So simple and so true. Metal is one of my greatest, if not the greatest, source of inspiration. This is a quote from an interview with Eric Adams of Manowar:
LM: There are so many different bands that are out there that have been pulled in so many directions…I mean, commercial directions, and radio-friendly…and you guys have always remained true. You’ve always remained the same and you’ve never sold out. You’ve never disrespected your fans.
EA: Yeah.
LM: So, what is the secret to doing that? There are so many bands that have never learned to do that.
EA: It is very, very simple: you gotta have a set of balls on you to look at the record companies and you gotta say, “Fuck you!” To the record companies. Because the record companies don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t give a fuck about your fans. All they care about is money-how many albums they are going to sell. What’s hot. What worked for the last big sale that they had. You know? Was it what type of songs. Was it what you were wearing on stage? Was it how you were wearing your hair? Was it your image? And then they try to change you to make you a duplicate of their last big-selling group. And when you fall for that trap, and play from the wallet instead of playing from the heart, that is when you are going to fuck your fans. And, ultimately, you are going to fuck yourself. So, you’ve gotta look at your fans, and you’ve got to say, “Listen, record companies (I mean, that is why Manowar has been with over 20 labels), we say Fuck you, we aren’t gonna change.” You know, we aren’t gonna change. We are proud to carry the banner of metal around. We are! You know? Tonight is an indication of this. Ok? We’re gonna play tonight, and you are gonna get the same show tonight, with the same fuckin’ energy that they’re going to see at the Gods of Metal festival in Milan. It’s gonna be the same fuckin’ thing. You know? Because those fans that are waiting down there right now have waited to see this fuckin’ band and they are excited to see it. I mean, there’s people who come from all over this place. So, please–we’d be fuckin’ our fans if we ever changed, and that’s one thing we never could do. You know?
LM: And they respect you for it.
EA: And they respect you for it-because they know it-they know that we really do believe in our fans. Because without our fans, bands do not exist. And this fucking attitude of like, “Fuck you, I can’t be bothered with you any more”-that’s BULL shit. That is really bull shit. I mean, you’ve gotta understand one thing. All of the members of Manowar were all fans-we were all in the front row with our arms up in the fuckin’ air, you know, for the best band that we thought was the greatest band in the world. I mean, we just jumped up on stage and turned around, but our hearts are still in the pit.
i never listened any songs of manowar, i will try it after reading this conversation.
This is truth. The people you want to make happy are the people who will drive halfway across the country to see you play, because most bands get screwed by their record label on their album sales cut anyway (ridiculous figures like 3%), and the way they continue to support themselves is from ticket and merchandise sales. And if you piss off the record company, you can always find a new one if you have a solid fanbase, but if you piss off the fans, you’re going to need to pull a miracle out of your ass to regain their trust.
For more information about “Selling out” see:
In Flames
Cryptopsy
I cant see why alot of people seem to fokus only on one genre…
I listen to all kinds of genres but my heart is only with one genre. Others are just nice to listen to, but not worth mentioning.
Also metal is just more interesting. Because it is a genre where something is happening all the time, it is evolving.
Whereas rock music has been defined by the Beatles and pop music has been defined by Michael Jackson all that happened later is just copying their genius. Metal I can’t pinpoint really.
I just know that while I can appreciate just about anything to a certain degree, nothing else does for me what metal does. That kind of energy and force that is unique to metal, that nothing else has, I don’t know how to describe it, you’d just have to feel it to understand.
ou yeah –> http://asgard-saga.com
(MANOWAR & Wolfgang Hohlbein collaborating)
more info to go – watch in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCNywLxe3E
(sry for doubleposting)
Listen to the soli in Advanced Corpse Tumor and Fermented Offal Discharge of Necrophagist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2W7h3a0iMw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SRD6mjrUMo
I personally switched from metal to electronic music – aggrotech / industrial / EBM.
As a rule of thumb unless a given piece won’t raise my blood pressure and is rhytmic with a pessimistic/militaristic undertone I won’t listen to it.
Actually I loved the Lamb Chop’s Play Along you posted (or was that Arman Armarath or something?)
Currently listening to Panzer AG’s Battlefield. Good stuff.
It’s easy to believe that the most innovation is happening in a genre you’re the most engrossed in, but to any outsider “it all sounds the same.”
I really like Necrophagist solos. Remind me of neo-classical/speed metal and Jason Becker.
Asgard Saga! This is gonna be brilliant, an entire saga with music, movies, comics, games about norse gods! I love Manowar also because they dare to dream BIG. They never stop.