's no longer a world expander. Our kids don't drink out of the fountain the way we had. And you can't force it on them, they've got to want to want it.



Justin Timberlake wrote some wonderful things about Prince yesterday. He seems like a decent guy who knows his stuff and has some ability. But he or his peers will never be celebrated in the same way Prince was, people packing the downtown streets of Minneapolis after yesterday's news. The paradigm has changed and those days are gone.



It hurts more now when our icons die, because we are losing our creative forces. It was easier when Buddy Holly, Janis, Jimi, Jim Morrison, Elvis, Lennon died - rock and roll was still blooming and more was yet to come. Those shoes couldn't be filled but there was plenty more shoes being made. That's not the case anymore.



But we also have a lot to be thankful for. What a great time to be born, in the midst of this relatively small 40-year rock and roll window and take it all in. Time to buy some good records past and present and I am itching to find out what that new Santana IV album is like.

So there you have it. Sapper, if you are looking for metal with amazing singing and guitar, you should out Nevermore. It's just too bad that they've broken up now. Also listen to the new Behemoth record "The Satanist". It's a very well-constructed record that uses the speed and brutality in the right spots as well as some horn and saxophone parts that blend beautifully with heavy music.

SapperSaint

Neugey, It couldn't have been said better. I too am a '72 child. I find myself reconnecting with the old bands. Mainly the ones I never paid much attention to. Duran Duran, Hall and Oates (Yes, Hall and Oates. Just go back and give them an honest listen). Like you said, our kids can't connect to music. They don't have songs that "Take them back", like Drop Dead Legs by VH does me. Fleetwood Mac gives me thoughts of riding in my dad's chevelle listening to it on 8 track. I can almost smell the interior of the car. 1984 by VH makes me remember so many memories with my friends. Music is definitely a time machine.

I feel sorry for the children of today. They will never have that in their lives. It's not from a lack of trying, on my part. But as you said, we can't make them. It's a tragedy.

"We are number one. All others are number two, or lower."
-The Sphinx
http://blackandgold.com/groups/28-ou...tsman-s-corner

neugey

I hear you. It's a byproduct of being part of the Walkman generation. It seemed like I was always listening to music to fill the dead time. My kids and wife don't understand that I love my iPod classic and don't give a damn about having a smartphone! Blackberry is good enough for me and even that is too much sometimes!