glitter_n_gore

This is probably a good time to mention, while I am focusing on the 90s for the next couple of posts, this is not a strictly linear retrospective. I haven't forgotten Dio, I haven't forgotten Iron Maiden. There's a method to my madness, so bear with me.

In the hazy space between Hair Metal and Grunge, a LOT of different sub-genres, fusions, and crossovers were taking shape to create the general atmosphere we call "Alternative." Hip-Hop fused with rock to become Funk (Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 Skinnee J's, Rage Against the Machine), old-fashioned brass band swing music mixed with punk turned into Ska (Save Ferris, 311, early No Doubt), and Metal dropped the soaring, intricate melodies of its signature guitar solos in favor of heavy, chugging rhythms and distorted guitar tones.

That, more or less, is Thrash Metal. Everything's loud and droney, with some really interesting melodies and less adherence to the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus song structure. Metallica is one of the best examples of this, although they also brought in some classical influences to create a more complex overall style. Put a pin in that idea though, because I'm coming back to it later.

Industrial is what happened when Thrash blended with Shock Rock and Goth, layering in sounds with a darker tone on those synths I love so much. This music had a beat you could dance to and a grim, sometimes nihilistic vibe that recalled the horror movie influences that first showed up in the 60s. Only this time, the demons were personal or sociopolitical, not fictional . . . some of the time. Everything's filtered through a dystopian, cyber-punk lens. Unlike Alice Cooper singing about Universal movie monsters, or Mötley Crüe posing as biker gang vampires, the message behind Industrial bands seemed to be: "We have seen the future, and it's bleak and terrifying."

There are reasons this stuff still resonates. Fright makeup is still common, but it's very different from the more cartoonish, playful look we'd seen before. Not for nothing, this is the era I grew up in, and finally includes bands I got to see live. I am HOME.

Warning: These videos are no longer Safe For Work. No nudity or violence, but uncensored swear words. FYI.

( This is the first day of my last days. )

(Cross-posted to rhoda_rants.)

Hi There.

I mentioned this briefly on the Twitters, but basically the purpose of this blog series is to a) gush shamelessly about my favorite genre of music, and b) create a curated list of some less intimidating starter songs/artists to ease into it. I say "less intimidating" because much of the buzz around Metal seems devoted to Death Metal and Black Metal, and honestly? Those subgenres are not for everyone. It can push people away. And that is the last thing I want.

Metal comes in many different flavors--the aforementioned Death and Black Metal, but also Sludge, Doom, Power, Glam, Speed, Symphonic, Metalcore, Grindcore, Progressive, Industrial--and it takes some digging to decide which one is for you. They are as varied--and sometimes as divisive--as the many variations between New Wave and Emo. Woe betide the newbies and casuals who get it wrong.*

*Let the record show I think people need to chill out on the territorial hair-splitting here, but that's not what this post is about.

I am not going to get into ALL of the subgenres I just mentioned. But I want you to know what you're getting into. This territory is vast. Here be monsters. I'm just one guide of many, and we all walk very different paths. This is mine.

( First, a history lesson. . . )