GRAVE Courts Facebook Controversy

This was posted on May 29th on Grave’s Facebook page:

“Ok I will remind you once again and believe me this is going to be the last time. This page is obviously not meant to be a billboard for you to promote your band, homemade crap, stupid groups of any kind or yourself. I'm sick of cleaning this wall every week from crap that doesn't belong here and from now on users who post stuff without relevance will be deleted. And no it's not relevant to promote your band here just because you play deathmetal. Try the old fashioned way by writing great songs and get recognition that way before trying to build a false Facebook empire.

Over and out..

/Ola”

Part of a response from Grave/Ola posted in reply to ‘fan’ comments:

“And to answer your question no I would no have spammed other bands walls with my crap if FB had existed 25 years ago. There is a certain respect if you're a serious band. If you are not well then buhuuu for you. Now piss off!”

Personally, I think this kind of thing is needed, appropriate and quite frankly, awesome. I do not want to go to a band’s Facebook page and see spam from whatever other random band or internet troll that exists. Actually, if a band is inconsiderate enough to shamelessly self-promote their material on someone else’s page, I am automatically turned away from clicking on that link. If you really feel the need to do so, there are other outlets just as likely to be full of the same kind of idiots that you have proven yourself to be.


The ease of promotion available to up and coming bands, whether they can write a decent song or not, is astronomical compared to what it was before the internet was widely used. Find somewhere else to promote yourself. “False Facebook empire” is a perfect description. Although it could be amended to something like “False Social Media Empire” or perhaps “Useless Internet Celebrity Empire”. There are certainly enough of those around. Rampant attention-seeking is irritating enough in any aspect of life. Doing it whilst using someone else (and their fanbase) is verging on disgusting. What happened to self respect, some modesty and a lot of hard work? Wait, I forgot. Those things are hard to find on the internet.


Reading some of the comments posted on Facebook, it seems that a few people think that this post from Grave is just whiny and bitchy. Most seem to think the opposite, and I tend to agree with them. In a world where political correctness is causing more problems than it solves, I enjoy the fact that a band may risk losing fans by speaking out in this manner. The reasonable ones will keep listening to the music, and probably agree with the sentiments expressed. The ones complaining that an established band should know difficult it is to get recognition, should be helping out other bands (by apparently letting them spam Facebook pages) and generally should not be posting this variety of comment are the fans I would not want to associate myself with to begin with. Selfishness is not a trait to be valued.


To Ola and Grave:




Skål!

So Little Time

Lately I’ve been finding that there are so many new and exciting things happening with the bands that I enjoy listening to. I’ve also been finding that I have less and less time to take a few moments and really absorb what I’m hearing, which is unfortunate. Kalmah and Amon Amarth have both released tracks off of their upcoming albums:

Kalmah - 'Deadfall'

Amon Amarth - 'Shape Shifter'

Both of these tracks deliver what is expected of each band: an uncompromising sound that has remained true to what fans love and expect. A good way to build anticipation? I think so. 

Amon Amarth is also releasing a documentary entitled “Forging Mjölnir”. 

It does request that you log in with Facebook, and choose a side (being either Thor or Loki) in order to watch. After giving it a preliminary once-over, I like the idea. The interviews are insightful into both Norse mythology and the concept of the upcoming ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’ album. It sheds some light on what the album is focused around, especially if one is not familiar with Norse lore. It’s worth a view if you have a few moments. 

http://deceiver.amonamarth.com/

There are a few more things I have seen in the last few days I’d like to share and comment on, but unfortunately the realities of life are calling and I will have to save them for later. A rainy afternoon in which I have nothing to catch up on besides writing blog material would be ideal right about now. 

Månegarm & Amon Amarth Tidbits

Månegarm has just released the title track off of their upcoming album:

Legions Of The North

I'm enjoying it. It's heavy and sounds like there is a bit of a black metal flavor. I suppose the English language lyrics might be appreciated by some, but I'm okay with lyrics in either English or Swedish. Now the hard part is waiting until this album is released.


I had intentions of also watching the trailer for an Amon Amarth mini-documentary entitled 'Forging Mjölnir', but I am unable to watch it due to issues with it loading. Hopefully the problem is fixed soon as I want to know what this is all about.

Random question: Why can't there be somewhere the consolidates every pre-order merch package I want into one or two orders? The pre-order package prices are all quite fair, until you add in the shipping. The postal fees are ridiculous, and then there is a chance of being hit with customs and duty fees (especially if the order is shipped from the United States) which you do not find out about until the order arrives at your door.

Heavy Metal and Formal Education

New College Nottingham, in the UK, is slated to offer a two year degree studying heavy metal. While the course is said to offer a rigourous academic schedule dealing with subjects such as how to compose a heavy metal song and an overview of the history of heavy metal, there has been quite a bit of criticism emerging regarding the degree. 

Taken from the college’s website, the course revolves around the following:

• Focus on heavy metal music performance
• Work in bands
• Perform gigs
• Write songs
• Work on your on-stage performance
• Develop your music theory & write scores
• Gain session musician skills, such as improvision
• Recording
• Develop employability skills
• Create promotional materials
• Market yourself, your gigs, your recordings etc.
• Learn about the context of heavy metal music & the music industry

The course appears to be heavily based on the performance aspect, and students must meet certain entry requirements. These entry requirements mean nothing to me, as I’m not familiar with the post-secondary education system in the UK, but it does seem that class is offered from the point of studying music and composition, similar to a fine arts degree here. 

The creator of the course stresses that heavy metal has traditionally not been taken as seriously as jazz and classical music in academic circles. While this is entirely true, many people involved in metal, either as fans or musicians, realize that there is some incredible musical talent to be found within the far-reaching and diverse genre. Metal has been alive and thriving for a long time and is not going anywhere soon, so one might question why there is a need for more widespread ‘academic’ recognition now. 

Apparently the degree will allow students to become more marketable as employees in the music industry. It’s for students who aspire to work as promoters and at festivals. While having some kind of formal training in business might prove useful in such ventures, it is definitely not required. Strong networking skills and experience seem to be the more valuable tools in such situations, as well a mind for ingenuity, which can not exactly be taught in a formal way. It may be honed, but not taught. 

Heavy metal is such a diverse genre that there is no formulaic way of creating compositions. I suppose you can teach the basics, but most people with any previous formal musical training would already understand. Metal is so creative that reducing it to a classroom formula seems wrong. It comes from experience and a diverse range of interests melded into something that both the artist and the fan can truly appreciate. While many metal musicians (especially those from Scandinavia) do have classical or some other form of musical training, it likely was not what turned them to metal. It might have made them better musicians overall, but I doubt it entirely defined them as metal musicians. Intelligent, informed and knowledgeable individuals can be found throughout heavy metal. Generally those who have been drawn to metal do not fit into the mould that society has created. So often, intelligence is found outside this mould anyways, and  isn’t really gained from a traditional classroom. Can you teach someone how to capture an audience from the stage? I guess you can offer hints, but some people are natural performers and others just are not. 

Critics of the degree are asking the same thing that I wonder: Why do you need a degree in heavy metal? With something that is so subjective, based on evoking thought and expressing emotion, can it really be studied with any objective credibility? We’re not talking about a degree in a science based field, generally relying on fact and generally having a high amount of credibility with potential employers and also the public. With increased potential to enter a competitive job market being the motivation for formal education in many cases, this does not seem like it will do the trick. There are several ways to approach studying anything to do with culture and human experience, and I guess this is another attempt. 

I do not believe that heavy metal has to gain any more mainstream recognition than it has been getting recently. There are already many metal fans and musicians alike that realize the kind of gems to be found in regards to the ingenuity, diversity and talent found amongst those who love metal. Fans already study heavy metal from several aspects, just not in a classroom.

'Legions Of The North' Teaser

Being a long time coming, Månegarm’s next release promises to be well worth checking out. Like so many other bands have been doing recently, they’ve also released a teaser trailer for Legions Of The North. 

Legions Of The North teaser trailer

Sounding similar to the Månegarm that I have come to thoroughly enjoy, the major difference seems to be the presence of a few tracks with lyrics in English. I managed to get a laugh out of a comment I read regarding this album in which the poster alluded to Månegarm being ‘worth checking out’ now that they have some English lyrics. I was not previously aware of the fact that a band is only ‘worth checking out’ if their lyrics are in English. (Detect a slight undertone of sarcasm, anyone?)

I just hope I have the luxury of considering a pre-order package for this CD, complete with cover art t-shirt, as I’ve already sang my praises for the cover design. 

Manicure From Beyond The Grave?

As the release date for the album approaches, Children of Bodom have been promoting Halo Of Blod by releasing a few tracks and a new music video. Based on what I’ve heard so far, this album has more promise than Relentless, Reckless Forever and Blooddrunk. Those are admittedly my least favorite COB albums, which seems to be a similar sentiment to many long-time Bodom fans. Anyways, time will tell what Halo Of Blood holds. 

The video for Transference is the darkest yet from these Finns. If the goal was to make something disturbing, they’ve nailed it. The reaper character, present in all of Children of Bodom’s artwork, is a sinister touch in this video. I only wonder about the fingernails...  They appear to be some sort of perfect manicure from beyond the grave. (Am I the only once who notices things like this?) Another very minor annoyance that I have is also present. As someone from somewhere where we do have months of cold weather and snow, I find myself picking apart the authenticity of fake snow in videos. Usually the presence of snow indicates temperatures cold enough to see one’s breath, and this little detail is so often left out. Then again, not many people would want to film for hours in such conditions. Overall, random questions aside, I do quite like the video and the song itself, which reminds me of the material found on the Follow The Reaper album. 

Children Of Bodom - Transference music video

The title track from the album has also been released. This one has a bit of a thrash-y feel to it, with some subtle undertones of black metal. In other words, pretty characteristic of Bodom’s style, with their influences being melded together. Take a listen: 

Halo Of Blood title track

I have my fingers crossed that the local CD shop has this one on order and ready to be put on shelves on the release date, as I can not wait to get my hands on a copy without having to wait for a pre-order package to arrive. In the meantime, I might have to keep myself content with the upcoming issue of Terrorizer magazine, featuring COB. You can’t go wrong with such a sick cover shot, right?

R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman

R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman.

Those are the words resounding throughout the metal world today at the news of the loss of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. You will be missed!