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I guess I'm confused as to why this was written and posted with the reviews.

Ooh, a new Editorial!

Interesting. I agree up to a point, yet I still think too much over-exposure for Black Metal can ruin it. Sure, bands such as Opeth, In Flames, Lacuna Coil deserve their success, and sure, money. Yet for BM bands who's whole philosophy goes against such things, it never really works.

Still, great to see another editorial, after all this time and bitching! Good luck with that career.

This editorial pretty much reiterates some of what I've been saying since I first became a metal fan. The simple fact is that pretty much any musician who starts selling his music to the public wants to make money off it. So yes, even the most obscure black metal bands want to make at least a little cash off their music (whether they may like to admit it or not). I agree that metal fans all too often tend to think that metal bands are in the business just for them and them personally. What they fail to realize is that these metal bands don't know them personally. They can't have any real emotional attachment to them. And so on. The best these bands can do is be thankful they have fans who buy their records, see them tour, etc. But they can't develop a personal attachment to them unless, of course, they know them personally (which even for an obscure band is probably impossible save for may be two or three fans).

It's like when Tim Owens was in Judas Priest and people were making statements like, "Judas Priest owes it to their fans to bring back Rob Halford." Judas Priest doesn't owe their fans anything. It was them who made the music, spent sleepless nights practicing, spent even more sleepless nights touring, occasionally getting frustrated with their work, had all that inner turmoil, etc. All the "fans" really did was buy their music, enjoy it, and go to their shows occasionally. Metal musicians are just as human as we are. If it's in their hearts to change, then that may be the best. Because imagine, if you will, what it'd be like if a metal band forced itself to play the same music it's been playing for a while. Wouldn't the lack of heart and boredom bleed through? Wouldn't the music be just as bad as it would be if the band simply changed and did what was in their hearts? etc.

In the old days there always used to be an editorial put up every so often alongside the new reviews. This is a welcome return, IMO anyway.

I don't speak for everyone here, of course but I don't see any particular gain in having the bands who's music I like live in poverty. That wouldn't make a lot of sense.
Though, I also do realize that for any band who's music I like (and especially who's music I love) to reach the amount of popularity to be considered wealthy they would have to change their music in such a degree that I simply would not like it anymore. In an for me ideal world where the taste of the majority coincided with my own taste it would be possible, but I don't live in that world.

Basically.

I wouldn't want any of my favourite bands to live in poverty but bands like In Flames and The Haunted changed their ways that they made a lot of fans and chose a more mainstream, mtv and radio friendly music, catchy and easily digestable. As a metalhead and a person who values prinicples, I simply cannot accept something like this. These two bands and others like them are DEAD for me. They exist for the sole purpose of me mocking them. They sold out, yes I still believe that word after 8 years in metal.


Let them have their big breasted chicks and cool motor bikes. I want none of it. I just want my old school metal, which hasn't been spoiled by greed.


note: Yes there are bands who make music and not try to make money of it. There are bands who encourage downloading, trading... Make your album limited to 500 copies and you will not make money of it. If they wanted money, they wouldn't limit. Simle as that. I'm not saying all metal should be underground like this but clearly this "art for art" mentality deserves more respect than those bands mentioned above. [/endrant]

Hey, we can write editorials?

Yeah. As well as concert reports.

I agree with that point.If you are a band and are forced to change your sound and style to make more money then why did you start a band with your old school sound to begin with why not start one that fits with mainstream popularity instead of starting a band that goes from underground to mtv status.I can't stand bands that do that you are used to your favorite bands sound then they sell out I agree they should make some sort of living off of it but why start a band then change your style later on it don't make sense.

God, if I was in a band, I would play death metal, for the sole purpose that I love the genre and would thoroughly enjoy (I imagine haha) playing that kind of music. If I wanted to make a decent amount of money, I would play some clean vocals thrash ie. Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Slayer and Exodus etc. Therefore I would stil play heavy fucking metal, but make a buck or two in the process, hopefully.

BTW, editorials rule, imo-glad to see them back. Good luck, Ben.

Glad to see editiorials back. And I disagree with the idea that everyone wants to make some money from their music.

If Demilich was out for the money, why'd they make their most famous, and fairly hard to obtain Nespithe available with covers and etc. etc. etc. for free? That album was re-pressed, too, so they didn't have to.

Ahh... I see.

I think someone already said this, but I don't think that a band wanting to make money off of their music is a bad thing. Sadly I just don't like music that becomes popular - catchyness, too much melody melody, predictability, out of place clean vocals, and simplicity are three things that I do not like to hear when I listen to music. Not to say I can't enjoy these things (it's what Scar Symmetry set out to do and they do it fucking great).

I like Dillinger Escape Plan's method of lumping the mainstream stuff into 2 songs - they may deceive some mallcore people, but me + the band win because they get money and I get good music.

Nice editorial btw, although it took a while for you to get to what you were trying to say.

Lots of these have been done in the past, although not too recently. Here's the full list

http://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/artist.php3?id=1065

Hmmm... Funny thing is, I have been coming to this website for about three years now and I have never noticed those before.

lawl u n00b

Musicians,metal or not,should always stick to what they believe in.By doing so they will always have a fan base there buying enough records to allow the band a decent standard of living.Some bands attempt to re-invent themselves and make a total hash of it (Slang by Def Leppard,anyone?).There are those with the pretentious belief that they have the versatility to start something new and by doing so they alienate some of their fan base and these fans become so disillusioned with the band they turn their backs on the band for good.Don't get me wrong,There are some shining examples of bands with the ability to freshen up their sound and maintain their fan base.Judas Priest successfully embraced thrash metal on the Painkiller album,but then again,this is the same band who less than five years earlier,sang about "not needing parental guidance" on the Turbo album.Such lyrics from thirty-something year old men is just plain daft.St. Anger by Metallica is a pathetic attempt to win back those fans turned off by the Load album.It is clearly an album Metallica feel they had to make and any right thinking metal fan knows that this is not metal from the heart. One of the reasons Iron Maiden is my favourite band is their refusal to bow to the latest trend and stick to their guns.Punk and grunge have came and went without having any effect on Maiden's musical output.Because of this,their fan base is one of the most loyal and a loyal fan base means financial stability for the band members.