CHRIS C: My inner monologue at some point this year started thinking about time as a mobius strip, and endless loop taped together to show there is no beginning and there is no end. I find that rather appropriate for this year, because as we take the bank through the curve, the stretch ahead looks exactly the same as the stretch behind us. I'm not sure if we've traveled all the way back to the start, or if we never started off the begin with.
Maybe my thoughts on the first half of 2023 are a bit clouded over, since you are aware I went through a rather intense period of feeling like absolute crap. Even when music was coming out during that, I doubt I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate any of it. In fact, what I've noticed so far is that other than the first album I really heard this year, everything I've come to appreciate has taken time to grow and displace my more tepid initial reactions.
Ok, the thing that really has stood out to me is how much 80s music still gets played on the radio stations I am subjected to for short periods of time. I've never quite understood how the stations that played 'the 70s, 80s, and today' when we were kids evolved into 'the 80s, 90s, and today' at the turn of the millennium, and then never updated themselves ever again. I swear, I hear Journey more often than any of the actual hit-makers of today. Is there any clearer illustration of how stagnant our culture has become?
Before I get too far down a one-way street, I will throw things over to you. What has 2023 looked like from your vantage point? Do you see less of a swirling vortex pulling us down into the blackness of a drowning pool?
D.M: letthebodieshitthe.....FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOR! Sorry, you said Drowning Pool. I couldn't let it go.
Dealing with the sheet nuts and bolts of the radio question - the radio just doesn't attract the kids at the ol' soda fountain like it used to. And the remaining music audience that takes their cues from the airwaves isn't generally interested in what's new and different. So, if you're a rock station, why bother playing anything new, when you can just play the three Journey songs that have been in rotation for forty years? What's old is...well, still old, but still good? Something like that. That's the going theory, anyway.
But I'm glad you brought all that up, because it allows me to get into the two points that werre so important to me I wrote them down in my ongoing 'music of interest' document that I keep throughout the year. And in fact, it's the only two notes I've made for 2023 so far that isn't directly related to a single album.
We (I) talk a lot about the cycles of music and trends that come and go over time. We mentioned this at the end of last year as well, but it finally seems the '90s have come home to roost. What's important here is that I think I'm coming to realize my own bias. For however many years now, I assumed the grand re-ushering of that oh-so-memorable decade, particularly the first half of it, would feature a return to the sensibilities (if they could be called such,) of grunge, which burned so brightly, even if so quickly.
I was wrong! I started to sense a theme at the end of last year, permeating even through my album of the year from 2022, Rxptrs "Living Without Death's Permission." Finally, in this first half of 2023, I've nailed it down - the overarching influencer from decades past isn't Pearl Jam or Soundgarden or even the lofty legacy of Nirvana.
It's the Offspring.
I probably should have seen this coming. The Offspring always had that clever and deft blend of anti-establishment rock and pop-rock appeal. They've long had a melodious streak in their music that couples nicely with baseline ideals of rock music, applicable across multiple eras. And it doesn't hurt that the band has been around for a long time now and has manifested several permutations of their own music. As such, it sure as hell seems like everyone I hear these days, rock or metal or punk or anything in between, sounds somewhere between "Come Out and Play" and "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)". Am I the only one who thinks so?
Second thing - you know what I'm weary of? Looking at promotional music or other material that we get from around the country and around the world in the various veins of rock and other aggressive music, and I look at the band's photo, and I say "well, looks like another bunch of old fucks!" Like, seriously. Sorry, that's not terribly scholarly of me, but seriously. When did rock get so fucking old? And don't we have any new rock bands we can promote? I understand that rock and metal are, by any metric, at the nadir of popularity right now - the reins were given over to rap and hip hop with Eminem, and have never been up for grabs again - but it gets damned repetitive to pull up band of band of silver-hair, leathery-looking geezers in studded jackets who are dishing out the same re-constituted musical ideas over and over like Lunchlady Doris and mashed potatoes. Maybe this is why I've invested so much time in The Warning lately - It might be a stretch to call their brand of crossover rock revolutionary, but it's at least novel and honest and fresh. Is that too much to ask? Did anyone really want another Extreme album, or whatever? I dare say no. The entire family of genres under the rock umbrella are starting to eat their own tail, and it gets longer and longer since I've heard anyone (besides me,) cranking a metal song out of their car windows that was written after 1995.
Okay, deep breath. I better stop.
CHRIS C: I think we all know the actual reason for our cultural slog - Boomers ruined everything. Ok, that's not entirely serious, but it's not entirely facetious either. Our technological advances paved the way for this. When the old classic movies and albums came out, you experienced them in the moment, and then they faded away. There wasn't a readily available way to go back and hear an old favorite if you didn't buy the record, or see an old movie if it didn't happen to be playing on the local tv station during the weekend.
Streaming has changed everything, as now we have access to everything at all times, so people who feel nostalgic never have to move past their teenage years. It's great for us to never have to try to remember a song we haven't heard in decades, but it's terrible that we've destroyed the artistic cycle. Old art never fades away to make room for new art. I know we've talked about this many times in the past, but it hit me in the fac realizing what I said about Journey. How is any band supposed to become that big again when half the airtime they need for promotion is going to bands that have been members of AARP since we were kids?
That segues into what you were saying about rock and metal getting so old. I'm not sure I've noticed that, but I have had my own experience looking at band photos and wondering if style has been outlawed. Look, I say that as someone who doesn't have any of my own, but I'm reminded of a quip I heard made about how you know a band are never going to be stars if they show up on stage wearing sneakers. It seems like every band these days is made up of guys in t-shirts with unkempt beards. I'm not saying image is everything, or that we need to go back to the days of slick presentation, but it doesn't make for the most appealing culture all the time. And as we all know, metal already has an issue with being uninviting to outsiders.
I don't know if it's that older people are the only ones involved in rock, or if the older ones are those in five different bands, trying to make a few more bucks before they retire. There are certainly less newer bands out there to be excited about than I would like. Heck, in the rock world Halestorm is still considered a newer band, and Lzzy is our age. We're not exactly young anymore. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I can even think of a band right now in their 20s I'm a big fan of. Damn, that's a depressing thought.
Hmm... I can't say I hear much Offspring influence out there. I'm not even sure there are many people out there who still look back at them very fondly. They've done a good job of killing their reputation. I would say if there's a band from that time with a bigger influence today, it would be Faith No More. How many bands have we heard recently who throw diverse influences together, stitching pastiches of wildly divergent sounds? All of them owe something, whether intentional or not, to Faith No More for paving the way of making confusing music possible in the mainstream. I also probably wouldn't call this a good development much of the time, but it is more interesting than the rehash bands. I'll give you that much.
So let me just ask you the big question I've been facing; Has this year just flat-out sucked?
I'm going to say yes, but I'll let you chime in before I sound too jaded and bitter.
D.M: See, I think there's no two things that tie together here - the concept that everyone is withered and old (Bruce Springsteen most of all!) and still trying to project youthful virility, and the argument that we made previously about Dio making it cool to express your inner over-the-top Dungeons & Dragons fan. That period seems to have waned, and we're back to guarding our image with great jealousy and concern. Probably a lot of factors in there as to why, but one wonders of the influence of social media. The internet seems to have no other pastime than making an individual feel worse than itself (oh, if only the GWAR storyline where they killed The Internet Troll could have been true!) so now we're all guarded beyond all reasonable sense. Which spins into this, which you alluded to: now that everyone has access to everything, there seems to be some impetus to try and maintain as safe an image as possible. since marketing to just one audience, while still attempted, doesn't really seem possible anymore - there's a leak in the boat somewhere, inevitably. And so, what we end up with is bands projecting as 'safe' an image as they can, and thus a huge spate of, to steal the pejorative, a bunch of Pacific Northwest-looking beardwieners, who will not only tell you why your beer is bad, but is, in fact, wrong. It's a safe image, and meshes nicely with the current cultural zeitgeist of specialized men's facial hair, comfortable clothing and a rejection of anything that is not feasibly "independent." Which is fine. Nothing wrong with shifting cultural appreciations, that's the history of the human race. They'll shift again. But in the mean, we're left without artists who took Dio's lesson to heart at a baseline level - you're either all out (as mentioned in the image of previous sentences,) or all in (Lord of the Lost.) The overwhelming majority of artists seem to be all out.
As you mention bands in their twenties. Let me begin by saying I am a bad judge of these things. There have been dozens of bands that I thought would take off who, for one reason or another, either never caught on (Graveyard,) or totally fell apart (Lazarus A.D, even before Ryan Shutler's unfortunate death.) So don't take anything I say without chewing on a rock of unrefined salt. But I saw The Warning in concert a few weeks back. If this band doesn't catch on, I don't know who will. The show was packed. The audience ate it up. And the band has the talent and the look and the sound, and is working with good songwriters and seems to be backed by enough resources to make this thing happen. Cliche though it sounds, whatever 'it' is, they would seem to have 'it.' So have faith!
The larger question to me, and there may be no answer other than 'time,' is what it is going to take for rock to come back to popularity? I suppose there's an argument to be made that pop music springs eternal because production techniques continue to evolve - every two years, pop music re-invents its own sound, because someone develops autotune or finds some new way to Pro Tools fart noises into an effect we've never heard before. Rock is rooted rather inexorably into guitar/bass/drum, and unless that dynamic is altered in some way, maybe we've seen the ceiling? I find that hard to believe. But it's worth exploring. I mean, I love rap, but it has to give up the throne at some point, right?
And I'm going to throw one more horrible question onto the fire: as fans, how much do we want? And is how much we want and how much we actually want two different things? Sorry, that's a mess, let me clear that up. Take Metallica. Easy target. "72 Seasons" came out, and it's not bad, it really isn't. And people are appropriately excited/mad/whatever the nouveau reaction to Metallica is. But it's all rather rote now, isn't it? It feels almost mechanical. Metallica releases an album, people froth at the mouth one way or the other, rinse, repeat.
And I use Metallica as the example because they're still thought of as vital and important. I could have gone with Blue Oyster Cult, who I think just signed a new record deal, and frankly with all respect, who gives a shit? And please, don't misunderstand me - this is not another re-hash of the conversation about how far should artists go and when should they call it quits. This is an examination of the other side.
Fans will keep saying they want new material, forever and ever, amen. But do we really? I was as curious about "72 Seasons" as anyone, and I rushed out and listened to it when it came out, same as so many others. And I think it's pretty good, on the whole. The more I contemplate the Metallica question though, did I need another Metallica record? Not really. For me, they could (should?) have called it a day with "Death Magnetic." That record would have completed their Homerian epic, right? A play in three acts: the opening promise of "Kill 'em All" through "...And Justice for All," the challenging middle act taking on adversity with The Black Album running through "St. Anger," and the final, short redemptive arc of "Death Magnetic." Curtain. As a fan, nothing that comes after that, good bad or indifferent, alters my opinion of the band, or changes their story in any way. So I'm forced to surmise, I don't really want more Metallica.
Is Rage Against the Machine better off being done? Are you truly better for leaving the audience wanting more? There was certainly an appetite for it, as we chased the band through Audioslave (which, let's face facts, was not as good as we remember them being,) and then Prophets of Rage. I don't think bands do this kind of thing intentionally - Nirvana certainly couldn't have planned Kurt's suicide, for instance. (Caveat: I think My Chemical Romance may have stumbled into limited releases as a sort of half-planned action. But they're the only one I can think of.) That said, the speculation about what could have been seems to fuel the legacy among fans where we think we always want more.
I am coming to realize I do not always want more. Take Turisas, who seems to be well and truly done. What did I really expect from them after their magnum opus of "Turisa2013?" I wanted more from, but did I need more? This is where the difference between how much we want and how much we think we want may diverge. Better yet: I am a huge Rob Zombie fan. Still. Now, what does that mean? That means I love White Zombie's last record, and Rob's first two solo ones. I don't really want or need more than that - everything that happened after is sort of one mottled fever dream. So what I'm really asking is: what's the point as fans where we say 'I'm done here, I have all I need?'
Anyway, now that I've thoroughly confused everyone, let me answer your direct question - no, 2023 hasn't sucked! Not for me, anyway. I am sitting on ten albums right now that if I had to ride with them as my top ten, I would feel okay. It wouldn't be the strongest top ten I've ever done, but I would be able to defend all of them in public with at least a factoid or two. I feel like every year there's an album that sneaks into my end of year list that I know I will have forgotten about in four months' time. And I don't feel that way about any of these, there's no prisoner-of-the-moment here. So that's something! Also, shout out to Overkill, who released another pretty damn record, doesn't sound tired at all, and somehow has defied all logic of how long their career should have been.
CHRIS C: Hmm... so is it a matter of everyone trying to be safer with their image, or has culture weeded out many of the worst of us? I still hear older fans pining for the days when rock had 'edge', but they always seem to do it completely oblivious to the fact that 'edge' was just a nice way of saying those people were assholes through and through. Yes, it would be nice to feel like we're getting a more honest look at these people, if they are going to talk at all, but I don't mind the sanitized version if the alternative is gettnig a dozen more Ted Nugents. I would much rather have the beard warriors than more people who write songs about underage girls. Social media has plenty of faults, but if it cleaned that bit up, I'll be thankful.
To go a bit further; culture has also changed from young people drinking and skateboarding (or such things) to mostly playing video games. It is a quieter, more insular culture, so perhaps what we're seeing is a natural extension of how things are. This just isn't a very 'rock' time in our history.
You mention The Warning, but if I'm not mistaken, they've already put out three records and assorted singles. I don't know what the odds are of a band suddenly becoming bigger after getting that far into their career. I thought they had that potential when I heard their first record, but here we are years later, and I'm not sure how much they've grown. And yes, part of that is how narrow the definition of 'rock' music can be. I will also admit to fully being as bad about that as anyone. I felt just as queasy about Imagine Dragons being the most successful 'rock' band for a period of time. Since we now live in a time of rhythm over melody, rock isn't going to stand much of a chance. Right now the audience wants beats, and classic guitar riffs are actually more about melody than that. Rock is a poor fit for the current tastes. That's kind of the entire reason djent was born, except the mainstream never thought it was cool or fun. It was too much 'nerd music'.
I've asked the same question you have about wanting more. I came to the conclusion I don't really mind if my favorite band never releases another album, because there's nothing wrong with going out before you go down. That being said, I think it really comes down to what kind of band we're talking about here. If it's a band that keeps doing the same thing, then yes, there is going to come a point where all but the most die-hard will grow weary. That even circles back to our old discussion where I asserted the classic albums aren't really that much better than what came out later, but remain beloved because we grew tired and can't hear those bands with fresh ears anymore. Do I really need to hear another Iron Maiden double album at this point? No, the first four reunion albums are all the indulgent Maiden I'll ever need.
Not only do I believe we have a limit to how much music we can absorb in a given year (which for me is lower than a lot of fans/critics I see), but also a limit to how much of the same thing we can absorb in a lifetime. Metallica's smartest move was changing drastically. If they kept making records that sounded like "Justice" all through the 90s, I don't think we would look back as fondly on the 80s as we do, nor do I think they would have maintained their juggernaut status as a live band. We crave something different, which is why they make air fresheners that rotate scents. Just as we got immune to one after exposed to it for too long, the same happens to a band's sound. That's the reason I gave slightly tepid reviews to a few otherwise excellent albums in recent years; they were identical to the albums that came before, and thusly they couldn't catch me by surprise.
The reason 2023 has sucked for me goes back, I believe, to what I said the last time we summarized things. I have been looking for more than merely music that is enjoyable to listen to, I want to feel some kind of connection to it. That's on me, not the bands, but very little music has moved me on a level beyond being a nice diversion. Sure, there are some records I like, even like quite a bit, but I suppose that saturation point I was just talking about has set in. Even those good records don't seem as important, since I already have my lifetime's worth of enjoyable enough records to listen to. It's the first time I've seriously considered that pearl of wisdom about how people stop listening to new music. I'm not there, but I'm definitely at a point where I have less room than ever for music that isn't on the top level.
Right now, that level is only one album deep. I'm hoping the second half of the year will have more to show for it, which leads into the question of what we're looking forward to in the coming months. There are a couple rumored thing that haven't been announced, but all of my hopes are pinned on the just announced Soen album. If anything is likely to hit that sweet spot and dislodge my top album so far, it would be that. It will also be a rather interesting test of the fatigue factor, since this will be the fourth album in this run, and that is the point where it can really start blending together. Also, where the hell has Graveyard been? I heard talk about them being in the studio almost three years ago now. Don't make me listen to Rival Sons instead!
D.M: Oh man, Graveyard. I'm also curious where they are and what they're up to, but I'm also nervous - this band was demonstrably on the rocks once before, are we sure they still aren't after re-forming? Secondly, this gets into the point we're already talking about. How much Graveyard do I want? They've already given me four killer albums (I know you and I differ on the greatness of "Lights Out," but I agree that it is a great album,) dare I hope for a fifth? How many more apex records can they make? This is what I've come to simply accept about Turisas - their last album was such a magnum opus, where could they have gone? Hope sprang that they could re-create something of that magnitude, but was it really ever possible? I've become so numb to a world where most 'great' artists can only turn the crank twice (and maybe not even that,) that it seems unbelieve to think Graveyard could hit paydirt five straight times.
Man, I didn't think I would be the one of us in this position, but let me come to the defense of Imagine Dragons a little. And let me begin by saying that I'm surprised I'm here, because of the two of us, you're the one with the ear for pop music. And really, isn't that what Imagine Dragons is? Insufferable or no (and I'm not a fan, but I do think they've got a couple very catchy tunes,) it's damn hard to pen that many hits with that kind of reach. Even Muse, for all their following, didn't break through like that. (Neither did Cage The Elephant, who let's face it, has written a couple groovers in their own right.) I can't but tip my cap. Especially for an artist who has held such attention without having, or having to cause, a single real controversy.
Which brings me to something that came up at work the other day. Not only did a have a young co-worker who is a music fan but professed to having never heard of The Ramones, but a fistful of under-25s tried to convince me that I should go with them to a Nickelback concert this summer. Has the moratorium on Nickleback ended? For me, Nickelback not only appeals to the basest level of the lowest common denominator, but also is accompanied by so many awful memories of chin strap beards, Von Dutch trucker hats, jagerbombs and Michael Bay movies. Such a regrettable era for popular culture. But are the kids now young enough that they can redeem a band by having selective memory of that which came before? And am I okay with this? If it had been one or two people, I would have credited it to insanity or youthful hysteria, but it was five or six people!
Also, dear, sweet, merciful Jesus, why hasn't someone come along to unseat Nickelback?
CHRIS C: I suppose this goes back to the point I try to make every so often that the one thing a band owes the fans is a bit of honesty. They don't owe it to us to make the music we demand, on the schedule we demand, or to play the songs live we demand. But I do believe they owe it to us to be straight. So if Graveyard has gone this long and they have no plans of making another record, tell us. Or if it's taking far longer than usual, just tell us you're at work on something. Leaving us in limbo for years only invites needless speculation.
Where we truly diverge on Graveyard isn't on "Lights Out", but on their debut. I say their 'golden era' was the first three records, while you say it's albums two through five. The chunk of the guitars on "Don't Take Us For Fools" is one of my favorite tones ever. Just wonderful. To my ears, there was a shift before they put out "Innocence & Decadence". Those latest two records are still great, but in their own ways.
I do agree, though. While I would like another Graveyard album, I don't actually NEED one. I always worry when bands take extra time between records that it means they're losing the spark. We never know how many songs we have in us, and once it becomes harder to draw them out, it's easy to think the well is running dry. I'm not saying that's what is happening here, but the gaps are undeniably getting longer. That is concerning.
Imagine Dragons are a pop act, but I don't think they're a very good one. But maybe I just heard that song too many times where he repeats "the thunder" eighty or ninety times, and part of my brain has melted. I've been reconsidering that old axiom that the hardest thing to do in music is write a three minute pop song that catches on. It's probably still true, but the way that music and the charts have evolved, the songwriting part of songwriting doesn't exactly seem important anymore. I believe there are studies that have shown pop hits have been getting more repetitive for most of the last fifty years, and I hit a breaking point somewhere along the line. Imagine Dragons was probably the band that did it for me. I hate to say it, but I think I would defend Maroon 5's music over theirs.
Everything that was once kitch or hated eventually becomes retro-acceptable. Nickelback is no different, and it might be that those people are too young to remember what an affront they were to the memory of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the like. Rather than being a pale imitation of what we grew up listening to, today's music is a pale imitation of Nickelback. Scary to think about, eh? Nickelback are sort of the elder statesmen of mainstream rock (other than Foo Fighters, but they exist in a different world), so I sort of understand why the younger generation would be more generous towards them. That said, I'm not interested in rehabilitating them. Go at your own risk!
D.M: Can I stand on my pedestal for a minute about Graveyard? How special is it that in all the years we've been doing this, I can't recall another band that we've been able to agree everything in their catalogue in unilaterally great, and our only disagreement is about which parts are the greatest. This amazes me. I only have encountered something like this once before, which is my brother and I on Soundgarden - we both love everything, but have different aspects that speak to us. And addressing the elephant in the room, yes, you and I have gone back and forth about Iron Maiden a thousand times, but I don't know that I would call the post-reunion albums 'great,' and I don't know that you would say the same about the 'classic' albums. (Do we at least agree that the Blaze Bayley era was awful? I can't remember. If we don't agree, lie to me and tell me we do.)
You know, I'd never thought linearly about the time between albums signifying that an artists has lost their spark, but it makes a lot of sense. Quick cursory rifle through my rolodex of bands, and I can only think of two who took an unusually extended period off and came back the same (or better!) than they were before - Indestructible Noise Command and Death Angel. Both of those, it should be noted, had mitigating circumstances that led to their hiatus, as opposed to 'we're tired.' Now I'm starting to think about who besides Graveyard I'm waiting on that could be headed downhill after a long creative process (and might feasibly release another record.) Combichrist? Shawn James & The Shapeshifters? Red Fang (hopefully not?)
My biggest hit of the year so far is that everyone has lived up to expectations. That doesn't mean that albums I was anticipating have all blown me away with their depth and magnificence, but it does mean I'm not carrying the baggage of 'dammit, why wasn't that better?' Overkill, Blood Ceremony, Powerwolf, all good. Even perennial disappointment InFlames released a record that was, by their recent standards, decent. My favorite of them all so far might be Lord of the Lost's "Blood and Glitter," which is really quite good, catchy as hell, and a fine bounce-back after the ho-hum "Judas."
Shocking though it may seem, I don't know that I have one stunning low mark yet this year. Some minor letdowns - Turmion Katilot essentially released the same album again, and some other 'blah' moments, but nothing so far that's made me actively angry or embarrassed or whatever. I find myself wishing that Dave Lombardo had done a little more with his solo album - a full record of his (admittedly sublime) drumming is incredible, and he's never been one for drum solos, so hearing him in his own spotlight is a unique treasure, but listening to a full record of nothing but percussion loses the thread before too long. I can't knock it, because it's a drum album made by a master for drum people, but I find myself wishing there had been some guest appearances or something.
How about you?
CHRIS C: I don't need to spend much time thinking to know you're right, with a slight caveat. Graveyard is indeed the only band that would qualify as that shared experience for us, which is due to our different taste of course, but also the fact that I am one fickle listener. When I look at all of my favorite bands and artists, they all have albums (or entire periods) I can't even bear to listen to. It's why I struggle to understand the mentality when I hear some people talk about certain bands as if they had entire decades, if not careers, that are 'perfect'. I know I seem to be hard to please, but are some people that easy? Man, I wish I was. It must be interesting to be happy with just about anything you're given.
As to the caveat; I would never slag "Peace" as less than a good record, but I really can't say it's quite at the 'great' pantheon. I'm still with for "Innocence & Decadence", but there's something about "Peace" that feels like they tried to rough themselves up just a bit too much.
It was only a theory, although pulled from my own experiences. I feel like the majority of the work I've done that sticks in my mind the longest, which might mean is my best, came from a time when ideas were flowing far faster than they are now. It's definitely more work to pull them out of the ether, and I'm less certain there will be another one after I'm finished. There's part of me that believes the classic rock era was what it was because those bands were putting out albums practically every year. They weren't over-thinking the songs, and they never stopped writing. Inertia is the devil of everything.
"Virtual XI" is awful, absolutely. "The X Factor" has a few good songs. Not enough for me to defend those record, other than to say I think I would take them over the Judas Priest albums with Ripper.
My hits this year are bands that surpassed my expectations. Katatonia is one of those bands I've always admired, but never loved. Well, this time they finally gave their melancholy enough 'oomph' to hit a bit harder. That record was an eye-opener, and in fact, it made me re-evaluate "City Burials" in a way where now I appreciate that one a lot more than I did at the time. Also, after a couple of promising but forgettable records, I love Ad Infinitum's record. They've honed their songwriting, and I think Melissa Bonny finally has an album to showcase herself as one of the best 'new' metal singers.
My misses are bands that failed to meet my expectations. That would include Matchbox Twenty taking a decade off and coming back as the same boring adult-pop group I didn't like last time, and Dave Matthews Band putting out a good album that still feels half unfinished. But the biggest miss is..... no, not Metallica. I still haven't given that one a full listen yet. The biggest miss is Avenged Sevenfold, which is the most bizarre and bullshit record I've heard in years. I was hoping it would at least be an interesting mess, but it was the sort of thing that screamed 'contractual obligation' louder than my voice can scream in horror. If I had ever been a fan, I would wish they quit as hard as M Shadow's voice has.
And with that being said, do you have anything else to add about these six months? Otherwise, we'll regroup for something in the Fall, and do this all again when this year ends up in the rear-view mirror.
D.M: The only thing I would add is this: as much as I'm enjoying the musical year so far, I am missing one piece. Each year, there's an album that floors me through sheer force of will. A powerful dynamo of distortion and blast beat and nothing but end-to-end catharsis, i.e, Alien Weaponry's first album. I haven't heard that yet. I tend to find it, or should I say, it tends to find me somewhen in my travels. And as good as this year has been to me so far, it won't be quite complete unless I stumble across it.
And maybe, just maybe, I'm looking so hard for it, because I need that catharsis as much for myself as for anything.
CHRIS C: Continuing the search is the perfect way to conclude for now. We never stop, do we?
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