Ok, so I happened to dump on most of mainstream heavy metal in my last post. I can't help it, it just pours out. Namely because my opinions are absolutist. For the record, however, I do enjoy heavy metal more than most genres of music. Give me almost any heavy metal and I'll generally be good to go. The only problems I generally have with most "American" heavy metal stems mostly from the fact that there is so little variation involved. While there are some bands that stand out, their choice of song topics are so goddamn tired.
Take, for instances, the two biggest icons of heavy metal in the United States (and I'm not talking about imported stuff) are Metallica and Megadeth (they both start with "M" don't they. Interesting). Now, Metallica was first, and arguably, better than Megadeth, but that doesn't change the fact that Megadeth was started by a man who was in Metallica. Dave Mustaine was the original lead guitarist for the band before they decided that his attitude didn't quite mesh with the rest of the group. So, out Mustaine (another "M", weird), and in Kirk Hammet. A step, I think, in the right direction for Metallica. Mustaine, not liking this one bit, started one of the longest running feuds in the world of heavy metal (which was only the first of many. He seemed to pick up a new feud every 5 years or so), and decided that the best revenge would be to start his own band (actual influence of vengeance motive is mostly speculative on my part. Seems a good idea to me).
Megadeth, which is almost as cool, but with a vocalist (Mustaine) that sounds like someone let an 18-year old smoke three packs a day for 17 of them, and a not-quite-as-good-a-guitarist as Kirk Hammet (Mustaine again), and you have the perfect recipe for a band that is almost as awesome, but still sucks out loud when compared to the first band. At least, that's how it started.
Picture this: June 2003, a young man, fresh from the music store, runs into his apartment and pops a brand-new cd into his home stereo. He thinks this album will be awesome, despite what those crackheads at the magazines have been smoking, and so he cranks his speakers until the point of shattering every window in his house and presses play. What assaults his ears, instead of an awesome rebirth of Metallica that he has been promised, is, instead, St. Anger... I believe the next words out of his mouth are "What the f..." He never finishes because his parents burst in and turn the awful noise down.
Weeping inwardly, the young man turns to ...And Justice for All for comfort (not based on personal experience, but a friend's. I couldn't have cared less at the time).
In the meantime, Mustaine has cleaned himself up, found Jesus, refuses to sing some of his classics because of this, but then releases the awesomeness that is... wait... Nope, Megadeth still not as good. Granted, they released some pretty cool songs. But nothing that I would consider on-par with "Peace Sells" (the song, not the album; apples to apples here, people).
Now, I'm not just here to shit all over American heavy metal. Oh no, that would mean I was biased. Motorhead is another band that has earned my ire. Why? Kiss of Death. Yes, "God was never on your side" is downright awesome, but, what the hell? The rest of the album sounds like a contractual obligation outing.
But, there are some bands that have actually moved in a generally upwards direction (with a few stumbling blocks). Disturbed, for example. Indestructible, not their best. Not, I think, as good as Ten Thousand Fists, but with a few really good tracks. But, what do they do? They release Asylum, which cleanses their minor transgressions. Seriously, Ten Thousand Fists is, as far as I'm concerned, their best album. But, at least they sound a little different from one album to the next.
And, the last band I will list here, namely because they are, in my opinion, the representation of what a band should do, is Rammstein. Album by album, they alter their sound enough that each one is fresh. You can still tell it's Rammstein, particularly with the lyrical nature of their songs, and Till Lindemann has a very distinctive voice.
As always, comments and sarcastic remarks are welcome.
Catch you all later.
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