Metal Evolution.
 

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...K0zK3KUU_HZrWA

I can't contain myself anymore. I cannot be insulted anymore by the ineptitude of this series that aims to chart Metal music from it's original influences to modern day sound.

I am 4 episodes in and each gets worse and worse. What makes it even more indigestible is the fact that it is co written and produced by a guy with a degree in Anthropology. This doesn't automatically mean that his word is gospel but If someone has a higher degree of education than myself, then I expect something that will tell me more than I know.

Episode 3 is virtually the same as episode one as it concentrated on British bands in the 60's but this was (vaguely) covered in the first episode.

To say that Metal was inspired by Classical and Jazz (amongst other genres) and not know it made my blood boil and the whole thing smacks of a guy who discovered Metal last week and not a guy who has been listening to it for nearly as long as I have.

If you are listening Scott, I will be more than happy for you to have a beer with me!

Poor. Poor. Poor.

As the series unfolds the narrator interviews guitarist and they talk about how they study at a jazz school, or grew up listening to classical music and how that influenced them.

I've missed the latest instalment that explores how classic 60s/70s Prog bands the likes of Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Rush influenced Heavy Metal.

As much as I love metal, I really don't like watching documentaries about it or reading books. I find the books are usually the worst offenders, with an incredibly limited scope that really only talks about the bands that people already talk about. I have found some winners out there like Swedish Death Metal and Heavy Metal Islam, but those are few and far between. As to documentaries, they're usually a little better. While Sam Dunn's Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and Global Metal were very broad in what they covered, at least you knew it was coming from someone who actually cared for the genre. Most seem to just be tarted up VH1 countdowns that tell you a load of crap you already know, as jackhammer has unfortunately discovered.

I thought it was interesting. Didn't really mind his shock of various things influencing music. I only really watched it to see archival footage of bands and to read a bit more into some influences. I didn't think that the shock rock episode was necessary though.

I thought some of the topics for some of the episodes were out of place like the shock rock, grunge, and maybe even the hair metal episode. The grunge one was interesting (albeit unnecessary--I've never really connected grunge and metal before outside of the Melvins or Soundgarden), but the shock rock and hair metal episodes seemed pretty useless to me because their focus centered mainly on bands who didn't contribute a whole lot to metal as a whole. Dunn's choice to not cover death, black, or hardcore punk influenced metal is a travesty because that's where some of metal's greatest bands are.

If he really wanted to do an in-depth study, given that there was enough interest from the public and money behind the project, a whole season should be donated to each sub-genre to explore their nuances and differences. Just my take on the show.

I love that documentary. It really felt like he had a deep love of metal. Plus, Dio was in it. I keep forgetting that guy is dead.

I love Gaahl's interview. "What does metal mean to you?" "Satan." "What does Satan mean to you?" "Power."

That, and it changed how I view Mayhem. They seemed so weird and mysterious before, but that interview just made them seem like some drunk ass holes.

I haven't seen Metal Evolution, but from the sound of it...I should pass?

Well it has been mentioned before we have episodes on Grunge, Power Metal (some awful bands I have to say) and shock rock (WTF?). Thrash got an episode but nothing else on from that so there are whole sections of Metal that have been overlooked in favour of genres that don't really matter. Shock Rock is music with theatrics and that's all, it hasn't evolved Metal whereas Crossover certainly did amongst other sub genres.

Worth a watch for rare interviews etc but as a concise and illuminating essay on Metal as a whole? No.

What's wrong with saying metal was influenced by other types of music?

Its been said a million times already and half of these documentaries spend just tooooooo much time, going on about the bands that influenced heavy metal. What any real metal fan wants to see, are the influential metal bands both mainstream and more obscure, and the exploration of the sub-genres in detail. How can any real metal fan take the series seriously! When extreme metal sub-genres such as death, black and doom metal were all left out.

Metal documentaries either need to focus on explaining the roots of heavy metal, or by focusing on one or two of the subgenres, and then explaining how those subgenres relate to all the other ones, like how thrash metal and black metal are related, stuff like that. Trying to cram it all into one documentary is always going to leave metalheads disappointed and non-metal viewers no more informed than a quick glance over a wiki.

I wasn't saying anything about the show, it just seemed that there's a problem with saying metal was influenced by other types of music. It was definitey was, like pretty much any type of music.

What about Alice in Chains? In fact the whole grunge episode was basically a big lead up to the narrator coming to the conclusion that Alice in Chains was easily the most metal of the grunge bands.

Shock rock helped to bring more fans to metal. People heard about the crazy theatrics of Alice Cooper and that helped to spread the word! Same with Marilyn Manson a few years later.

Hair Metal is an important episode because for alot of folks when they think of metal... they think of Hair Metal. Also Hair Metal brought in alot of ballads and stuff to Metal (although one could argue KISS had started that trend with 'Beth') and that in turn brought in alot of chicks.

When it comes to Black, Death, etc... Well Metal Evolution is a tv series so that shall probably be on season two!

There is no problem at all with this, point being if a series with a certain amount of episodes is going to dedicate time to this at the expense of important metal sub-genres, its not being very productive.

Most people would sooner see for example, extreme metal genres covered, than say 30 mins being spent on how the Who and the Kinks etc were an influence on metal.

Alice in Chains was by far the most "metal" of the grunge bands, but that doesn't mean that grunge and metal are connected in any way. If I remember correctly, in the interviews, the people from Tad and Soundgarden didn't associate themselves with metal at all.

What you said about shock rock and hair metal is all true but to reiterate what Unknown Soldier said, we all know about that stuff. The only people who are going to watch Metal Evolution on VH1 Classic are metalheads--and most of them already know about Alice Cooper and the LA hair bands. I was just expressing my frustration that Dunn didn't decide to cover some more extreme or obscure ground is all.

Season two all depends if they had high enough ratings to warrant the funding for future episodes...which idk if they got or not.

Jerry Cantrell has always said they would have rather been associated with metal than grunge. They would show up to shows in leather jackets and chains while everyone else was in flannel. They never felt like they fit in with the scene.

Call it what you want, AIC is a kick ass band.

Not sure that is true. I'm more of an alt-rocker that is happy listening to the Pixies and Breeders and I have watched several episodes of 'Metal Evolution'.

Why?

Well there is a sub-genre of Alternative Metal out there so I am interested in what the show might say about bands like Helmet, Flyleaf, and even Soundgarden.

Also I do recognize that there are some seriously talented artists in Metal: Ronnie James Dio had a great voice and also King Diamond was just hella' creative and a 'one of a kind' sort of artist.

Also folks don't watch this show in a vacuum. I happened to watch the grunge episode with my 11 year old nephew who I was baby-sitting at the time and he is just starting to get into music and stuff and watched a little bit... other folks will be exposed to it if it is on the boob tube.

Jerry Cantrell also always cited Elton John as a much bigger influence than any other classic rock act in interviews back in the day. He'd actually get defensive about it too.

Pretty sure if you listen closely there's some crossover from Tiny Dancer coming through Down in a Hole.

I never knew that! Cool stuff...now I feel like listening to some AIC to see if I can pick any of it out.

There was never an alternative metal episode, so bands like Flyleaf and Helmet weren't mentioned. Leaving out alt metal could be cited as another flaw in the show.

Like I said earlier, if the show comes back for a second season, Sam Dunn very may well cover the bases he missed in the first season.

duga, that will be real easy because Elton John actually played on an AIC song once: :)

Actually this isn't that surprising to me, after Big Elton played on November Rain with Guns and Roses nothing really surprises me that much anymore! :laughing:

Hmm, Flyleaf and Helmet could have been put into the nu-metal episode they had... I avoided that episode like the plague though since I generally dislike that genre!!!

Hopefully there shall be a season 2, that would be cool.

That's pretty cool, I was being a jerk with the Tiny Dancer / Down in a Hole comment but the statement on influence was honest.

Also putting Flyleaf and Helmet on the same level just hurts. Helmet was recognized as one of the 'new' generation of metal bands in the early 90s, along with the likes of Ministry, Fear Factory, and Biohazard (in fact I recall a Guitar World Magazine featuring Page Hamilton and Al Jourgensen on the cover from like 1993).

Flyleaf just sounds like a combination of Avril Lavigne and the Deftones (another originator to the nu-metal sound).

There are several reasons I mention them in conjunction:

1.) I think both of them could be thrown in under the label of 'nu-metal'

2.) Also being a big fan of both bands (I saw Helmet live in like 1994) I have heard that like Helmets style was actually a big influence on Flyleaf and that over the years Paige Hamilton and some of the band members in Flyleaf are on friendly terms.

(I always though Flyleaf sounded like Fiona Apple mixed with Helmet, but that is just me!)

I thought it was interesting myself. It didn't go deep enough for my liking, but I learned about other genres of metal I hadn't liked or considered. I give him an A for effort, but they weren't deep enough. Like if someone came to see me, I could for instance tell him one song I wrote was inspired by Ride of the Valkyries. One about a shell-shocked soldier.
Different things can add up to one genre or formula. If they do a second series, lets hope he digs deeper.

reply
 

Sounds good. I like this kind of thinking. Everyone needs to control their mind at a limit.

Metal Evolution: The Lost Episode - Extreme Metal

**** off, college textbook. I got important **** to do.

Metal to blacken, heads to bang?