Metallica: "Why hasn't anyone dethroned us yet?"

[Benji]

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said he can't understand why the seminal Bay Area thrashers haven't been overtaken by any of the young hot new crop of metal bands.

"I was thinking the other day about how everyone expects us to continue to release albums that define the genre," Ulrich told The Guardian. "Everyone expects us to 'save' metal. And that's a lot of fucking pressure, really."

"Why hasn't anyone dethroned us yet?" Ulrich continued. "We support all the great new metal bands, take them under our wing, but people still want us to carry the whole genre on our backs. I'm 44 years old, I've got three kids!"

Is it just me who kind of agrees with this? There's been a lot of different sub-genres of metal poke their heads out over the years, but nobody's really "reinvented the wheel" when it comes to metal in years :-/

Edited September 6, 2008 by Benji

[K]

Ugh. Lars.

Lars is a cock. I don't even know how to begin arguing his point because it's nonsense.

What's he saying? Why are they the biggest metal band, they should be able to relax because they're old? They're big because they're old. They've been going a thousand years, and a thousand years ago they put out three or four good albums that gave them a good foundation, and a thousand years ago there weren't many other metal bands about. So that's a thousand years of fans you're going to see at every show. Metallica gigs are multi-generational. Then again, so are every band from that era. Metallica just happen to be representing the Metal genre.

Why haven't they been overtaken by younger metal bands? That's not how the scene works. Metal fans don't want one-hit wonders, they want stability and longevity. Trivium, Mastodon and Black Tide are the future of metal, whether I like it or not. In twenty years, if they're still about, they'll be pulling in huge crowds too, Trivium are already.

Edit: Also, as for reinventing the wheel, loads of people have reinvented the wheel and become really, really fucking successful. Metallica are Thrash Metal, fine. They're the kings of that castle. Rage are the kings of Rap/Funk Metal, Dream Theatre the Kings of Prog Metal, blah blah blah.

Ugh. Lars.

[Farmer Reil]

Is it just me who kind of agrees with this? There's been a lot of different sub-genres of metal poke their heads out over the years, but nobody's really "reinvented the wheel" when it comes to metal in years :-/

Isn't that largely due to the fact that whenever someone does 'reinvent the wheel', some twat gives it a cute little sub-genre all of it's own?

How is anyone supposed to 're-invent' metal, when everyone does their damnedest to make sure that anything slightly different from Metallica and Maiden are shoved into a different category?

[Crybaby Bunting]

I think the problem seems to consist of some new bands never living up to their huge hype or never being noticed until their discography is too huge to absorb. Porcupine Tree are an awesome band but to the casual there's far too many albums to sort through to get into them, much like Bob Dylan etc.

[El Presidente]

That really doesn't make any sense to me. If Led Zeppelin was still bringing out new albums I'm pretty sure everyone would be looking to them to "save" rock just because the bar's been set pretty high for a band like that, nobody's expecting nickelback to save rock. And I mean I'm not a metal fan myself but I love me some metallica. They're just better than the rest, and for as long as they're going to put out albums, there's just gonna be higher expectations for them than for everyone else.

[gunnar hendershow]

Further proof that there are no "saviors" in music. Just old fogeys and new, cutting edge movements.

[K]

http://www.blender.com/BlenderBlogNewPost0...1168/40902.aspx

^ It's almost too easy.

[New Damage]

That really doesn't make any sense to me. If Led Zeppelin was still bringing out new albums I'm pretty sure everyone would be looking to them to "save" rock just because the bar's been set pretty high for a band like that, nobody's expecting nickelback to save rock. And I mean I'm not a metal fan myself but I love me some metallica. They're just better than the rest, and for as long as they're going to put out albums, there's just gonna be higher expectations for them than for everyone else.

Speak for yourself

[MalaCloudy Black]

that's a piss poor saviour, then.

[Gene Kiniski]

that's a piss poor saviour, then.

In your mind it's a piss poor savior that has cemented themselves in rock/music history for years to come more than any other band in the last decade has been able to do.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Gene Kiniski

[MalaCloudy Black]

... Nickelback? Hahahahaha oh my god.

[Gazz]

that's a piss poor saviour, then.

In your mind it's a piss poor savior that has cemented themselves in rock/music history for years to come more than any other band in the last decade has been able to do.

Balls!

All of Nicklebacks song will have merged into one uninspiring dirge within a decade.

[GoGo Yubari]

that's a piss poor saviour, then.

In your mind it's a piss poor savior that has cemented themselves in rock/music history for years to come more than any other band in the last decade has been able to do.

Oh my god, fuck no. In twenty years Nickelback will just be another band on "classic rock radio" that appeal to the lowest sort of music listener. They will not have any lasting legacy other than perhaps inspiring other shitty bands that came after them.

[New Damage]

Here we go on the "NICKELBACK ARE SHIT! NO WAI! YES WAI!" arguements in a METALLICA thread.

Anyway, I wasn't being serious, but dammit I like the 'back.

[zero]

Nickelback are shit, this is not up for debate. Could they still be playing huge crowds in twenty years? Sure, but Bon Jovi still plays huge crowds today too and that's the exact parallel you'll be able to draw in a decade or so. Nickelback will put out an album that is worse than any other musical abortion they've managed to pump out, but moms in minivans will love to put the CD on when they're cleaning the house.

[Marsh]

Speaking of Nickelback, they have a new album coming out soon. :wub:

[Cactus Drags]

People are way too harsh on Nickelback, it's the whole popular=shit thing. Give them credit, they have four good songs. Lars is a dick, let him drum, but never ever open his mouth.

[zero]

It's not the popular = shit thing, it's the Nickelback = shit thing. I honestly have no idea how anyone can tolerate listening to them for more than four minutes.

[Liam]

It's not the popular = shit thing, it's the Nickelback = shit thing. I honestly have no idea how anyone can tolerate listening to them for more than four minutes.

Meh, Silver Side Up was half decent....as were a couple of songs on thier earlier stuff. Otherwise, they don't do anything for me.

As for reinventing the wheel, see what K said.

Although I didn't like the potentially disparaging comments about Mastodon >_>

Edited September 8, 2008 by rvdwannabe

[Evil Chase K]

As this boards resident Metallica fanboy/expert I'm shocked that people are taking this seriously.

It's a quote from Lars. It can't be taken seriously.

Besides he has a point, he's not claiming that he wants to be able to take it easy and retire. He's just saying that every time metal falls into a funk people look to Metallica, the greatest metal band of all-time, to bail the genre out. What he's saying is true.

I understand that metal fans are stuck in the past, and maybe that's part of the problem but when you look at the bands putting out the best metal nowadays, outside of bands like Clutch, Mastodon, and Opeth, nearly every one has been around for YEARS.

So to clarify...

1.) I don't think Lars is being nearly as serious as people make it out to be.

2.) He has a point.