The Dangers Of Change

Written by Olof, January 2011

t seems to me that metal people sometimes long back 30 years. The "true metal" was made then, and the only way to do true metal now is by copying 1982 right of. It has come to the point where it does not ever matter if you do it good anymore, as long as you do it. Play me the kind of music I heard back then, and I will salute those about to rock! Play me that new shit and we shall gather our hordes and hail and kill!

t seems to me absurd that a great part of metal society treats new ideas and change as utter crap, not worthy of cleaning Justin Beiber's shoes. I mean, seriously, who wants to listen to the same music for 60 years, without change? No matter how much you adore Manowar and alike, the genre cannot possibly stand on exactly the same feet for decades, and with no new blood the old man will slowly wither and die. All attempts to renew metal are of great value to the genre, and those who wish to stop it can wish for no more than the death of metal. For what is music worth if it is not allowed to change? Where would metal be if bands had not had the courage and will to try something new? If bands like Rage Against The Machine had not had the idea to mix rap and metal, if bands like Rammstein and Ministry had not tried to combine the elements of metal with those of industrial music, where would we be in 10 years? Where would we be now?

usic and art works just as humans. If we are not allowed to try new things we can never learn from our mistakes and we can never harvest the fruits of our experiences and use them to grow and evolve, and in the end, survive. Prohibited to try and learn, we will play with alphabet blocks when we are 24, and most likely be eaten by a predator, because we do not have the experience and knowledge to avoid it.

esper Strömblad of In Flames said in an interview that selling out is when you do what you have always done, because that is what the fans expect and want. To do something new, assuming you do it because you want to, is the exact opposite, as you honour your right as an artist to do what you want, and not listen to others. Many bands out there have the lust to try something new, but many don´t dare to. They are in danger of being branded as traitors or sell-outs if they do. The paradox of this being that if you honour the values of which metal was built, the values that you can do whatever you want and it is your goddamn right, you are also in danger of betraying the genre and being branded as nothing but a whore in the eyes of many metal people.

f metal was not allowed to breed and integrate with other kinds of music, if metal had not been allowed to try on its new pair of wings for a short trip to the other side of the river, we would never have reached the true metal in the first place. Genres like black metal, thrash, progressive metal, symphonic metal and grindcore could never have existed without the urge to try and take it one step further, and the fuse of two different genres is a part of this. No matter if you like it or not, but it is important for the survival of the genre.

o hail to those who bring metal into the future. We salute you!

Olof - January 2011