'Metal Tourists' Part II - Metal Cruises

     What happens in regard to ‘metal tourists’ and the unique situation of cruises such as 70000 Tons of Metal and Barge To Hell, as well as any of the smaller ones in existence? While I can’t speak for some of the smaller cruises, Ultimate Metal Cruises (the company behind 70000 Tons and Barge to Hell) advertises their cruises as an opportunity to get up close to, and hang out with, the musicians on board the ship. Obviously, beyond the holiday itself, this a major selling point. Many of the cruisers relish in the opportunity to chat with, share a few drinks with, take pictures with, and hang out with their favorite musicians. 

At what point on these cruises does the line between affording musicians personal space and socializing with musicians get crossed? I think there are a few obvious scenarios, such as when is returning to their cabin, leaving their cabin, enjoying a meal or using the washrooms in the public areas where space and respect for privacy should be afforded. (The washroom is definitely a weird and creepy scenario, but I wouldn’t doubt it has happened). 

Due to the nature of the event, should musicians on board expect to be left alone? While it is doubtful that there are any contractual obligations stating that participating musicians must spend time with fans aside from scheduled meet and greets/autograph sessions, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect some form of cordial interaction in the cruise scenario while in public areas of the ship. Many of the musicians on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruises seem more than happy to oblige anyways. (Barge to Hell, not so much). 

It seems that the majority of musicians on board actually seem to enjoy the opportunity to interact with fans and fellow metal heads on a casual basis, in a twenty-four hour party atmosphere. After all, I don’t think there are any secrets going into the cruise that this is partially what the experience is all about. It doesn’t seem uncommon for many of the musicians to sit in the bar with, sing metal karaoke with, watch other bands sets with, or take a dip in the pool with other cruisers. 

Some musicians enjoy the atmosphere. 

Whether these musicians feel obligated to participate to such an extent beyond playing their sets, or whether they do so because they enjoy the atmosphere and opportunity to mingle with new people is a question that each individual would have to answer. I would suspect the latter in the majority of the cases. After all, on Barge to Hell (the first, and maybe only, installment of that particular cruise), it was quite rare to spot any of the musicians outside of their scheduled performances, save for a few. The option is always there to stay mainly out of the spotlight. 

Considering that many of these musicians are willing to put themselves into this situation, and are willing to return year after year in some cases, they know what the cruise is all about. A certain level of respect from fans should still be afforded to participating musicians. After all, most of the cruisers tend to debark the ship exhausted from several days of constant partying. Dealing with people constantly vying for your attention for the same time period on top of working and partying must be even more exhausting. (I suppose some people find this incredibly energizing, but there are limits). 

From experience on Barge to Hell, some fans are overzealous in their pursuit of time spent with musicians. These are the annoying type of ‘metal tourists’, basically stalking band members. Perhaps it was a bit of a cultural difference in regards to the concept of personal space and privacy, as many of these fans were from a particular grouping of countries, but they certainly elucidated the point that Finntroll frontman Vreth was making when speaking about ‘metal tourists’, and from these posts stemmed from.

It is about using a sense of judgement in the cruise situation. It is unique in the sense that no one is on their home turf. Musicians aren’t exactly doing ‘normal’ things in their hometowns. It is a bit like a working holiday for the participating bands. It should be relatively obvious what is appropriate and what is not when taken in a situational context. What do you think?

'Metal Tourists'

Flipping through an old issue of Terrorizer magazine (Issue 193, February 2010), I came across an interesting quote in an article on Finntroll. Under discussion was the proliferation of the metal culture in Finland and mainstream exposure for metal artists after Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest. After Trollhorn explains the embarrassment that the band felt at being associated with mainstream metal by those who do not really know Finntroll’s music, Vreth goes on to say:

Also in some places it screwed up the scene a little bit, because you get what I call ‘metal tourists’ that come here,” adds Vreth. “Most of them come here as there are lots of bands here and they go to the metal bars, just sitting around waiting for bands to show up to harass them.”

Some minor annoyance is expressed at the idea of ‘metal tourists’. Naturally, I began to think about ‘metal tourism’. Is it a good thing, or is it not? I suppose it depends on the context. Without metal tourism, many festivals would not be nearly as successful as they are. Festivals tend to be a place for metal heads from different countries to converge. One only has to look to the most widely known example, Wacken Open Air in Germany, to see the truth in this. Festivals like Wacken typically become something that every metal head aspires to attend at least once. If you’re going to take a holiday and spend money on plane tickets, train tickets or fuel, you might as well center your holiday around a hobby or passion. After all, that is typically what holidays are about. 

While this isn’t quite the point the quote was making, it seemed to be an obvious way to introduce other ideas. Referring to the specifics of the quote, and in regards to Helsinki and Finland in general, there are a few thoughts that went through my head. I suppose I could have fallen into the category of ‘metal tourist’ on my travels to Finland. Perhaps not in quite the same capacity as to which Vreth refers, but still a tourist all the same. On my agenda for visiting were activities such as going to metal festivals, visiting well-known bars such as Tavastia, checking out shops such as the Hellsinki Rock Shop, visiting interesting sites around Helsinki, and making a trip to Bodominjärvi (Lake Bodom). While wanting to visit some these well-known destinations in a country known as a hotbed for metal, I certainly had no intentions of stalking or harassing metal musicians in and around Helsinki. I managed to find plenty of other interesting things to do and see. 

Most people can empathize with the irritation that ‘metal tourists’ can cause. People who are obvious tourists can be irritating enough, and I generally try not to be an obvious tourist when I travel as this can actually cause problems. Tourists who engage in harassing celebrities are likely even more irritating. After all, to some metal heads, their favorite musicians are viewed somewhat like celebrities. Bumping into a musician in a bar and saying hello or something to the effect of ‘I appreciate your music’ is one thing, but obsessively seeking out that person and interrupting their personal time is something else altogether. After all, that musician out in the bar with friends is probably engaging in the same thing that many of us enjoy doing on the weekends. Especially when they are in their hometown, probably catching up with friends and family and attempting to relax after months spent touring. 

Unless you are a horribly annoying person by nature, you probably wouldn’t bounce up to a random group of people in a restaurant, park, or store and start harassing them. Even in a bar, that kind of behaviour can be questionable and unwelcome, depending on the situation. It just makes sense to afford musicians, who are pretty normal people, the same kind of space and respect that you would afford others that you do not know. Unless of course you enjoy making an irritating fool out of yourself. 

Find something interesting to do besides harassing musicians;
 like checking out Suomenlinna. (My own photo) 

Local Report: Körperlose Stimme & Mongol (New Music)

With an abundance of other things to do, I again find it a struggle to find the time to write something interesting, but two local bands have just released some new music to stream for free. I'd like to share their work, as I think it's worthy of being acknowledged and hopefully will allow both of these bands to gain a few more listeners.

The first, Körperlose Stimme, is probably best described as a blackened death metal band. (Körperlose Stimme means 'disembodied voice' in German, for those who are wondering). I'm still disappointed that I missed out on seeing them live when I had the opportunity, and hope a few shows are in the works for the near future. Featuring female vocalist/guitarist Verteidigung Frostkeit and guitarist Angrif Frostkeit, whom together seem to be the masterminds behind this band, they are worth listening to if you enjoy a bit of blackened death. They have just recorded and posted a few tracks for your listening pleasure:

Körperlose Stimme Soundcloud (new tracks)

Körperlose Stimme Facebook

The second band, Mongol, are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the folk metal scene. They have just released their second album, Chosen By Tengri, for free on one of their pages. This is one that I will be picking up hard-copy next weekend at the official CD release party. Mongol reminds me, at times, of a lot of folk metal bands that I love and yet they have taken quite a unique direction with their music. Another fantastic band, well worth giving a listen. I haven't even had the chance to give this a play through yet, as it was posted a few hours ago, but if it is anything like the first album, it will definitely be enjoyable. 

Mongol - Chosen By Tengri full album

Mongol Facebook

Changing Vocalists: A Tale of Two Bands

       Reading recent articles written on Arch Enemy has led me to ponder what allows a band to switch vocalists successfully. Of course, Arch Enemy has recently recruited Alissa White-Gluz for vocal duties after former frontwoman, Angela Gossow, stepped down. This change seems to have been met with a reasonable amount of success. For whatever reason, I immediately began to draw a contrast to the tumult that Nightwish has experienced. 

Granted, the biggest similarities between Arch Enemy and Nightwish are that they are both female-fronted bands. They play different sub-genres of metal: Arch Enemy falling closest to the melodic death category while Nightwish falls into the area of symphonic metal. Perhaps these sub-genres themselves attract different personalities in band members, just as they tend to attract different fans. 

Angela Gossow, former Arch Enemy vocalist, graciously stepped down of her own accord, stating that she wanted to take a different role in the band (management). From all reports, she played a significant role in selecting her replacement. Gossow has always been quite respected in the metal world, breaking into a genre and vocal style that hadn’t typically seen too many women previously. Neither Gossow nor White-Gluz seem very eager to pull off some of the diva-esque stunts that other female vocalists have. Both women seem to have the same attitude, eschewing drama and intent on putting on a solid stage show. Arch Enemy took a humble, collected approach. The band did not really give any hints on a change until after ‘War Eternal’ had been recorded. This was an intelligent choice.  

Angela Gossow has been a force to be reckoned with live, her stage persona being much larger than her tiny stature. Alissa White-Gluz seems to be much the same. It will be interesting to compare the Arch Enemy shows I have attended in the past with the one I will be attending in the fall. ‘War Eternal’ is a solid album. Although I need to give it a few more listens, I like White-Gluz on vocals. In fact, I may like her vocals more than Gossow’s. While I have never listened to White-Gluz’s previous band, as metalcore is not something I’m interested in, she seems to be more versatile and perhaps even capable of brining something slightly different to Arch Enemy. Either way, she seems like a good fit so far. 

This is in sharp contrast to what occurred in the Nightwish camp years ago. While I realize that Floor Jansen is the current vocalist of the Finnish symphonic group, the comparison will be drawn to the switch between vocalists Tarja Turunen and Anette Olzon. Nightwish has always been a band of big personalities and talented musicians. There is no denying that Turunen’s powerful vocals lent a distinctive sound to Tuomas Holopainen’s vision. Without even mentioning the previous albums, ‘Once’ was certainly a very successful, well-orchestrated effort. In late 2005, following the immensely successful release of ‘Once’, Turunen was fired from Nightwish. The entire incident became an uncontrolled explosion of fireworks, feeding tabloid fodder for a substantial amount of time. Turunen was fired through an open letter, and responded with an open letter of her own. Not a very good way to handle a situation where emotion evidently ran wild.

Swedish vocalist, Anette Olzon, was hired for Nightwish’s ‘Dark Passion Play’ album. While the album isn’t bad in itself, it never really had the feel of a Nightwish album. Marco Hietala took a more significant vocals role. The backlash from fans continued, having began with the dismissal of Turunen. Many had no interest in Nightwish without Turunen, not willing to give Olzon a chance. I felt Nightwish lost their spark with Olzon. They went from having a metal diva fronting the band to a pop princess who never quite managed to fit in. While it wasn’t entirely Olzon’s fault, I lost much of my interest in Nightwish long before Olzon was dismissed. Even live, Olzon didn’t quite have that edge that would have benefited her position in the band. Having seen Nightwish with Olzon, I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t impressed either.  The excuse used to fire Olzon seemed to be much the same as the one used to fire Turunen. The relationships in Nightwish are obviously dysfunctional, and filled with drama. Whether this has changed with the addition of Floor Jansen, only time will tell. 

While countless other bands have changed vocalists, with varying amounts of success, these two cases proved interesting when contrasted with each other. I’m sure you could write an entire multi-page paper contrasting the two. At least, you could write a paper (and probably even a book) on the drama that surrounds Nightwish. There is a difference between handling a situation graciously and handling a situation like a bunch of junior-high children. Undoubtedly, how it’s handled will change fans opinions of the bands and personalities involved. Unless one is closely involved, the details are probably skewed, and some level of critical thinking should be employed, but this often does not happen. (As exemplified by Nightwish and most of their fan base). From a business perspective, and a personal perspective, it just makes sense to follow the lead of Arch Enemy.  

'Cute Metal'?!

        ‘Cute Metal’: the genre that Japanese group Babymetal would like to create. If you haven’t heard of Babymetal, they are a group of young teenage girls who perform choreographed dance routines to a backing band that plays metal. It’s a strange mix of J-pop attempting to meld with metal, with mixed results depending on whom you ask. While they have been around for some time now and have gained a reasonable amount of internet exposure, it appears they have recently impressed the UK with a performance at Sonisphere. 

I haven’t decided what to think of Babymetal. Watching videos, I’m not sure whether to feel confused, amused or some other mix of emotions. It’s weird to see what are essentially little girls running around in tutus while a band in corpse paint plays in the background. Something like this only seems plausible as having began in Japan, and shouldn’t come as a surprise I suppose. Adding pop vocals about generally nonsensical things doesn’t really work for me, but others seem to like it. The idea of ‘cute metal’ doesn’t exactly work for me either, as I was never drawn to metal because it was ‘cute’. Nor do I really think metal should be cute. There are certainly metal heads who won’t ever accept ‘cute metal’, or Babymetal. 

While I can’t see myself ever getting into this band, I think it will be interesting to watch what kind of following they manage to garner. It will be interesting to see what others think, and to what extent they are accepted by the metal (and wider musical) community. The young girls in the group have said that they want to expose younger teenagers and children to metal, which is noble enough in itself I suppose. I guess if you don’t like it, don’t listen. If you do like it, listen. Either way, it won’t harm anyone. I just find this idea to be a manufactured, yet intriguing, experiment. More time will tell what the results will be. 

An article with videos:

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/babymetal-wants-to-start-new-musical-genre-called-cute-metal/