Going Underground

Underground music scenes have been a constant for years. Compared to music scenes of today, the 1980s and 90s were a veritable breeding ground for musical creativity.

In the 80s, the heavy music community saw the rise (and eventual fall, trend-wise) of genres such as thrash metal. More commercially obscure hybrid styles of punk and heavy metal like D-beat and grindcore arose during this time period, as well.

The late 80s and early 90s broadened on these musical developments, creating something of a sub-culture within our society. Well known metalcore bands such as Converge and Propagandhi started in the early 90s and are still going strong today with an ever-growing fan base.

But what sort of contributions to extreme music have the 2000s brought to us? Commercialization of these once underground sounds? Stagnation in creativity? With an exception of a few bands, this has unfortunately become the case.

Music being released today has become increasingly more generic. Not only the pop music heard on the radio, but metal and punk music, too. There are countless crust punk bands floating around today. There are even more 80s thrash metal revivalists filling that musical cesspool. It seems incredibly unoriginal for musical artists to rehash on the music scenes of years passed, regardless of whether or not that time was better for heavy music. There's a big difference between honest and heartfelt tribute to the glory days and plain-and-simple ripoff.

A listener can only hear the same riff or the same lyrical themes so often before finding them stale. Hearing how capitalism is the root of all evil and that man will be its own undoing can become stale and come across as uninspired when those themes are all that are present in the band's repertoire. Likewise, generic chugging riffs can only take a band so far without sounding boring. Generic power chords, a few sloppy solos and illegible lyrics do not make for an enjoyable listening experience and will leave a band's followers unsatisfied. Too much disillusionment with the music world seems to have left many a music fan complacent.

It's unfortunate that even the legendary punk house C-Squat hasn't produced a whole lot as of late compared to the explosion of the 1990s. One might think that this is a sign that the metalheads, thrashers and punks of today ought to build a new music scene. A scene that will bring an end to the stagnation that true metal and punk has faced for the past few years.

Heavy music has turned into a form of fashion, especially amongst the more elitist members of the trash and crust world. It simply is not enough to wear a band's t-shirt. The elitists act like if you don't have enough band patches or (in rare cases) wash your bloody clothes, then you are a lowly poseur. These same elitists seem to shut out the outside world which is yet another cause of stagnation, no ideas and influences from the outside! Obsession with fashion and close-mindedness is a killer of a once thriving music scene.

The members of the underground music world need to look forward into the future and stop trying to rebuild the past if there is to be any hope of a revitalized heavy music scene. The "revival" movements have to stop simply ripping off the music of the past. Fortunately, this very concept has been put in action. There are growing scenes in the southeastern and mid-west United States, boasting notable bands such as Cross Examination and Parasytic. Name dropping aside, the DIY ethic that has long been a part of the music underground is finally making a resurgence and aiding in the advancement of heavy music. The music world is dead without this sort of free thinking. Let's all hope that it will catch on.