The American Metal Question

Kai Stromler · Post by **Kai Stromler** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:45 pm

The reason for this confusion is that in your post above, you only listed one artist (Metallica) who anybody else posting in this topic even considers to once have been metal.

Further commenting on farlo's point (and actually reinforcing yours, even though you didn't substantiate it with the right examples), the US metal underground continues to excel at stuff that was invented here, and not do as well at stuff that wasn't. We have very few bands that can do convincing power metal (invented in Germany), and even fewer that can play black metal (Norway/Sweden) at all. After Noctuary this latter caption goes right in the shitter; too bad Absu is now playing thrash.

...which happens to be one of the genres Americans excel at. Even today I will still take Slayer over any of the German Big 3 (easier now that Sodom's no longer together), Cephalic Carnage over Meshuggah, and the Lamb of God/Shadows Fall/God Forbid wave over the NSWOTM. That's without even bringing up Nevermore, Testament, Heathen, Attacker, and all the old bands now reforming since their members have enough seniority with their jobs to take a tour's week of vacation.

Death metal is even more clearly a victory for the US. We have Nile. We have Vital Remains. We have Paul (Cynic) Masvidal putting out some new heavy material as opposed to the jazz stuff he's been doing. We have Suffocation back together and fucking slaughtering, and we have all the top sellers in Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Deicide, even if they're past their primes. Against this...Dismember, Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth, Grave, and maybe Dark Tranquillity if they still want to call themselves death metal. I am a huge fan of all the bands just listed, but it's pretty clear that death metal in Europe is nearly a dead issue. When was the last time you heard something really original out of a Euro death act, on the scale that Nile's done, or that Hypocrisy, Carcass, and At The Gates were doing ten years ago? When was the last time a Euro death band made you sit up and take notice with brutality, like Divine Empire did on their debut?

I'll also go out on a limb and call weird metal as US territory. Agalloch ~= Opeth, Neurosis > My Dying Bride, and Maudlin of the Well ~= Sigh, which leaves Crisis to handle the rest, which I am sure they will do most ably when their album finally comes out.

We *have* good bands; it's just the scene to support them that isn't always there.

--K

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:03 pm

Last time I went to an Iron Maiden concert, the bands who opened for them called them a metal band. You'll have to forgive me for taking their word for it, I generally assume that the actual musicians know more about music than I do.

I one saw a VH1 ranking of the best "hard rock" bands ever, and somehow Pink Floyd ended up on the list. I was like "WTF? They're not even rock, much less hard rock..."

I have a constant fear that someone's always near.

Kai Stromler · Post by **Kai Stromler** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:18 pm

Right, okay, we're probably talking different posts. Maiden are definitely metal, but there's no way in hell that Marilyn Manson can be considered as such. Rob Zombie might, but that's solely dependant on how many metal musicians are currently in his band.

WRT Pink Floyd, definitions are always in a state of flux, and you can't ever trust a MTV-related channel to get anything right. I recently read a Springsteen biography where the Beatles and the Stones were classed as "hard rock". Language is weird like that; Jethro Tull and Deep Purple used to be "heavy metal".

--K

nailz · Post by **nailz** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:21 am

Agalloch and MDB are american? color me surprised.

Alas, death metal to sit up and take notice of out of europe? Mercenary.

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:45 am

Marilyn Manson not metal? OMGWTF?!?

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:47 am

the Black Monarch wrote:Marilyn Manson not metal? OMGWTF?!?

manson is like imitation metal

nailz · Post by **nailz** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 7:38 am

Shock Rock, I think it was deemed. I'm still a fan of his stuff.

Kai Stromler · Post by **Kai Stromler** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 11:07 am

nailz1000 wrote:MDB are american? color me surprised.

No, Neurosis are. MDB is still from England, rest easy.

nailz1000 wrote:Alas, death metal to sit up and take notice of out of europe? Mercenary.

damnit, one of these days I swear I'm gonna buy their album...still need the new Exodus and The Forsaken, though.

Heard the new Elvenking yet? It's been out a couple days, so I would have figured on a post by now.

--K

nailz · Post by **nailz** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:18 pm

yah, i dont pimp them here much because interest doesn't seem very high, but yes, and I do so enjoy Kleids voice. You want me to hook you up with some mercenary stuff? =/

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 8:00 pm

el_farlo wrote:
the Black Monarch wrote:Marilyn Manson not metal? OMGWTF?!?
manson is like imitation metal

Imitation industrial metal, at that.