ARCHITECT
All Is Not Lost
Metal Blade
SINCE THE FLOOD
No Compromise
Metal Blade
· The death of metal.
Revved up for this double metal experience by a recent viewing of Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and topped up by A History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days DVD, my neck limber and my brain foggy, I plugged in this Metal Blade audio double feature. Turn it loud! Much to my chagrin, however, instead of being inspired by some good, loud, hard driving, angst-filled screaming guitar and thundering drums metal extravaganza, I was left empty. Utterly empty. Not a good "I’m spent" type of empty, but a Nietzsche-staring-into-the-void kind of empty. My only thought – what the fuck happened to heavy metal? Gone are the days of the esthetic value of metal, the feeling that this is cool. Whether it be the duelling guitars of Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, the theatrics of Ozzy, the gore of Gwar, the crossover appeal of Suicidal Tendencies, the pushing-the-envelope Satanism of Venom, or the melodic thrash of Metallica, there was something other than pure unadulterated rage feeding the music. Listening to Architect and Since the Flood (both of which are entirely indistinguishable from one another), I felt as if some soulless metal factory were churning out assembly-line heavy metal shit, simply to feed an insatiable need for anger. And there is absolutely nothing new about it. Who knows, maybe live it is a different story. The cathartic mosh pit is indeed an appropriate and sanctioned repository for rage. But removed from the live show, these albums seem false and formulaic. And maybe, paraphrasing Problem Children, I’m old and fat and slow. But I’m not stupid. Not stupid enough to listen to this shit again. Coasters anyone?
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