May 2000:
Should Metal Remain Underground?
This month's column concerns the popularity of metal in
the mainstream and whether or not this is a good thing.
EvilG's View
There are two sides to this. You can look at it from the artists
standpoint who would of course like to see a greater audience for their
music. Why else do you think they bother to write music and release
albums if it wasn't to be heard? These people have to eat and survive
just like you or me and if there is no money to be made playing metal
then no bands will be playing it. That said, there is the other side...
If metal became more accepted into the mainstream that would mean more
fans who follow the trends would jump on board. These are not people,
but sheep. They are the same sheep that listen to Limp Shitkit and all
those other rap-core bands. If real metal was "in" would you
want a clown like that listening to your music, going to your shows and
eventually starting bands of their own just to capitalize off of a
trend?? I know I wouldn't.
I think a happy medium has to be met. If metal can remain somewhat
underground yet have slightly more commercial success then it now has
then things would be better for bands getting their product to us fans
and getting on tours that actually go to more than just Europe.
The reason for keeping metal an underground music form is simple. You
know that the bands playing it are not money whores who only picked up
their instruments to see if they could be the flavor of the month. Most
bands in the underground are not here today, gone tomorrow. These true
to metal bands never get props from the mainstream because they are not
on the top 40, they are not on MTV (empty TV).
In my time on this planet the biggest time for metal that I witnessed
was in the 80's. For a while it was cool. Metal mags were everywhere,
the videos of the bands were easy enough to catch on TV and metal,
although big, was still not mainstream. A problem with metal in the
later 80's is that there was a glut of glam "metal" bands that
over saturated the market with 10,000 Bon Blow me wanna be's. These glam
bands put the whole metal scene in a false and bad light. In one way
that was a good thing because it drove away the trendies who all wanted
to be the next Poison and those bands left playing metal WERE METAL.
So yes, lets keep it in the underground but I'd like to see metal be
a bit more popular because it would be nice to be able to walk into a CD
Store and be able to find the stuff you like, to be able to tune into a
weekly video show that actually catered to real metal and to give the
bands a stable income so they can concentrate on their next CD not their
next meal!
Rick's View
Should Metal Remain in the underground? Metal is an underground music
almost by its nature. The music itself is not as easily accessible as
say Britney Spears or N' Sync because of the fact that metal on the
whole requires a greater level of thought and musicianship than just
being able to create a beat on a computer or keyboard. Not to say that
all metal is overly intellectual but it has the ability to be so and at
the same time to be aggressive.
Metal would benefit by moving from the underground to the mainstream
in a number of ways. Firstly the musicians would actually make some
money because of the increased album sales that come from having a
greatly expanded audience. This would allow them to spend more time on
their music as they would not have to work jobs just to support
themselves financially. This would also result in more bands actually
getting the chance to get their music out to more people because of the
increased amount of money available for touring. A final benefit would
be increased money for videos and other promotion. Even if your favorite
band did not tour in your area you could always turn on the local music
station and check out their videos. The downside to metal coming out of
the underground is that no longer would bands be making metal because
they love the music. There would be a glut of bands who are just
following what is popular and playing metal in the hope that they get
signed to record contracts and then get rich. As was the case in the
late 80s and early 90s, the record companies would sign any band that
they could regardless of talent. These bands would be expected to play
the kind of music that the label wanted just to sell CDs. This would
hurt the legitimate metal bands as the pressure would be put on them to
sell CDs rather than to make quality music. Eventually there would be a
backlash and most of the below average bands would be gone and with them
many of the innovative bands that do not necessarily conform to the
record labels idea of success.
It would be great to see Metal gain more success. But that success
should only come because of the hard work and dedication of those bands.
If the bands could make a decent living from their music and still be
independent in what they want to achieve, then metal is best left in the
underground.
Joe's View
Should Metal remain underground? I think it would be better to ask
"WILL Metal remain underground?" As we’re all
aware, NO form of music remains "underground" for very long
once record industry executives hear it and think that there’s money
to be made. But of course, once a particular genre is targeted and
brought to the forefront of the popular music scene, the pioneering
artists are pushed aside to make way for prettier, watered down versions
that are easily marketed and sold to the gullible music buying public.
For the past decade, "Metal" has been practically
considered a dirty word in the music industry. Record companies want
nothing to do with Heavy Metal bands anymore. Kind of strange, don’t
you think? After all, Metal bands made mountains of cash for these
companies back in the ‘80's, but as soon as the ‘90's rolled around,
it was "out with the old and in with the new". Why the sudden
change in attitude? Simple. People were getting tired of Metal and sales
of it were down.
Now, there are a couple of reasons for this particular situation...
#1. Record companies don’t give a damn about anything other than
profits. HUGE profits. They don’t care if there’s a small niche
market desperately wanting to be catered to and that a nice little
profit can be made from it... No, they would rather flood the
marketplace with dozens of acts which are basically all clones of each
other, turn a large and fast buck, and once the public has gorged itself
on the product, move on to the next "big thing". And #2. For
the most part, the general public are gullible fools who allow the media
to dictate to them what’s "cool." Why else would people from
middle-class suburbia want to look and act like "gangstas"?
It’s definitely not because they relate to the situations and
lifestyle described in rap lyrics.
It’s only a matter of time before record companies begin looking
for the next big money making trend. And since there are a limited
number of musical genres, you can be sure that Metal will be taken into
consideration once again. Of course, it will be less aggressive,
watered-down songs with "bubble gum" lyrics performed by
"pretty" musicians. At least the first time around it was all
relatively new and there was little both music and image-wise to steal
from, so quite a few "real" Metal bands ended up getting a lot
of recognition. Next time around, they’ll be rehashing the already
rehashed (I shudder at the thought!), thereby preventing most (and
possibly all) "real" Metal bands from ever gaining any mass
popularity.
So to answer the question "Will Metal remain underground?",
I think the answer is "yes", simply because true music fans
know that the stuff that dominates in the world of Pop isn’t real
music to begin with. Occasionally a "real" song will sneak
it’s way onto the charts, but those moments are few and far between.
As for whether or not Metal "should" remain underground... I
can’t answer that because as far as I can tell, TRUE Metal has nowhere
else to go.
Gueneviere's View
If it were my choice, Metal would definitely remain
"underground" provided that it would also still get the
respect that it deserves. Unfortunately, to my mind this is really just
an academic question, as I don't think real metal will ever really be
mainstream, middle-of-the-road fare. It's too distinctive, too
uncompromising, and just too masculine, loud, and extreme (at least to
the sensibilities of the average housewives and grannies) to ever be an
AOR staple. Indeed, whenever metal becomes homogenized to the extent
that it is acceptable and embraced by the mainstream, then it really
isn't true metal anymore anyway. (Think of some of the pop metal bands
of the '80's, or some of the pseudo metal or alterna-metal bands of the
'90's.) That so-called metal was/is acceptable and accessible to the
mainstream, but at best it was milk-toast metal or just experimental
heavy sounds. So, unless the communal aural sensibilities of the masses
progressively move to a heavier more dynamic median (which is not likely
to happen in the near future), real heavy metal will always be left of
center-and underground. That's fine by me, as it would eventually lose
it's appeal over time the way some other genres do when there's
prolonged media overkill and hype. However, as stated above, it would be
gratifying if the mainstream respected heavy metal as an art form in the
same way some other off-center genres (i.e. opera, abstract art, etc.)
get respected even though they are not the common diet of the masses
either. Then again, the lack of respect paid to metal (the topic of March's
editorial) is also a very important ingredient in its all-important
aggression, explosive power, and personality. So, as the saying goes,
'Better be careful what you wish for . . . "
Waspman's View
The question of whether or not metal should remain underground
revolves around one aspect: success. Say what? What I mean is, would
metal be more likely to be successful if it stayed in the underground,
away from the prying lights of the mainstream audience and media? Or
would a shift into the mainstream fast lane be the tonic that pushes
metal into new realms of greatness? If you ask me, the answer lies
within what I call the "glam syndrome".
The "glam syndrome" goes something like this: Glam
"metal" (pop rock schlock) was/is a much maligned sub-genre of
metal that became highly diluted (too many crappy bands) and lame, but
did have some quite credible beginnings (like it or not, Van Halen was
one of the originators of early glam metal, same goes for the first two,
and only good, Def Leppard albums). Or, for the more heavy-eared readers
out there, think of the mid-80's thrash scene - the same thing happened
there. Why did this happen? Basically, the downward trend began when the
glam metal style became accepted by the mainstream. Once that happened,
everybody and their mother tried to jump on the "hot new
trend" and tons of crappy bands popped up, thus crowding and
crapifying (TM. Waspman) the genre. And of course, we all know what
happened after that - glam metal became the accepted definition of metal
and it became a laughing stock.
What that rather long-winded professorial intro is saying is this:
metal should stay underground. If metal "goes mainstream",
then the same fucking phenomenon will happen. Does anyone really want
that? Plus, there's nothing wrong with the level that metal is at right
now - it is arguably the healthiest that it has ever been before. Tons
of new bands, tons of diversity, and tons of talent. There are already
too many shitty bands allowed to exist, and being in the mainstream
would only cause an increase of chaff bands to dilute metal. All I can
say to that is - Fuck that! There is no need for metal to go mainstream,
besides, does anybody really want to hear some abortion like Britney
"Tits" Spears singing duet vocals on Bruce Dickinson's next
solo album?
Nathan's View
Should Metal Remain Underground? Not necessarily. Sure it is nice to
be a part of this underground network, spreading the message of great
metal bands and music. Because metal is underground it makes us
metalheads very unique in this world full of clueless, radio-loving
idiots. But think for a moment what would happen if metal became so
accepted, that it was no longer underground.
First of all, bands and musicians that deserve to be recognized would
finally get their chance. We would see some truly talented individuals
make it into guitar, bass, and drum magazines instead of the lame
bullshit that currently gets covered. Just think how cool it would be to
flip on the radio and hear Iced Earth, Napalm Death, or Slayer. Imagine
metal videos being played on television channels. Imagine seeing people
besides your friends wearing metal shirts in public places. And there
would actually be someone out there to talk to that listens to such
great stuff as Pungent Stench, Loudblast, Agressor, Lethargy, and
countless other bands I freakin’ drool over. It is too bad that metal
bands bust their asses for years, doing what they love, and get nowhere,
while other talentless ass-molesters just do what the producer and
record company tells them to do, to make that million-dollar hit single.
It is hard for metal bands to support themselves without getting regular
jobs, and it is sad to see so many great artists leave music to
concentrate on working because they just are not popular enough to
survive solely on record sales.
Of course, the only way for this to happen is for more and more
people to be turned on to metal. Bands should never change to appeal to
the masses (i.e. Metallica, Megadeth). The people in society need to
change.
Keith's View
Should Metal Remain Underground?
NO WAY!! Why would you want to keep a good thing down. Sure, it has a
cool vibe when it’s underground, kind of being a select few that know
about a good thing. But would it be fair for some kid in the corn fields
of Iowa not being afforded the chance to hear Metallica’s Master of
Puppets or Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction? Those are two great
albums, masterpieces mind you. Now it’s a double-edged sword here. If
you stay underground it’s cool yet it won’t last as long being able
to only reach a small market. Bands gotta survive too. If you leave the
underground you will reach a much more broader group of fans, and yes,
there will be fans who just like hopping on the bandwagon, but a band
will last much longer bringing more music to the masses. Yet people will
peg you with the ever-popular tag of a "sell out", which
isn’t fair. Is it fair to tag Metallica or Megadeth as sell outs, or
are they just two great metal bands that were able to break into the
mainstream? It would be a bitch not to be able to hear the classics:
1. Iron Maiden Number of The Beast
2. Metallica Kill ‘Em All
3. Judas Priest Painkiller
4. Motorhead Sacrifice
Keep metal out of the underground and let it reign throughout the
world.
Noel's View
Yes, metal should remain underground, to keep assholes from trying to
imitate it and make a mockery of it a la the new wave crap Slipknot,
Korn, MachineHead, Tool, Coal Chamber, Power man 5000, etc etc. You know
what crap I'm talking about. Why share with these fuckers? They don't
have a clue, all of them take the Satanic salute and make fun of it at
all there concerts trying to act evil. I shitted out more evilness than
they could in a lifetime. All real serious metal heads know the
difference between crap and real metal. If they don't, they should be
listening to something else and of course they should be shot, hung,
drawn, quartered and put in between a bun to serve at Satandonalds.