To add to this point, if you go back and look at peteham's post, he was referring to "Power Metal". That is a definite subgenre that has much of its roots in North America, but has taken off in Europe in a way that it hasn't here. For reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_metal
We were wondering about that too. Signed, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and every other band from the mid-60's.
Can anyone honestly say Manowar looks any sillier than, say, these guys? Or these guys? How about these guys? And these?
I wish the mullet-wearing Metal-dude that hung out in the Czech pub I frequented while living there was part of this crowd. All he ever wanted to talk about was Metallica though.
I always had the impression that metal bands and hair bands were all pretty much tongue in cheek and had an element of parody to them. Kind of like "this isn't who we really are we just kind of dress up like this on the weekends for a bit of fun and bash around on instruments and party".
That's really no sillier than Halford's studded leather or whatever that overwrought crap is that Dokken wore. It's just a different kind of silly.
Not buying it. As someone who used to play in a metal band 20 years ago, there was definately a big, vibrant and diverse metal scene in America. There were quite a few sub genres too, however in most cases, I find a lot of so-called metal "sub genres" to be quite similar to each other. There are still people who like metal here, but it is not as big a phenomenon as in Europe, I agree.
No one's arguing there isn't a metal scene in the states, or saying there aren't metal fans in the US. It's a matter of scale. In every way that matters, from the number of bands to the number of fans to the diversity of the music, scene in the US pales compared to that of Europe.
I have nothing to add other than a big thank you because this thread made me laugh out loud in spite of this being a pretty sucky, depressing day.
As a band they're as serious as they come. I can't judge their more recent works, but having all their albums from 1982 to 1996, I can tell they're a hard-working and real talented outfit. It's the whole image/gimmick that opens them up for ridicule in the eyes of some people, but I've never been one to judge the music based on the musician's attire, and the music is unimpeachable classic metal. The comparison with Kiss is appropriate in how they've built this fantasy of the band and the characters, yet the music stands in its own right.
I like a few of their songs and I got to hang out with Ross "The Boss" a few years ago. He's in the Brain Surgeons with BOC's Albert Bouchard. My band opened for them one night. I talked to him about the Manowar stuff. It's not satire or anything. They really feel/live it. They believe that hardcore Power Metal is a way of life and the best music in the world. You may find it cheesy, and it may very well be, but they do what they love. If you can make a living doing what you love....you win!! I love the song "Kingdom Come" and their cover of "American Trilogy". They did this one right after 9/11 and closely followed Elvis' version. (note the bass at around 2:20)
Or falls on it's own right. I agree that if the music is good the image should be secondary. Though, generally, historically, the image is the first impression. P.S. I will say from what I have seen and heard, they do take it more seriously than KISS.
Hey, don't slag The Priest! I love Rob Halford!Great singer and frontman. British Steel is an excellent metal album!
