Why does the US suck for Heavy Metal?

[sadaist]

The United States exploded in the 80's with Heavy Metal. It was a fans dream. Any given summer, I could catch countless shows at the San Diego Sports Arena with 2 great bands (sometimes 3). But no more. However, in Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, etc.... they have Metal festivals all of the time, most with all the great bands we love. Example...Jun 6, 2006 Gods of Metal concert. GnR, Def Leppard, Motorhead, Korn, Whitesnake, Alice in Chains, Venom, Helloween, and more. They have these all the time over seas. WHAT THE FUCK!!! I DON'T WANT TO SEE 50 CENT ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!

[FORD]

Just the thought of Venom on the same bill as Covercheezeball is proof enough that even the term "heavy metal" is meaningless anymore.

[Terry]

People just aren't turning out for those shows in the numbers they used to over here.

Unless it's something queer, really non-metal and girl-friendly like Bon Jerkoff or Posin', you can't fill the big halls with the other groups, unless you get a LOT of bands together, like some Dokken/Warrant/Slaughter/Winger package tour, and even then you're talking MAYBE a 10,000 seat hall...

But there's really no underground metal scene over here anymore, where you can just go to a local club and see local hard rock/metal acts do their thing. Those were all over the place during the 1980s/1990s.

I dunno. Maybe younger bands just aren't playing that kinda music anymore...who the fuck knows?

[sadaist]

The problem I've seen with the very few 4 or 5 band metal shows they do here once in a while, is there is no single top act. You mentioned Winger, Slaughter, Warrant, Dokken, etc... Imagine the same all day show but with this lineup

Ratt
Motley Crue
Megadeth
Def Leppard
Ozzy

All top from their time, but can't really draw big anymore. I think a grouping like that could do a few stadium shows?

Now, just for fun, let's say Van Halen reunion is headlining.

[binnie]

A lot of it comes down to $

With fuel prices up, bands just don't tour as much.

We must also remember that a lot of the newer bands are pussies, and simply aren't prepared to put in the effort to tour the US

How many times do you read an article where some shitty bands complains about touring "We didn't realaize how big america was"

Well fuck off then.

But the UK has got much better for live shows over the past five years I think.

[Master_Thespian]

"American Metal"! How delightful! Eat Fresh!

[bastardog]

The pigs at radio stations just don't promote Metal.....just the image music (I mean rap and pop) and there is barely no new metal fans

[binnie]

That's a good point, how are kids supposed to hear it if not the radio?

Just us old fuckers 'eh!

[bastardog]

How you can explain a 12 year old kid that
you:"this Metal music rocks"
kid: "If it rocks why it isn't even played on radio?. Everything cool has air time...and not on oldies stations"
you: "holly shit kid you should know that there is a lot of heavy metal bands in Europe that are newer than fidy cent"
kid: "yea they should suck because they don't promote here"

:(

[binnie]

True my friend, although I got into metal at 9, and it wasn't played on the radio!

But yeah, most kids are sheep, they'll like what other kids like

[Matt White]

NO music made before 1985 should be on FM radio......with the exception of CLASSIC DAVID LEE ROTH & VAN HALEN.....


The 90'S Bands should be "Classic Rock".........................

[binnie]

Why only the '90's stuff?

[bastardog]

Here we have a station that play mostly anything (on hard rock and metal) some time during the day.
I also know that in Atlanta there is a radio station that play metal mixed with any kind of rock during day time too

[binnie]

Metal bands have always won fans by touring their asses off!

You've got to play the toliets all over the place to gain a following, 'cos chances are you aren't gonna get the air play.

If bands aren't prepared to put the effort in, they won't last.

[mako_kimura]

Of course, that's why you'll NEVER see a metal band on regular MTV or hear em on the radio. All the new bands gain followings with tours and record sales ALONE.

[guwapo_rocker]

Blame it on the nations RAP music station.

MTV, and Muchmusic in Canada.

[Soul Reaper]

radio stations get more money for playing 'image' music than underground music....which is why good bands are rarely played....

btw, wouldn't hair metal count as image music? we moan about rap and pop being about image more than music, but weren't the hair metal bands about image....most of them sounding similar and looking similar....

[mako_kimura]

True, but hair metal wasn't really all that mainstream either. Usually that stuff was either on the Heavy Metal Half Hour or Headbanger's Ball. And binnie, there's definitely a new underground scene going on here, you just don't hear about it. Nowadays, it's death metal and metalcore (metal with punk elements)

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by mako_kimura
True, but hair metal wasn't really all that mainstream either. Usually that stuff was either on the Heavy Metal Half Hour or Headbanger's Ball.

I think New Romantics was more mainstream....

but in terms of rock music, hair metal was the most 'used' in the 80s....I'm sure of it....

[Va Beach VH Fan]

An excellent question, when you really think about it....

Lemme give it a shot...

#1 - Musicianship, that is, playing your instrument well, has completely gone out the window.... Along with that, the entire arrangement of songs nowadays is so watered down now compared to the late 70's and early 80's....

#2 - Socially, a lot of teen males (including one of my sons !!) nowadays would rather have their fucking pants dangling below their ass cheeks and having their hat on sideways to blend in with their peers...

So where does that lead ?? You're not going to look like that and blend in with a crowd that listens to heavy metal music....

I also think that there are a lot of alternatives for young people to do nowadays on their off time, compared to earllier days.... Most teenagers would rather spend 5 hours playing their XBOX 360 than attempt to learn how to play guitar....

So, maybe I'm full of shit, but those are my views, as a dad to a 19 and 12 year old sons....

[sadaist]

There is a garage band of some 15 & 16 year olds near me. They play old school metal. They used the sidewalk chalk and in the driveway have drawn the band names for Priest, Maiden, Metallica, etc... Rare to find kids nowadays that like "the old stuff". The pants below the ass bugs the hell out of me. Or the short hair except long bangs that cover the eyes.

[VAN HLN CA]

Program Directors for most radio stations dictate the flow of music trends-and Metal has ALWAYS been shafted. The only one station that has mixed up the genres is KROQ. Consistantly taking chances with new sounds and questionable acts since the 70's. No other radio resource in America has even remotely had the balls to set the stage for new bands with the golden rule of music, 'if it sounds good it is good.' The others, even listenable stations are all dictated by commercialistic trends or pop flavors of the month. The stations DJ's are merely personalities that have basically nothing to do with the music played, again its the program director who compiles his weekly request lists as a barametor to guide everything from which shows to sponsor to who they want to have as guests, EXCEPT for what to play. 99% of radio airplay is predetermined by the PD regular rotation which is why the predictability causes stations to go stale in cyclical 5 year shifts causing format changes and station facelifts. Even stations wanting to go against the grain suffer because the corporate strongarm of theses outlets in every state flow back to the same governing networks ala CBS INFINITY politics.
There is tons of great new music out there Never heard because bands exposure is limited by such narrow windows of opportunity that underground, and college and now Indie resources are the only hope of getting media exposure and airplay.
Podcasting is the future and only hope for this to change and dissolve pop flavor of the month shit. There is clearly a revolution of the suits taking notice to what impact itunes, XM and Sirius have made. Enabled on-demand content providers are now driving present day re-alignment via subscription marketability and something new-VARIETY.
The music tides been flowing the wrong way and its good to watch the currents change.
My formats an exact opposite of any radio station offered on airwaves today.

[binnie]

I would be ecstatic if once, just once, I turned on the radio and there was something decent coming out....