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The return of true metal


Brett Stevens, Houston Metal Music Examiner
December 26, 2011


Something interesting happened around 2003. At this point, the black metal community woke up and realized a couple of unsettling things.

First, they suddenly saw that since 1995, nothing much had been happening and the few good bands had been drowned out by a sea of imitators. Second, they recognized that what was replacing the "trve kvlt" black metal was a new form of music that mixed indie rock, shoegaze, emo, post-hardcore, and punk rock with black metal and death metal flavorings.

This was a counterpart to what happened in death metal around the year 2000 when "metalcore," or technical hardcore with death metal stylings, effectively replaced death metal. We now call this "technical death metal" and "melodic death metal" but it has less in common with death metal than breakaway punk bands like Neurosis and Human Remains.

Starting a few years later, the "true metal" movement was born. It exists in several genres, but has grouped heavy metal and speed metal into power metal, pushed death metal and doom metal into the same genre, and in black metal, has barely manifested itself at all. As black metal is the most popular underground metal genre perhaps ever, it will be the last to fall.



The press is even starting to notice.

Between revivals of classic heavy metal genres and iconic bands' reunion tours, it's clear that a love of tradition still runs deep in aggressive music culture. Metalheads are infamous for their Klingon-like loyalty to the bands and styles they love; many metal heads don't just let their musical tastes inform their listening habits, but everything from their style of dress to their social circles. In 2011, many bands sought to honour these hardcore fans with tours and albums that paid tribute to, and drew inspiration from, respected genre conventions. While still outside the mainstream, aggressive music now has the strength and power of a rich musical heritage all its own, and found success in celebrating that.

The year saw many significant bands reuniting, including the recent announcement that the original Black Sabbath line-up would be writing a new album together and embarking upon a world tour. Anthrax reunited with vocalist Joey Belladonna to record a new album, and thrash's Big Four (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) toured together for the first time in their mutual history.

Successful genre revivals, such as thrash and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, continued to thrive. Unlike other genres, metal is not trendy, and to delve into a particular style of metal means to invest in a vast back-catalogue as well as seek out new music. Fans of NWOBHM are just as likely to be listening to old Raven LPs as they are to be enjoying the latest 3 Inches of Blood release. Albums are valued by fans for how much they adhere to the conventions of these beloved genres; to say something sounds exactly like an early example is a form of praise.

It's not so much that true metal is a genre, but a label that bands are applying to their music to say that they are not part of the newer hybrid genre, and that they want to return to the spirit that produced the great music of the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. The spirit is what allows bands to create music that carries the power of older metal, say fans, and many fans suggest that the newer music has lost that spirit because it's going in another direction. Whatever the case, the true metal movement is suggesting that metal isn't just a bunch of techniques and tropes, but a gestalt that ties them all together and communicates some kind of union with power and transcendence of the human condition, while more recent metal hybrids have been all about celebrating that human condition.

It should be exciting to watch this pan out.

I don't understand... to watch what pan out? :/

Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.01.2012 at 07:56

I don't understand... to watch what pan out? :/

The rise of generic revivalists, I guess.

Like anyone wants that to pan out. I used to think like this too, that experimentation should stop and we should all listen to old-school only. Then I got bored with old-school, and think this "true metal" thingy is kinda stupid, but to each their own.

Also, a big lol at the notion that ancient bands like Black Sabbath reuniting is a good thing.

Oh... I get it now. I guess.

Sounds very ANUS-inspired. Death to new metal, praise thee great creators blah blah blah. Coming from a fan who generally sides with the old school, mind you. I mean... can you imagine a world without experimentation and elaboration? Old school metal wouldn't exist in the first place. We'd all be grunting in caves and dancing around bonfires.*

* of course there are still bands that do this

Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.01.2012 at 09:59

We'd all be grunting in caves and dancing around bonfires.*

* of course there are still bands that do this

Waking The Cadaver?

OH SNAP!

At last, the third part of the long-running metal saga has been announced!

The term 'True Metal' is only an expression that some people stuck in the 80s started to use to label old outdated 80s metal (traditional Heavy Metal). Those people believe they are more true than other metalheads only because they listen to the 'real' metal. All a lot of bullshit from those bitter people who fail to see that metal evolved in the last 25 years or so, or never accepted that things have to change. Those 'True Metal' fans are the most elitist metalheads you can find, much more elitist than Black Metal fans.
Ponderer was a good example of this kind of people.

I receive Napalm Records Newsletters every week and they sometime label albums as 'True Metal'. Those albums are always from new bands rehashing old outdated 80s metal.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.01.2012 at 09:59

Sounds very ANUS-inspired.

Indeed.

I find the whole idea of being loyal to a genre and its conventions quite comical. Metal is music. Music doesn't need your loyalty, and it certainly doesn't care about it. If you pledge your undying loyalty and support for a genre of music, you're only making a fool of yourself. Sometimes music gets some added value from the entire package of the band, which will include the historical and genre context. But most of the time, music is good if it's enjoyable. It seems like these true metal fantatics (just as the experimentation and evolution fanatics) feel threathened by the popularity of genuinely enjoyable bands that don't adhere to their expectations of ideal metal aesthetic. There must be something wrong about them to explain their success despite their failure to conform to your preconceptions.

Metal is trendy, anyhow. Revivalism is trendy as hell. Bands like Disma and Havok are getting praise in trendsetting music media outside metal circles. I think both got publicity on Pitchfork and The Needle Drop (which I really enjoy, btw). And I find it funny how the author seperates metal as somehow different in that its fans are just as likely to listen to old albums as new ones. That's true for music buffs of every genre, very much including the "indie-rock, shoegaze, emo, post-hardcore and punk rock" fan bases the author mentions. So I'm not really sure if there's a lot of substance to this article. Most Metalstormers have probably realized and could have summed up the factual contents of this article in a few words: revivalism is experiencing a surge in popularity.

Also, what the hell is he going about when he mentions the "spirit" of metal? Ahaha, people from different socio-economic situations in different decades, playing different kinds of music, are all apparently animated by the same transcendental ethos. Bwahahaha, sad geek must feel important now.

Written by IronAngel on 07.01.2012 at 03:08

I find the whole idea of being loyal to a genre and its conventions quite comical. Metal is music. Music doesn't need your loyalty, and it certainly doesn't care about it. If you pledge your undying loyalty and support for a genre of music, you're only making a fool of yourself. Sometimes music gets some added value from the entire package of the band, which will include the historical and genre context. But most of the time, music is good if it's enjoyable. It seems like these true metal fantatics (just as the experimentation and evolution fanatics) feel threathened by the popularity of genuinely enjoyable bands that don't adhere to their expectations of ideal metal aesthetic. There must be something wrong about them to explain their success despite their failure to conform to your preconceptions.

Metal is trendy, anyhow. Revivalism is trendy as hell. Bands like Disma and Havok are getting praise in trendsetting music media outside metal circles. I think both got publicity on Pitchfork and The Needle Drop (which I really enjoy, btw). And I find it funny how the author seperates metal as somehow different in that its fans are just as likely to listen to old albums as new ones. That's true for music buffs of every genre, very much including the "indie-rock, shoegaze, emo, post-hardcore and punk rock" fan bases the author mentions. So I'm not really sure if there's a lot of substance to this article. Most Metalstormers have probably realized and could have summed up the factual contents of this article in a few words: revivalism is experiencing a surge in popularity.

Also, what the hell is he going about when he mentions the "spirit" of metal? Ahaha, people from different socio-economic situations in different decades, playing different kinds of music, are all apparently animated by the same transcendental ethos. Bwahahaha, sad geek must feel important now.

I pretty much agree on everything.

About pledging loyalty to a certain kind of music: I would say that BM is my favorite genre. However, will I start enjoying every band in the genre? Surely not. I don't enjoy a band simply "because it is BM". It just happens that many bands in this genre feature elements I enjoy in music.
My appreciation of the genre never prevented me from criticising BM bands I dislike.
So, undying loyalty to a genre is a stupid idea, I agree.

I don't mind popularity in itself and if a band still releases music I like, I have no problem with popularity. Though I usually prefer when a band I like doesn't attract too much attention from the mainstream because I've seen tons of bands take a very different musical direction as soon as they get lots of attention. It's not popularity I fear but the bad effect it can have on the music.

Revivalism is quite trendy these years, indeed. It seems it is cool to praise old metal bands no one seemed to care for anymore in the 90s and new bands copying the old ones. It's as if lots of people have completely forgotten how it was in the 90s since a while and it's something I really don't understand. Why this sudden move in the other direction, I wonder.

As for the "spirit of metal", I guess it's a notion from those people who fail to see that metal is only music and try to convince others that it's a way of life, religion, or whatever utopia they can imagine.

So we don't want new stuff and we don't want old stuff?
What do we want?

Written by [user id=101272] on 07.01.2012 at 04:06

So we don't want new stuff and we don't want old stuff?
What do we want?

Good question.

I think old stuff or new stuff can be welcome, it all depends on the music.
But there are people who seem unable to enjoy new stuff and, on the other hand, there are people who always complain that it is not innovative or original enough. Imo, the best is to find some middle ground.

Personally, I'm rather old school in my tastes, even if I'm into extreme metal but I also can enjoy new stuff I find original and think it has its own identity.

About devoting yourself to one genre: I don't see why that's necessarily foolish. If that means lavishing praise on anything from said genre I can understand the foolishness but if someone listens exclusively to a particular genre and doesn't extend much beyond it's boundaries why is that foolish?

'True metal' is a worn out nonsensical cliche that doesn't seem to die, 'traditional metal' is a much more useful term but they seem to be used interchangeably here.

Written by [user id=101272] on 07.01.2012 at 04:06
What do we want?

Nu metal?

Written by R'Vannith on 07.01.2012 at 04:21

About devoting yourself to one genre: I don't see why that's necessarily foolish. If that means lavishing praise on anything from said genre I can understand the foolishness but if someone listens exclusively to a particular genre and doesn't extend much beyond it's boundaries why is that foolish?

Listening to only one metal genre or almost exclusively to it is in no way wrong, in my mind. After all, the most important thing is to listen to what we like. What is foolish is to be an absolute fanboy of a genre, liking every piece of crap as long as it belongs to this genre and being unable to criticise the genre.

Written by R'Vannith on 07.01.2012 at 04:21

'True metal' is a worn out nonsensical cliche that doesn't seem to die, 'traditional metal' is a much more useful term but they seem to be used interchangeably here.

If there is one person who will agree at 500% with you here, it has to be me.

Really don't see people's problem with revival bands. It's not like they're preventing innovative bands from springing up. If a bunch of kids like a style of music that was created 30 years ago, then there's no reason why they shouldn't play it. Let us youngsters have our fun, we'll get bored of it soon enough.

Written by [user id=111774] on 07.01.2012 at 04:55

Really don't see people's problem with revival bands. It's not like they're preventing innovative bands from springing up. If a bunch of kids like a style of music that was created 30 years ago, then there's no reason why they shouldn't play it. Let us youngsters have our fun, we'll get bored of it soon enough.

I agree it's not like it's preventing progressive bands. If they love traditional metal let them play it. You should play what you like and let progression happen naturally. Moving the music industry forward shouldn't be a conscious process it should just happens when people get together and play music that they like.

Oh, I don't have any problem with revivalism and traditional metal. Both Sonne Adam and Argus were in my top 5 metal albums of 2011. It's just this article I find silly. It's trying to make some deep conclusions about something as superficial as the current aesthetic trend in music.

And to answer R'Vannith: it's OK if you happen to only enjoy music in a certain specific genre (though I personally think it's unfortunate, as it probably means you simply haven't been exposed to other good music enough to grow accustomed to it; music of any kind is an acquired taste). But devoting yourself to it? Making a conscious decision that "this is the music I will be loyal to, no matter what happens"? I find that comical. Music is music, it doesn't ask for your devotion, it doesn't have any use for it. There's no merit in drawing on a "rich cultural heritage of your own" as the article says. Like RavenKing said, music is music, not a religion, way of life or an ideology. It's not Serious Business. It's just art and entertainment.

Written by IronAngel on 07.01.2012 at 13:14

Oh, I don't have any problem with revivalism and traditional metal. Both Sonne Adam and Argus were in my top 5 metal albums of 2011. It's just this article I find silly. It's trying to make some deep conclusions about something as superficial as the current aesthetic trend in music.

And to answer R'Vannith: it's OK if you happen to only enjoy music in a certain specific genre (though I personally think it's unfortunate, as it probably means you simply haven't been exposed to other good music enough to grow accustomed to it; music of any kind is an acquired taste). But devoting yourself to it? Making a conscious decision that "this is the music I will be loyal to, no matter what happens"? I find that comical. Music is music, it doesn't ask for your devotion, it doesn't have any use for it. There's no merit in drawing on a "rich cultural heritage of your own" as the article says. Like RavenKing said, music is music, not a religion, way of life or an ideology. It's not Serious Business. It's just art and entertainment.

I see what you mean, I suppose devotion to a genre in terms of a conscious decision to pledge unwavering support does seem a bit ridiculous. Though it may be born of simply a passion for such a genre and devotion in this way is often unconscious or rather comes from an express liking for that style of music and a lack of desire to explore anything else. Personally, like you, I dare say I'd be bored stiff, but devotion may come as an afterthought. Someone listens to a genre and likes it so much and spends much of their time with it that they realise, 'Well I really have devoted myself to this haven't I?' They then might say, 'I have little need to go beyond what I love, I'm fully committed to my favourite genre.' Is this person really foolish though, I mean I don't think they ask for much else when devoting themselves to a genre than its continued existence, they may not view their own devotion as anything more than an undying love for it. As you and RavenKing say, its just music, just a form of entertainment.

This article is definitely far to strongly worded, making it seem like its pushing for some intangible ideology.

You'll only truly enjoy music that fits you like a glove. That's why a lot of people stop listening to metal after thirty. A lot of them don't even explore new music even before then, and after some age they feel like they don't have to bother with the hobby of listening to it. And often the ones that do just don't "get" new music. I think it's ridiculous to assume that most of you dudes who claim revisionism is utter shit now will also be into the new forms, or avantgarde music in the 2040's, or even metal at all.

And sometimes music just alienates people. Like those dudes who ask "how is noise music actually music"? If you by a time machine made a British 80's metalhead come here, he'd be baffled at the multitude of stuff we call metal now. Metal overtaken by Scandinavian folk? Metal merged with shoegaze? With electronics? A metal band featuring just vocals? Just bass and drums? One with a female opera singer and very light riffs?

I think that "loyalty" in this case would be nostalgia and desperate attempts to preserve something from your youth. Something you didn't deem that sacred in the time, perhaps, like music, but now requires your "loyalty". I mean, I'm pretty young and I've only started listening to metal in 2006, but I hang around a lot around elderly folk, that's where this is coming from

Written by Milena on 08.01.2012 at 00:05

You'll only truly enjoy music that fits you like a glove. That's why a lot of people stop listening to metal after thirty. A lot of them don't even explore new music even before then, and after some age they feel like they don't have to bother with the hobby of listening to it. And often the ones that do just don't "get" new music. I think it's ridiculous to assume that most of you dudes who claim revisionism is utter shit now will also be into the new forms, or avantgarde music in the 2040's, or even metal at all.

And sometimes music just alienates people. Like those dudes who ask "how is noise music actually music"? If you by a time machine made a British 80's metalhead come here, he'd be baffled at the multitude of stuff we call metal now. Metal overtaken by Scandinavian folk? Metal merged with shoegaze? With electronics? A metal band featuring just vocals? Just bass and drums? One with a female opera singer and very light riffs?

I think that "loyalty" in this case would be nostalgia and desperate attempts to preserve something from your youth. Something you didn't deem that sacred in the time, perhaps, like music, but now requires your "loyalty". I mean, I'm pretty young and I've only started listening to metal in 2006, but I hang around a lot around elderly folk, that's where this is coming from

I have a very different metal background than you, as I started listening to metal in the 80s and witnessed the birth of all the genres we have nowadays but I can agree with many of your points.

Yes, we pretty much enjoy only music that fits our tastes quite well and effortlessly. I mean, I already said that music must come to you and grab your interest, not the opposite.
You're right, we all change with time and lots of people loose interest for metal after some years. People like Marcel and me belong to a very small minority. But I think you nailed it very well: the key for keeping interested in metal is to be opened to new stuff and invest time to check new albums on a regular basis. Truth is lots of people are not ready to do it or simply don't do it because of other things (work, family, children, other hobbies, etc). Imo, metal requires some devotion in order to stay into it when you start getting older.

As for revisionism, I already mentioned that music evolves and people must also evolve to follow, otherwise they become 'outdated' at some point. It doesn't mean that you have to ditch old stuff or dislike anything that is old school (I like lots of old school stuff) but I think it is a fatal mistake to stick exclusively to old stuff and not enjoy anything new. It only leads to bitterness and can make you sick of metal in the end.
Also, I think revisionism, when done reasonably, is necessary. We must judge things according to today's standards and not those of 25 years ago, simply because of the pure fact that we are in 2012, not in 1985.

Indeed, a man coming straight from the early 80s would be lost in today's metal because it evolved and diversified considerably since that time.

Very interesting, the way you compare loyalty with nostalgia. I believe that, consciously or not, some people who show undying loyalty to old stuff are in fact nostalgic and desperately try to recapture their youth or prevent things from changing, which is a battle lost in advance. No one can stop time and prevent things from changing.

You say you hang around older people who told you those things. I think I agree with them. And if you understand this already at your age, it's a good thing. If there's a kind of metalhead I pity more than any other, it's those stuck in the 80s, unable to accept change and bitter about everything except the music they listened to in their teenage years.

Written by RavenKing on 08.01.2012 at 00:36

Very interesting, the way you compare loyalty with nostalgia. I believe that, consciously or not, some people who show undying loyalty to old stuff are in fact nostalgic and desperately try to recapture their youth or prevent things from changing, which is a battle lost in advance. No one can stop time and prevent things from changing.

You say you hang around older people who told you those things. I think I agree with them. And if you understand this already at your age, it's a good thing. If there's a kind of metalhead I pity more than any other, it's those stuck in the 80s, unable to accept change and bitter about everything except the music they listened to in their teenage years.

It may be hard to swallow to some people, but 90% of people are genuinely trapped in time. Everyone's mothers still think their children need attendance, regardless of their age; my grandmother, although in perfect mental health otherwise, still thinks that she went into retirement some ten years ago instead of thirty and still asks me questions about whether or not I remember some family members who died a long time ago, and when I tell her that I was two at the time, she can't believe how many years have passed. All people talk of time as their youth as the golden times and everyone fights to keep the morals and the customs and the culture of that time alive. I believe that is the root of revivalist movements.

Us metal youngsters or veterans who are still in the scene like Marcel and yourself may find it funny to cling to a time past when a lot of things have been improved until now, but who knows whether in ten years we'll be demanding our favorite music back too. And old metal, indeed, is a form of a cultural heritage among people who on some level consider themselves metalheads. It shouldn't die out, just like the customs of your nation or religion. But I don't think anyone has the right to put it over new things, and it shouldn't be considered good just because it's "good old". Sure, in the 1800's the air was healthier and manners were more respectful, but that doesn't mean we should adopt the era all over again and ditch modern tech in favor of steam engines. In similar way, we should only reminisce of old metal and try incorporating it into the metal scene of today if it was good, and if we're masters in playing it.

Written by Milena on 08.01.2012 at 00:52

It may be hard to swallow to some people, but 90% of people are genuinely trapped in time. Everyone's mothers still think their children need attendance, regardless of their age; my grandmother, although in perfect mental health otherwise, still thinks that she went into retirement some ten years ago instead of thirty and still asks me questions about whether or not I remember some family members who died a long time ago, and when I tell her that I was two at the time, she can't believe how many years have passed. All people talk of time as their youth as the golden times and everyone fights to keep the morals and the customs and the culture of that time alive. I believe that is the root of revivalist movements.

Us metal youngsters or veterans who are still in the scene like Marcel and yourself may find it funny to cling to a time past when a lot of things have been improved until now, but who knows whether in ten years we'll be demanding our favorite music back too. And old metal, indeed, is a form of a cultural heritage among people who on some level consider themselves metalheads. It shouldn't die out, just like the customs of your nation or religion. But I don't think anyone has the right to put it over new things, and it shouldn't be considered good just because it's "good old". Sure, in the 1800's the air was healthier and manners were more respectful, but that doesn't mean we should adopt the era all over again and ditch modern tech in favor of steam engines. In similar way, we should only reminisce of old metal and try incorporating it into the metal scene of today if it was good, and if we're masters in playing it.

All I can say is I agree on everything.

Written by RavenKing on 08.01.2012 at 00:36

Written by Milena on 08.01.2012 at 00:05

the key for keeping interested in metal is to be opened to new stuff and invest time to check new albums on a regular basis. Truth is lots of people are not ready to do it or simply don't do it because of other things (work, family, children, other hobbies, etc).

The internet is quite handy for that. Sites like here or wikipedia to find stuff similar to what you already know and like, or a review/description of an album that sounds interesting(SubRosa having A Forest Of Stars-esque violins, for example). Or new/other stuff your favorite musicians are involved in. For example, I bet you can't figure out how Nightwish got me into Black Metal.

Written by M C Vice on 09.01.2012 at 12:02

For example, I bet you can't figure out how Nightwish got me into Black Metal.

actually i can ...it happened to me also...from Nightwish to Dimmu Borgir,Bathory,Burzum....

There's no connection between Nightwish and Dimmu Borgir, though. I imagine he's talking more along the lines of checking band member connections on something like RYM or MA, or looking up similar bands on Last.fm, or just reading an article. The most obvious connection I make would be to Darkwoods My Betrothed, but those guys get around a lot so it could be anything.

Written by M C Vice on 09.01.2012 at 12:02

For example, I bet you can't figure out how Nightwish got me into Black Metal.

Sure we can. Emppu and Tuomas were in a black metal band before it was black metal.

I know a shitload of stuff about Finnish musicians, even the ones I don't really like

I love this discussion going on! SO true about nostalgia and especially Mora's comment about wanting to relive your youth/golden age.


Although, did he seriously say "to say something sounds exactly like an early example is a form of praise." WOW. What planet is he on? This writer either is new to metal, or lives so secluded in his own trad heavy metal social bubble that he's blind to everything else. Many of his comments were so off the mark like this, about what "metalheads" like and prefer. Speak for yourself, honey!

Even though I'm in the camp that prefers exploration and genre fusions, I see the value of the genre purists and revivalists. I love that metal ebbs and flows with time and that we're big enough (and have been around long enough) to have "eras" and movements. It's exciting, even if you don't agree with all of them. I've studied classical musicology for a long time and it's easy to see the evolution over the decades and centuries, which included revivalists as well as explorers. You can't have one without the other and what ensures metal's survival is the push and pull between these two.

Written by Susan on 10.01.2012 at 01:22

I love this discussion going on! SO true about nostalgia and especially Mora's comment about wanting to relive your youth/golden age.


Although, did he seriously say "to say something sounds exactly like an early example is a form of praise." WOW. What planet is he on? This writer either is new to metal, or lives so secluded in his own trad heavy metal social bubble that he's blind to everything else. Many of his comments were so off the mark like this, about what "metalheads" like and prefer. Speak for yourself, honey!

Even though I'm in the camp that prefers exploration and genre fusions, I see the value of the genre purists and revivalists. I love that metal ebbs and flows with time and that we're big enough (and have been around long enough) to have "eras" and movements. It's exciting, even if you don't agree with all of them. I've studied classical musicology for a long time and it's easy to see the evolution over the decades and centuries, which included revivalists as well as explorers. You can't have one without the other and what ensures metal's survival is the push and pull between these two.

Agreed.

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actually i can ...it happened to me also...from Nightwish to Dimmu Borgir,Bathory,Burzum....

Wrong, although Abrahadabra was the 1st black album I bought (excluding 1st wave black). but I did buy it for the reasons your implying (symphonic metal).

Sure we can. Emppu and Tuomas were in a black metal band before it was black metal.

I know a shitload of stuff about Finnish musicians, even the ones I don't really like

Close, but wrong. And I keep meaning to check that band out sometime.

Written by IronAngel on 10.01.2012 at 00:44

There's no connection between Nightwish and Dimmu Borgir, though. I imagine he's talking more along the lines of checking band member connections on something like RYM or MA, or looking up similar bands on Last.fm, or just reading an article. The most obvious connection I make would be to Darkwoods My Betrothed, but those guys get around a lot so it could be anything.

You're on the right track. Only it was wikipedia.
One of Nightwish's members (one of my favorite singers) was previously in a band with another of my favorite singers, who was in a black metal band prior to that. That was the 2nd black metal album I bought and the one that got me hooked onto the genre.