The *NEW* "Headbanger's Ball"

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

So, I'm here at the office around 2:30 am working away, and had the new "Headbanger's Ball" on MTV on one of our sets. Don't get excited, by the way....it's pretty much all crap. Apart from showing "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC (easily their finest single of the last decade), the new show is devoted exclusively to Nü Metal crap like Disturbed, In Flames, Deftones, Godsmack, Pro-Pain, Ill Nino and Shadows Fall or aneamic pop-punk like Vendetta Red and the Murder Dolls (and, incidentlly, if you like *ANY* of the bands I just mentioned other than AC/DC, you should be slapped in the face a lot). Also, is there some kinda law now that dictates that all lead singers of these bands must have dreadlocks? The uniformity is staggering.

They also played a recent Danzig video ("Kiss the Skull") which made me truly sad. I mean, this man was in the Misfits, for chrisakes, and to see him churning out this ridiculous pantomime pabulum practically broke my heart.

I just got tix today, however, to see Maiden and Motorhead at the Garden on July 30th!!! *REAL METAL!* Amen.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 June 2003 06:08 (twenty-two years ago)

1980: Is there some kinda law now that dictates that all lead singers of these band must have long hair? The Robert Plant-ness is staggering.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 28 June 2003 06:12 (twenty-two years ago)

ahem, AC/DC

― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 28 June 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Sucks. I only watched the first hour and I could tolerate no more. I saw Murderdolls. I think that was the last one I saw before I just turned it off. The new Ren and Stimpy sucked, too. Apparantly, now the two little characters are overtly gay, with Ren being the Pitcher and Stimpy the catcher (their words, not mine). It's worse now with John K. back in the driver seat.

― Scaredy cat (Natola), Saturday, 28 June 2003 06:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"...there some kinda law now that dictates that all lead singers of these bands must have dreadlocks?"

It's not the dreads that bother me. It's the 2'6" lines of braided/dyed/twisted/whatever hair hanging from their chins. What the...?

Semi-related: this may be the minority opinion, but Deftones shouldn't systematically be lumped in with all those other groups.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Saturday, 28 June 2003 06:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, you must be a (as you might say) tonedeaf leech-kissing ass clown to actually lump Deftones (and perhaps even In Flames) w/ the rest of that group, and perhaps you're the one that should be in line for a little head massage, you anachronistic intellectual luddite.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 28 June 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

...In Flames...

?? They're not nu-metal at all though, it's rather generic Maiden-worshipping NWOSDM. It's still a mystery to me how of all three million inbreeding bands in this style they were the one that got picked up in the US (touring?).

Deftones should be exposed as the worthless whiny gits that they are, though.

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 28 June 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

figures this is the post that gets me to respond whilst I sit in the Sandusky Public Library;

anywho, Shadows Fall has *nothing* to do with nu-metal. period. horrible classification for a band closer to 80s thrash than Korn. same goes for In Flames.

now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go read 2 weeks worth of e-mails. have fun.

-
Alan

― Alan Conceicao, Saturday, 28 June 2003 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

oh. one more thing. its a surprisingly good show. I was shocked to see Hate Eternal and Lamb of God make appearances on the same show. Meshuggah was on too, but had no video. oh well.

-
Alan

― Alan Conceicao, Saturday, 28 June 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

while i'll agree Headbanger's Ball does pretty much suck, their Extreme Music show (or is it Extreme Metal?) isn't all that bad. the stuff they play is actually heavy. not all of it's good, but it's at least heavy. i even saw a High on Fire video there

― JasonD (JasonD), Saturday, 28 June 2003 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

wait i saw a meshuggah video, or at least i thought i fast-forwarded through one (ah, tivo, you make keeping up so much easier) ...

― maura (maura), Saturday, 28 June 2003 21:28 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, you know, headbanger's ball totally blows compared to back when it was 2 hours of britny fox, pretty boy floyd, poison, etc., one token 'underground' video and 55 minutes of commercials.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Saturday, 28 June 2003 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

dude i fast-forwarded through most of it then, too

and don't hate on pretty boy floyd

― maura (maura), Saturday, 28 June 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Who are currently on tour! And whose lead singer is interviewed here!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 28 June 2003 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

So, let me get this straight: The new Headbanger's Ball is playing new heavy metal?

I mean, yes, it sucks, but what are their options? Play oldies, or play obscurities?

― David Allen, Saturday, 28 June 2003 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

... and who i am seeing on friday!!

― maura (maura), Sunday, 29 June 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't hack the PBF irony. plus they were indirectly responsible for ugly kid joe.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Sunday, 29 June 2003 04:42 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not that ironic -- their album was and remains as perfect a totally, thoroughly, utterly generic in the best sense of the word example of LA hair metal as a sound and style. And the trick about it is that it's nothing but hooks.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 29 June 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

The new Headbanger's Ball is great--once you get drunk enough to tune out the Disturbed etc you get to see (as I did last week) Meshuggah and Strapping Young Lad or Hate Eternal (whose video was really very silly tho King of All Kings is rockin') etc etc. Also the weekly lame guests (ie Powerman 5000) are generally such mind-bogglingly braindead people that the interviews are plenty of Beckett-style fun.

― adam (adam), Sunday, 29 June 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean, yes, it sucks, but what are their options? Play oldies, or play obscurities?
If that's what it takes to keep from sucking...why not?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Sunday, 29 June 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i guess you've never talked to me before, ynf, because my enjoyment of them is not 'ironic' in the least. i spit on irony!!! no, seriously, i do

― maura (maura), Sunday, 29 June 2003 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

anyway i saw PBF in 1998, they opened for LA Guns and were really fun (and they even managed to replicate a lot of the huge-balls-out choruses that are on their records), and i think their show on LI this friday will be pretty enjoyable

― maura (maura), Sunday, 29 June 2003 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

There's no way that Headbanger's Ball could ever compete with VH-1 Classic's The Rock Show, which showed the video for DNA's "Doctors Of The Universe" last night.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Sunday, 29 June 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

'metal mania' showed the videos for 'bitch is back' AND 'naughty naughty' on wednesday

― maura (maura), Sunday, 29 June 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, you must be a (as you might say) tonedeaf leech-kissing ass clown to actually lump Deftones (and perhaps even In Flames) w/ the rest of that group, .......

Sorry, Dave, but they (both of them) suck and, summarily, YOU suck for liking them.

.....and perhaps you're the one that should be in line for a little head massage, you anachronistic intellectual luddite.

BRING IT, you Ass Casserole!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 30 June 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

As to whether Shadows Fall and In Flames are "nü metal" are not (and, really, what actually defines "nü metal"?), I'm not sure. I do know, however, that both bands (especially Shadows Fall) make exceptionally poor music.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 30 June 2003 12:57 (twenty-two years ago)

...that shoulda been "or not," as opposed to "are not."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 30 June 2003 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

As usual, Alex is completely right.

And who wants to shoot holes in the theory that nu-metal = the shady musical area between Pantera, Faith No More and Alice In Chains + Ross Robinson production?

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 30 June 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Somewhat offtopic: If Dave Barry were here, he'd probably say "Ass Casserole would be a great name for a band."
That's all.
Thank you for your attention.
Please continue...

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 30 June 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

It's actually a song by the Candy Snatchers.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 30 June 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

"Ass casserole".

I hope it's topped with bootyflakes!

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Custos said:

>>I mean, yes, it sucks, but what are their options? Play oldies, or play obscurities?
>If that's what it takes to keep from sucking...why not?

A whole, whole lot of reasons.

Siegbran, the bands you list don't do the pretty weird thing lots of numetal bands do with rhythm i.e. pay a sort of stylistic lip service to rap. Nu metal = pop music, full stop.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, do you try to act like a 13 year old?

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

>>And who wants to shoot holes in the theory that nu-metal = the shady musical area between Pantera, Faith No More and Alice In Chains + Ross Robinson production? <<

blargh. I'm back.

First off, doesn't Ross Robinson production pre 1998 almost totally ensure that an album is numetal? Secondly, also included in that shady area would be bands like Creed and the like. I'm not about to throw them in the numetal genre either. And I don't like calling Pantera numetal myself; a cheap Exhorder ripoff, maybe. But Testament wasn't exactly the most original band on the planet and no one is about to call them a nu-metal troupe.

Numetal is, as far as I'm concerned, any of the bands that followed in the wake of Biohazard, Korn, Limp Bizkit, or the Deftones, who play bland whiny rock almost entirely comprised of repetative 3 chord chug riffs and some sort of hip hop influence.

-
Alan

― Alan Conceicao, Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, do you try to act like a 13 year old?

Explain your reasons for this question, and perhaps I'll stoop to the level of answering it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't imply that any of the three bands (Pantera, Faith No More and Alice In Chains) were numetal themselves, but they more or less laid out the musical map. Defining nu-metal as "the stuff that nu-metal bands play" is a bit circular.

For what it's worth, Pantera/Sick Of It All/Biohazard/Machine Head all roughly fell in the same category of pot smoking, white trash moshcore. That's ingedients 1 & 2: the simple three chord percussive riffs and the shouty bits.

The third ingredient, the angsty/whiney singing = Layne Staley (just listen to the first Korn album - or rather, don't listen to it, it sucks).

The fourth ingredient: no-skillz rapping and almost-funky basslines. Faith No More.

The fifth ingredient: Ross Robinson kicked the bottom end and the thick guitar tone from under the Pantera-style riffing and replaced it with a cleaned up mid-range-y sound that DIDN'T degrade massively in punch when played on lo-fi radios.

What is interesting to see is how the early nu-metal bands were more or less force-fed in a top-down way. Unlike, Metallica (for instance), Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, et al were never part of some grass roots underground, no demo releases or 7"s etc, they were more or less picked up as clean sheets, carefully engineered and launched out of nowhere by the majors from the beginning, using the "boy band" model.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

''What is interesting to see is how the early nu-metal bands were more or less force-fed in a top-down way. Unlike, Metallica (for instance), Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, et al were never part of some grass roots underground, no demo releases or 7"s etc, they were more or less picked up as clean sheets, carefully engineered and launched out of nowhere by the majors from the beginning, using the "boy band" model.''

and is there something wrong with this?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Siegbran when you gonna write a book? I love reading your takes on this stuff.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

See, Siegbran, I'm fine with your assessment of the Deftones as a major label success story (getting plucked from zee air by Guy Oseary, tossed onto Maverick, show me some money!), and I can sorta hear where those sonic touchstones you mention can be attributed to the group, to a point. But, @ the same time, the last two albums (_White Pony_ & the self-titled one, for those of you keeping score @ home) barely resemble the damning portrait you propose. If anything, the 'tones are venturing into the atmospheric hazy shades of Toolville, & at their most frantic recall the sort of scream-happy emotional stuff I associate w/ underground "punk" labels like Gravity or GSL more than they recall their major label bretheren.

& holy crap how can you talk about metal boy bands & skip LINKIN PARK? If there's any group that epitomizes the zenith & nadir of this subgenre, it's those guys.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

and is there something wrong with this?

In principle, no, but it is a big change in how things used to work in hardcore/punk/metal. And it worked, because *after* Korn et al became popular, lots of "grass roots" bands started popping up left and right.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd argue that the angsty/whiny vocal style of nu-metal is much more influenced by mike muir of suicidal tendencies (particularly the song 'how can i laugh tomorrow') than layne staley -- staley's vocals are much more guttural, they come from a much deeper place as far as singing techniques do than muir's -- you can draw an almost-straight line between muir and fred durst, really.

also the stoopid humor of muir's st side project, infectious grooves, should not be underestimated as an influence.

― maura (maura), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 22:44 (twenty-two years ago)

also the stoopid humor of muir's st side project, infectious grooves, should not be underestimated as an influence.

Said band's bass player is now in Metallica to boot.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

The fourth ingredient: no-skillz rapping and almost-funky basslines. Faith No More.

Well... maybe if these bands have only ever heard one FNM track... (guess which)

― original bgm, Wednesday, 2 July 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

so i'm watching "headbanger's ball" and they just ran a new papa roach video ("getting away with murder"). and then some band called opiate of the masses. and everything they've played tonight seems like a tedious variation on anthrax's "only."

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Sunday, 19 September 2004 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"i'd argue that the angsty/whiny vocal style of nu-metal is much more influenced by mike muir of suicidal tendencies (particularly the song 'how can i laugh tomorrow') than layne staley -- staley's vocals are much more guttural, they come from a much deeper place as far as singing techniques do than muir's -- you can draw an almost-straight line between muir and fred durst, really.
also the stoopid humor of muir's st side project, infectious grooves, should not be underestimated "

well godsmack and staind (shudder) are clearly influenced by layne staley.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 19 September 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

staind are from wilbraham, MA. the home of friendly's! but they still suck.

― drew, Monday, 20 September 2004 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, i wasn't arguing that point.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 20 September 2004 08:24 (twenty-one years ago)

need everything be an argument? ha, now i'm arguing about not arguing.

― drew, Monday, 20 September 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

maura is right though that Suicidal (esp later more metal stuff) is the secret influence of nu metal though....obv. everybody mentions Faith no More...but Suicidal and Infectious were right there too....

plus lots of forgotten bands like Mind Funk and 24-7 Spyz

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 20 September 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.