Hi Everyone, hope you're still practicing!
I have a question which some of you might like to offer some feedback on.
In the 80s, we had more rock and HM bands than you could throw a stick at, all talented musicians, although, obviously some were more talented than others. I'm talking AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Saxon, The Scorpions, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Dio, Magnum, Queensryche, Rush, etc, etc, the list is endless. Today, although a lot of these bands are still playing, they are getting on a bit, and I get to wondering, where are the similar bands that should be coming through to take their place, given that there are still millions of people out who are busily learning to play guitar in their bedrooms, copying all the guitar heroes - Hendrix, Clapton, Angus Young, Malmsteen, Hamett, Rhoads, Iommi, Tipton, Downing, Lifeson, Schenker, etc.
Personally, I'm a bit annoyed by today's so called 'rock bands' - I can't even think of any of their names (Kaiser Chiefs?), but all they seem to do is strum a couple of boring chords all the way through their songs, play a rubbish 'solo', and people go mad for 'em.
If there are so many people out there who love HM etc, and they're busy learning to play this stuff, where are all the new Iron Maidens, Whitesnakes, and AC/DCs?
I know we have a lot of rock bands about at the moment, but they're not really in the classification of what you'd call melodic rock, or melodic heavy metal. I do like a lot of the more thrashier modern bands, but if loads of younger people are learning from the likes of AC/DC, where's the new AC/DC?
Are we destined never to have another 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Whole Lotta Rosie', or 'Blizzard of Oz'?
I hope not!!!!!
KG
I agree with ya. I'm not from those days, but my dad owns lots of cd's from back then. That's how I know all these bands. The music back then was way better then it is now! No offence, of course there are some good bands, but it's like they're all one-day-flies. The fact that most people still now Iron Maiden, metallica etc. is because they were good. Bands these days get a hit, some of them (for instance RHCP) have some more hits, but most only have one and then dissapear of screen.
as I said, no offence to anyone, there still are some great bands, like RHCP!
I´ve been thinking the same thing for years. I was born in ´74 and grew up listening to those old bands. Most rock for the last two decades is just boring to my ears. Guitarsolos were out of fasion, except for the virtuosa stuff, Malmsteen Vai, Satriani and all that. I think guitarists today are too good, or too technical if you like. But I miss those good old and simpler rock´n roll and classic heavy metal players from the 70´s and 80´s. I wish more bands today played something simular to that.
To sum things up:
Rock and metal from the 90´s and 00´s, are just plane boring.
Guitar virtuosa rockfusionmetalneoclassic or what you want to call it is just fine up to a point, but you get tired of it after a while.
Good old classic rock or heavy metal.........you can never get enough!!!!!!
This is just my thoughts.....don´t get mad.
Back in the early 80s Samson and IM were lucky to get a lot of media coverage via 'Sounds' and its 'NWOBHM' campaign and so - for a brief period - fashionable. Heavy Rock/Metal doesn't get anything like the same mass/general coverage nowadays and is seen as a fringe youth cult movement that is also 'unfashionable' with little cultural capital or appeal as far as the general press is concerned. Groups like the Kaiser Chiefs however happen to be fashionable just at the moment and so get a lot of attention and win awards, which in turn brings to the attention of more people and makes them yet more fashionable.
Music however tends to go in cycles so there may well be a resurgence of interest just around the corner. Some of the groups mentioned in the OP date back to the 70s and spent a lot of years being 'unfashionable' before 'Sounds' and the 'NWOBHM'. Old Michael Schenker has been in and out of fashion he must be getting dizzy by now .
Anyway just because the media doesn't see HR as fashionable at the moment doesn't of course mean that there aren't groups playing it and fans buying it. It is still a healthy 'cult' and because of that I'd expect us to again see some new HR group turn out something to rank with the old classics.
BTW - I can remember a friend saying way back in the late 70s that because of Punk we'd never see the likes of BOC's 'Don't Fear the Reaper' emerge from a new group as they couldn't play. Few years later along came Iron Maiden...
Cheers,
Tony
The industry turned into something else and that affected everything. Media is also a big problem. They don't give space to any similar style you mentioned. It's about business. Today's industry is about having nice looking girls on MTV and charts, industry doesn't care if they don't know how to sing. They make money.
Even if there is a band to make good song as Whole Lotta Rosie (as you mentioned), I don't think people would know much about it. I hate today's industry but I think unfortunately there is nothing we can do.
I think the biggest problem is the cloning that goes on in the industry today to keep up with other labels.
Early on bands were unique and they had a signature sound that was all their own, the record companies gave them time to mature their sound and build a following. Nowadays its all about turn over.
Musicians these days have become commodities and the record industry are day traders. No long term investements.
The cloning i mentioned above is a big culprit. You take a group like Nickel back, when they first hit the scene i thought they were fairly unique, if they had been the only ones they would mature and build a following. But instead other labels had to make clones, next thing you know the airways are flooded with sound alikes and people get tired of being barraged by it and move onto the next new thing.
I think this it the reason why alot of musicians with an ounce of talent eventually create their own labels, so they can have complete creative and financial control of their music careers.
Maybe someday someone will figure it all out and there will be a shift in thinking. Here is to hoping.
Daniel
Yes it is a bad situation indeed. Current music industry has got to a dead end. We need something fresh, and a new technology for media distributing.
There are no big bands, everything is hyper production.
Today if you went to get noticed you need a hot girl or two next to you on your concerts cd posters etc. Especially if you want to play that kind of music which now days doesn't fall under mainstream.
But don't give up cause there is lot of great managers and record labels that are keeping old rock metal thing alive and searching for artists to produce them.
Good luck
I'd say that mainstream consists pretty much of everything nowadays... almost every style is present and listened to more or less...
Personally, if I were in a band whatsoever, no matter how much I loved the good old 70-80s bands and how strongly inspired I was by their great music - I definitely wouldn't want to sound similar to any of them... would you ???
I think it's all about personal touch every worthy musician is trying to add to the already existing music expression patterns he grew up listening to. That's partly how styles happen to change over the years too... and there's nothing wrong with that imho - all legendary bands and performers will be engraved in music history forever anyways
My friend you are absolutly right
thats why i am working my head of in GMC , we need more bands like the old days and i plan on doing something HUGE
and GMC is helping me alot.
rock on guys
jet is kind of like AC/DC but I no wut u r talking about. What happened to the hardcore stuff and the epiuc songs and the huge concerts and the blasting guitar solos. I feel like I missed out on that awesome era and now all we have are the Jonas Brothers
I thought the same thing some years ago, and was afraid great rock, and heavy metal was going to disappear, but somehow I am always able to find great new stuff, of course it is not mainstream like it used to be, Iron Maiden use to fill a stadium 4 nights in a row back in the 80's, now they don't even play in the U.S.
Great Heavy Metal still exists, it is just harder to find
The new AC/DC IS AIRBOURNE
i dont want a new ac/dc or iron maiden, i want something fresh, and new. the true sign that your out of ideas, is when all you can do is look to the past and copy that. if anyone thinks todays artists are boring and useless, then they need to look a little harder. rock and metal nowadays is just as strong, if not stronger, as it was 20 or 30 years ago. we need to stop being stuck in the past and move forward. explore some independent artists. just because its not major label does not mean its not good.
Firs of all,great topic.But I think there bands that today fighting(young bands),and you haw to admit,they haw(bands today) a harder situation,they need to fight wit Hip Hop,R&B.....mainstream.So band like Audioslave,Slipknot are to me band worth mentioning.
I think the good music is still around. Just because the "Era" of classic rock and roll is dieing i don't think it is gone. Search the underground for music. Metal is almost an entirely underground genre to tell the truth. Those of us who listen to metal don't see it as underground but it really is. Bands like Mnemic, Darkest Hour, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, Meshuggah they are all doing new and exciting things with music but the majority of people will never hear it. I don't think there is a lack of Classic Rock bands taking over i just think the majority aren't interested, therefore the good bands either die off or change their sound so that the majority will be interested. Its a shame that there isn't a demand for good ol rock and roll anymore but everything occurs in trends, and maybe one day it will come back. I can't recall on memory, but i know of times where thousands and thousands of young girls would go absolutly crazy over the beatles. Now days if you find any beatles lovers amoungst highschool girls i would be impressed. Trends rather than looking for bands that sound like the old bands you love try finding new bands whos sound you like as well.
This is a topic right up my street!
I think that when we come to 2020 people will be looking back at the best bands of the 90's and 00's and say that bands of today (2020) aren't what they used to be.
We have some great bands about now that I think will be genre definers in a few years. As with with most things you don't realise what you have at the time until you look back years later.
I think Queens of Stone Age guitarist, Josh Homme, is a straight up rock and roller who will have big influences in the future. Also Kyuss, though split up are very influencial.
Obviously bands that have a unique image like Slipknot will have a massive effect in the future in terms of band image.
Mustn't forget that bands like My Dying Bride make brilliant music and started the whole doom metal sound.
Whatever you think of Korn, they made popular the mix of Rap and Metal that will continue to be influential.
Bands like Symphony X have made 'neoclassical' popular, taking progressive from the 70's and tweaking it for the 00's.
There will be a lot to look back at in 20 years.
Thanks for reading.
I'm glad this topic is popular, and I think from all your replies that the concensus of opinion is that there are a lot of great rock and HM bands about, (and prpbably new bands playing in the 80's 'style'), you just have to look for them. I also agree that we shouldn't live in the past, I'd just be a little happier to see more young bands taking on the mantle of the greats, such as Black Sabbath etc. I am, however, very happy that there is still so much rock about, and a good job too, considering all the dross that's out there at the moment.
I saw an advert on TV the other night for a 'Kerrang' CD. It had the likes of 'Green Day', and 'My Chemical Romance'.
Please tell me these bands are not classed as HM now! - Has 'Kerrang' gone soft?!! As far as I can tell 'Green Day' and 'MCR' are more like pop groups for 14 year old schoolgirls.
I can't recall anyone on the forum asking for a lesson in the style of 'My Chemical Romance'!!
Anyway, I'll keep practicing, and hope to get in a band and play some decent music, before I get too old. I'll keep my eye out for good new bands. Thankfully, I discovered A7X a couple of years ago!! I'll also check out 'Airborne'. Thanks for that tip!
KG
Hi, thanks for all your feedback. In answer to some of the comments along the lines that we don't want to live in the past, I quite agree - there IS a lot of great rock music about today, but as there was also a lot of great rock about in the 70s and 80s, I don't think we should allow a whole genre of music to disappear without trace.
I don't necessarily want 'copies' of the great bands, but I would like to see more new bands doing similar stuff. The 80s rock and metal bands gave us some of the classic tracks of all time, and their music was good! I know metal has moved on, but surely all new bands don't HAVE to sound like Sepultura or Trivium. It would be a great shame if we never heard music 'in the style of', say ACDC, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, etc, again, just because we've 'moved on'.
I can listen to a certain amount of thrashing doom metal, but after a while, I like to listen to something just as heavy, but maybe a little more melodic!
There seems to be a disturbing trend these days for people to think that just because something is more than 5 minutes old, it must be c**p, (Hope that doesn't count as a swear word!), but that's just not true. If something's good, it stays good. I come across people who have the attitude that classical music, such as Mozart and Beethoven is rubbish, just because it's old. We know, as musicians, that is blatantly untrue. Ok, there are no more Mozarts about at the moment, but that shouldn't mean that there shouldn't be more Iron Maidens!!!!
KG
Ps Saw The Scorpions Sunday night - they still rock!!!! (...Like a Hurricane, of course).
If you aren't finding great musical groups today you just aren't trying hard enough
Experimental and Ambient music are creating some great pieces which i will remember as classics. We have instrumental composers such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani (especially Vai) who are writing entire symphony's. Guys like this could be considered the Motzarts of our time. Sometimes the best Orchestrial pieces lay hidden(check out movie sound tracks ). Im going to throw out a bunch of links to the hidden (symphony's of today)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix5rI2YG-ns&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_169416
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g45NzH4e_WU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sGJPyGFgIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JkksFySAiE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUkEvXWk68c&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsgv_X_cV8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRFaf4k6cZg
and this is for the rock is dead comment
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=408742213
these guys got huge potential
I was born in the late 80 s so i didient really listened to those bands and i never do it today either i like the 90s and 00s metal bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Children of bodom etc etc......
It dosent mean that i didnet like theese old chool rock metal bands i just like the new one more.....
Hey im glad you brought up this topic i was debating starting it myself , i agree 100% with you 70 and 80's music is soo much better and not as lazy as todays music we here. Ill be honest that the rock we have today does not motivate me to play guitar at all, infact it makes me want to learn to play the flute or something instead lol (only joking). Stuff that we have today such as indie rock (dont get me wrong i listen to it but i dont find it as inspiring as bands like Dio, BS, Iron Maiden, AC DC and so on) is very lazy music, it has rythm but its not as demanding to play, its like these players picked up a guitar and practice like couple of hours a week for a few years and now make millions. Its kind of scary because it seems like the rock and metal style from the 80's is slowly dying, no one is replacing them . 80's we had awsome bands that played very technical stuff today we have lazy bands like arctic monkeys and kooks (even though they make some catchy stuff lol)
Bring back the 80's in my opinion haha
Well Its that "I wont listen to/play the music my mom and dad likes" So thats why we are ending up with that crummy music of today. And those true rocker souls cant get a demo because "in todays market it wont sell"
Geez, I can't believe there actually are people who think that all of todays music is really simple and takes no skill. What rock have you been living under since the "golden days"?
I didnt mean all of todays music of course theres a lot of good music but i think a lot of it has lost it soul too much britney pop out there. And btw i havent been living under a rock Fsgdjv but maybe you have?
My previous post in this thread stands. Rock and Metal are better in this day and age then they ever have been, we have insanely creative artists like Tool, Opeth and Nevermore, some of the best music ever has been released in the last 20 years. Music, as an art form, evolves, and thats the best thing about it!
Amazing Albums in the last 20 years:
Tool- Every Album!
Opeth- Morningrise, Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries
Coheed and Cambria- The latest two albums are great Prog Rock
Nevermore- Again, all thier albums
Megadeth- Rust In Peace, The System Has Failed, United Abomonations and the upcoming 2009 album
Amon Amarth- All their albums
Emperor- Every album!
I better stop before i list my whole collection!
Edit: oh, and Smikey, You win at life for posting Explosions in the sky videos!
myspace.com/dirtytouch Pretty cool band, very kiss-ish. They have recorded a Demo and played a couple of gigs. I suggest you check 'em out. Was to one of their gigs, great show they put on.
No arguing guys!!
We all have our favourites, and I WILL check out all of the suggestions above!
Not sure anyone would prefer Britney over 80s metal though. (Although she is more pleasing to the eye than a lot of the members of the old bands - especially from behind).
I think the bottom line should be that there's still a lot of rock and metal out there to please everyone(Thank heavens!) I (and a lot of people by the sound of it) still love the 80s metal sound. When I saw the Scorpions last Sunday, there were quite a lot of younger people there, AND they knew all the lyrics, so I don't think they were there just for the ride-out with their parents. I think the main point I was making originally was that if a large proportion of people learning the guitar turn to the old masters for inspiration, then they must like the music, and I would have assumed that at least some of the learners would go on to produve music along the same or similar lines. This may of course be happeneing, it's just that you'd have to go out and actually find these bands, ie in local pubs etc. I like loads of different styles of rock, and if I formed a band, I'd be hard pushed to play just one genre because i'd be missing out on the others. One set would have to consist of blues, rock, metal, and thrash!!
I just think, and it's only my opinion of course, that stuff from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath etc is more listenable sometimes, as it's still heavy, but it's a bit more melodic than bands that just create a 'wall of noise'.
Iron Maiden are a good case in point, actually, as their riffs can be very basic tunes (Hallowed Be Thy Name), but they grab you!!!
Anyway, l hope that 80s stuff makes a come-back, but if it doesn't, I'm more than happy to listen to what's on offer now - A7X and Rammstein for example, amongst (a lot) of others.
Thanks,
KG
ps Long Live RUSH!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, I agree with what you say - and so do a lot of people here. Basically, the (majority of) music you hear on the radio today is only there for one reason. To make Money. Talent is definitely not the main driving force. Look at all the girl and boy bands - they exist to extract pocket money from gullable teens. Sex is what sells this music. Especially the girl bands. Ever seen any real mingers in a girl band ?(!). And I doubt very much whether they write their songs or even know anything about music, as in theory. It'd be intersesting to find out if any of 'Girls Aloud' know what a harmonic minor scale, etc, is!!
I'm sure money played it's part in earlier music (The Monkeys...no, not the Arctic ones, although they did sidestep the money-grabbing record companies), but then the music seemed to bit more important. (Capitalism's ok, but it can get a bit out of control, as it has done. 40 million quid for a footballer?!) I'm still hoping for a resurgence of rock into mainstream, but I imagine I'll have to wait quite a while. (I'd quite like to see Disco make a come-back too - anybody else fans of Disco out there, or am I the only lover of Disco and Metal?!! Guitarists - think 'Chic').
I saw a programme on tele the other night featuring a couple of bands I've never heard of - 'Evile' and 'Goat the Head'. These were typical examples of rubbish modern metal. Apologies to any of their fans out there, but they were pretty poor!
KG
you my friend, have a very good point, it seems as if whenever i seem to find a good guitar riff on the radio from some new band they wont have a good solo to back it up... i honestly believe that the talent of guitar players nowadays may excede the older ones (at least some guys) and yet no bands have any solos!!?!?!?!
its a terrible mix to be sure
Oh well (Guitarman700), we're all entitled to our opinions, of course!
I wouldn't put A7X in the same mix with Bullet For My Valentine etc though - that may be stretching it a bit. BFMV and their ilk are definitely pop bands - I've only ever seen 10 year old girls wearing their T-shirts. I consider A7X to be pretty talented myself, although they may be a little technical for some people's tastes.
I really can't see how anyone can get excited about bands such as 'Evile'. They come over as a bit of a parody of themselves. I suppose if you like listening to pounding double bass and someone with a sore throat shouting incomprehensible lyrics, then that's great, but I prefer something a bit more musical. That's probably why they supported Megadeth, and not the other way around. Either that, or they were just cheap. Anyway, Each to his own, variety is the spice of life, etc.
Ok, My 2 Cents , I grew up in the late 70's and 80's. Graduated highschool in 1986. I remember the first time I heard Crazy Train, Back in Black, Screaming for Vengeance, etc. I think your getting my drift.
My first reaction was Holy S**t! This stuff is hard and new but fun also. I'd never heard anything like it before. Blew me away. What caught my ear was the very catchy but heavy guitar sound. This was the next step from Hendricks, Clapton, etc. But little did I know it would be considered classic hard rock when I would be turning 40.
I think the guitar players Angus, Randy Rhoads, Van Halen etc. had really learned their instrument first and formost. The songs and band stuff came after. It wasn't about being in a rock band first and foremost. I think as time moved on younger players were more into being in a band more than trying to make great music. Take Grunge for example. Not my favorite and you sure don't hear many bands from that era much.
Personally, I think there in a lot of great new stuff out there. I'm a huge AX7 fan. Great Guitar work. Maybe with AC/DC's new album it will influence a new generation of guitar gods. But it is ironic when my 12 year old son likes my music much more than anything being produced today. Perhaps thats because of Guitar Hero but who knows. His friends make fun of him when he fires up his Twisted Sister YouTube videos. But he doesn't care he says it's just good music.
Who am I to argue with that logic,
tommyboy
Younger audiences either like it simple, are into the punk scene or like being screamed at with explosions of PM blaring through the amps. I for one like the instrumental aspect to Hardcore, Post-Hardcore, Grindcore, Exp...cause once you either block out or figure out the gibberish all you hear is the instruments. I don't need all kinds of fancy licks but most of the guitarist for those bands play hard and fast and me being the younger generation eats that stuff up...
Well that old school rock and heavy is not dead .. It's coming back allright Me and a friend are gonna play some band stuff..
And were mostly influenced by bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, G'n'R, old school blues rock.. And theres a lot of people out there remembering the rock and heavy roots and taking it from there ...
Old school rock and heavy is coming back and will never die ...
It is said that the Beatles practiced more times together before they got a record deal then the average band plays in their entire lifespan these days.
I grew up listening to classic rock on the radio thinkin one day they'll be playing Iron Maiden instead of Blue Oyster Cult, that day never came.
Hip hop pushed rock right off mtv.
We have such a diverse culture that every musical genre has a following.
And the money isn't there like it used to be and yet talentless people flood the scene with their garbage just because it is fun or perhaps they are avoiding real work for a living.
the bands you listed
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