It's clear that the metal scene is in a state of hyper activity lately and with instant exposure to everything at all times via the internet it is overwhelming to say the least. One problem is that you naturally miss great bands in the deluge, but another massive issue is the inevitable burn out making it sometimes feel all a bit pointless. I have added my own share to the mess, no question, and will no doubt continue to do the same in the future in one way or another but I wonder, is there any way out of the maze? Is there a way for bands to exist offline, go completely off the grid and rely on old school methods like flyers and cash in the post? I have a utopian vision of an alternative metal scene operating in a real underground fashion away from Sauron/Big Brother's ever watchful eye- the irony of this post is loud and clear, but it might make for an interesting and pointless chat if nothing else. What are people's view on this? Is endless access to all music a good thing or should we go back to the cave?
There is too much of everything. Not just bands, music and whatever, but there is just information overload all the time and so much of it is utter shite. I don't think there are more bands than ever, it's just everything is accessible from everyone and everyone is trying to get your attention through the same narrow channels. Existing offline might as well just be playing for the sake of it and not attempting to publicise yourself at all. So much of what contributed to the underground setup, as I recall it when I was a kid, was through hanging out and browsing in shops, swapping tapes with mates, even going on the t-shirt someone was wearing or a patch on a jacket. It all carried a personal endorsement, if that's the right term, so you were more inclined to check it out. Being an old cunt, I don't hang around aimlessly as much as I used to, so it's all likely to pass me by now :laugh:
Having released tapes years ago, going to shops to get them to carry them, posted them to zines and buyers, put up posters by cycling around with a bucket of wallpaper paste, even stood around handing out flyers and, most recently, going through the grind of a digital release, I would be back on the bike with brush in hand in no time given a choice. I genuinely don't believe anyone would give a fuck, though.
None of the old music has gone away, so every new thing is just another one on top of the pile of stuff from years ago, some of which we all knew, some of which we're only discovering now. Too, too much.
Even though most of my music consumption is through streaming these days, I'll still take my time and spend time with an album. Part of the problem is there's exponentially more, well, everything of what I can indulge in and accessing it all is so easy.
Finding music the old fashioned way certainly has a buzz that I miss, the "thrill of the hunt", as it were. That buzz of finally laying my hands on a copy of something like Human or Focus is hard to beat.
The again, I've always wanted to hear some of Starkweather's music, but never came across it. Was sitting down last night listening to The Cocteau Twins and it randomly popped into my head "Starkweather, listen to them right now". Ten seconds later I was doing that.
I do like the fact that we as music nerds can take in so much music we're almost supersaturated and yet still have the iceberg to contend with.
Quote from: Eoin McLove on January 31, 2019, 09:07:55 PM
What are people's view on this? Is endless access to all music a good thing or should we go back to the cave?
One thing I've noticed myself doing, that I'm conciously trying to stop, is not sticking with an album that doesn't grab me immediately. It's so easy now to just click on a link and move on to something else
But back when I could only afford to buy maybe 2-3 cds a month I'd listen to them relentlessly even if I didn't think they were that good at first and end up getting much more enjoyment from them. Still got a few absolutely irredeemable duds though....
It's not an entirely impossible feat but you would still need to have a very basic online presence. You could set up a distro-style, basic site catering for bands that want to remain off the internet and only deal in physical releases but how well it would work is anyone's guess.
Effectively you're curating a label of bands that want to do this but to do this nowadays without making use of the tools available online would cost a lot. You could have a subscription list where people give you their address and you post them a catalog, or some form of zine almost, at their expense, but why do that when you could mass email a pdf of it to everyone who wants it weekly instead?
You could find bands that want to be completely offline and add them to a roster, few considerations as to how you get their phsyical product to the buyer but nothing unusual or difficult. Main concern here is how do the fans try out the music first? You could cheaply press a few sampler CDs but again the cost of this vs. a freely downloadable bandcamp compilation is harsh.
You could still set something up with the same ethos you're looking for, basically, but you would have to adapt it and curate it carefully, and become a label/distro for a decent sized collective to make it worthwhile. The end result is that the artists themselves remain disconnected from it all and social media is left non-existent. It's not entirely offline but would be a fair balance where you use the tools available. Your next problem though is getting the word out in the first place.
It's an interesting idea. Blood Incantation kind of did this initially - the demos were only available by post, though of course they were eventually uploaded on line, and then as soon as they went with DD obviously they kind of had to adapt, but they still don't have a bandcamp or facebook to my knowledge which is impressive for a band with such a large audience. Even with whatever that new black metal project they have (Storm somethingorother) the demo is on youtube but to get an actual copy you have to write to as postal address.
Wasn't there some black metal band who popped up on the NaziWankcircleNow forum last year whose demo could only be obtained by sending a blank tape?
Starspawn is also on Spotify now, which is obviously a label directive, but the longer a band lives and gains any degree of success, the more difficult you would imagine that sort of thing is .
I definitely agree though, the level of exposure and quality gear that emerges is nearly a stress. I stepped back over the last 18months or so, being a bit more selective with what I choose, spending more time with it etc., rather than the collecting, rather than listening I had nearly beend oing previous. I've definitely missed stuff, but that's inevitable and tbh I don't mind. I'm enjoying my music a lot more.
Death Metal in particular is absolutely at saturation point again as it was in the 90s. It's impossible to keep up, and it feels like any band sticking out a demo is getting undeserved hype. Reckon the bubble is about to burst fairly soon
it sounds like you are trying to recreate a magic thats just not there anymore and probably will never return unfortunately.
like someone said already its not just with music this is happening but in all aspects of life.
I gave up on new stuff years ago..its retro for me all the way...much easier to trawl through....
I actually put the blame at least partially on labels - particularly in the underground. There's a couple of well established labels that come to mind who really do just seem to have abandoned any semblance of quality control and will seemingly put out any ould shite at this point - quantity over quality. Such is the nature of business I suppose but flooding an already overflooded market is unnecessary at this point. Again, I'm not looking at the likes of Relapse or big labels here, it's the black and death metal labels in particular, a few of whom really have dropped in terms of standard of release musically over the last while seemingly for the sake of having more product, which to me is totally not in the spirit of underground music at all. A label like Sepulchral Voice is a fine model of how to do it properly I think - less bands, care and quality put into each release.
The magic I guess in the old days - which of course we can't get back, nor do I expect to - is that if you picked up a Roadrunner, Peaceville or Earache release, or even smaller labels like Thrash or Seraphic Decay, there was at least early on a solid chance it was going to be a good one largely because they were trying to put out the best stuff.
And there's a million smaller labels to pick up the rest. Everything is released, hyped and forgotten in a month.
i was talking with my brother abut this recently , and not just about music but with everything thats happening these days and there's going to have be some kind of a crash in the future. things cant possibly keep going this way.
@Andy: Yeah. But I'm talking in terms of respectable labels ...ugh, right, naming names here as an example: Iron Bonehead springs to mind as the obvious one where there's a handful of great bands but a lot of it is hugely average and faceless and disappears quickly, largely because he just seems to be churning out releases at a frankly obscene rate. Blood Harvest has always been a little like that. 20 Buck Spin is heading that way - does the world really need an Ossuarium or Cerebral Rot album this early on in their development like?? There's plenty others I can think of.
I agree, yeah. I keep my ear to the ground and am still mostly baffled by a lot of these labels' releases lately. I'm not saying I know of every band going, obviously, but the names I see being released aren't even remotely familiar. And you read the press blurb about how anticipated the album is... by whom???
Yep I've been bamboozled for years with the amount of stuff coming out, yet tried in vain to keep somewhat up with the current scene, until fairly recently where I've just ended up questioning the whole thing - the ridiculous obscure cds with gurning fools in make up and spikey play armour sitting on my shelf...
I kind of feel like I don't 'get' it anymore. Now the reasons why I enjoy and was attracted to UG black/death metal in the first place are still there and valid, but the focus has become obscured with too long spent searching in the underground wormhole 😂
Definitely been talking a step back recently, going back listening to other genres again, and being very selective with the UG BM I'm listening to.
In terms of doing things low key and 'offline ' as the OP alluded to - I like the White Medal/Legion Blotan approach. Zero fanfare, minimal image/aesthetic, no interviews,photos or pretentious philosophical/existentialist manifestos. You just have raw, lo-fi music and the mystery is left for you to create if that's what you want.
Going back to the old stuff also helps as suggested. I stuck on Metallica Breadfan yesterday and was banging around like I hadn't done in years of underground wanderings
Quote from: Pentagrimes on February 01, 2019, 11:41:07 AM
ugh, right, naming names here as an example: Iron Bonehead springs to mind as the obvious one where there's a handful of great bands but a lot of it is hugely average and faceless and disappears quickly, largely because he just seems to be churning out releases at a frankly obscene rate.
Absolutely agree. I don't even open the Iron Bonehead new release mails I receive anymore.
I have no more desire to hear every good metal album than I do to sample every good cake ever conceived. I already have more cake than I can eat, so I limit myself to sampling a handful of reliably endorsed confections here and there. Maybe a quarter of those end up in the pile of regular listens. And the best of the stuff in the regular listens pile still hasn't finished giving forth fruit. 'Tis grand really. But everyone should slow down, labels and bands alike. No need, or point, going at the promotion so full on the way some do these days.
Also if we could just do away with War Metal completely, that'd help thanks. A musical garbage dump if ever there was one.
Actually I'd be with Grim up there about the "lack of fanfare" approach. When I get back into doing death metal it'll be demos only, no fuss, no limitation, no fanfare. As I've said before I'm not a huge black metal fan but the stuff I've really enjoyed most in that style lately (Muszpellheimr, Obskuritatem, Pa Vesh En) is stuff I've seen little to no fuss over really.
Gotta say, I'm really fucking fed up of the "demo on vinyl" thing as well at this stage. Cool for old lost bands, but not every fucking band needs to press their demo on vinyl really.
I've just created a new genre that will solve the whole problem. Dearth Metal!
Can we just start referring to Black/Death or "Blackened Death" metal or whatever as "Black & Decker Metal" while we're at it?
Or maybe "Kitchen Sink Metal" might be a more apt term.
Social Realism Death metal? Gonna get on this bandwagon early.
Papa Loach - seeking members now, must be dour, on strike, or about to be on strike.
Lots of bands who are so underground they never record anything, not even to tape. That's what we need.
Quote from: Pentagrimes on February 01, 2019, 11:41:07 AM
do wereally need an Ossuarium or Cerebral Rot album this early on in their development
Taking this back cos in fairness having listened a few times the Ossuarium lp shits on their demo
Feels like there's too much of everything, not just bands. But yea defo, it's becoming more and more onerous to dig up new gems. What is an acceptable age to stop caring about new music?
I try (in vein) to keep up by checking out new releases on the 20 or so labels I'm into. Bandcamp is good for this. Of course I'm still missing out on loads but works pretty well.