July 2000:
European Metal vs. North American Metal
Welcome to the July 2000 installment of "From
Hell's Heart..." This is an editorial column
written by the Metal-Rules.com team. Each month we pick a metal-related
topic and share our thoughts, feelings and ideas on it. This month's
column looks at the differences between the European and North American
Metal scenes.
EvilG's View
I'd like to start this by saying that all of us writers here at
Metal-Rules.com are North American which means we're from either Canada
or the US. Therefore our perceptions of the European metal scene are based not
on living it but perceiving it from the outside.
I believe that the European metal scene is much stronger than our North
American scene. By stronger that means: more bands, more fans, more
tours and festivals and better access to new metal through the media. In contrast, North America does not really have a TRUE metal
scene at all. A string of Ozzfests does not constitute a metal scene,
mainly because most of the bands on it aren't metal anyway. That's the
problem over here. Things are based on trends and what's supposedly
"in." I'm sure this is a problem everywhere but it is
amplified over here as a result of crap like MTV dominating what's
supposed to be cool (to me they define un-cool). That is not to say that there are not cool bands
over here - for example there's Nevermore, Iced Earth, Annihilator,
Steel Prophet, Kamelot, Crimson Glory, Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Morbid
Angel, Deicide, Monstrosity, Testament, etc. etc. etc... However, talk to almost any of these bands about how they are doing in North
America as opposed to Europe and you'll see that their primary reason
for survival is the European scene. Many of these bands don't even do
proper tours in North America!! I do feel that good music is not
only ageless it's country-less. It's just that the band's from some
countries are doing a lot more than others.
In Europe the metal scene has what I view as some very strong
elements such as the melodic death metal scene with bands like In
Flames, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquility. Then there
is the large power metal scene with bands like Stratovarius, Helloween,
Rhapsody and newcomers Sonata Arctica. Of course, we cannot forget the
godfathers of metal - they are also from Europe. They are Black Sabbath,
Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. I could go on and name 100's of other
bands so please forgive me if I've skipped over your favorite band.
To close off lets look at what some of the band members themselves
have to say about the differences between European metal and North
American metal.
Dan Zimmerman, Gamma Ray
Dan feels that there has been a longer tradition of melodic metal in
Europe and that's part of the reason for its longevity. You can read
Dan's thoughts on this and a whole lot of other stuff in an upcoming
interview!!!
Kai Hansen, Gamma Ray
"I think the metal scene in Europe
is more vital and it's maybe more true in a way because in America I
know it's more or less up to the bands. A lot of bands in America are
just following trends and a lot of people who make music in America
don't just make music for the sake of making music...they do it just
to get famous, to get rich, to be somebody. I think that's not the
point about making music. You have to do it because you love to do it
and not because you want to be somebody. You have to be somebody first
as a person and then comes the second part being somebody for the
public."
Thom Youngblood, Kamelot
Is your main fan-base basically
in Europe?
"Yeah but it's spreading though.
The US has gotten much better. Our last record (Siege Perilous)
was released here which was the first time that any Kamelot record
came out here. I think this new record is really gonna help us in the
US. We've always had fans in Europe and Japan, but with this new
record I think the US and South America is going to really broaden for
us."
Steve Kachinsky, Steel Prophet
"I think a lot of it is that there's strong
press over there. In Germany you have Rock Hard, Heavy or what
magazine, Metal Hammer and in each of these European countries you
have some rather large magazines with good circulation and they get
the word out about the underground bands. I think that's got a lot to
do with it and that in turn means you get new listeners coming in.
When we toured with Gamma Ray and Edguy, we'd look out into the
audience and it wasn't like a metal show here in the US where it's
mostly people over 30 because there you see plenty of teenagers,
people in their early 20's and you see some older headbangers too of
course. It's still gaining respect and popularity with younger people
over there and that's kind of what I see it NOT doing here. The young
people are getting into K**n, Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit and
stuff."
"We've got a scene but it's really, really underground. It's
almost like what punk was in the late 70's or something like that.
It's there, their are people that are really into it, but you're not
really going to know about it unless you look for it."
Mark Briody, Jag Panzer
"It's so different over there.
It's like MTV has control over no anyone's mind over there."
Jon Drenning, Crimson Glory
"Over in Europe it's as big as it ever was
right now. That wave of metal is coming to the shores of America as we
speak."
Joe's View
First off, I must apologize to EvilG and the readers of Metal-Rules.com
for being late with this month’s column. I had hoped to get this
edition of From Hell’s Heart... finished last night (July 5th,
2000), but of course I had a computer class which ran a little late. So
I figured, "Okay... I’ll write it tomorrow during my lunch
break." But apparently the gods thought otherwise and I ended up
missing part of my lunch break due to an unexpectedly hectic work
schedule. (To quote Randall from the movie Clerks... "This
job would be great if it wasn’t for the f*cking customers."
Hehehe...) So anyway, here it is... I hope it doesn’t suck.
Comparing North American and European Metal is kinda like comparing
apples and oranges. Sure, they both develop through the same types of
cellular processes, but the trees they grow on bear two very distinctly
different fruit. Even in the various sub-genres of Heavy Metal, a
band’s origins can be (for the most part) easily distinguished. Take
thrash, for example... When you compare USA’s (old) Metallica to
Germany’s (old) Kreator, there’s a distinct stylistic difference
between both bands even though they both play(ed) thrash. Another good
example would be goth. Listen to Type O Negative (USA) and (old)
Paradise Lost (UK), two bands that are both similar and yet VERY
different.
Obviously the cultural differences between North America and Europe
is a big reason for the differences in musical styles. Based on my
admittedly limited knowledge of European culture, it seems to me that
the music scenes overseas are less influenced by the media and are
thereby less susceptible to pop trends. I’m sure the British, German,
Swedish, etc... Metal fans get bombarded with groups like Backstreet
Boys, Limp Bizkit, Spice Girls, et al, but not to the degree that North
American fans do. I’m willing to bet that if I was suddenly dropped in
the middle of downtown Hamburg, the "wigger factor" would be
much lower than that of practically any North American city of similar
population size. (God, it must be sweet to live in Europe!)
Aside from differences in culture and media, the main reason would
have to be musical influences. From what I can tell, it seems that Blues
and Jazz are the "backbone" of North American music, while
Classical and Folk are the backbone of European music. This difference
can also be related to the difference in lyrical subject matter. North
American Metal, like Blues and Jazz, has lyrical content which deals
with social/political matters and other subjects centered in the
"here and now". European Metal lyrics deal with a lot of
legends and fantasy stories involving evil and brave heroics, which are
common themes for much Folk and Classical music. There is some subject
matter which tends to be universal and can be found in songs from both
sides of the Atlantic, but these are the subjects which happen to stand
out the most.
As for who creates better Heavy Metal, North Americans or
Europeans... I think the Europeans do. Here’s my argument... Many
Bible scholars believe that the Anti-Christ will come from somewhere in
Europe, and according to Bart Simpson (from the "Spinal Tap"
episode"...) "Everyone knows all the best bands are associated
with Satan.". So, logic says that European bands are the best. And
if you don’t agree with that, then you can EAT MY SHORTS!!!
Gueneviere's View
It's difficult for me to compare European VS North American metal
because there are so few bands from North America that strictly fit into
my definition of real heavy metal, at least not in the traditional
sense. There are quite a few good bands that have come from the
US/Canada that are definitely hard and heavy, but when I think of the
heavy metal genre in the purest sense, I think of (mostly) English,
German, and Scandinavian bands. The metal bands from those places
had/have that certain distinctive combination of power, melodic guitars,
and dynamics that defines heavy metal to me. (Hummnn, must be something
about those Viking and Anglo-Saxon/Germanic bloodlines!)
One notable exception that comes to mind was a Canadian band called
Anvil, but there were/are also a few others (though very few). Some of
the American bands like Queensryche and Metallica fit that description
initially, but don't really now. Even a band like Motley Crue is not
exactly real heavy metal to me, since it's not just about playing loud,
mean, and fast along to high screeching vocals. Don't get me wrong,
there are some Crue songs that I like (though I don't especially
advocate the no-shame, ugly American image that the band perpetuates),
and they are melodic, but it is an entirely different pop metal-type
sound and concept. Lyrically, too, North American heavy bands tend to be
different. Think of Aerosmith, Van Halen, Kiss, etc., vs. Iron Maiden,
Black Sabbath, Priest, or vintage Scorpions, etc. Most of the best known
'80's era hard and heavy bands from North America such as Ratt, Skid
Row, Poison, Winger, Great White, et.al. would fit more into the heavy
rock or pop metal description rather than being 'real' heavy metal.
As for the newer death metal, thrash metal, grunge metal, and rap
metal bands, et. al, they are in another category entirely. They are
specialized hybrids that do not fit my own internal definition of
traditional heavy metal--at least not for the sake of this particular
topic. They are heavier than hell, to be sure, but often do not
uniformly have the melody, dynamics, mood, or lead guitar stylizations
of traditional metal. Along those lines, some of the current North
American bands are actually more than just heavy metal--they're in a new
heavy lead category, I suppose. But someone could
argue--convincingly--that they are actually new branches off the
Motorhead limb of the heavy metal tree. In that case, the North American
bands definitely have the upper hand right now, as there's so few
Anglo-Saxon or Germanic bands coming into prominence at this time.
Actually, in recent years--the '90's and onward--most of the North
American bands have gone from one end of the heavy rock spectrum to the
other. In the '80's most of the North American bands bordered on the
pop, hook oriented side of heavy metal/heavy rock whereas most of the
current day bands--Pantera, Black Label Society, Rage Against the
Machine, etc.-are actually on the heaviest end of the spectrum.
(Traditional heavy metal lies somewhere in the middle.) If you want to
characterize such bands as those mentioned above as heavy metal, then
the North American bands definitely have the upper hand right now. But,
other than the select few remaining metal bands (who defined the genre
in the '80's), there's not much old-school heavy metal coming into
prominence anywhere right now--at least not so far. As far as I can
tell, the Scandinavian countries are currently producing more new bands
(that still produce traditional heavy metal) than any other place in the
world.
Rick's View
Well I am of 2 minds about this. I hate to pit one metal community
against another. The fact is that Europe has the dominant metal
community at the moment. When the fickle North American music audience
abandoned metal in the early 1990s metal went underground. There were
still lots of metalheads but the climate for making metal and getting it
to the masses had changed. The mainstream fans revolted against big hair
and manufactured bands. These bands shall rename nameless. Grunge became
the order of the day along with flannel shirts and bands barely able to
play even 3 chords. In Europe metal didn’t suffer as big a blow as in
North America. Germany, Sweden and other countries continued to turn out
great metal. Bands like Gamma Ray, Helloween, Sinner, Grave Digger,
Rage, Stratovarius, Sentenced, and numerous others continued to put out
well received CDs. This more receptive metal climate allowed Europe to
continue to create new bands while North Americas metal scene faltered
under the weight of first grunge and then boy bands. In Europe bands
such as Hammerfall, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Royal Hunt and
Labyrinth were born and prospered.
Europe today continues to be one of the most prolific suppliers of
metal to the world. Every day there are new bands coming out of Europe.
Zonata, Madryghal, Freedom Call, Chastisement, Athena, Sinergy, Empty
Tremor, Shadow Keep, Iron Fire and Vision Divine are just a few of the
new bands that are being born everyday in Europe to carry on the metal
tradition. These bands along with the veteran European bands such as
Blind Guardian, Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden help to make Europe the
reigning power in metal.
However I don’t want to make it seem like there is no metal being
made in North America. That would be far from the truth. After years of
being buried under the weight of flannel and "new" disco,
metal is starting to rear its head again. Veteran bands such as
Testament, Impelitteri, Voivod, Armored Saint, Iced Earth, Riot and
Savatage continue to release well received, quality discs. Crimson
Glory, Jag Panzer and Racer X have reformed and are creating great metal
and finally there are the new bands such as Jacob’s Dream, Steel
Prophet, Deamon, Total Eclipse, Blinded By Faith, Emerald Rain, Kamelot
, sHeavy and a host of others that are paving the way for a revival of
North American Metal. The downside to the revival of North American
metal is that most of these bands find most of their success is Europe.
Even still the metal scene in North America is expanding at a fast rate.
Everyday there are more bands forming and putting out CDs which can only
be good for the return of metal on this continent. For the time being
however it still looks to be Europe that is the main home and breeding
ground for Metal.
Waspman's View
Let me just start by saying that I'm not quite as pissed off as I was
last month…I promise, no expletive filled rants this month…maybe. My
initial response to the question of "North American metal vs.
European metal?" was a resounding, "who cares?" After
all, not including hair rock, it is all heavy metal in the end anyway
(and I refuse to include those idiot clods that think that Kid Cocksuck,
Slipshit, and the rest are heavy metal). Anyway, in regards to the
question, it depends what you are looking for. Traditionally, European
metal has been viewed as more melodic (Stratovarius, Gamma Ray et al),
while North American is seen as being more brutal (Slayer, Morbid Angel
etc.), with both having exceptions. That was in the past, but now, there
are European bands that are brutal (Vader, Scum, black metal bands),
while there are also melodic North American bands (Iced Earth, Racer X
etc.).
So where does that leave us? In a damn good position, I say! Bands
from all over the world are influencing each other and some are coming
up with entirely original genres of metal. Obviously, this is not a bad
thing! Personally, I could give a shit where a band is from, so long as
they kick my ass. Looking back at what I've listened to yesterday and
today, there's been 6 European bands, and 5 NA bands. So, in my mind,
there is no European vs. North American heavy metal standoff. As long as
the quality bands from each side of the Atlantic keep pumping out great
music the question of "vs." won't enter into the equation.
Nathan's View
It is too
hard for me to make a comparison when it comes to the bands and the
music. So let me briefly discuss the attitudes and business
aspects. First of all, it is well known that metal is better accepted in
Europe than in North America. Thus, metal merchandise is more readily
available in Europe. It is sad when an American band cannot even get
their album released in their homeland, yet it sees a European release and
we’re stuck buying the import because we don’t want to wait two years before
American record labels wake up and realize “hey, you know, maybe we should put
that album out over here”. Or sometimes it’s just a matter of distribution
problems in North America. Why it’s so hard to straighten that shit out
is beyond me. And more metal bands get to tour Europe while us Americans
are only dreaming of being able to see Edge of Sanity, Opeth, My Dying Bride
(ok, they made it here with Dio…after only four albums), Dark
Tranquillity, and many others. And Europeans get killer packages
too. What do we get? Ozzfest. Yeah, I want to see Slayer play
with a bunch of lame-ass “nu-metal” bands. Why is it so hard for labels
to put together a killer North American metal tour??? When the fuck is
Iced Earth going to tour with Nevermore???? They are on the same label
for Christ’s sake! Sure bands have schedule conflicts, but come on!
When a cool band comes around, they usually play with twelve shitty local
opening bands that no one cares about. Oh, I guess we do have the
Milwaukee Metalfest. But this, I am sure, doesn’t even compare to the
Wacken or Dynamo festivals in terms of professionalism and quality.
Furthermore,
European mail order companies seem to care about the fans more than American
ones do. I have experienced this first hand. Over the past several
years, I have ordered countless merchandise from all over the world. My
best experiences come from European mail orders. They seem much more
professional, timely, honest, and caring. Just look at European mail
order catalogs. They look better than American metal magazines!
And even though the stuff I buy has to be shipped in a freakin’ plane thousands
of miles across the Atlantic, I frequently receive my European mail orders before
my American ones! Not only that, but European mail order companies carry
much more items. And I think it is just stupid that a record company,
which has offices in both regions on this planet, does not carry the
same merchandise in their mail order department. The most absurd thing is
when it is cheaper to buy from Europe than to buy from America.
And sometimes, European mail order companies throw in a free CD sampler or
two. What a great way to discover new bands! And why is it so hard
for certain American mail order companies to handle and package merchandise
properly? I have heard numerous complaints from friends about receiving
CD’s with cracked cases. Sure, you can go out and buy a new case, but
you shouldn’t have to.
All I’m
trying to say is that European record labels, distributors, and mail order
companies take care of their fans more so than American ones do. I’m not
saying that all American ones suck, because there are some really killer people
out there doing a great job. This is just a way for me to bitch about
something that’s been bugging me for a long time without citing specific
names. As far as I’m concerned, the ingredients to a great mail order
company are (in no particular order): variety, knowledgeful
staff, imports, reasonable prices and shipping costs, making sure
catalog items are in stock, ease of phone ordering, a regularly
updated web site, a regularly updated mail order catalog which is automatically
sent to people who have ordered with the company before, no damaged
merchandise (cracked cases and CD spindles, dented/bend digipaks, etc.) and
adequate packaging, and quick order processing and shipment.
Keith's View
There are a lot of angels that you can shoot from on this subject.
But I just want to touch base on a few. First is the market of these two
somewhat different metal groupings. The climate in Europe is more
acceptable than North America. Fans are more loyal to their metal and
their favorite bands. It does better, as a whole, in terms of record
sales and concert attendance. There are more, bigger metal festivals
that are attended by thousands of metalheads that help push metal to the
forefront than we have here. In North America, we have the MTV
generation who are very fickle and have little or no loyalty. Whatever
is force-fed to them by MTV is what will be hip and cool to listen to.
One day it could be Metallica, the next it could be Eminem. It makes it
harder for metal bands to survive. If you’re not what’s
"in" you could have a very short lifespan. As for who has had
the greater success, I tend to lean towards the North American metal
bands only because we have been lucky enough to produce the Metallicas
and Panteras of the world. These bands have sold enough albums together
to surpass the career totals of a hundred European bands. The last point
I would like to touch on is the overall talent of these artists. I would
again give the nod to the North American bands only because I feel we
have generated better overall talent in terms of songwriting and live
shows. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are great European metal bands
like Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and The Crown, but I still
must give credit to artists like Slayer and Anthrax. These are just my
opinions and I’m sure a European Metal fan would disagree.