Still excited?

I'm starting to find less and less new stuff that i really love. I'm just never excited listening to new stuff any longer. It takes forever to really get into new CD's, and I more often then never give up quickly. But if I put on the clasics, like 80's Maiden, Savatage, Crimoson Glory or whatnot, I still get goosebumps all over! Why is that? Why can't I get excited over new albums?

I am always excited about new music and always finding new favorites, one reason is that my musical taste, corresponding to my emotions and life experiences, is ever expanding, and I can find new languages, new ways the old languages are spoken, and new ways to hear old languages. I have no distinction in music with or without hype, release dates, community status, and so on.

It could be maybe you need the correct situation. For example I had to be incredibly miserable and morose to understand 'Rage for Order'...really UNDERSTAND it.

Jake, I didn't have this problem 'til the last couple of years. I've been listening to metal since the age of 6, so that is close to 30 years now. I've always found new stuff to enjoy, and the last years before the new millennium were some of the best years for discovering new bands. But it seems that this has all come to the halt in recent years. I just can't find any new bands to enjoy, and new albums by older bands just can't match those older classics....

hmm.. you could always try the whole thing of taking a break and then going back...... like if you have a gift card for somewhere, or if your library rents out CD's, try to find something that looks interesting that you know nothing at all about (non metal) and just pick it up and start dissecting it. Maybe you want to hear something you don't yet know you want to hear. Or what about filling up discographies some more? Adding the stuff from bands with bigger catalogs that isn't as talked about and seeing what it has to offer. Or maybe just going out of your comfort zone completely with metal, find something you would typically hate and put it on and see if it rewards on it's own terms. When I get worn out of anything I find it's usually about some kind of challenge like one of those. Sometimes, like lately, I'll go on a huge excursion in some completely other realm..besides metal, a lot of what I've been playing is very experimental and abstract, atmospheric music. Boris & collaborations, strange jazz, early Floyd, a lot of things. It's just what I want to hear lately, for whatever reason that is. There could be something like that for you and you just haven't found it yet.

I'm kind of the opposite of you here Kurt. There was alot of albums I didn't like throughout most of the mid to late 90's and into the early 00's, and most of my old favorites were doing stuff that really disappointed me. In recent years Ive been finding plenty to get excited about again.

Take a break KMORG, just dont listen to metal for 1 week (but dont start listening to any other music outside our movement, That could infect you with a virus . For shore after one week without any metal, you will start liking new bands releases again. Your mind will be ready for those new cd´s again.
Try it out KMorg, and good luck.

Kurt:
Newer music used to give me a headache and leave me wondering "what the F happened?" Then I went back to where it all began for me. Going to the clubs and checking out bands. I soon discovered that hidden in the midst of all those crappy bands were youngsters playing great stuff.

I play with blues musicians quite often. Usually just acoustic guitars,harp, and piano. This takes me away from the power and intensisty of the music I love most, yet it gives me an outlet. An oppurtunity to play music and add some nuance(s) to the experince of enjoying music.

I've never had that problem I love when new music comes out and new bands arise. I may switch to listening to blues or southern rock every now and then but I never get bored!

Wargod50

New music for the most part is nowhere near the same quality level as metal in the 80s. I could write an essay on this using examples and explaining why this is but I don't have time right now.

I've been saying this for years.

Kmorg, I think I know what you mean. Perhaps you're a bit burned out or maybe you've been preoccupied, stressed or anxious recently. Then again, maybe a lot of the new music just isn't as exciting as it used to be. I mean the 80's were awesome. That decade spawned a metal movement unequalled by anything that has happened since. The NWOBHM, thrash, glam, the whole sound, look, intensity, it was all new, fresh. It was a very exciting time. Recently, partly due to budget constraints, I've been buying less music and appreciating the music I already own. I have a lot of CD's that probably weren't given a fair amount of spins when I first bought them because I was too busy collecting and looking for that next fix instead of really listening. Now, I'm buying more carefully, and for the most part, really digging what I buy. Some new releases from last year I really did get excited about. Recently the new Winger. They really hit one out of the park IMO. I've also thoroughly enjoyed Lions Share Dark Hours. That CD has been in regular rotation for about six months. I spend more time researching an album on the internet. When I come across that song that gives me goose bumps, I'm usually on to something.

I'm right there with you Kurt. I rarely find anything that grabs my interest and makes me want to dig it out a lot anymore. I've hardly bought any cds the last couple of years because of this. I pick up something here and there when one my favorites puts out something, but I just don't have much desire to go searching for new bands lately because I keep getting disappointed time after time, or nothing sticks with me like the old stuff does.

The market is totally saturated and the bands with the money/hype behind them aren't necessarily the best ones. It takes more time to weed through the noise in the internet age.

I'm still discovering bands I missed in the 90's because I wasn't online much and stores weren't carrying them. I don't find stuff on the radio that excites me.

Always seems that when I start to feel this way something comes along to shake me out of it. Last year it was Hexen's State Of Insurgency. This year it was the new Hirax. Even the new Kiss got me excited about them again.

Agree about the older stuff. I have many more finds from the past than I do current releases. I get much more excited for upcoming re-issues than new releases. As long as there are still things to discover from the past, I figure I'll be okay.

kmorg wrote:

I'm starting to find less and less new stuff that i really love. I'm just never excited listening to new stuff any longer. It takes forever to really get into new CD's, and I more often then never give up quickly. But if I put on the clasics, like 80's Maiden, Savatage, Crimoson Glory or whatnot, I still get goosebumps all over! Why is that? Why can't I get excited over new albums?

You are getting older. Serious answer.

I still love checking out new bands on Myspace and Youtube!

i still get a thrill from music, no matter when it came out. i love many new bands & am constantly on the hunt for more.

While most of the metal I like best comes from 1980-1995, there are still many great albums coming out today.

The great thing about being into metal in 2010 is that you can play records from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s. Before, in the 80s, you only had the 70s and some of the 60s maybe, but now we have so much more. And you can still feel the metal spirit. Just dress totaly metal on the streets, go to concerts, festivals and feel the metal spirit. Its not from the 80s, and it didnt die with the 80s, ITS TIMELESS music/movement.

I find that my tastes have seriously changed over the years. Music that used to excite me like power metal, symphonic metal, female-fronted metal now only bores me.

Right now I'm all about sleaze and glam metal and new bands I discover in those styles still get me excited.

I'd recommend branching out; try one of the offshoots of "metal" like gothmetal or industrial metal. Whenever I feel burned out on new music, I revisit a "classic" from The Vault that is diametrically opposed to the usual styles I listen to.

I think a cleansing of the "aural palate" might be in order for you.

I understand what you're saying. For a number of years (after a few years of experimenting with music), if it wasn't a new release by an old band, then I wasn't interested. I'm past that phase now, I try to keep my mind open to new bands (if not new genres!). In the last year I've bought a lot of albums from bands that are more recent and I've been pleased.

I have noticed one trend though with me -- even if I really like an album, I don't spin it as much as I would have years ago. There'd be times where I'd have an album in heavy rotation for weeks, if not months and that's just not the case anymore. I guess I've spoiled myself by buying albums so frequently -- good or not, it gets a few spins then it is onto the next CD.

I'm so busy looking for the next album I'll like, I don't fully absorbed the stuff I like that's sitting in front of me! It is a problem I've been meaning to correct, but I've got so many other things going on in life and the occasional label/band that sends me promo copies to review that I just don't have the time it seems.

How about "New Old Stuff"................

mc666 wrote:

i still get a thrill from music, no matter when it came out. i love many new bands & am constantly on the hunt for more.

Same here.

kmorg wrote:

I'm starting to find less and less new stuff that i really love. I'm just never excited listening to new stuff any longer. It takes forever to really get into new CD's, and I more often then never give up quickly. But if I put on the clasics, like 80's Maiden, Savatage, Crimoson Glory or whatnot, I still get goosebumps all over! Why is that? Why can't I get excited over new albums?

I can relate but for me its most music in general, I rarely get excited bout new music anymore, but if its Bowie, Foo Fighters, STP, Deliverance anything with Weiland I get excited

Some great answers there. Thanks! I think Metal Misfit nailed where I am at the most:

Metal Misfit wrote:

I understand what you're saying. For a number of years (after a few years of experimenting with music), if it wasn't a new release by an old band, then I wasn't interested. I'm past that phase now, I try to keep my mind open to new bands (if not new genres!). In the last year I've bought a lot of albums from bands that are more recent and I've been pleased.

I have noticed one trend though with me -- even if I really like an album, I don't spin it as much as I would have years ago. There'd be times where I'd have an album in heavy rotation for weeks, if not months and that's just not the case anymore. I guess I've spoiled myself by buying albums so frequently -- good or not, it gets a few spins then it is onto the next CD.

I'm so busy looking for the next album I'll like, I don't fully absorbed the stuff I like that's sitting in front of me! It is a problem I've been meaning to correct, but I've got so many other things going on in life and the occasional label/band that sends me promo copies to review that I just don't have the time it seems.

That is me, exactly! I told myself to buy less albums this year. So far I have bought on average 1 per day. Guess how many I've really listened to so far....

I'm also thought about following rattpoison's advice:

rattpoison wrote:

How about "New Old Stuff"................

I think I need to go back to the roots more. Listen more to older bands, like Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy and lots of other bands I never got into growing up.