Music: A to Z 09.25.09: M is for…
Posted by Chris Crowing on 09.25.2009
Manic Street Preachers, Megadeth and Ministry, with yet more discussion on the subject of true metal and other impertinent thoughts.
Now the obvious choices for myself would be Metallica, Machine Head and Muse, but if I look back over my history here at 411, I've waxed lyrical about all of these bands on numerous occasions, and I see no point in revisiting old ground. Fortunately, the letter M provides a wealth of musical talent in my Encyclopaedia Metallica (there actually IS such a thing, apparently…) and I actually had to whittle the contenders down with a dull knife.
Several worthy acts (Macy Gray, Mansun, Mark Lanegan, MC5, MC Solaar, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Mendeed, Mercyful Fate, Meshuggah, Methods of Mayhem, Mogwai, Morcheeba, Mudvayne, My Dying Bride, My Ruin and My Vitriol) missed the cut because I felt I wouldn't have enough interesting things to say about them, and the column would descend into a stream of only loosely linked videos. Then again, you might have preferred that.
Yet I still had a copious list to choose from and acts had to be callously discarded for reasons of my having spoken about them before, obscurity and perhaps a lack of desire to talk about them, removing Marilyn Manson, Marmaduke Duke, Massive Attack, Mastodon, Meat Puppets, Mnemic, Moby, Monster Magnet, Mortiis, Motley Crue, Motorhead Mr Bungle and My Chemical Romance from consideration.
Eventually I was left with the Manic Street Preachers, Megadeth and Ministry. I hope that selection pleases you…
The Final Word on True Metal (Well probably not...)
AndrewCrow continued our conversation, and I'll add his contribution for your delectation before formulating my further response.
Re: simple riffs
Yes, I do speak in derogatory terms, because one of the things that makes metal unique in the field of rock music is the certain level of expertise required to play it. Metal's heaviness comes from a combination of the distortion used, the scales in question, and the speed (or lack thereof) that they are played at. This is why bands like Dying Fetus are considerably heavier than Jag Panzer, and what separates Black Sabbath from Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page can play his ass off, but the songs always seemed more cheery than the riffs Iommi concocted.
Re: differences
The difference between true and false is both intent AND stylistic. 12 Stones, Trapt, Taproot, and others of their ilk are NOT real metal. They all share common musical elements - slower verses, similar song structures, simplistic riffs, break beats, and random screaming as opposed to straightforward growls/barks/screeches/etc. - and sound entirely different than anything from the accepted sub-genre's of metal. They are hard rock groups labelled metal by the masses due to no understanding of what metal really is. It happened before in the 80's with Poison, Firehouse, Cinderella, and Britny Fox labelled metal while Slayer, Death, Sepultura, and Celtic Frost tore through the underground. Which leads to...
Re: pop sensibilities
Making a song catchy, or writing a great hook, does not make a song poppy. It just makes it catchy. Having a pop sensibility, at least in this case, means catering to the least common denominator of fans (usually young teens and those who base their musical taste on their local radio stations) who will latch onto anything that can be repeated, despite any depth to it. Why else do you think bands like the Union Underground even developed a following despite their sound being a knock-off of prior, more popular acts, showing no originality of their own?
Re: fashioncore
To me, and many others, fashioncore is a way of saying "poseur band." They follow whatever trend is fashionable in their particular neck of the heavy music woods (interesting how Rob Flynn started in thrash act Vio-Lence, then joined groove metal band Machine Head in the early 90's who, in turn, went nu-metal in the late 90's/early 00's and, finally, returned to their groove/-core roots just when that style became popular again in the last few years), though most bands that are called this play generic metalcore (ahem...every -core band following KSE and Unearth getting popular) or the aforementioned MySpace Grind.
Re: emo
No contention here, but it's not arguable, per se, that emo started in the hardcore scene. Husker Du is widely acknowledged as the originator of emo, and they were considered hardcore punk in their day.
You can see why this man is my favourite commenter. Anyways, allow me to clear my throat before I fire back.
Ahem...
Hey ho, let's go...
Re: Simple Riffs
I think you contradict yourself here. First you say metal is special because it's harder to play, then you champion slower (easier, simpler) playing such as Sabbath's riffs over fret-wizardry?
Personally, I reckon metal to be at the peak of guitar music because of the multifarious techniques which can be employed – but all the best players I have ever met are primarily blues or folk players. The trick is in the combination of pacing (not necessarily pure speed) and technique. Metal CAN be harder to play, but does not NEED to be. Likewise, metal can be fast, but does not need to be.
The difference is the WEIGHT of your notes. For example, Sabbath riffs are far easier and slower than Zeppelin licks, but they have an implied weight to them, which makes them heavy, hence metal as opposed to fast blues (which we call hard rock.) Likewise, Metallica circa the Black Album are considerably heavier, and more metal (IMHO) than say Dragonforce or even Firewind, who display more speed, technique and all that jazz. Seriously, for all that Metallica get lambasted for selling out, can anyone tell me that "Sad But True", which is undoubtedly slow by comparison with most ‘metal' - isn't heavier than an elephant on Weight Gain 5000 jumping out a weather balloon over a high G planet?
That said, simple and slow isn't necessarily easier – I for one have serious trouble slowing my playing down when going for ‘stoner' heavy, and the aforementioned "Sad But True" still tends to twist my fingers up.
At the end of the day, it's about the weight of your notes, and the relative extremity of you playing that makes you metal. Metal should involve no casually strummed open major chords, or sedately picked major scales.
Slowing it down, speeding it up, or even playing at an even 4/4 pace so long as you adopt a heavy tempo, time stops (I've always liked a neat driving 4/4 riff, where the drums go from double kick to half speed to get that head-nodding thing which is so much fun) and techniques such as using minor, Phrygian scales, power chords, dropped tunings, tritones (named the Diabiolus In Musica by the church during medieval times, how metal is that!) and triplets can make your playing heavy and metal.
Again, it all comes down to attitude, and all the above will be completely negated by being a scenester prick.
Re: Differences
I'll agree, the difference between metal and not-metal (I still abhor the term ‘true metal'), is both intentional and stylistic. A band can adopt all the styles of metal, be it appearance, lyrical content and musical techniques and still fail not BE metal, because they have adopted those styles, rather than felt them. Of the bands you reference, I would call 12 Stones an alternative rock band, and the other two are of the commercial nu-metal vein, with enough chunk in their music to qualify for the designation, but lacking the aggression, drive and enduring passion which characterises a proper metal band.
I think the main point here is one of perception. The general public will characterise anything slightly louder, more apparently cathartic, dissident, unhappy or displaying alternatively aesthetic style (piercings, tattoos, dyed hair, gothic imagery etc.) as ‘metal.'
A good example is a conversation I had this past week with a workmate, who's daughter was desperate for her to get Paramore tickets. My workmate described Paramore, as ‘one of your metal bands, all loud and scary…' and seemed quite offended when I looked confused, then burst out laughing before going on a ten minute rant about exactly why Paramore are most emphatically NOT one of ‘my' bands.
Simply because it's louder than her taste (which I gather is biased towards Donny Osmond) and her daughter dyes her hair and wears all that baby-goth gear, my colleague decided Paramore were a metal band. Sheesh…
For the record, I reckon Paramore and essentially an inoffensive, increasingly commercial pop-punk band and are about as edgy and alternative as the Jonas Brothers.
However, metal doesn't always have to be the extreme edge of what's going on at the time – you cite the eighties, where stadium rock such as Poison etc. was called metal by the masses – as you see, I name that as stadium rock, or post-glam or something like that, because it lacks the FIRE that makes metal go. However, Sepultura, Celtic Frost and the thrash wave were not the sum total of metal at the time, remembering that the likes of Iron Maiden and even (inconsistently) Ozzy Osbourne, were still ‘metal' acts, but were enjoying the limelight.
I tend to use catch genres, such as alternative rock and pop punk to store those bands who folk of a more temperate taste would call metal, but I think don't quite qualify.
Re: Pop Sensibilities
I'll agree again. If you define ‘pop sensibilities' as being a squalid little follower who tailors their output to whatever seems fashionable, or should make them successful or popular, at least in the short term, then I hate it with a passion. You tend to find that a new musical wave (in this case, be it nu-metal, emo, grunge or even groove metal or thrash, let alone more transient mainstream trends) starts with a great deal of credibility, impetus, passion and creativity, and by the time the second of third wave of bands comes around, it has become a ubiquitous style and the ‘scene' has been bloated by a wave of copycat acts with no real creativity or passion of their own. Star seekers, leeches, fame hunters, every last one.
This is what happened to nu-metal, and what is currently happening/has happened to Emo / Metalcore (it's all one scene to the general public.) You start with bands who have drive, and they inspire other bands with drive and creativity and an exponentially larger number of bands with none, resulting in formulaic, inebvitably watered down, mainstream, accepted and worthless pop music.
As such, with my perspective of having lived and watched this cycle two or three times in terms of metal/alternative music, I find it hard to hate any given style or scene, but my hatred of the follower-kind of band and my utter frustration at the system which rewards them at the expense of the true creativity bubbling under grows by the day.
Re: Fashioncore
I've heard this argument about Machine Head before, and I have to say if you put it like that, then it seems to have credence. However, I think you can look at it this way…
Flynn was in a thrash band as a teenager, then started a groove metal band in his twenties, that band strayed into nu-metal territory as that genre grew out of groove metal (accepted truth, no?) partially through line-up changes and record company pressure. Following the ‘death' of nu-metal and the band being dropped, Flynn rebooted the band, now recruiting his old thrash band colleague to come and play in his band, and the band came back as a thrash/groove metal band, because that is what they always wanted to be – it just so happened that it got cool again.
Both viewpoints have credibility, depending on your level of cynicism/sympathy for the act in question. I like all of Machine Head's records, so it's a moot point for me.
I do agree that as I've said above, you do get a mountain of rubbish once any scene or style gains popularity, and the decent-to-awesome bands from the start are soon massively outnumbered by the lesser copycats who spend as much (if not more) time on the aesthetics of the scene as they do on the music. This is especially true in emo, metalcore and what you term myspace-grind, where you get atrocious bands like Sonic Syndicate and Bring Me The Horizon trying to make waves off the back of other, superior bands who broke the way and sadly succeeding…
Re: Emo
I only say it's arguable that Emo derives from hardcore punk if we consider the modern meta-scene it has become, which I feel owes more to post-grunge, pop punk and alternative rock. Sure, Emo as it was in 2002-2003 was 100% definitely an offshoot of hardcore punk, with bands like Thursday being definitively, to give them their proper (if slightly pedantic) title - Emotional Post-Hardcore Punk.
When Metalcore (or, if you excuse my laughter – the New Wave of American Heavy Metal) started to get traction, with it's mix of hardcore, melodic death metal and nu-metal, a wave of Emo (Finch) acts came about who likewise bled more nu-metal facets into their music.
Before long, the boundaries of the genre had spiralled out of control, to the point where ex-nu-metal bands like Papa Roach and Lostprophets were considered Emo just because of how they look, the more popular (and image conscious) Metalcore bands like Avenged Sevenfold were considered Emo and bands as diverse as Coheed & Cambria (Prog Rock), Fall Out Boy (Pop Punk), 30 Seconds to Mars (Overblown Egotistic Shit) and Bring Me The Horizon (Grind-lite) are all heartily labelled as Emo by the population in general.
Hell, I've seen Slipknot and Muse described as Emo in various publications. WTF?
So, I will 100% agree that the original Emo scene was derived from, and has a fully traceable lineage to Hardcore Punk, but for what that term seems to mean to the wider music fan nowadays, it's only a partial heritage. Then again, we have already established that most music critics and consumers have no idea what they are talking about, especially in the designation and appreciation of heavy or alternative music.
One last thing about Emo. It tends to be a derogatory term nowadays to those of a metal persuasion, but as more than a few bands (such as Mastodon) have said, Emo is just short for emotional, and any music which has worth is emotional. As a musician and songwriter, I for one write songs about personal experiences, often about pain, loss or anger, sometimes disguised in metaphors, sometimes not. I guess that makes me Emo...
…but I'd hate to be called that, because the term ‘Emo' now implies that kind of false, commercial, whiny aesthetic which has afflicted our airwaves and charts for the past few years. I write sad songs, and I love sad songs which make me feel they were written by an intelligent, thoughtful person. Some overly-styled (I want to use a swear word beginning with C because it is the appropriate one to use, but I understand this annoys my American audience unduly) fool who is singing about his pain in order to impress girls or gain scene-points makes me want to throw down and show this idiot the true meaning of pain…
Basically, true emotion is GOOD, while faked emotion in the name of being fashionable is a definite punch-in-the-face offence.
Conclusion
The crux of this entire conversation has hinged on myself and Andrew's differing definition of what constitutes Metal. For me, Metal is any form of heavy music which gives me that near-tribal response, the nod of the head, the raised heart rate, the involuntary clenching of the firsts, the voice in the back of your head that just goes ‘fucking YES!' swiftly followed by the intense desire to engage in violent movement, be it head-banging while playing air guitar or running around in a circle, bouncing off and into others enjoying the exact same rush.
The exact mix of styles, from slow to fast, incredibly complex to simple, from frantic modular riff constructions to irregular time signatures to straightforward power chords, from sang vocals to shouts, growls, screams or whatever does not signify. For me, "One Step Closer" is just as much metal as "Raining Blood", "Master of Puppets" is just as much metal as "Orouboros" and "My Last Serenade" is just as much metal as "Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk." It's like different brands of beer, all beer but some better with dinner, some better on a night out, and some nice to sip by yourself in the house.
While I have been a purist, a snob and a complete prick on this subject in the past, increasingly I cannot abide the term ‘True Metal' as it always smacks of the kind of exclusionary, elitist nonsense that I have come to believe alternative music should be without, and I sincerely wish to leave behind in the schoolyard where it belongs. You simply cannot grow past being bullied by becoming one.
I will continue to hate anything which professes to be that which it is not, and I despise bands who adopt alternative/metal mores while clearly not really feeling it, but we must remember that you cannot write of whole scenes and styles of music just because the most popular acts are clearly money grabbing tools. I fell deeply out of love with nu-metal around 2003, but looking back that genre gave me the Deftones, System of a Down and Linkin Park (among others) and even Limp Bizkit remain a guilty favourite.
For me, music is a passion, and heavy music is a particular delight. I will forever take joy in that wondrous place where riffs and passion collide amidst a howl of distortion, the roar of the crowd and a surge of adrenaline and positive energy. Call that MY definition of True Metal.
Call Yourself A Fan?
In my day job as a telesales monkey for a ticketing firm, I have to deal with every inanity, dumb question, perverse statement and general idiocy that makes me fear for the intellect, character, common sense and most of all musical taste of the human race. However, the thing which most boils my eyes at this point in time is people buying for world class opera singer Andrea Bocelli.
Now that is fine, as he is a stunningly talented singer, but you would think that people who were willing to pay £45-120 for a ticket to see a singer would actually have the slightest clue how to pronounce his name!
I've had requests for Andrew Botchelly, Andrea Bo-selli and all points in between. Perhaps it's a peculiarly Scottish thing where you become physically incapable of correctly pronouncing a somewhat foreign name, unless it's the name of a fast food emporium.
I suspect it's just that Bocelli, quite unfairly seems to attract the kind of we-were-born-poor-but-married-into/made-lots-of-money middle class(less) scum who want to be seen to be going to the posh, expensive opera show, but who in fact have no clue who or what they are really going to see, and hence can't pronounce the name. I hate them….
In any case, it's a good excuse to allow Andrea to add some class to these proceedings…and any excuse to post a Sarah Brightman video!
Gigs played, and Gigs to Go to…
Well I got a seriously old and foul smelling monkey off my back by laying my first ever solo acoustic gig last Monday, and now it's full steam ahead for recording and hopefully full on amped up giggage with my real band.
But of course, you don't want to hear about that, so instead I'll crow in most ungracious style about the awesome array of shows I'm going to see in the next few months…
9/20 - Orbital @ 02 Academy*
10/4 - Pixies @ SECC
10/11 - Progressive Nation Tour (Opeth / Dream Theater) @ SECC
10/19 - Green Day @ SECC
11/9 - MUSE @ SECC
11/12 - Alice in Chains @ Barrowlands
11/22 - Skunk Anansie @ O2 Academy
11/25 - Alice Cooper @ Clyde Auditorium
11/26 - Butterfly Effect @ King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
11/27 - Taste of Chaos (Killswitch / In Flames / Every Time I Die) @ 02 Academy
12/14 - Placebo @ SECC
… of course some of those are more important than others, but November is looking to be a very awesome month, seeing Muse, Alice in Chains and Skunk Anansie for the first time, as well as continuing my enduring love affair with the Butterfly Effect and Killswitch Engage. It's going to be an awesome autumn!
* The observant among you will notice that Orbital has already happened - I apologise that I tend to write the bulk of my columns up to ten days in advance. Orbital were freaking amazing, I don't think I've ever been shaken up by bass quite so much, and I'll share this with you...
* Please note, all 'Best...' designations are merely this writers opinion, and stand as a recommendation for new fans, rather than an attempt to make a definitive statement. I'll likely change my mind by next week anyway.
Manic Street Preachers
What: Post-punk, glam rock, intelligent indie legends From: Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales In the Beginning: Originally called Betty Blue their early Ramone's influenced shows led to some media interest, a deal with Damaged Goods Record, which resulted in the New Art Riot EP and the "Motown Junk" single. A continued, exceedingly cynical media campaign resulted in a relatively high profile for their modest efforts, a record deal with Columbia and debut album Generation Terrorist. Best Album*:Generation Terrorist (1992), Everything Must Go (1996) Best Song*: " Recently...: Their most recent record (their ninth) Journal for Plague Lovers was released on 18th May 2009 with all the lyrics composed from old notebooks of Richie Edwards.
The Manics are one of those bands I think I've always been aware of (at least since I was fourteen or so, and things like popular music started to impinge on my consciousness past the need to watch Transformers, play with Lego and climb trees) and they stand as a grand example of the progression of a band from youthful vigour and rebellion, through increasing levels of discord and tragedy to a mellowing, and increasingly reflective nature.
While most of my generation would cite the seminal Everything Must Go as their standout record (in part because it marked their mainstream breakthrough) as their best record, my heart is very much given to their first LP which I only discovered some ten years after it's release (like so many things…)
Generation Terrorist is a stunning record, full of jagged punk edges, mixed with plaintiff and effecting moments. Possibly the most direct and honest song on the album is arguably the most famous, and certainly the easiest (and possibly most fun) to play…
"You Love Us" was the pop edge of the album, the sneering cynicism of the lyrics, hidden beneath a slick and infectious pop-punk groove. Other songs on the album, not least the two versions of "Repeat" and "Natwest Barclays Midlands Lloyds" show the disaffected, politically intelligent minds behind the band, most notably in lyric writers Richie Edwards and Nicky Wire.
However, there is a very sweet soul on show in this album, from the iconic strains of "Motorcycle Emptiness" to the genuine empathy of "Little Baby Nothing" and "Methadone Pretty."
Having made their name, the Manics became more, rather than less extreme, with Gold Against the Soul and the Holy Bible being some of the most abrasive, intelligent, reactionary rock music of the nineties. For my money, "If White American Told The Truth For Just One Day It's World Would Fall Apart" is one of the best song titles ever.
It took the sudden disappearance/death of guitarist* Richie Edwards to change the Manics outlook and fortunes, and looking back on the recording of their commercial breakthrough (how many bands manage to hold on toe their fourth album to break through these days?) Everything Must Go, James Dean Bradfield admitted that where once he tried to create conflict he started trying to create harmony.
* It is accepted that Edwards was in the band for his passionate lyric writing, and the way he cut an excellent rock star shape onstage rather than his skills as a guitarist. I've heard a few times that often Edwards' guitar was not even plugged in, and Bradfield carried the musical weight of the band while Richie looked good.
Everything Must Go mixed the anthemic, affecting qualities shown on Generation Terrorist and Gold Against The Soul added to smoother delivery and some of Wire's most insidious lyrics yet. Still VERY political in outlook, but hidden slyly underneath soaring, orchestra backed guitar lines and massive choruses, the album is a definite classic and thoroughly deserved it's success.
From near ubiquitous singles like "Everything Must Go" and "A Design for Life" to the lesser know singles "Kevin Carter" and "Australia" and album track gems like "Elvis Impersonator Blackpool Pier" the record was one of the definitive releases of the 1990s and catapulted the Manics from their not inconsiderable level of edgy-rock cult fame to being genuine mainstream megastars, with their tunes used in adverts, the highlights package for Match of the Day and generally becoming the rock band it was acceptable to like for the (as one disparaging Kerrang! journalist memorably put it) average Mr and Mrs Ford Mondeo.
Their next album, the awesomely titled This is My Truth Tell Me Yours continued this trend of having bitingly intelligent, political lyrics disguised underneath some affecting, anthemic, yet ultimately inoffensive melodies. Indeed, lead single "If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next" is as obvious a lyrical tirade as I've ever seen, yet the song was a mega-hit and the album did massively well. My personal favourite from that record has to be the restrained yet powerful "My Little Empire," although the second single from the album "You Stole The Sun From My Heart" – which is a rather formulaic and uninspiring rock tune – was memorably pastiched by my high school year as "You Stole The Pies From My Shop." Maybe you had to be there…
I'll be the first to admit that I've somewhat fallen out of love with the Manics, starting with a less-than-inspiring show at T in the Park, where they hurled insults at the people watching the ‘weak willed throwaway rubbish' in the tent over the hill. I think they must have got the running order mistaken, ‘cause I'm sure the utterly awesome Mogwai were playing in the tent at that point. Anyway, given the lacklustre performance and remarkable crowd apathy and lack of action (effectively proving the Mr & Mrs Mondeo jibe) I turned away from the Manics as one of my favoured acts (which was in truth characteristic of my turning taste from British indie to American metal at the time.)
However they made one last throw of the dice to really impress me, and when it appeared that the most noxious Westlife were going to set a record for consecutive UK no.1 singles, they released a single with the all but avowed intention of stopping them. The song itself wasn't half bad, more reminiscent of Generation Terrorists than their blander recent work. I bought it, the campaign to stop the evil pop plague that is Westlife was successful and all was right with the world…
Since then, as I've drifted farther from my NME and Melody Maker reading indie roots and the Manics profile has faded from ‘current megastars' to ‘beloved legends' and I've paid relatively little attention to their more recent records, such as Send Away the Tigers and Know Your Enemy for all their critical acclaim. I fully accept any slaps on the wrists for effectively ignoring four whole albums of this awesome band's career, but they simply mean nothing to me.
I can never decide whether the Manics are the classic case of a young, idealistic band coming out all full of punk rock attitude, a desire to change the world and gradually being ground down by the system until they produce neatly marketable, inoffensive music and eventually get put out to pasture OR they realised that their evidently controversial nature was actually counter-productive in pushing their intelligent message to the masses and decided to adopt a more subversive, subtle and ultimately effective way of corrupting the system from within. Or maybe they just mellowed with age, like a good whisky.
Ultimately it doesn't matter, and I could spend a thousand words arguing the two cases, doubtless offending fans of the original glam-punk subversive Manics and fans of the somewhat tame, arena crunching superstars all at the same time. For me they were an important part of my musical youth, and while I've no real urge to check out their more recent releases they still hold a small warm place in my musical heart.
I'd just love them to play "Repeat" at some massive, prestigious show, preferably televised.
"Repeat after me, FUCK QUEEN AND COUNTRY…"
Megadeth
What: Thrash/Speed Metal Figureheads On a Mission From: Los Angeles, California In the Beginning: Following his infamous dismissal from Metallica, Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth less than two months later with bad intentions. ""After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them." The original three song demo led to a deal with Combat records, and eventually to debut record Killing is My Business…and Business is Good in 1985. Best Album*:Peace Sells…But Who's Buying? (1986), Rust in Peace (1990), Countdown to Extinction (1992) Best Song*: "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?", "Holy Wars…the Punishment Due", "Hanger 18", "Trust", "Sweating Bullets", "Kill the King" Recently...: Mustaine disbanded Megadeth in 2002 following an arm injury which stopped him playing guitar. He reformed the band in 2004 once he had re-taught himself to play with a revised lineup (Dave Ellefson refused to return) and the albums released the System Has Failed (2004) and United Abominations (2007) restored the band's somewhat damaged reputation. Most recent record Endgame was released on 15th September, and it's freaking awesome…
Before I begin, I hold my hands up and admit that I am a Metallica fan, and for some years I did perceive Megadeth as the lesser offshoot of my most beloved band. This is unfair, incorrect and a woefully juvenile point of view. However, so is the oft-opined ‘true' metal opinion that Megadeth are the leaner, meaner, good, true, better, for real or –insert adjective of choice– alternative to the corporate, sell-out, lamentably slow and melodic Four Horsemen. The truth is a somewhat different beast.
Like most people who had Metallica as their entry point into the world of riffs, my initial impression of Megadeth was basically that it was the lesser act that constituted ‘what Dave did next.' I'll freely admit that it was the middle of the noughties before I even looked at Megadeth, at the urging of some friend's respected musical opinion. I'm glad they badgered me, as Megadeth are an entirely different animal to Metallica, and a key part of my current iPod canon.
My appreciation for Megadeth therefore has little to do with a chronological appreciation for their back catalogue, and I apologise if anyone would have preferred that - to be honest, and in fairness I was a pre-teen for the bulk of the bands glory days and have no pertinent first hand thoughts!
My earliest memory of Megadeth was a school buddy having the CD for Countodown to Extinction and being particularly impressed by a tune called, "Symphony of Destruction" which you may have heard of...
While it was almost ten years before I even looked at Megadeth with anything resembling interest, once I did start looking at them, it was to similar big hits (a relative term of course) such as "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying" and "Hanger 18" which first floated to the top.
Both songs appealed to me because of their intelligent, if tongue-in-cheek lyrics and their driving nature - definitely evoking the head-nodding reaction I talk about above.
However, I was confused as Megadeth had always been sold to me as the 'real' thrash/speed metal icons, the faster, more metal version of Metallica but it seems that much of their (especially better known) work is lighter in tone and has a more 'cheese metal' (affectionately known by some of my friends as power-cheddar) feel to it, partially because of Mustaine's more extravagant guitar and (IMHO) somewhat forced vocals.
I'm sure I'll get flamed furiously for this, but please do not mistake me - I LOVE Megadeth, but I can't see how the band who produced "Peace Sells..." (which could easily be reworked into a Motley Crue song given it's jaunty bass line) at the same time as Metallica were producing "Battery" can be considered the heavier act?
Throw into the equation such overt ballads as "A Tout le Monde" and the awesome, yet not exactly ferocious "Trust?" and I really don't see the argument that Megadeth are a heavier act than Metallica...
Indeed, I would argue that following Countdown to Extinction Megadeth somewhat ran out of ideas, and hence started creating power ballads and treading over all the standards of the supposed genre (80s metal, verging on the hair- variety) in an attempt to continue to find relevance.
I was astonished to find that the two songs above come from the late 90s, and that shows that Megadeth utterly failed to move with the times, and instead became a parody of their past success. I'm not attacking them, as this happens to the best bands... and for the record, I really like both songs - but if I'd heard them 'new' in the late 90s, then I'd have written Dave & Co off as crusty hair-metallers without a second thought.
One of my friends pitch to me that Megadeth were worth looking at was his assertion that Mustaine was a more emotive singer than Hetfield, and I should check out "Sweating Bullets."
I've never laughed so much listening to a song that wasn't an overt comedy song (see D, Tenacious) and I still regularly stick that track on when I need cheering up from being in an overly cynical frame of mind. However, I have to disagree that Mustaine is a great singer - IMHO he is competent at ballads, but exudes a forced sarcasm and cynicism at almost all times, and has a very limited range. In short, he'll do for metal in the absence of a better singer, but his lack of passion or empathy in his singing is a serious flaw for me.
It may seem that I've been laying into Megadeth (merely to further my case as a Metallica fan) but in fairness, I love them to bits, but see them full of flaws, partially offset by the ricockulous arguments I've heard centred around the band. Perhaps unfair. Anyway, in order to address this disparity, let me make a bold statement...
In my opinion, "Holy Wars...the Punishment Due" is arguably one of the final words in heavy metal, at least of the thrash/speed variety. It's got pace, chunky riffs, soaring leads, time changes, intelligent, biting lyrics, it goes from driving to beating pace fluidly, and was the undoubted highlight of the Judas Priest / Megadeth concert I went to earlier this year. It also amused me when they slipped "the Mechanix" in halfway through and I heard kids asking why they were playing a Metallica song. Fools. The day I can play that song start to finish will be the day I can really call myself a metal guitarist...
Let me lay down what I believe about Megadeth.
Dave Mustaine is a great guitarist, better at lead (but not rhythm) than Hetfield, and utterly different in style to Hammett.
Dave Mustaine is an intelligent songwriter, but lacks the perception (especially self-perception) to be great - as such, a great deal of Megadeth's music is artistically stunning, but is often let down by hackneyed vocals/lyrics and outdated song writing mores.
In their peak period from Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? in 1986 until Countdown to Extinction in 1992, I rate Megadeth as one of the premium rock bands on the planet, and #3 in the Big Four of thrash (behind Metallica and Slayer, but far ahead of Anthrax) and thus deserving of classic status.
However, their 90s output was dated, attempting to counter groove metal and the nascent death scene by becoming even cheesier and more 'an 80s band' however following Dave's injury, the bands split and re-formation, they have managed to recover their fire and the System has Failed and United Abominations were both better than anything they had released since Rust in Peace
Current album, the very recently released Endgame is garnering good reviews, yet continues the theme of remaining overtly speed metal - to me the approach sounds dated, and the production (even of the video) is quite horridly eighties - while displaying enough guitar awesomeness to melt even the most jaded heart. Enjoy...
Ministry
What: Industrial Icons From: Chicago, Illinois In the Beginning: Formed in 1981, Ministry's early releases tended towards electronic pop (With Sympathy) and EBM (Twitch) before hitting stride with the release of Industrial classic The Land of Rape & Honey in 1988. Best Album*:The Land of Rape & Honey (1988), The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1990), Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and The Way to Suck Eggs (1992), Rio Grande Blood (2006) Best Song*: "Stigmata", "Burning Inside", "Jesus Built My Hotrod", "N.W.O", "Bad Blood", "Roadhouse Blues" (cover) Recently...: Ministry's last studio album The Last Sucker was released in September 2007, but has been followed by a covers record Cover Up in April 2008. Their last ever tour, (aptly titled the C-U-La Tour) finished in Dublin, Ireland on 19th July 2008. The last song Ministry ever played was a cover of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World." A CD/DVD package celebrating the last tour is intended for release, entitled Adios…Puta Madres
I think Ministry are one of those bands who I was aware of for a long time before I was really conscious of it. My first conscious notice of them was their appearance on the awesome Matrix soundtrack with "Bad Blood." But it seems the unhelpfulness of WMG means I can't find a vid, so here's "Stigmata" instead...
Not a bad start, but over the years to follow, especially as I started going to goth clubs and parties at friends houses, I kept hearing songs I was sure I knew, songs that came across as the bastard offspring of Pitchshfter, Nine Inch Nails and Killing Joke. I eventually discovered that these songs were by the same band, Ministry and the genealogy was in quite the other direction. Ignorance is a terrible thing...
One song in particular I had know for many years, and had been throwing myself around Bedlam and the Cathouse for some years before I eventually put a name to it - the song was "N.W.O" and you do know it...
As a passing interest in industrial and the more electronic side of heavy music graduated from a 'it's good to dance to' to my usual, almost academic level of musical appreciation, I looked more and more into Ministry and saw their key place in the development of heavy music.
Without Ministry, it's possible that the industrial-with metal guitars approach would never have taken off the way it did, it's possible that nu-metal (with it's electronic side) would never have come about, at least in the way it did.
Not only are Ministry a massively influential act musically, but their often overtly political approach has always appealed to me - I always love a band who will intelligently nail their political disaffection to the mast as an end in itself (as opposed to the likes of Green Day, who seemed to pick up on it when it became fashionable to hate George W Bush - lame.)
While I was never the biggest fan, my appreciation for Ministry was such that when they rode through my (current) home town on their final C-U-La-Tour, I simply had to go along (it helps that my girlfriend is a bigger devotee of 90s alt music than I am...) and had an awesome night, topped off with an mass, off-key sing-along of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World."
Crazy, influential, intelligent, decadent. You will be missed Mr Jourgensen, sir.
A screw it, I love this cover and it's a far better way to say goodbye...
Hdj360 kicked us off with some real crawling Really enjoyed this weeks column Chris! I grew up listening to pop rock music then to nu-metal and now to "real metal" I still listen to some of the old Nu-metal stuff but I'm really getting into the "real metal" and many other variations of metal music now and it's great to see that the bands from the metal bands from the 80's making a comeback like Megadeth and Slayer.
M - Mastodon, Megadeth, Metallica, Muse, My Chemical Romance
Well one from five isn't bad I guess. I'll reiterate my reasons - I've posted whole columns on Metallica, and Mastodon and Muse have been the subject of my adoration on numerous occasions.
MCR seem an odd one out on you list, but whatever floats your boat - they didn't get in because I'd inevitably go on an emo rant (which is also sorta dealt with this week) and I've posted the (awesome) video for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" several times anyway...
Ryan Mac contributed with his tongue firmly in cheek with Nah. The real M's are below:
M - Mr. Big, Mr. Mister, Men Without Hats, The Muffs, The Monkees, Midnight Oil, and Montell Jordan.
Well, not really. The previous list was good, though mention should be paid to Muddy Waters and Motorhead. Nice column.
Indeed, Muddy Waters and Motorhead are worthy of praise and comment, but for entirely different reasons. Alas, I chose against them, given the more verbose offerings I could provide for the Manics, Mustaine and Ministry.
That's it, I'm spent. Please come back and check out what surprises I have in store with the letter N....
