I’ve got something kinda fun planned for this time out. Or at least I think it’s fun. Maybe I’m just a big dork. Anyways, some set-up: I recently got thinking about how insular we metal fans can be. I mean, we do listen to a pretty niche genre of music. Even your most mainstream modern metal bands, your Lamb of Gods (Lambs of God?), your Killswitch Engages, your Slipknots (OK, maybe Slipknot is a bad example...), even bands like these aren’t getting top 40 radio play, or appearing on People magazine, or even being followed by douchebags from TMZ. Even the biggest fish in the metal pond are seldom caught by the nets of mainstream popular culture. (How’s that for a metaphor?)
But this wasn’t what was on my mind for this particular thinkathon, or if it was, it wasn’t the insularity I was chiefly concerned with. No, the thought that occurred to me on this occasion was that I, as a metal fan from Canada, despite my best efforts to have a wide-ranging aural pallette, actually listen to a pretty limited selection of metal that basically comes out of the US and the UK. This revelation, however brief it may have ended up being, was a little surprising to me, maybe a little shocking even, and it got the ol’ Thinkatron going. The conclusion that I came to, which I’m going to share with you in the form of today’s post, is that while I may indeed listen to a fairly limited selection of all that metal has to offer (there is, after all, an absolute shitload of metal out there, of every stripe imaginable), my tastes are not so insular and localized as I’d thought.
Thus it is with great pleasure (OK, maybe that’s an overstatement, but like I said, it was fun) that I present to you my 2012 United Nations of Metal, my hypothetical, all-star, international super-tour! First, however, a couple of ground rules or criteria for a given band’s inclusion, or indeed exclusion:
1) A band has to be something I listen to. Like I said, there’s all kinds of metal out there, and probably some metal from just about any given country, if you know where and how to find the local scene. But I don’t, and this is my blog, so I’m limiting this to bands I know and like. Band X does not get to be the representative from Uganda just because I’ve heard that they’re from Uganda. In other words, it’ll take more than being just any band (or the only band) from a given country to make the cut. A band will have to kick some ass too.
2) A band has to be something you might not listen to. As I’ve said before, one of my primary mandates here at Loud Noises is to turn people on to new stuff, and this United Nations of Metal thing is no different. The rep from the US isn’t going to be Metallica, the rep from the UK isn’t going to be Iron Maiden, and the rep from Canada isn’t going to be Rush. Hopefully at least one of the delegates will take hold of your fancy and give it a tickling.
3) A band shouldn’t be one I’ve talked about recently or am going to talk about soon. I’ve got lots of ideas that might end up being substantial enough to become blog posts, but not an infinite supply of ideas or anything. I don’t particularly want to be repeating myself all the time, and more importantly you don’t want to be reading the same shit from me over and over. To that end, I’ll try and keep the United Nations of Metal devoid of any bands I’ve written about recently or have plans to write about in the near future, even if I’d like them make the cut.
4) A band has to be metal. Not doubt you’ve noticed (in part because I’ve told you as much) that I listen to a lot of other music besides metal. But if I’m going to call this thing the United Nations of Metal (which I am), then it had better be pretty fucking metal, right? So any style, any vintage, doesn’t matter, as long as I can call every delegate metal without any umbrage being taken by any of you.
I think that’s all the rules out of the way, so let’s get on with the show, starting with the hometown crowd...
Canada: Protest the Hero
There were also a couple of choices here, but for my personal tastes I had to go with the young guns in Protest the Hero. They’re not necessarily always the most metal band – although I defy you to listen to their sophomore disc Fortress and tell me it’s not a good metal record – but they are consistently kick-ass. I’ve been a big fan of them since their first LP Kezia back in 2005, when everybody in the band was still in high school, a fact that still depresses the musician in me, considering how awesome a debut that record was. In my opinion, they’ve only honed their sound. Now, like I said, Protest the Hero isn’t the most metal band, and I know they’re not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, but their style has evolved and shifted enough over the course of three studio albums that I think there should be something for...well, not everyone, obviously, but a lot of fucking people, OK? Jesus. Start out the way I did, lo those many years ago, with the video for “Blindfolds Aside”, the song that hooked me on Protest the Hero. Then, if your appetite is whetted, try “Nautical”, “The Dissentience” or “C’est la Vie” to continue your protest.
USA: The Black Dahlia Murder
This one was tough, considering just how many metal bands there are in the States right now, and how many of them are good. So many bands could have represented the US and fulfilled at least a few of my rules above, and while The Black Dahlia Murder might break rule number two, they still get the nod because even if you listen to them, chances are they’re not a favourite among your group of friends, even though they maybe should be. Though their last couple of albums (I’m thinking here of Deflorate and Ritual) have been a bit more accessible, a bit more *gasp* mainstream, that bit is thankfully nice and small, and The Black Dahlia Murder continue to make crushingly, brutally heavy death metal, tinged with just a dollop of melody for good measure. Even after several years and a couple more albums, I think my all-time favourite Black Dahlia Murder song is still “Miasma”, so if you don’t know TBDM, or even if you do, do me the personal favour of checking that one out first. Need more? How about “Black Valour” or “I Will Return” from Deflorate, or maybe “On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood” from Ritual? That should keep you going for a bit.
UK: Sylosis/Tesseract (tie)
This was probably the toughest choice of all; the scene in the UK is just so strong right now, and so many of the bands I’m currently digging the most are British. But while I am breaking rule number three here (twice, in fact!), I feel I have no other choice than to split the seat between these two bands. Sure, maybe it’s a cop-out, but both of these bands really are among my favourites. Either one would make an excellent representative of metal in the UK. Best of all, I’ve already written What You Should Be Listening To posts about both Sylosis and Tesseract, so you should already know all about them. If you don’t, have a look in the archives to the right and see why you should regularly be cranking both of these bands.
Sweden: Opeth
This was another tough one – just off the top of my head I can think of several bands that could have been here, like In Flames or At The Gates – and has caused me to once again break (or at least bend) rule number two, because even though bands like those just mentioned are pretty badass, when I think of Sweden and metal, personally I think Opeth all the way. Opeth is one of those bands that it seems like any self-respecting metal fan must have heard by this point in their career, or at least heard of. Death, tech, folk, jazz, prog – over their lengthy career Opeth has evolved to do it all, often in the space of single epic song. It’d be hard to truly do Opeth justice in such a small amount of space, so I’ll simply say that Opeth is so much more than a metal band. As such, I don’t know where to send you first – something a little heavier, like “Wreath”, or maybe “The Grand Conjuration”? Something pretty and moody, like “Windowpane”? Maybe a 70's style rockin’ slow-burner like “Burden”? Shit, I could even be doing this with whole albums, Opeth’s back catalogue is that deep. Have a taste today.
France: Gojira
I had a couple of options here that I thought earned France the right to a delegate, but since I think Uneven Structures are going to end up being mentioned in something else that I’m cooking up (hint hint), I have to go with the guys in Gojira. I’m not necessarily a huge Gojira fan, but I did dig 2005's From Mars to Sirius and what I’ve heard of 2008's The Way of All Flesh, and they do have a new album, L’Enfant Sauvage, that’s just come out and that I’m digging so far. Their special brew (a blend of death, doom, and environmentally-tinged lyrics that I’ve seen dubbed “environmetal”) might not be for everyone, but it’s still worth a listen. Try out the title track from the new album (“L’Enfant Sauvage”) or “To Sirius” from From Mars to Sirius and see what you think.
India: Skyharbor
This one was a pretty easy choice for a couple of reasons, only one of which is the fact that I only listen to one band from India. Better reasons for Skyharbor representing India at the Loud Noises United Nations of Metal include: its debut is a double album of songs that run from dense, complex, and heavy, to sparse and beautiful; said double album includes a whole CD’s worth of vocals from Dan Tompkins, formerly of Tesseract, one of my absolute faves right now; it’s also got guest guitar work from Marty Friedman, who used to play for a little band you might have heard of called Megadeth; it’s also got the enthusiastic endorsement of none other than Chris Adler from Lamb of God (Yup. Look it up.); and, to top it all off, it has its origins as yet another one-man bedroom project. Tasty. If I could somehow finagle a nickle out of the universe for every “best of 2012" list that this album will appear on come December, I’d have a steak dinner coming my way, at least. If I wanted a steak dinner. Start off with anything from the first disc of Blinding White Noise, which is the one that features Dan Tompkins. “Catharsis” is a favourite of mine*, but you can’t really go wrong with anything on this disc (or the second, for that matter).
Australia: Circles
There’s a couple of bands I listen to that are both a) pretty cool and b) from Australia, but pursuant to rule number four, there’s really only one choice: Circles. They’ve only released one six-song EP so far, but they’re well on their to forging a unique sound. Heavy and a little djenty (which I seem to be using as a byword for snaky, angular, syncopated riffing and polyrhythms), Circles come out a cut above some of their peers with their pinch of electronica, their strong sense of melody, some catchy hooks, and some great vocal performances from vocalist Perry Kakridas. Now looking at their Facebook page it seems they’re in the midst of working on their debut full length (there’s a studio diary trailer online already with a pretty badass riff in it), and I for one can’t wait. Circles is a band to watch. And speaking of watching, they’ve got a video for the song “Eye Embedded”, so why not start there if you want to hear what all the fuss is about?
Well, there you have it: a selection of metal spanning the globe and running the stylistic gamut. That should keep you busy for a while. Have I missed anyone? Got an indie band in your pocket from some far flung corner of the world that’s just fucking awesome? I love discovering new shit, so please let me know, and maybe this won’t be the last meeting of the United Nations of Metal.
* And it’s not just because parts of Marty Friedman’s guitar solo on this song sound like one of the Terran themes from Starcraft. I swear.
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