That’s kind of a stupid question and I think we all know the answer, right? I mean there have been posers since the beginning and there are always people that want to be a part of what is deemed “cool” at the moment, but it seems things have changed since I was younger. It wasn’t “cool” to like heavy metal when I was in high school. It wasn’t cool to wear a metal T-shirts with profanity or gore on it and it wasn’t cool to like much of anything but top 40 crap. If you liked metal music or wore anything that even remotely looked “metal”, then you were a social minority.

Granted some people in the scene are still classified as outcasts, but there are a millions kids out there today that are jumping on the bandwagon because it’s what is cool at the time. You think these same kids are going to be liking metal in 5 to 10 years? Probably not because I can guarantee that most of the bands they like will not be around after that. After that there will be a bunch of sleeved kids with gaping holes in their faces and tattoos running up their necks, wondering why they can’t find a job. People will often use the excuse that they “Outgrew” that kind of stuff, but metal isn’t something you outgrow. You outgrow clothes, you outgrow toys and you outgrow certain T.V. shows…but you don’t outgrow metal.

Here is an example of how stupid this trend has grown. Wikihow has an article on How To Start A Deathcore Band. I seriously hope this is a joke and I’m 99% sure it is. If you look closely towards the bottom after the “Tips”, in the “Warning” section it again says; “Don’t Be A Poser Fool“. If you’re looking online to find out how to start any band of any genre…then you’re a posing trend whore. I’m not hating on all the ‘core bands…just the ones that are started because it’s a trendy thing to do and they have no history or knowledge of bands in either of the combined genres they are emulating.

I’m just waiting on the day when there is a new genre called “Black-Deathcore”, when we start seeing bands on stage with baggy shorts down past their knees and half hanging off of their asses, with a flat brimmed hat, plugged ears, gauntlet arm bands and corpse paint. That’s going to be a sad day in metal.

Image ©Metal Martyr 2009

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A friend (Martin) and I went to a local show last night here in North Carolina to check out the band Seneca that recently got signed to Lifeforce Records. It was at a very small venue but due to it being a Sunday and Thanksgiving weekend it was very dead. Maybe 30 people in the place and that included members of the 5 bands that were playing. Oh yeah, There was three karate moshers. Well two karate moshers and one dude that had three moves, one of which I swear looked like a silly, non-perfected ballet move. And what the hell is up with people wearing hoods inside? Anyway the bands were good (talent wise) but very little set them all apart from each other.

The first band up was The Lineage who were ok, but nothing I’ve never heard before. The heavy, crunchy deathcore. The same goes for the next band, Joe Grizzley. The singer of Joe Grizzley sang a little less of the deathcore/death metal style and opted for a more hardcore sound at times. The bass player’s voice actually sounded better to me. The third band up was a younger bunch called The Harbingers Way. Now these guys sounded slightly different in that they had a little bit more of a melody to them. Seneca was hard and heavy and Wretched had some really good guitar playing, but none of these bands really set themselves apart from each other.

The plague I’m talking about is nothing new and hasn’t already been talked about a million times over. I’m just starting to see the trend more and more. This deathcore/metalcore trend is so redundant in that a new band pops up with every other breath you take. It’s like kids cruising on myspace and hearing a band and saying “We can do that”.

The first problem with this trend is that it’s getting old to me really fast. The next problem and not so much for me but for the bands that play this same type of music is that they think they are great and expect to get signed sometime soon. Newsflash!!! YOU SOUND LIKE EVERY OTHER BAND OUT THERE! You might get lucky (or unlucky) and get signed to some basement, indy label, but if you don’t set yourself apart everyone else you’re just going to get lost in the mix of all the others out there. If you’re just out there doing what you love to do and like touring for pennies, then yippee for you but sooner or later you’re going to need a good job. Tickets were $8 last night to see 5 bands and this place was dead. The bands didn’t make much, if any money last night.

Another thing that kills me is the lack of good song structure these days. The songs are short and aren’t good for much more than standing in one spot and banging your head, just to stop for some strange out of place breakdown somewhere in the mix. Breakdowns and bridges are great in the right places. You know what else is good? A good rhythm hook and a fist pumping, sing along chorus. A chorus and rhythm that get’s people pumped. A lot of people don’t like hardcore and bands like Hatebreed but the reason that people do like them is because of the Choruses. “Destroy Everything!”. I mean how silly and cliche does that sound? Very, but people love it and it gets a crowd moving…and sells records.

All the big bands are big because they know how to write a good song with structure and feeling instead of a flat, lead filled, “This song just started but now it’s over.” tune. Sure some say that they write the songs for themselves and that’s all fine and dandy…but if you want to be remembered next month or even next week you have to write a song that people remember. You have to write songs that don’t sound like the last song you played. You have to write songs that make people want to visit your merch table for a cd or a tee shirt. If you don’t set yourself apart then who are you besides just another trendy band with maybe a cool name. That’s the last thing fans really want.

So how do we as fans and/or musicians of metal vaccinate this plague, this virus within our genre? Absolutely nothing. It’s one of those that you have to let run it’s course and hope it dies off on it’s own sooner or later…and it will. Either that or it will “genretically” mutate and start another trend.

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The State Of Heavy Metal And The Record Industry

Post from: Metal Martyr

Kill Whitney Dead, Carnifex, The Demonstration, Dance Club Massacre and Salt The Wound were in Raleigh, NC last night kicking off their tour. The bands I really went there to see was The Demonstration and Salt The Wound. I got there kind of late towards the ass end of Salt The Wound’s set. They sounded good. The only thing I didn’t care for and this is something that is a person preference of mine is that I don’t like when distortion effects are used on the vocals. However I understand that if that’s your thing then roll with it.

Dance Club Massacre were pretty cool. The singer had a high tone scream most of the time that I really didn’t like but they put on a good show and everyone seemed to dig them.

Carnifex sounded great but I only stayed for a couple of songs (They played after The Demonstration), and I didn’t stay for Kill Whitney Dead.

It must have been an all ages show because Martin (The friend I went with) and I were probably 2 of about 10 people there that were over 30 and there was a bus-load of school kids there. Before The Demonstration even started playing kids were moshing in the tiny spot there was and let me tell you, this venue is smaller than flea tits. Once they started into the first song the whole damn place erupted and a wall of people almost took me and a few others down without seeing it coming.  During their set the pit stayed fairly busy and it seemed that everyone was really diggin them. They played a bunch of songs from Words Of A Con Artist and a couple of songs from their upcoming album from Mediaskare/ Century Media called Accidents With Intelligence. If This Tour comes to your town, I highly suggest you check out the bands. It seemed to me that The Demonstrations set was way too short, but with 5 bands on the bill and every band having to set their equipment up and do a quick sound check between there really wasn’t time for longer sets. That and most of The Demonstration plays for Kill Whitney Dead as well.

One last thing. If you go to their show, it’s only about 10 bucks to get so buy some t-shirts or CDs from the bands. With 5 bands on the bill, you know these guys aren’t getting paid shit and gas is expensive so show a little support by buying some merch if you can. Check out the video of The Marionette Below!

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Way Too Loud

WTL: Well, since the first new thing I’m noticing is the handle bar mustache, you’ve got to explain that. It’s huge! You look like a Hell’s Angel!

Jordan: (Laughs) I was growing a beard in December, and then we had a photo shoot for DW ( the drum company), and I didn’t want a beard for that, so I shaved it into a moustache just for fun, and it just kind of grew on me for a couple of days. They were digging it, so I was like “Sweet!” Then they said they wanted me to do a commercial too! It’s been cool because it’s getting me work!

WTL: The video for “Nothing Left” debuted recently. What’s it like shooting a video, especially from the position of the drummer? And does Tim scream or lip-sync?

Jordan: Sometimes he screams, sometimes he doesn’t. We’ve got to run through the song so many times that he’ll blow out his voice if he screams the whole time. Usually you just play along with the track, nothing is miked, and no sound is coming out. As far as I’m concerned, I could not shoot another video, ever! If I could do that, I’d be happy! I just don’t like shooting videos, I like the end result product, because it looks really cool. I have to play the song so many times, and I get so exhausted after the 15th run-through. Being the drummer, I’m always in the background, even if they’re doing a close-up of the guitar player or the singer, I’m always in the background while everyone else gets to take a break, because even if no one else is in the shot, I’m always in the background. Those are my cranky days. I’m usually in pretty good spirits most days. I might not like it, but I’m not going to complain about it too much!

WTL: You’ve toured with Satanic bands before, more specially Behemoth twice, and I’ve heard you’ve had a good time hanging out with them, and they even put you on the thank you list in the back of one of their albums (more specifically in “Demigod”). Do you think you’re sending a different kind of message, a good message, by touring with bands who have such different religious views?

Jordan: Yeah! I think we’re sending the right message, whether or not it’s different from what other bands have said, I don’t know. I think there’s a portion of the Christian community that’s very un-accepting to that kind of stuff. They’ll say don’t touch it, don’t get near it, don’t be involve with it, don’t affiliate yourself with it , but as a band and as Christians, it doesn’t matter to us. They’re a band, whether they’re a Christian band or a Satanic band, it doesn’t matter to us. We want to play with those bands, we want to become friends with those bands. If we happen to create a friendship, that’s awesome!

Me personally, I’ve had several very good conversations about Christianity, and what they believe, an anti-Christian viewpoint from Nergal. We’ve talked a lot, and as far as philosophies of religion and life go, I don’t think there was much progress on either of our ends, but we were able to understand each other, and where we were coming from. I understand his viewpoint a lot more, and I understand where he comes from, and at the end of the conversation, we still had a mutual respect for one another. We come from opposite ends of the spectrum, but we still have respect for each other, and we still want to play music with each other.

You don’t necessarily have to agree with someone to be their friend and accept them. As a Christian as well, what good does it do to preach to the choir? And the same thing with them. If they were to go around and play for instance, only in Satanic churches every day, what good would their message be? They’re passionate about what they do, so they want to go play to a different audience, where they can express what they believe to that audience. It’s up to the audience to whether or not they look into what their beliefs are, and the same thing with us. They’re looking for opportunities to look out for what they believe in and share what they believe in, and they’re passionate about it, the same way we are.

That’s kind of a long answer!

Read the rest of this interview here.

Image Source: Newscom.com

And yes, I know the picture is not Jordan Mancino, but it was the best pic I could find that I can legally use.

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xDEATHSTARx opened the floodgates in summer of 2002 after releasing their five-song demo, “Beware of the xDEATHSTARx” in 2003. The energy of their live performance and brutal musical style has put them at the forefront of the already booming So-Cal hardcore scene. Blending the sounds of At the Gates, Disembodied, and Hatebreed with lyrics that mirror their philosophy of positive living and heart-felt scene experience, their anthems are undeniably fierce, and so is their vision. This band is on a warpath to mark their place in the world. They bring a vast collective of musicianship to create a wall of sound that will leave you ravaged yet uplifted.

Below is a video of xDEATHSTARx live singing suffocate faster. If you like the hardcore sound then give them a listen at their Myspace.com/xDEATHSTARx. (p.s. It has a lot of Christian influence as well, so it’s not for everyone)

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ALL THAT REMAINS schedules studio time for forthcoming album, gear up for Warped Tour

Massachusetts’ ALL THAT REMAINS has confirmed May 1 as the first day of recording at Audiohammer studio in Florida with producer Jason Suecof (Bury Your Dead, Chimaira, Devildriver) for the band’s follow-up to 2006’s ‘The Fall of Ideals.’ More details, including a release date, artwork and tracklisting, will be available shortly.

“ATR are going to florida!” says frontman Phil Labonte. “We are wicked pumped to be working with Jason. He’s been a friend for a long time and we are super excited to hear how he will bend ATR’s sound and help squeeze new and badass metal out of our collective brains. He’s a great producer and we can’t wait to see what happens after two months at Audio Hammer Insanitown Studios! Get into it.”

Meanwhile, the band is continuing to write for the yet-untitled effort at home in Massachusetts. ALL THAT REMAINS most recently completed a winter headlining across North America with support from Chimaira, Black Tide, Divine Heresy and labelmates Light This City. Due up next is a nearly-month long stint on the mainstage of Warped Tour 2008, and dates are available below.

ALL THAT REMAINS most recently released the band’s first ever DVD, ‘All That Remains Live,’ in October and two clips, “Six,” and “Not Alone,” from the live portion can be viewed online here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McpTE4dcRg8 and http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=29700661). The DVD also features behind the scenes footage, fan and band interviews, two live performances and all the band’s music videos.

ALL THAT REMAINS

(Warped Tour 2008)
7/23 Mansfield, MA – Tweeter Center
7/24 Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake – Performing Arts Center
7/25 Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
7/26 Uniondale, NY – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
7/27 Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion
7/28 Englishtown, NJ – Raceway Park
7/29 Pittsburgh, PA – Post Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake
7/30 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
7/31 Noblesville, IN – Verizon Wireless Music Center
8/01 Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheatre
8/02 Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/03 Minneapolis, MN – TBA
8/05 Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre
8/06 Calgary, AB – Race City Speedway
8/08 Nampa, ID – Idaho Center
8/09 George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
8/10 St. Helens, OR – Columbia Meadows
8/13 Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
8/14 Chula Vista, CA – Coors Amphitheatre
8/15 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/16 Marysville, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
8/17 Carson, CA – Home Depot Center

Image Used with permission from Prosthetic Records

Post from: Metal Martyr

The RIAA is still relentless about screwing artist out of money they get from settlements from illegal, Read about it here

I gave a list of My top 10 songs and cds this year. Some are new and some are old favorites. Check them out. Metal Martyr Top 10

I had a chance to check out a great show the beginning of the month and I got video Interviews with All That Remains Phil Labonte (Part 1 and Part 2), Light This City’s Laura Nichol and Ben Murray, and Black Tide.

Metallica Is Reissuing older releases on Vinyl.

Creator Destructor Records is a label operated by Light This City’s Drummer Ben Murray. Starting small but sure to get much bigger.

The Metal Potential Of 2008 is going to be great with all the great bands releasing new work and touring this year.

Sub-genre Hatred is never ending. Do you hate Metalcore?

I did a review of Marc Canter’s Book Reckless Road, the first years of Guns N Roses. I also called Slash Saul Rosenburg when his real name is Saul Hudson. Must have heard The Jerky Boys say Saul Rosenburg a few too many times and it stuck in my head.

I did a quick interview with Troy Medlin (T-Roy) of Southern Sludge Metal Band Sourvein here.

Metal has never been really radio friendly except on satellite radio

Do you think DragonForce’s song Through The Fire And Flames compares to the classic Eddie Van Halen Solo song Eruption? Let me know.

Black Tide released Light From Above on Interscope records and the Cavalera brother reunited for the Cavalera Conspiracy. Is there a possibility of a Sepultura reunion?

I did a quick review on As I Lay Dying’s First Recordings on The Long March

I talked about My favorite Concert and stepped away from Metal for a moment and talked about Straight Edge Punk legends Minor Threat.

Dimebag Hardware Clothing Line is up and running.

In Flames Release A Sense Of Purpose tomorrow. I got a copy early and I love it!

Metal fans are like rabid Pitbulls and sometimes we turn on our own. Read about it in I Am Hated part 1 and Part 2.

That’s about it for the month of March. If you want to see what else got posted this month, Click here.

As for me, I’m going to take the rest of the evening easy, throw some new Ernie Balls on my Ibanez and play around a bit. See you next month and thanks for coming!

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ALL THAT REMAINS is again up for the Boston Phoenix’s “Best Metal/Hardcore Band” in the Boston area! They need your help voting, so head on over here and vote for your favorite.

And stay tuned for lots of exciting news about the upcoming, brand-new ALL THAT REMAINS record, too!

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