Justice For All?

I visited the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in September. The six-hour drive to Cleveland was actually to see the Indians play, but I thought, being a music journalist and all, I should probably check out the Hall Of Fame as well.

I’m glad I did it. Beautiful building, stunning architecture, built just off Lake Erie, a short walk from my downtown hotel, something like five or six floors dedicated to the memorabilia and collectables of popular music from every era – you could even walk through Johnny Cash’s tour bus!

But here’s a big thing I noticed after spending more than two hours scouring the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: Heavy metal isn’t of much importance there. If, between my wife and I, we counted correctly, there were two pieces of heavy metal memorabilia in the entire building: Zakk Wylde’s first Gibson Les Paul (given to him as a surprise gift by his parents) and a pair of boots (displayed in the “rock of Ohio” kind of section) worn by a member of Mushroomhead. Shit, even if we did miscount you’re probably talking three or four pieces max. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s Web site says it “preserves and interprets the cultural impact of rock and roll music,” so does that mean metal hasn’t had any cultural impact? Black Sabbath has had some cultural impact, I think. The Parents Music Resource Center (spearheaded by Al Gore’s wife, Tipper) obviously thought bands like W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister had some cultural impact when they tried to pin the world’s woes on them and the rest of heavy metal in the mid ’80s. Today, we all giggle at ’80s hair metal, but it may very well have been the most popular music in the United States for a five-to-six year span, but you wouldn’t even know it existed by taking a stroll through the Hall Of Fame. Why? Because they teased their hair, wore spandex, and generally looked ridiculous? Grunge has its own display, and looking back, a bunch of unbathed dudes dressing like lumberjacks seems pretty hilarious too, doesn’t it? The Hall Of Fame might think it has its bases covered because groups like Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC are represented, but as far as what the common fan, not even talking elitists here, define as “heavy metal,” next to nothing is offered.

What should we expect, though? After all, it took Black Sabbath, one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greats and the creator of an entire genre, nine tries to get inducted into the Hall Of Fame. And Metallica, probably the most influential American metal band ever, didn’t make the cut of nominees for the 2008 ceremony! It’s important to remember the arm that inducts acts, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, and the one in charge of running and organizing things in Cleveland are two separate entities. But the point is, why would we expect the folks who set up the exhibits to give a shit about metal if the folks in charge of deeming bands HOF-worthy don’t give a shit, and vice versa?

MILESTONES: On to cheerier, and certainly more metal, subjects. Chicagoans Bible Of The Devil celebrate their 500th gig this month with a (free!) show at Quencher’s on the 18th; the mighty Slough Feg and Cocaine Wolves open. BOAD’s last record, The Diabolic Procession (Cruz Del Sur), which I mistakenly called the The “Diabolical” Procession in the print version of this column – my bad, is ridiculously good, which makes the fact it was so ignored in the States so, well, ridiculous.

THE OUT CROWD: It’s awfully cool to be down with black metal right now. Forget bands like Early Man, The Sword, and Witchcraft, black metal is the true hipster metal. Blake Judd and his excellent Chicago outfit Nachtmystium have undoubtedly played a role in the genre’s popularity explosion with their psychedelic take on the genre, which has introduced the music to a lot of people who otherwise never would have given it a try. Yep, the gates have officially (black metal probably accounts for nearly 50 percent of the CDs I receive) swung open . . . for better or worse. One-man California band Xasthur has been doing his thing for some time now, so I’m not calling mastermind Malefic a coat-tail rider, just uninteresting. Defective Epitaph was released on Hydra Head Records, which gives them benefit of the doubt from most press and fans, but there isn’t much new, or even original, about songs like “Legacy Of Human Irrelevance” or “Malignant Prophecy,” just forked-tongued hissing over shitty drums, overdriven-beyond-recognition guitars, and an “atmospheric” synth riff. Ditto for Blut Aus Nord and Odinist: The Destruction Of Reason By Illumination (Candlelight; November 6th). Though there’s more clarity and production punch to this album than most of their peers can muster, it’s still pretentiously overthought. Blut try so hard to be “experimental” it results in a aimless mess of noise. Wrath, the man behind Dodsferd, succeeds where these other groups fail. Instead of adding, Dodsferd subtracts on Cursing Your Will To Live (Moribund Cult), cutting song lengths to manageable lengths and stripping everything down to the essence of black metal – anger. With punk rock fury and black metal hostility, Wrath seethes on songs like “Standing At The Ashes Of A Forsaken Kingdom.”

ALSO OUT: Shit Outta Luck have fun on Family Tradition (Organized Crime), which in turn makes the album fun. Frontman Shaw’s throaty vocals make him a dead ringer for Clutch’s Neil Fallon, and in fact, Shit Outta Luck won’t be a hard sell to fans of Clutch’s early, hardcore-influenced material. There certainly isn’t as much ambition to “Drank Up The Rent” and “Indiana Wisconsin” as Clutch, but this Milwaukee band just want to get drunk and headbang. Fine by me.

SUNDAY, METAL, SUNDAY: Metalheads with nothing to do on Sunday nights might be interested to learn about Sunday, Metal, Sunday at Stage 83 in Lemont. It’s basically a metal jam, or open mic night (though you bring your own gear) for headbangers, says owner Mike DeArcangelis. Sunday, Metal, Sunday runs from 6 to 10 p.m., and interested bands can even take home a DVD of their performance for $30. “It seems a lot of the metal bands just want to play and have a good time,” DeArcangelis says about his inspiration to start SMS. “All the bands love playing in our room because of the good sound system and this gives them a place to hang out and shoot the breeze while doing their thing.”

– Trevor Fisher

Category: Caught In A Mosh, Columns, Monthly