Rock is dead
 

I grew up on zepplin, sabbath, and all the great 80's metal (metallica, slayer, maiden) and still listen to all of it. Obviously I lean to the heavy stuff, but I like classic rock as much as the next guy.

The 90's were great for rock and metal IMO. It seemed like I discovered a new band I really liked every few weeks. Other than QOTSA I wouldn't put any current band in the same league with AIC, soundgarden, CoC, toadies, STP, clutch, pearl jam, tool, NIN, helmet, melvins, or monster magnet (don't laugh, this is a good band).


The stuff on the radio today all sounds bad and the same to me. Seriously, is three doors down and nickelback the best we can come up with? This had been bugging me for some time, does anyone agree with me?

Re: Rock is dead
 

It pains me to the center of my being each and every day.

The current music industry is what happens when all music is tuned to the demographic of 12 year old girls....voila!

I would not be totally opposed to jail terms for making crap pop/rock.

And I agree with you about Monster Magnet, they do indeed rock!

CaM

Re: Rock is dead
 

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The current music industry is what happens when all music is tuned to the demographic of 12 year old girls....voila!


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People were saying weird stuff like this 25 years ago. Except back then, "hair" (and visual presence) was taking over music due to MTV's influence.

Rock music will endure.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Rock will endure, of course. The question is, what needs to be done in order to create an atmosphere conducive to the emergence of quality rock bands?

The music industry is in a poor place because, I believe, of the maketing strategies employed. The strategies which favor kids.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Rock is not dead, hard rock that is still a wavelength below metal is certainly not at its peak though.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Listening to the radio, even US rock radio is not really showing the real picture of whats going on.

You are totally wrong about rock and particulary metal being dead, in fact the bands coming through now are playing more traditional sounding music as nu metal died. There is such a variety in metal these days probably the most variety ever, just its a bit more underground than its peak.

Get yourself on myspace for a couple of hours, goto the music bit click on top rated artists and choose rock or metal genre and start clicking, I am sure you will find a load of bands that get your interest.

Re: Rock is dead
 

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Rock will endure, of course. The question is, what needs to be done in order to create an atmosphere conducive to the emergence of quality rock bands?

The music industry is in a poor place because, I believe, of the maketing strategies employed. The strategies which favor kids.

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Its happening already bands can now record demos cheaply, at home if needs be, and self promote and market online to a much wider relavent audience than has ever been the case previously, without any help for a label, they still need a label to get the proper product to market though.

Look at the success the Artic Monkeys have had and that was all based around the buzz generated on the net and by the band releasing free songs online etc. I beleive they will be the first of many.

Re: Rock is dead
 

The next Bob Dylan will likely be more Eminem than Bob Dylan.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal that gets radioplay has always been terrible. You aren't going to find your replacement for Slayer on the radio.
You should definitely try out Mastodon. I would guess you would really like their newest album, Leviathan.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Turbo Negro

Re: Rock is dead
 

Get satellite radio. I have Sirius and get exposed to a new (to me anyway) awesome band every week on one of the 300 stations. These are bands that never get play on terrestrial radio because they don't fit the pre-teen female demographic, yet completely blow other "popular" bands out of the water.

Re: Rock is dead
 

There is a ton of good music being made today that flies just under the radar of the mainstream. If you search around on the net you'll find a ton of great stuff in all genres

Re: Rock is dead
 

I think you're wrong. Good rock is where you find it. Nowadays it's much less popular than it once was, but there are plenty of good bands out there. Others have pointed you to Mastodon etc., so I won't bother. All these bands have had at least one new release in the past year or so.

High on Fire - Matt Pike's band. Very heavy, and very good.
Abdullah - Cleveland based Sabbathy band.
Place of Skulls - Victor Griffin's (of Death Row and Pentagram) band. Just released their third album.
Alabama Thunderpussy - Great oldschool styled rock band.
Cathedral - They're still making excellent stuff. Saw them tour for their latest release last year, and loved it. Some of my friends were the supporting act too.
The Hidden Hand - Scott Weinrich's project. Very atmospheric, cool and downright brilliant music. They released an EP+liveDVD on limited release a few weeks ago, and it's brilliant.
Clutch - Their release (Robot Hive/Exodus) last year was another excellent one.
Spiritual Beggars - Michael Amott's hard rock band. Love their stuff.

I don't listen to a huge amount of the following stuff, but it's great stuff when I'm in the mood:

Amon Amarth - great Viking metal out of Sweden. Bonecrunching riffs, and they actually write really good lyrics.
Arch Enemy - Swedish death metal from Michael Amott. Amazingly good riffs and solos.

I don't think that rock is dead at all, but if you want to listen to good rock it definitely takes effort. I've probably forgotten some of my favourite (and current) bands in the list as well.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Thanks for the list, I'll try em out. I figured I'd get some reccomendations by starting this. Maybe the problem is that I'm old, and the guys I used to go to tool and clutch and slayer concerts with every month are now changing diapers and buying mutual funds.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Others to try on the heavy front

In Flames
Dark Tranquility
Soilwork
Children Of Bodom
Norther
Mendeed
Sentenced
Edge of Sanity
(if you like this lot start going through the bands at Swedishmetal.net)

More Prog Metal

Anathema
Opeth
Riverside
Borknager
November Doom
Coheed and Cambria

More Traditional

3 Inches of Blood
Trivium
Blaze
Cradle of Filth
Dragon Force

The new Stone Sour Record is pretty good as well, I think the last Slipknot is pretty decent as well but might not get past their image.

Some more Goth metal stuff some has operatic vocals which may be a problem.

Nightwish
Lacuna Coil
Tristiana
After Forever
Epica
Crematory
Deathstars

Also some older bands have record out recent Exodus, Death Angel etc.

Most of these you should be able to get samples on myspace or videos on youtube.

Also try Dimmu Borgir and Emporer are black metal but at the more listenable end, can give more recommendations if you like these.

Re: Rock is dead
 

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Hard Rock/Heavy Metal that gets radioplay has always been terrible. You aren't going to find your replacement for Slayer on the radio.
You should definitely try out Mastodon. I would guess you would really like their newest album, Leviathan.

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kind of, KIND OF in the same vein is baroness. Baroness rules hardcore. Very heavy, not lame at all. check em out.

Re: Rock is dead
 

In Flames

Re: Rock is dead
 

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I grew up on zepplin, sabbath, and all the great 80's metal (metallica, slayer, maiden) and still listen to all of it.

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Actually, rock died sometime in the 70s, I think it was 3/17/75.

Re: Rock is dead
 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov...28511e607k.jpg

Re: Rock is dead
 

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I grew up on zepplin, sabbath, and all the great 80's metal (metallica, slayer, maiden) and still listen to all of it.

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Actually, rock died sometime in the 50s, I think it was 2/3/59.

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Fyp.

But really I think there is more good music being made, and more importantly, HEARD right now than at just about any point since the early 90s. The late 90s, when indierock died, was an absolute wasteland. Just because your favorite genre stopped being popular you seem to think that means something dire about music in general? I hate to say it, but Dynasty is right. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Rock is dead
 

I was wondering if any metal would be mentioned in this forum. Although it's turning up in a rock thread, this will do for now.

Here are some other current metal bands that are putting out some amazing stuff:

Mercenary - The album "11 Dreams" and especially the soon to be store released "The Hours That Remain" (which I've... uh... "sampled") are amazing pieces of work. Aggression, energy, composition/flow, and an excellent sense of melody and harmony permeate these albums.

My Dying Bride - "Turn Loose the Swans," "The Dreadful Hours," and "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" are all wonderful death/doom metal albums full of gothic tinges. These guys are great at creating atmosphere, and the tempo transitions are quite wonderful.

Redemption - "The Fullness of Time." A prog metal supergroup with current Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder combines catchy and energetic speed metal sensibilities to the technical progressive realm.

Fates Warning - "X" was a good album that focused more on melody than on crushing metal riffs. Still quite the effort, and their earlier catalogue is quite accomplished as well.

Dream Theater - Whole catalogue. Granted, I'm a little biased here, as they're my favorite band, but nearly all their work is consistent and enjoyable. Good starting points are "Images and Words," "Awake," and their newest album "Octavarium." Unless you like really technical displays, I'd avoid "Scenes From A Memory" and "Train of Thought" (ironically, the albums that most fans show first, and tend to garner the comments of them being 'showoffs' with 'wanking guitar/keyboard solos') until you've figured out their sound.

All That Remains - "The Fall of Ideals." These guys come out of the metalcore wave, but do it really well, particularly on their newest album. Their singer, Phil Labonte, formally of Shadow's Fall, has a great vocal variety for this subgenre of metal.

Gamma Ray - All albums post-1995 to the present. An excellent power metal band that isn't afraid to have grit in their sound. Fast, powerful, and great twin guitar harmonies.

Blind Guardian - Whole catalogue. Another great power metal band, quite like Gamma Ray in that they're aggressive, but with a more traditional, epic take on their lyrical imagery. Their first two albums are more speed metal than power metal, BTW.

Symphony X - Pretty much their entire catalogue. They focus on Greek/Roman mythology for their inspiration (so it can be cheesy from time to time [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ), and their newest album's centerpiece is the title song "The Oddyssey," which musically tells the entire story of Oddyseus.

Iron Maiden - The classic metal band is still pumping out music, and still being pretty consistent at it. Their early albums are legendary, but their newer stuff stands its ground. Famous for pioneering the galloping twin-guitar attack that so many metal bands have emulated, both in the genres of power metal and melodic death metal.

Dismember - Their new release, "The God That Never Was" is an excellent return to their brand of death metal. Brutal and uncompromising, their riffs are also infectious. The vocals are growled quite well.

The Sword - "Age of Winters." Great, doomy Sabbath-influenced band. Huge, infectious riffs combined with tinges of early hard rock sensibilities makes for a great debut album. Vocals could use a little work, but an impressive effort.

Other good bands already mentioned include Mastodon (I think their material pre-"Leviathan" is more impressive, but less accessible), Dark Tranquility (Their newest album "Character" is great), Opeth (I don't like their new album much, but their other stuff is quite good), Dragonforce (really fun and fast power metal), Amon Amarth (great melodic death metal), Arch Enemy (avoid all albums after "Wages of Sin" however, stick with their earlier catalogue), and In Flames (avoid "Soundtrack to Your Escape" and "Reroute to Remain" like the plague. However, their new album "Come Clarity" is quite catchy, and their catalogue pre-"Reroute to Remain," particularly "The Jester Race," is definitely worth checking out).

Of course, then there's the other metal bands that have great early catalogues, but their current stuff just isn't worth checking out (Metallica and Slayer are poster-children for this), or great metal bands that are no longer together (such as Carcass). I'll leave that for another time.

Re: Rock is dead
 

Its interesting to me that you included My Dying Brides last two record cos for me they have lost their way on those recent releases, the return to their more original sound hasnt worked, I still think Like Gods of the Sun is a brilliant album. However they are the best band at getting across the emotion of pure and total sorrow and despair. Anaethema are still the better band of their generation.

I totally love Gamma Ray every album for me is a classic.

I also disagree with you In Flames opinions I dont think STYE and RTR are that bad although I agree the earlier stuff is better, but they at least have tried to experiment and change their sound.

Although I can understand why we would have differences of opinion as I find the American prog metal of Dream Theatre and Symphony X a total turn off have never go into them.

Re: Rock is dead
 

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Its interesting to me that you included My Dying Brides last two record cos for me they have lost their way on those recent releases, the return to their more original sound hasnt worked, I still think Like Gods of the Sun is a brilliant album. However they are the best band at getting across the emotion of pure and total sorrow and despair. Anaethema are still the better band of their generation.

I totally love Gamma Ray every album for me is a classic.

I also disagree with you In Flames opinions I dont think STYE and RTR are that bad although I agree the earlier stuff is better, but they at least have tried to experiment and change their sound.

Although I can understand why we would have differences of opinion as I find the American prog metal of Dream Theatre and Symphony X a total turn off have never go into them.

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To each their own when it comes to genre preferences. Gotta listen to what makes you happy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I still like My Dying Bride's latest material the most though. The better production mixed with the complete sense of melancholy just appeals to me, I guess. Other bands that have a good sense of conveying this emotion are Agalloch and Cryptal Darkness (now defunct).

"Reroute to Remain" has its moments. I don't dislike every song on that album, but I felt like the experimentation didn't do a whole lot of benefit to their sound.

"Soundtrack to Your Escape," to me, was way too influenced by modern hard rock/nu-metal. I dislike the way Anders Friden sounds on this album, and he overdoes the quality of his clean, 'angsty' vocals. He cleaned up his scream and clean vocals a bit on "Come Clarity," which is why I like it much better. Also, STYE had barely any twin guitar, and the guitar tone (and production overall) was almost vacuum-cleaner-like. Very fuzzy. That, and I just didn't enjoy the flow of the songs, overly simple and superficial IMO (uninspired chord progressions, overly anthemic choruses, etc). That was my beef with STYE anyway.

I'm used to Dream Theater and Symphony X being love/hate bands for most people. Once again, more preference than anything else.

As for another power metal band album I enjoy, I really dig Edguy's "Hellfire Club." I've also listened to some of "Vain Glory Opera," but "Hellfire Club" has a thrashy, crunchy guitar tone and awesome riffs. I hear tinges of Iron Maiden throughout the album. 'Mysteria' really has an awesome chorus.

Nice to know there are some metal fans on 2+2 though. And, if you haven't checked out http://www.metal-archives.com/ yet, it would be a good idea to do so. Great metal archival site.

Re: Rock is dead
 

I really dislike RTR and STYE. Jester Race/Black Ash Inheritance combo disk is my favorite In Flames album. I haven't heard their new album Come Clarity but I read that it is a return to their older days, can you guys confirm that?

Re: Rock is dead
 

I wouldnt say a pure return to the old sound there is still bits of electronic noise etc on it.