Are we living in METAL's BEST ERA EVA?

I want to ask a small-to-medium-small question at this juncture. Who else here has noticed the degree to which Metal has been enjoying a full and total upswing, a complete and widespread resurgence as of late? I'm talking like, have you had a moment of elevated consciousness and clarity where you've noticed this change, and were like, wow, all these old school bands have shown up to the dance with bells on this time around. Even a previously sorry sap like Metallica has turned things around. Does this change appear to be across the board? What about all these new groups who are seemingly re-inventing the wheel? Are we living in Metal's best era? Did I remember to shut off the stove before leaving the house?

I began noticing the change around 2003 or so. But, like any kind of change, it's marked by a matter of degree, shades of grey. Gnome sane? 2003 is just where I can say that I noticed it begin. I could see someone else pointing towards a time a bit earlier, or later. In all honesty, this is all probably more clear to me now in retrospect than it was at the time. I began seeing more consistency in the tracks delivered on each new title, as well as more consistency across the releases. Each release was seemingly better than the stuff from the past decade, and there appeared to be much more of it. The initial indicators were things like Maiden's Dance of the Dead, Dream Theater's Train of Thought, Exodus' Tempo of the Damned, etc., etc. Metal began delivering on a more consistent basis, and it was obvious.

Bands that I thought were completely washed up, over and done with, like Exodus, Testament, Onslaught, Trouble and Candlemass had resurfaced and slapped down one of their best works on the table. Other bands were tackling their most complex and ambitious projects, like Maiden, Priest, Queensryche, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, etc. Even that sorry old sod, Metallica, has finally woken up and got on the ball. All of the 'old guard' bands seemed to have reinvented themselves into animals which could compete in the new Metal market. And, the new troupe have just been delivering the most brutal and innovative schitt imaginable.

All of the Tech/Progressive Death Metal bands have got me totally buggin' son. Groups like Cynic, Obscura, Arsis, Between The Buried and Me, etc. Sludge and Doom acts like Corrosion, Down, Intronaut, Candlemass, Trouble, Witchcraft, BLS, etc. Uncategorizable acts like The Mars Volta, Tomahawk, Estradasphere, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Post-Rock like Baroness, Giant Squid, Pelican, Red Sparowes, Mouth of the Architect. Progressive Metal like Redemption, Agalloch, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater. And, I'm sure there's a bunch of great Black Metal out there as well. Just not familiar with it.

I've noticed a huge upturn in creativity across the entire Heavy Metal terrain. To me, it seems that we've never experienced this type of overall consistency in quality during Metal's 40 year history. I feel that we are, presently, in Metal's greatest era. All of the Pop Culture attention went away long ago, all of the MTV cameras got turned off, and, all of those Rolling Stone reporters took off in their beat up cars, leaving Metal to go back underground for a while. That's where it recouped, restrategized and re-emerged even stronger. Unencumbered by all the demands of clueless record companies execs. demanding mainstream singles, and their even more clueless marketing people trying to make the bands look more presentable, Metal bands have now been able to find their own direction and pursue it with a pure heart. And, I think the results have been amazing...Who else seconds this opinion that the last five years or so has been Metal's overal strongest?

No.

xyz wrote:

No.

+1

I think metal is more popular than ever, but the music isn't the "best eva".


This is the best eva.




Padberg.

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

"Ever" is spelled E-V-E-R. You are posting words that do not exist.

SAXON1500 wrote:

"Ever" is spelled E-V-E-R. You are posting words that do not exist.

Forshizzle.

I think we're in a good phase for music right now. I wouldn't say that belongs exclusively to metal though, just in general. There are alot of quality bands coming out...whether they ever get any mainstream attention is anybody's guess...but the best stuff has usually remained underground anyway.

Music has to evolve to survive, if it becomes too stagnant it withers and dies. There are alot of groups out there at the moment that aren't afraid to try new sounds...or find new ways to use older sounds. Either is relevant.

Then there are the older quality bands that continue to release good new material or have rediscovered themselves in the past few years.

There's room for all of them at the table.

Troublezone wrote:

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

The 80's had some incredible stuff. No diz-oubt. But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's that when the average, non-music oriented person thinks of the 80's Metal scene, they'll mention things like Poison and Bon Jovi. There were at least six glam-fluff titles released for every one, quality, REAL Metal title. I guess you can say that there's plenty of horrid Nu-Metal and Metalcore releases out there at present to counterbalance all the great, REAL Metal releases...but, overall, I think that the GREAT STUFF outweighs the weak stuff by a larger ratio this decade.

Troublezone wrote:

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

ah yes, thrash's golden age.

Marc Mason wrote:

But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's

Marc, again, please find some other adjectives to use besides homophobic ones.

Thanks.

detuned wrote:

Marc Mason wrote:

But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's

Marc, again, please find some other adjectives to use besides homophobic ones.

Thanks.

Consider that your only warning. Thanks de.

Depends on your how each individual defines their metal IMO.

If you like your metal with vocals that sound like:

"WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"

...then yeah, this is probably the best era metal has enjoyed.


If you like metal with actual melodic singing throughout the music, this era sucks.

Marc Mason wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

The 80's had some incredible stuff. No diz-oubt. But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's that when the average, non-music oriented person thinks of the 80's Metal scene, they'll mention things like Poison and Bon Jovi. There were at least six glam-fluff titles released for every one, quality, REAL Metal title. I guess you can say that there's plenty of horrid Nu-Metal and Metalcore releases out there at present to counterbalance all the great, REAL Metal releases...but, overall, I think that the GREAT STUFF outweighs the weak stuff by a larger ratio this decade.

Who cares about image? The best shows, over the top playing and musicianship came from the 80's. Alice Cooper and David Bowie were glam at one point too, who cares? They are legends in rock. What has modern times presented us? Rap Rock and 7 string guitars... Plucking the fat e string and singing like the skat man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHLEm9-0bg&feature=relatedis) is not my idea of progress in metal.

Troublezone wrote:

Marc Mason wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

The 80's had some incredible stuff. No diz-oubt. But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's that when the average, non-music oriented person thinks of the 80's Metal scene, they'll mention things like Poison and Bon Jovi. There were at least six glam-fluff titles released for every one, quality, REAL Metal title. I guess you can say that there's plenty of horrid Nu-Metal and Metalcore releases out there at present to counterbalance all the great, REAL Metal releases...but, overall, I think that the GREAT STUFF outweighs the weak stuff by a larger ratio this decade.

Who cares about image? The best shows, over the top playing and musicianship came from the 80's. Alice Cooper and David Bowie were glam at one point too, who cares? They are legends in rock. What has modern times presented us? Rap Rock and 7 string guitars... Plucking the fat e string and singing like the skat man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHLEm9-0bg&feature=relatedis) is not my idea of progress in metal.

+1

Troublezone wrote:

Marc Mason wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Not even close to the magic of the 80's.

The 80's had some incredible stuff. No diz-oubt. But, it was so damn tainted and drowned out by the huge amounts of queer stuff. The queer stuff was so very bountiful in the 80's that when the average, non-music oriented person thinks of the 80's Metal scene, they'll mention things like Poison and Bon Jovi. There were at least six glam-fluff titles released for every one, quality, REAL Metal title. I guess you can say that there's plenty of horrid Nu-Metal and Metalcore releases out there at present to counterbalance all the great, REAL Metal releases...but, overall, I think that the GREAT STUFF outweighs the weak stuff by a larger ratio this decade.

Who cares about image? The best shows, over the top playing and musicianship came from the 80's. Alice Cooper and David Bowie were glam at one point too, who cares? They are legends in rock. What has modern times presented us? Rap Rock and 7 string guitars... Plucking the fat e string and singing like the skat man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHLEm9-0bg&feature=relatedis) is not my idea of progress in metal.

Those horrible glam images all over the place is what killed it for me as a teen living in the 80's. There were very few bands for me to listen to, and within those few outifts, even fewer albums that I thought were really hot. I was always hungry for something of quality back then. Now, at present, I feel like there's an overabundance of great stuff, a total surplus of quality material.

Here's what I see as the main difference betweent the two eras. All of the great bands that got their start back then are still around and with us today. And, unlike the type of band who does the ol' circuit as some kinda touring oldies-tribute act, the classic Metal bands, those that I really care about, are putting out material of an EXTREMELY HIGH caliber today. That's Exhibit 'A'.

Exhibit 'B' is that most-to-ALL of the GLAM groups of the past are OUT of the equation. We don't have to hear from them any more. Their images aren't all over the place. They had nothing to offer a brother from the start, and now, twenty years later, that fact is even more evident, as they have failed to compete in this new musical enviroment.

Exhibit 'C' is that their absence has cleared ample room for the next gen. to infiltrate and rise. Were there creative bands like Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Gojira, Amon Amarth and Slipknot around in the 80's? Not in the least. All the Sludge and Doom bands that deliver on a constent basis, like COC, DOWN, SAHG, Witchcraft.

You mention Rap-Rock and the seven-string stuff. But, all that garbage is long gone and over with, friend....along with the Faux Grunge bands, like Creed, Nickleback and Staind. O-VER. OVA. Done with. Goodnight. Now we have a large slate of amazing bands with massive musical integrity, like those endemic of Post-Rock/Metal. Have you heard Pelican and Red Sparrowes and Agalloch and Opeth? These are the bands that make today's Metal scene so vital.

SpectreFate wrote:

I think metal is more popular than ever, but the music isn't the "best eva".


This is the best eva.




Padberg.

I'm rather partial to Eva Longoria.

Another subjective topic from the guy who talks like he attends Ghetto State University.


Musical integrity is like buying a vintage Maiden shirt on Ebay for 50 bucks vs. still wearing the one you bought on the 'Piece of Mind" tour in 1983. To the individual doing either, it is kewl to them and they don't really care what others think or "worry" about if somebody actually knows the difference.

So true.

Brace for the condescending, verbose diatribe.

I think this is a really good time for metal and all the genres that fall under it. There's so much quality out there right now and some of the stuff is selling pretty well.

Like most, I would have to say the 80s were the best evah, though.

There's also the factor that folks, in general, over the age of 30, have become closed to new ideas, new music, new anything. Poll after poll reveal that people have become more-or-less set in their ways by the age of 30, and are very reluctant to embrace anything new, outside of their established comfort zone. That's the general rule of thumb. Then, of course, there are anomalies, like myself, people who have gone out of their way to discover new bands, inquire into new philosophies, political and scientific ideas. But, for the majority of people my age, a few years younger and older, the norm will be to adhere to what we already know. And, 80's music is what we know. The nostalgic factor alone will be enough to favor this era and dismiss anything new.

Quote :

Poll after poll reveal that people have become more-or-less set in their ways by the age of 30, and are very reluctant to embrace anything new, outside of their established comfort zone. That's the general rule of thumb. Then, of course, there are anomalies, like myself, people who have gone out of their way to discover new bands, inquire into new philosophies, political and scientific ideas.

I see you've renewed your subscription to "Douchebag" Magazine.

You of course are entitled to your opinions, but people tend not to fit into tiny little boxes no matter how much philosophical lube you use. If you base your opinions on polls, please look up the word "biased" in the dictionary, and NOT the Urban Dictionary, yo.

No it is not, but at least things are more accessible thanks to the internet.

Marc Mason wrote:

There's also the factor that folks, in general, over the age of 30, have become closed to new ideas, new music, new anything. Poll after poll reveal that people have become more-or-less set in their ways by the age of 30, and are very reluctant to embrace anything new, outside of their established comfort zone. That's the general rule of thumb. Then, of course, there are anomalies, like myself, people who have gone out of their way to discover new bands, inquire into new philosophies, political and scientific ideas. But, for the majority of people my age, a few years younger and older, the norm will be to adhere to what we already know. And, 80's music is what we know. The nostalgic factor alone will be enough to favor this era and dismiss anything new.

If something so called "new" is good, I'll check into it. The problem I see is too many bands have a good song on the cd and the rest is crap. Not to mention, nothing is really "new" anyways. Just because you play a lute, some classical scales, lots of blast beats, tune down to D, and have the cookie monster singing doesn't mean it's something ground breaking.

I enjoy stuff that is fun and puts me in a mood , whatever that mood may be. If you have to disect everything, compare, analyze (sp ?), and give a thesis on it afterwards. Well there goes the fun.

Most folks I see that jump into everything "new" fail to enjoy anything other than trying to impress others with how open minded and free thinking they are. There is a place for that, I suppose...but then again that is still putting something into a box.

Marc Mason wrote:

There's also the factor that folks, in general, over the age of 30, have become closed to new ideas, new music, new anything. Poll after poll reveal that people have become more-or-less set in their ways by the age of 30, and are very reluctant to embrace anything new, outside of their established comfort zone. That's the general rule of thumb. Then, of course, there are anomalies, like myself, people who have gone out of their way to discover new bands, inquire into new philosophies, political and scientific ideas. But, for the majority of people my age, a few years younger and older, the norm will be to adhere to what we already know. And, 80's music is what we know. The nostalgic factor alone will be enough to favor this era and dismiss anything new.

If YOU opened your mind and looked at the ages of most of the posters here, you would see nothing but diversity. But, being an anomaly like yourself, you are obviously too special to see that.

We all have our favorites. And, yes, alot of the time nostalgia plays into that. But I know many of the members here personally, and they would take major offence to being called close-minded. Me? I would kick myself in head if I ignored Municple Waste, Hyades, Evile, Avenger of Blood, Send more Paramedics, Zombie Apocalypse, Bonded by Blood, Warbringer, etc. And some of my favorite bands are still doing what the do best. Whitesnake, National Napalm Syndicate, Solitaire, Assassin, Exodus, Death Angel, Laaz Rockit, Outrage, United, Loudness, Saxon.

So, just to put it out there, alot of us would like to see you clean up your elitist attitude and ignorant ghetto-speak. Or just leave in peace. I am sorry to bring this up in the public forum, but after you insult the owner of this board to his face, I don't really feel a lot of compassion for ya.

Say one, say all.