Is "Metal" really a valid genre anymore?

When I think of Metal, I think AC/DC, Black Sabbath, (Blue Cheer, as much as they were crap), I guess I'm thinking of the "Heavy" variety, as if that nomenclature means much...

Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Iron Maiden (I liked both singers), (not a big fan of Dio myself, or any of those noodling guitarists like Malmstien...)...

I know there is a lot of hard metal out there now, but it seems to lack the lustre that made metal so exciting in the '70s... when Bon Scott sings

Well I been up to my neck in trouble
Up to my neck in strife
Up to my neck in misery
For most of my life
I've been a fool
And you know what a fool can do
I'm telling you
You come along when I needed you
Now I'm up
I'm up to my neck in you

It doesn't sound like posturing, it seems now very heartfelt, with a blistering background of guitars that makes you remember why you cranked it up in the first place.

To each their own, I don't care for the 'nu'-metal bands, (I checked out the OzzFest bill, and there isn't anyone besides a few of the aformentioned I even recognise)...

Is metal still metal, or is it marketing, or is it a new generation, or all of the above?

Your absolutely right, they don't make metal like that any more. And you're also right about Numetal sucking. I heard Rod Stewart in rotation at Hometown Buffet tonight and thought to myself "wow, at one point that was considered edgy." Now it's Muzak. Such is the fate of Nikelback, Staind, and any band with Mud in the title.

As for what we call metal now, that's really, really, really a matter of opinion. Let's just stick with it so people don't get confused, mmkay?

people ahve broken down music into such tiny little groups now that metal is a starting point...but hardly afinal typification of a band.

and dispite the jilted opinion of the masses, metal is still alive, Unearth, Lamb Of God, Shadows Fall, killswitch Engage...all made excellent metal music. jsut gotta know where to look

I guess it's a different era... the bands from the 70's will be remembered by Vinyl Dorks (like me), and some of the new metal groups will just be known by the 'heads' aka fanboys, what haveyou... Honestly, I really love Andrew WK... he may not be the people's poet... he may not even be 'metal' per say, depending on your opinion, but his music is fun (to me) in a 'i'm really drunk and I may pass out or throw up, but in no particular order' sort of way. I'm sure that's what his intention was... I guess even if it's not a joke, earnestness like that gets plus points from me.

About Rod Stewart (who had a lil help from Ron Wood....) The Faces positively rocked... then his hair seemed to be eclipsing his musical talent... (Covering a Tom Waits song.... HALP!)... but listen to "Around the Plynth"... that's some hardcore shizz...

Metal now I guess is back in the hands of the people who care about it... it may not sell the numbers that the old boys did, but at least it satisfies it's constituants and supporters.... and if you're really true about your music that you craft, that's just about all you need, (well, that and a little beer money).

[Edited on Aug 28, 2004 by Sadistic_Miike]

Perhaps you should give some power metal a try, there in the vein as some of the old school bands.

Go for the following

HammerFall
Iced Earth
Stratovarius
Blind Guardian
Kamelot
Jag Panzer

Metal is far from dead its just back underground and well away from the mainstream. For the first time in a good while there's a bunch of great active bands in the genre.

LORDI ! ! ! ! ! !

What the hell is going on with musical genres these days? I might seem like some breed of simpleton having a rant but between emo/screamo/hardcore/post-hardcore and all the rest of them it seems like they're inventing a new genre for every band going!

It drives me SPARE!!

killswitch engage, Atreyu, From Autumn to Ashes, Remebering Never, Demon Hunter, Avenged Sevenfold All recent bands with really good metal albums. It may be different metal than the afformentioned bands but its what metal is supposed to be. At least I think so.

How dare you forget Manowar !!!

http://www.manowarkingsofmetal.com/

Manowar are indeed the kings of all things METAL!

Metal works ok as a discretization category so long as it's pretty clear that many bands are NOT metal.

By most people's definitions of "metal," I hate metal with a passion. I probably hate it more than MTV rap.

I think the band you mention might see their heirs more in bands that are part of the Hi Energy Rock'n'Roll scene (like: The Hellacopters, Adam West, The Supersuckers, Zeke, Iron Boss, The Hookers, Gluecifer, The Powder Monkeys, and Electric Frankenstein) than in what's going on in the metal scene these days. It seems to me that most metal is missing out on that pop edge that made them listenable to so many people.

Well, to a fan of Beck and Tom Waits, System of a Down and Zao seem like some pretty good metal.

And so we've got Hi Energy Rock'n'Roll and Hi-NRG techno? How confusing.

I'm a purist. I fuckin love AC/DC. I wouldn't have my name if Angus didn't pick up a guitar and melt faces.

Listen to European metal

I think this is a very good point... just look at the number of (kids) that went to Kiss concerts... I mean, the music then definitely had a mass appeal to it, I remember browsing the records with all the Kiss solo albums, all out in prime display, wheras now some of the stuff would be sanctioned off to some particular section of the store so that Ashley Simpson could get shelf space.

But who can blame Ashley Simpson? Do you think she feels she's selling out any artistic integrity? It's not as if she's giving up a career in poetry to have someone pen bubble gum pop songs for her. Apparently it sells, and that doesn't make much difference to me. A lot of people bash pop. I prefer to bash crap bands like ICP, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Mudvein (or however you spell their name), Slipknot (those guys are morons, read an interview... oh you collect serial killer memorabilia, you're sooooh dark)... and Stone Sour... Stone f'n Sour!??? like Slipknot needs a side project. I'd rather listen to "Toxic" then anything these bands vomit out.

I would much rather listen to Killswitch Engage, Avenged Sevenfold, and (old) Underoath over AC/DC and those type of bands. Not dissing them, they just aren't my type of metal.

Motorhead is still around, so yes, Metal is still alive and kickin

OH NO! MTV stopped playing the kind of metal you like! It MUST be dead

See, when I think of 'metal' I think of Decapitated, The Haunted, Black Dahlia Murder or Cattle Decapitation. 70s and 80s bands like AC/DC are rock'n'roll compared to those bands. I guess I go to an extreme with my taste in metal which skews my view, though. 80s metal is a bunch of overly fashion conscience, nut-tight pants loving fluff heads with whiney voices to me.

i can't believe you guys forgot hoobastank

Check it out:
youhavebadtasteinmusic.com

metal is just a blanket term to cover a bunch od sub-genres, just like "Punk" .
it's still alive and kickin, it just depends on how you like your metal to sound...everything from glossy MTV freindly acts like avenged sevenfold, wich i like to heavy as it gets grind and death metal. it just has moved out of the stadiums and back into the little clubs ,

what