US touring halted?

[Stingray11214]

I think the problem is that these acts are tired of being "pioneers" of an untamed land. The reason why the Power Metal scene is in deep decline is because we never really had an "American" scene to begin with. It was like the old North American Soccer League back in the day: A bunch of foreigners, with few, if any, Americans that the casual US fan can call their own. Quick, name me five US-based power metal acts that have the capability to introduce acts on a mass basis. Those that could have saw their heyday in the 80's, and those that still exist are there for nostalgia purposes only. Sadly, those that have the potential to do so, like KatV, Seven Kingdoms and Aska, have never been given the chance to do so no matter how hard they have worked. Even bands like Manilla Road, Helstar and Sanctuary, can barely scratch out a music existence despite their histories. So, if you are one of the acts from Europe, why should be the builder of a scene that may or may not exist on its own?

What also shocks me is how in the hell do these guys not get paid? Are there not contracts? Are their managers robbing these bands blind? Or, are they plain incompetent?

Just these two facts alone would make anyone spooked of touring the US, never mind the ball-busting the USCIS gives you in order to protect non-existent American artists.

 

[Frode]

Element_man, you have a very good and insightful post. But let me just point out something that you and many others keep getting wrong. You say Saxon never bothered to play your area...
I am no rep for Saxon or anything, but because I work with a couple of other bands, I feel the need to tell you that most bands bother to play anywhere. The problem lies with the local promoter and/or his dealings with the tour agent. If the local promoter can not work out a deal with the tour agent/booker, then the show will not happen. You can not do a show without any interest or a small guarantee from the local promoter.
And as much as I can not speak for Saxon, I think their 30+ years career speaks for itself and proves that they bother

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Sabaton, while not 'new' in the last 5 years, first hit the US less than 5 years ago and seem to be on their way to being a stable draw as a headliner. I don't know how their whole tour did this past May, but they packed the Key Club in LA.

I realize that it's debatable whether Sabaton are a 'great' power metal band, but in the context of drawing power, I'm not sure there's another relatively new band that could compare with them.

Sabaton did really great in St. Paul, but they had a really poor turnout in Springfield, VA. I think that happened because they ALSO booked a show in Richmond, VA. It seems to be the case of "the less shows the better", when it comes to a lot of these bands. Last time Doro played at Jaxx, the whole place was packed with people who came from hundreds of miles away just because she only booked 4 shows.

 

[dcowboys311]

I'd say Nighfall in Middle Earth.... and that's been a while now.

I'd argue The Black Halo.....but still, that's an oldie.

Regarding the bands mentioned in the initial post:

Edguy - no new album out
Dragonforce - major lineup change, nobody plays Guitar Hero anymore, did US dates a month or two ago
Sonata Arctica - I dunno
Primal Fear - never been a draw in the US
Hammerfall - rarely toured the US
Stratovarius - rarely toured the US

So really, IMO it's only strange that Sonata isn't touring here. Hammerfall was kind of a one-off thing as they've never toured the US much to begin with. Stratovarius didn't do that many tours and those that they did weren't even all that extensive. Nobody in this country cares about Primal Fear and I imagine we'll see an Edguy tour once they have something to promote.

I 100% agree with Cheiron. Every other style of metal has had newcomerS rise to headlining status, whether you're talking US or worldwide. The only new big power metal band is Sabaton. A genre on the decline indeed.

 

[AngraRULES]

I'd argue The Black Halo.....but still, that's an oldie.

Agreed.

Stratovarius didn't do that many tours and those that they did weren't even all that extensive.

Or successful.

 

[PureXul]

I imagine we'll see an Edguy tour once they have something to promote.

"Age of the Joker" came out in August 2011 and they haven't done any US touring for it. Considering how the Tinnitus Sanctus headlining tour went, that doesn't surprise me, but the issue isn't that they have nothing to promote.

 

[AngraRULES]

"Age of the Joker" came out in August 2011 and they haven't done any US touring for it. Considering how the Tinnitus Sanctus headlining tour went, that doesn't surprise me, but the issue isn't that they have nothing to promote.

Ahh, I thought it was because they were embarrassed of the quality of their last release...

 

[Justin G]

Powerwolf seems like a band that could break through here with a little effort. They basically have Sabaton's sound and Ghost's "evil" schtick. Audiences seem to be in the mood for that these days.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

It's the bands' own fault to be honest. Often times, they focus on Europe - territories where they and their labels are based for so long that they get old and tired and don't want to haul ass in the US. So they shack up with a booking agent that can only get them a minimal fee per night that will cover the costs of their flights and visas and maybe send the guys home with a few hundred bucks, because they don't want to risk losing money in the short-term opening for a big band on a major tour. They probably have families and things like that that need to be accounted for, so the guys cannot afford to lose thousands of dollars out of their own pockets by opening for Motley Crue or Judas Priest. Doing these small headliner tours allows them to at least break even or possibly come back with a small profit, and then they can go back playing European festivals as their main gigs.

It's not entirely hard to blame them for that attitude but I also think it's kind of sad as well, because there is alot of potential for a band to make money in the US if the band is willing to put in the work. In the end, these bands will be coming over less and less as demand goes down due to lack of exposure.

 

[AngraRULES]

Powerwolf seems like a band that could break through here with a little effort. They basically have Sabaton's sound and Ghost's "evil" schtick. Audiences seem to be in the mood for that these days.

Ugh....

 

[Palabra de Dios]

Hey, I like Powerwolf. And I think that's a fair assessment of their sound.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Powerwolf seems like a band that could break through here with a little effort. They basically have Sabaton's sound and Ghost's "evil" schtick. Audiences seem to be in the mood for that these days.

This is relevant to my interests. I love Powerwolf. Pure ridiculousness.



ALL HAIL THE CHEESE.

 

[Harvester]

Powerwolf is currently building empire in Europe with no real interest in the States yet.

Trust me on that.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

One day, hopefully. I think they're cool as shit.

 

[Jasonic]

Wow, all I can say is I am shocked that you are all letting the poster get away with the claim that the last good power metal release was NIGHTFALL IN MIDDLE EARTH. Not to slam the newbies, but I bet dollars to donuts that many here weren't even into metal when that album came out. Amazing how trends change with the times.

I think one issue which was briefly touched on above is how unknown so many amazing US power metal bands are.

Just look at Metal Blade's roster of US power metal bands that are mostly unknown to most modern power metal fans.

It just seems lots of those bands never got on major tours back in the day.

Could be the bands fault. Could be the label's fault. Could be wrong place at wrong time.

Though, and I know its only my opinion, its certainly not the result of lack of talent or good songwriting.

Maybe power metal from the US isn't as hip to the American crowd as if it were sung by a European!

 

[engmtlhd]

This is just my opinion and I may be completely way off base here, but you can't the Euro bands for the decline in the interest of power metal when there really hasn't been one to begin with. Most American heavy metal fans don't have a clue what power metal is and couldn't even name three power metal bands off the top of the heads. NuMetal and Hard Rock rules the roost over here. Not saying that's bad, but there's no significant air-play for the Prog/Power Metal genre's. I can't even get prog/power metal on XM and they have just about everything.

Perfect example. When the series Metal Evolution came out, what did Sam Dunn say about power metal? He was "completely alien to the genre". And his main focus on progressive metal? Mastodon, Rush, and Genesis. WTF? Now I think Dunn knows his fair share of metal music, but if he doesn't know much about power metal, I wouldn't expect the casual listener to also.

No listeners, no music sales, no concerts.

Thank God we have Glen and PPUSA.

 

[TychoCelchu]

Wow, all I can say is I am shocked that you are all letting the poster get away with the claim that the last good power metal release was NIGHTFALL IN MIDDLE EARTH.

I don't think he meant it as in "it was the last album that was good." I took it to mean (and I agree) that NIME was (arguably) the last album that truly upped the ante as far as an album that raises the entire visibility or buzz level for the genre as a whole. Just an album being "good" won't do that. Call it a ripple or tentpole effect. NIME did present a major turning point for people realizing that power metal was a Thing Worth Knowing About for young metalheads in the US.

I also agree that The Black Halo was another step up - a smaller one than NIME, which basically took US awareness of contemporary power metal from zero to one - whereas The Black Halo widened and built on a fanbase that was there largely because of NIME.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Powerwolf is currently building empire in Europe with no real interest in the States yet.

Trust me on that.

Yeah I've heard they are doing really really well in Europe. Good on them. Great band imo.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Maybe this is a good time for US fans of power metal to take a look at the American power metal bands that are out there. See what our nation has to offer. We aren't short on talent, in the US, and they could certainly use the support!

 

[General Zod]

There's been 0 new great Power Metal bands in the last 5 years.

This is an excellent point. The genre has really been on life support for quite some time. And it's not only a dearth of new talent, but the genre's elite have largely been in decline.

Powerwolf seems like a band that could break through here with a little effort.

Although I think these guys are a lot of fun, and hope Glenn we'll be announcing them for next year's festival, I'd be surprised if they broke through here.