Worst Decade for Music

Music as a driver of popular culture is dead because mass popular culture no longer exists. The internet has sliced everything into tiny slivers of interest and music is no exception. There will never be another musical genre/movement that becomes popular. Those days are over and they have been for almost 15 years. Sorry guys.

Something I was pondering re the 90's. 1993 was the year my metal cherry was popped, when grunge was at its apex, if I'm not mistaken. Yet my first bands were classic, thrash, pop metal--subgenres that were on their way out or pretty much gone. I recall my opinion of grunge being, "meh, boring, it exists, whatever." It really didn't bother me and I never felt like the music was that bad. In fact, it felt rather like a natural extension of what I was a fan of, probably due to being exposed to that kind of power coupling. But eventually metal radio was getting bland, alt stations became rather huge, and my peers were all staking fanbase territory in No Doubt and Tonic. That pissed me off. My friends were good friends, but naive high schoolers as well, so naturally there was a bit of verbal alienation since it's no surprise at that age for kids to rope their identity and some portion of pop culture together. I was okay with being the weird metalhead (home-schooled too, so imagine that atmosphere!), but hated the fact that interest in such a wonderful world of music I just tripped out on happened to be suddenly passe. I chalk it up to being born a decade too late.

So, in that vein, the 90's--especially later on--sucked. I gained appreciation for bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam etc, but that was never really concrete in my teens. Think of it--this music, this heavy metal, this fucking hot broad that I JUST stumbled on, discovering she was my soulmate with the most electric kiss to wake me the fuck out into adolescence, the very thing that held my hand through the worst years in my life, only to have her suddenly and quickly die in my arms, murdered by the general public. What a confusing time.

Sorry for the long winds. Felt like writing shit.

Witchfinder wrote:

Music as a driver of popular culture is dead because mass popular culture no longer exists.  The internet has sliced everything into tiny slivers of interest and music is no exception. There will never be another musical genre/movement that becomes popular. Those days are over and they have been for almost 15 years. Sorry guys.

That is one interesting perspective that's going to keep me awake all night.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Required Fields wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'm starting to wonder if rock is dead for those under 30?

Rock is in by far its least successful decade.

Amongst bands who have released their debut albums in the 2010s, Ghost and Greta Van Fleet are as big as rock gets in the 2010s. Neither come even remotely close to being as big as their biggest hair bands of the 1980s, grunge bands of the 1990s, or nu-metal in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

That's why I'm rooting for Greta Van Fleet. Sure, they're derivative of Zeppelin and all, but at least it's young guys taking an interest in rock again. If they show a little success, maybe some labels will take notice and sign some more up-and-coming rock bands.

Remember, it only takes one or 2 bands to make some money and then all of the sudden, every label wants in on the action!

While GVF aren't one of my favorite bands or anything, I'd infinitely rather have someone like them get promotion than the "mumble rap" that's all the rage this decade.




The latter song currently has over 611,000,000 views on YouTube.

I can find plenty of cool music from the 90s. The 2000s and 2010s on the other hand, not so much...

Troublezone wrote:

I can find plenty of cool music from the 90s. The 2000s and 2010s on the other hand, not so much...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave

https://heartofmetal.niceboard.com/t21826-synthwave-music?highlight=synthwave

Now. Not because there is no good music (There's tons!!) but because the music industry is dead and even platforms like Pledge are sinking.

Metal was not in a good place in the 90's but overall the 80's were horrible for music.

I´d vote for 50´s if there was this option avaliable . None of the decades listed where really "bad" at all . The second half of the 90´s where great for Power Metal , specially for the melodic varieties , of bands coming from Europe . I lived the 90´s , and there was a "depression" on the Thrash Metal territory , but , as for other styles , like black Metal , Death Metal and Power Metal , it was a great time .

I HATED the whole glam stuff and still hate it to this day . Glam was huge when I started listening to Metal and Heavy Rock (1990) , it has never had any real comeback at all , but , in the city I live , there are a lot of young rockers that happen to dig the shittiest of it that was appearing by 1990 or 1991 or so .


In other hand , nowadays I approach Grunge in a radically different way that I did back in the 90´s , when this thing was Huge (specially in the first half of this decade) . I am not a fan on bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden , but I definitely no longer consider tehir music "unpleasent" anymore .

The best thing that happened on the 90´s was the Power Metal ressurgence on the second half of this decade and I was there . many bands coming , but by 2004 , it was overcrowded and the bands where sounding all like a clone of the pioneers ...

As always, awesome response and a lot to chew on mentally. HoM delivers once again. Thanks guys.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Required Fields wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'm starting to wonder if rock is dead for those under 30?

Rock is in by far its least successful decade.

Amongst bands who have released their debut albums in the 2010s, Ghost and Greta Van Fleet are as big as rock gets in the 2010s. Neither come even remotely close to being as big as their biggest hair bands of the 1980s, grunge bands of the 1990s, or nu-metal in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

That's why I'm rooting for Greta Van Fleet. Sure, they're derivative of Zeppelin and all, but at least it's young guys taking an interest in rock again. If they show a little success, maybe some labels will take notice and sign some more up-and-coming rock bands.

Remember, it only takes one or 2 bands to make some money and then all of the sudden, every label wants in on the action!

Yeah, if the whole world falls in love with them then they will all listen to them on Spotify. Rock may not be as popular as it was but I think that they are some of the only bands making any money. The only way to hit it big these days is if you are famous enough to sell perfume and cola.