Did Grunge really “kill” Metal?

A lot has been said over the past 2 decades (is it really that long???) about how alternative rock/grunge killed metal in the early 90’s. I really don’t think it did. By the end of the 80’s metal had lost its direction and had become a watered-down, embarrassing shadow of what it had been at the beginning of the decade...at least in the mainstream sense. Of course death metal had risen to prominence, and black metal had just begun to raise its corpse-painted head, but as far as “people” were concerned, metal was a spent force and consisted of bands such as Poison and their ilk. Something needed to happen, and just as Punk had kicked the overblown, pompous hard-rock of the 70’s to the kerb and spat in its face, grunge essentially did the same to the floundering metal scene at the beginning of the 90’s. But rather than kill metal, all grunge really did was to drive metal back underground to lick its wounds and to start the process of coming back stronger. The underground is where metal  thrives and like a wounded animal, when it is cornered, it is more vicious.

Besides, many of the bands that made the biggest impact on the heavy music scene in my youth were metal bands...Acts such as  Pantera, Carcass, Sepultura, Machine Head (along with the likes of Paradise Lost, Fear Factory, etc) and of course the old guard of Iron Maiden and Metallica where the heroes of the early-mid 90’s. Add to that, the sudden explosive (literally) rise of black metal in Scandinavia and the rising Swedish death metal scenes (Gothenburg and Stockholm had 2 equally important, but also different styles) and the newly emerging so-called nu-metal sound. Therefore, I would argue that all grunge did was kill off the dead weight and to put an end to the awful glam-metal scene of the 80’s. Of course, there some great bands within said scene, but like all other popular musical movements, it was full to the point of bursting with chancers, fakes and posers. The music industry had got its claws well and truly in, and was demanding MTV airplay, stadium tours and stellar record sales.

Many bands that were considered to be past their prime and finished, went on to release some of the strongest albums of their respective careers after grunge, and many are continuing to this day. Compare that to the all but forgotten bands from the grunge era. Those that are still a going concern are, for the most part, nothing more than classic rock bands (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains)...the fresh sound of the early 90’s now over-played and overdone by wave after wave of post grunge rubbish such as Nickelback, (later), Staind, etc. In the end, it is metal which had the last laugh, as it is now, even after 40 years, stronger than ever and the rise seems to be showing no signs of slowing.

So, did grunge kill metal? Of course not. Metal was just resting and regaining its strength. Grunge won the battle, but metal won the war in convincing style.

This is by no means, an exhaustive account of the enormity and impact of the many different scenes and sub-genres of the 1990’s, but rather the random thoughts going through my mind as I type, so please forgive the disjointed and possibly rambling text above. I am, however, currently working on an in depth piece on the changing face of metal/hard rock over the past 40 years, and will be posting that as soon as it’s done.

Under-rated albums/artists: Part 4

Ok...so, I have decided to type a whole piece on under-rated music containing a number of bands and albums I think deserve more recognition. Those of you who have read my previous blogs will be aware that i have usually dedicated one blog at a time to each of these, but this time I have decided to save time (and capitalise on my current inspiration) by including a few bands at the same time in this one.

Earthtone9:

Ok, so I have said (along with many in the music press) for many years that this band deserved so much more recognition than they ever received. I was always baffled that this band never quite managed to capture the imagination of the collective metal audience despite releasing a string of top quality albums/EPs.  It’s even more strange when you consider that they were (rightfully) the darling of the UK metal press for a while back in the late 1990’s/early 00’s. The “Arc’ Tan’ Gent” is/was a flawless metal/prog masterpiece and still stands up as an all time classic even now. Imagine a less boring and self-indulgent Tool, but with, dare I say it, Nu-metal influences (does anyone remember Kilkus?), then I think you will have an idea of how this sounds. You can imagine my delight then, when I discovered a few weeks back that they have decided to reform. Let’s just hope that they have a little more success this time round, because if any band deserves a little credit and respect it is these workhorses of the UK metal scene.

Standout tracks: Tat Twam Asi; Star Damage For Beginners; Yellow Fever.

The Duskfall:

This sadly defunct Swedish group took their inspiration from the predictable and somewhat obvious source for a Swedish band - melodic death metal -  but then added their own slant/take on the well worn and familiar sub-genre and infused it with a healthy dose of thrash/groove metal. Unlike many bands within the scene, The Duskfall managed to make each song sound unique and interesting, and even though their albums retained a fairly strict melo-death (easier to type) blueprint, they bolstered this with classy, memorable riffs,  top quality songwriting and almost annoyingly catchy choruses (without being cheesy). The vocals are very much in the vein of Mikael Stanne or Peter Dolving, so don’t provide much in the way of inventiveness, but they work perfectly for this style of music.  While, they are certainly not for everybody, if you are a fan of bands such as At The Gates, The Haunted,  Skinlab, Dew Scented, etc... I would recommend these guys very highly indeed.

Standout tracks: The Wheel and The Black Light; Sealed With A Fist; The Option And The Poison.

Before The Dawn:

There is not a whole lot I can say about this Finnish band that would really do them justice. If I start mentioning influences, style, etc, then you will probably decide that you already know how they are going to sound. Whilst this is, for the most part, melodic death metal, Before The Dawn bring a slightly more Finnish sound to the Swedish dominated genre. This is especially evident in the vocal style (which is both harsh and clean in pretty much equal measures), and in the guitar melodies. These guys are absolute masters of the hummable/singable chorus, and some of these songs will be stuck in your head for days. I could list influences all day, but people will always judge for themselves anyway. I will, however, say that I hear a little Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium and even Dark Age in their sound, but I will stress again, that this is all wrapped up and presented nicely in a style that is more than merely the sum of its parts.  Overall, it could be said that BTD have a far more polished sound than many of their contemporaries and benefit (or suffer depending on your view) from a top notch production which allows the band to shine and to show off their, not inconsiderable, songwriting muscle.

Standout tracks: Exile; Painless; Deadsong.

The New Wave of Trad Heavy Metal (NWOTHM)

I would like to start off by pointing out that I don’t usually go for this whole retro thing...revival, rebirth, rip-off (?), as I find it, for the most part, derivative and unnecessary. I mean, what is the point of bands such as Airbourne when AC/DC are still alive (just) and well? I understand that bands have to start somewhere, and I definitely appreciate wearing your influences on your sleeve...but sometimes it just crosses the line into plain facsimile territory. Again, I know that young bands need time to develop their own unique style, but many bands of this ilk are well aware that there is a market for 70’s/80’s style retro rock, and are therefore reluctant to spend too much time trying to find their own place in the rock world. To be honest, if it’s an authentic 70’s rock experience that you crave, you could do worse than to check out the band “Witchcraft”.

Ok, so now I get to the point of this blog. I started off by saying how I don’t usually go for these retro movements (new thrash, new grunge, etc), but I have to say that, so far, I am totally smitten with the NWOTHM. This is basically a tribute to/revival of the British heavy metal sound of the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. The so called NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) scene was forged from the dying embers of the punk movement and spawned the likes Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, and a host of lesser known (but often better)  bands, who I will come back to later. In recent years there has been a slow, but steady rise in the number of hungry young bands, who have been inspired and influenced by this exciting and important period of metal history.

Two such bands which spring to mind are Sweden’s “Enforcer” and White Wizzard from the USA. Both bands have a shared love of old school metal, but approach it from different angles.

Enforcer have really gone for the NWOBHM vibe, with a sound that is reminiscent of early Iron Maiden (just listen to the song “Midnight Vice”), as well as taking in elements of bands such as Weapon, White Spirit, Sweet Savage, Paralax and a whole host of the lesser known bands from the era. Whether this is by design or purely by accident, I have no idea. It is one thing to write songs and to play in the “style” of a particular era, but to then back this up with the “feel” and “attitude” of the time with such a level of authenticity is something else all together and for me, that is one reason this band stand out from the pack. I can’t recommend this album highly enough. I would have said it was a classic NWOBHM album, but its 30 years late and, er the band are Swedish. Those 2 minor niggles aside, this is an (almost) perfect traditional metal album.

White Wizzard on the other hand, whilst they have also headed back to the 1970’s/1980’s for their influence, it comes, this time, in the form of Queensryche and Judas Priest (among others, obviously). Once again this album not only has the sound, but also the genuine feeling of the period.

Incidentally though, both bands happen to have a song called “High Roller” on their respective new albums....coincidence or just a stereotypical name for a song from the period? I’ll let you decide.

The bottom line is that I am feeling excited by a genre revival for the first time as far as I can remember. This is most likely to be as much to do with my own personal love of NWOBHM as it is about the bands themselves, but long may the NWOTHM live. It is full of energy and passion and is a breath of fresh air in the modern metal world. For all of you over 30’s out there, and for those curious youngsters interesting in expanding your knowledge of where metal came from, I would certainly suggest giving these two bands a try...who knows where it  will take you!?  Maybe you will fall in love with NWOBHM in the same way I did when I picked up a second hand tape from “Oldies” in Wolverhampton way back in 1992. That day certainly changed my life. I was already into metal, but at that time I had little or no knowledge of the importance of the early 1980’s British metal scene, and certainly not of the bands that made it happen.