Metal Evolution

[AeonicSlumber]

I always hated the term "New Wave Of American Metal." The people who coined that term were dudes who were pretty much primarily responsible for discovering all of those bands - hardcore/punk dudes who basically felt the bands were too "metal" to be hardcore but they weren't really metal bands to begin with. The Lamb of God, Darkest Hour, Shadows Fall, and Killswitch dudes all came from the late 90's early 2000's hardcore scene. They were all punks, who had punk fans, etc. Somehow, Lamb Of God caught on with Pantera fans and Killswitch and Shads caught on with Soilwork/In Flames fans so this whole idea of these bands who aren't really all that metal to begin with were now considered "metal."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating. I love the "classic" Killswitch, Shadows Fall, and Darkest Hour stuff, but I just always found it weird how labels chose to market those bands. I remember Victory put out a promo flash animation that compared Darkest Hour to At The Gates and Metallica, just like I remember Shadows Fall being called "the next Metallica" and then later Trivium (who was much more of a straight up metal band than any of the so called NWOAM bands) got called the same thing. I can't help but find it funny that the trend was to dub the band "the next Metallica."

And then only a few years later, everyone seemed to abandon the NWOAM idea when Killswitch got on Warped and A Taste of Chaos and started touring with scene bands that got them in with a new crowd. Shads signed a major label deal and people stopped caring about them, and Darkest Hour started going out with more hardcore-oriented bands as well.

But yeah, "NWOAM" always felt like more of a convenient marketing strategy than it was an actual subgenre. Again, not hating (in b4 someone highlights the first sentence of my post. I didn't mean that literally.), don't really care per se, just always found it interesting.

 

[Fizrider]

I don't get it - was W.A.S.P. really that "shocking"? I am a pretty mainstream kinda guy, judging by that grid, but I guess the earlier comments ring true - he lumped "theatrical" hard rock into "shock rock."

Thanks for posting the grid, Jen.

 

[Jasonic]

I would love to hear the Norwegian Cradle of Filth!!!!
They can't be any worse than the one from the UK

The world needs the stoner episode to air, though I wouldn't really call TROUBLE stoner, yet I would fully support any menion of TROUBLE on the air.

I felt he did a REALLY good job on the power metal episode and that would be a great starting place for anyone unfamiliar with the genre. Of course, like any 45 minute episode on one genre, it misses many amazing bands, but as a high level overview, it was done REALLY well.

I am really curious to see next week's episode. Having Sava, Fates, Heep, and VoiVod, amongst the rest, should make for an interesting watch.

 

[J. Golden]

The world needs the stoner episode to air, though I wouldn't really call TROUBLE stoner, yet I would fully support any menion of TROUBLE on the air.

I would say that Trouble were certainly a trailblazer in that direction. Something about Eric standing on stage lighting up every joint the audience hands him kind of backs up that theory.

 

[Jasonic]

Smoking the same funny cigs that stoners smoke doesn't necessarily make the band stoner....

I suppose the 1990 ST was a move in that direction, but was more psych than stoner.

I mean the HIDDEN HAND for example, is stoner.......

I dunno, I guess to me, though most don't seem to agree, as a big TROUBLE-head, I hear a little bit of everything in them........

 

[J. Golden]

Smoking the same funny cigs that stoners smoke doesn't necessarily make the band stoner....

I suppose the 1990 ST was a move in that direction, but was more psych than stoner.

I mean the HIDDEN HAND for example, is stoner.......

I dunno, I guess to me, though most don't seem to agree, as a big TROUBLE-head, I hear a little bit of everything in them........

Trouble's psyche Beatles-esque sound continuously evolved from their Sabbathy roots.
I always saw Trouble and Candlemass as two bands that went down separate paths that Black Sabbath had laid out. Trouble I believe set out on that same Pentagram, Saint Vitus path while Candlemass were more epic and romantic.

 

[Jasonic]

Oh absolutely!

The only Candlemass that even remotely sounds like Sabbath is FROM THE 13TH SUN, and most Candlemass fans haven't even heard that album. Ha!

 

[Jasonic]

Looking closer, DORO in pop metal????????

Also, are these accurate?
I remember in the power metal episode, he had ICED EARTH under power metal.
Maybe this is a fan who put this together looking at the quick glimpses shown throughout the episodes.

 

[miel]

*Spoiler* I found a user that uploaded five 10min. clips of next week's final Prog episode..




~Jen

 

[Jasonic]

Didn't work for me. How are these leaked? Does this program air earlier in other countries or something?

 

[Jasonic]

I always hated the term "New Wave Of American Metal." The people who coined that term were dudes who were pretty much primarily responsible for discovering all of those bands - hardcore/punk dudes who basically felt the bands were too "metal" to be hardcore but they weren't really metal bands to begin with. The Lamb of God, Darkest Hour, Shadows Fall, and Killswitch dudes all came from the late 90's early 2000's hardcore scene. They were all punks, who had punk fans, etc. Somehow, Lamb Of God caught on with Pantera fans and Killswitch and Shads caught on with Soilwork/In Flames fans so this whole idea of these bands who aren't really all that metal to begin with were now considered "metal."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating. I love the "classic" Killswitch, Shadows Fall, and Darkest Hour stuff, but I just always found it weird how labels chose to market those bands. I remember Victory put out a promo flash animation that compared Darkest Hour to At The Gates and Metallica, just like I remember Shadows Fall being called "the next Metallica" and then later Trivium (who was much more of a straight up metal band than any of the so called NWOAM bands) got called the same thing. I can't help but find it funny that the trend was to dub the band "the next Metallica."

And then only a few years later, everyone seemed to abandon the NWOAM idea when Killswitch got on Warped and A Taste of Chaos and started touring with scene bands that got them in with a new crowd. Shads signed a major label deal and people stopped caring about them, and Darkest Hour started going out with more hardcore-oriented bands as well.

But yeah, "NWOAM" always felt like more of a convenient marketing strategy than it was an actual subgenre. Again, not hating (in b4 someone highlights the first sentence of my post. I didn't mean that literally.), don't really care per se, just always found it interesting.

This is the first time I agree 100% with everything you just said, even though every word you said is already universally agreed upon by any true underground metal fan.

Being from Chicago and involved in both the punk and metal underground scenes since the late 80s, I have seen VICTORY follow every trend.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

very word you said is already universally agreed upon by any true underground metal fan.

The key difference is that I am not hating. I legit love those bands when they were at their best. IMNs hate on everything because they are no fun club loving nerds.

 

[Diamond45]

Didn't work for me. How are these leaked? Does this program air earlier in other countries or something?

I think it was a Canadian production and was shown on Canadian TV (Much More) before it is shown on American TV (VH1 Classic).

 

[dionysus11]

i watch the power metal because primal fears website was saying Mat would be on it. it will be the only one i watch, to me it's just a boring stuff with things everyone already know or is very wrong and only jackasses think is true. Example some dummy on the show that they talk to "the experts" i guess had the nerve to say dragonforces guitar players are faster than yngwie malmsteen, as a guitar player im really just shocked and sad that anyone thinks that.

 

[Jasonic]

I think it was a Canadian production and was shown on Canadian TV (Much More) before it is shown on American TV (VH1 Classic).

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

[espz]

So on the last, Prog, episode at the very beginning am I the ONLY one, when he says, "I really want to know what Progressive metal means" and it shows "Atlanta, Georgia" along the bottom that they were going to talk to Glenn about ProgPower? No? No one? Just me?

 

[J. Golden]

I was wondering why no one had brought up the episode in this forum yet. I figured that since it was about "prog" and did not talk about Symphony X and Kamalot that it might have lost a lot of people around these parts.
I do think Progpower certainly deserves some props for helping the popularity of the sub-genre a bit in the U.S. but on a greater scale considering Tool, Opeth, Mastadon, etc the fest is quite small in comparison. Not taking away from it and the respect it deserves but Progpower is more "power" than actual "prog".
I think Jeff was pretty well spoken in it and it would have been neat if he an gotten to simply write the episode. Hell maybe he could put together a DVD to go along with the book.

 

[eppst1]

So on the last, Prog, episode at the very beginning am I the ONLY one, when he says, "I really want to know what Progressive metal means" and it shows "Atlanta, Georgia" along the bottom that they were going to talk to Glenn about ProgPower? No? No one? Just me?

Nope, I was thinking the same thing you were. But then I remember something about Glenn trying to get a hold of Sam and didn't hear anything back, so I figured it was about something/one else. Had me hoping there for a few minutes.
For some reason, I thought Mastodon came from Virginia. *shrugs*

 

[mloanna]

I was hoping that Progpower USA would have gotten a mention. But it seems like Sam Dunn or staff is still exploring and have not really looked into any of the festivals or cruise festivals in the United States. His focus is on the European festival circuit. It was nice to see a lot of the bands that have appeared at PPUSA on the t.v. show. I wonder what he will present next.

 

[dcowboys311]

I heard that this was picked up for a second season and there will be episodes about death, black, doom, and even hardcore. Anyone know if this is true?