Comment: Chris Cornell – When Bands Go Bad
So Chris Cornell has tapped hiphop godfather Timbaland to produce his latest album. And it’s a shocker. In a bad way. Here’s what the pillars of the online metal press have to say about bands changing their musical direction…
There has always been a fine line between a band’s sense of artistic expression and pleasing the fans that have come to expect a certain flavour from a band’s music. Countless metal bands have succeeded in conquering this divide, because they do so in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the integrity of 
the sound that put them on the map to begin with. Bands like Therion, Sentenced and Amorphis each took artistic expression in a new, tasteful direction that made the transition for their fans easier, while bands like Cryptopsy, Megadeth and In Flames evolved into a more commercially acceptable alternative. One can ask what the difference really is, mentioning that this topic is all subjective, which I would respond to by simply stating if a band completely abandons the fans that put them on the map with no remorse, then “fuck’em!” The new fans can have their Cryptopsy, and I’ll stick with Sentenced; it’s a pretty safe bet that most other hardcore metal fans will do the same.
Cody Plucker, www.allmetalresource.com
In 1983 I found myself in Texas, at some backwater club where I witnessed an incredible band called Pantera for the first time. They had found a clear star in their guitar player, Diamond Darrell, who easily the best shredder I’d seen since Carlos Cavazo (of course, their bassist, Rexx Rocker, was a hot piece of ass, too). I immediately bought a copy of the band’s album, ‘Metal Magic’, and was, indeed, swept away to a glamtastic land of magic.
Cut to 1990, and the band releases ‘Cowboys from Hell’, which is still the single most disappointing album of all time. Why oh why was my precious Diamond now associating himself with drugs? What kind of thrash crap were he and Rexx listening to? Why were these dudes dressed like, y’know, dudes? Of course, Pantera were just falling in line with the passing trend of making heavier music – and I couldn’t care less. Oh well. I’ll always have those Magic memories.
Axl Rosenberg, www.MetalSucks.net
Although it might be cliche to bring up Metallica, I find it hard to overlook how much they changed direction after ‘…And Justice For All’. Beginning with ‘The Black Album’ things really went downhill. Nearly universal condemnation was the result amongst the metal community. Thus began the ‘tragic consequence’ of a litany of horrible albums. They may have had commercial success (which, for a band who was the ‘anti-mainstream’, was in a way tragic) but it was their integrity that took a blow. Last year’s ‘Death Magnetic’ album was largely a return to form and many old fans, myself included, bought into the return… but we remain guarded.
Will the ‘Load’-isms return? Does the fire still burn? Time will tell and I’ll be listening.
EvilG, www.Metal-Rules.com
Too few bands can make transitory manoeuvres from their core sound and not face immediate scrutiny. Look at the case of Celtic Frost and how much cred they momentarily lost with ‘Cold Lake’, an album Tom Warrior told me in an interview he considers “an abomination”.
While the desire for artistic growth through changing music climates is admirable in theory, very rare are those who match the sustained integrity of The Beatles or U2. I think of 1987 and ‘88 when ‘Turbo’ made me fear my beloved Priest were content to end their career on a low, while Motley got away with a sickening rock ‘n roll swindle by selling pure rubbish to the eighties party crowd and thus fuelling their own addictions at the time of ‘Girls Girls Girls’. Def Leppard broke my heart after years of anticipation with that AOR monstrosity ‘Hysteria’. Then there’s QRIII, which is enough to make any older metalhead weep… And I won’t waste time talking about post-‘Master….’ Metallica who only just re-interested me again with ‘Death Magnetic’.
Change is good to the artists truly looking to make an artistic statement, but sadly the motivation for change is normally dictated by the fluctuation of one’s bank account.
Ray Van Horn, Jr., The Metal Minute
Yes it’s always tragic when someone whose music you loved discovers dance music/hip hop/some other shite’n'lite genre of over-produced gutless pap – mainly because it’s always done so badly. Chris Cornell has just made himself the archetype of this going wrong. It’s worse than Machine Head’s ‘Supercharger’. It’s worse than Judas Priest’s ‘Turbo’. It’s even worse than Metallica’s ‘St Anger’ (or in fact ‘Load’ or ‘ReLoad’). It’s worse than that bizarre Mike Patton collaboration with beatbox MC, Rahzel. And it’s just worse than the new Lacuna Coil album.
So what, the Soundgarden frontman has clearly lost all interest in rock music. At least we still have ‘Badmotorfinger’. He’ll wake up and smell the bailiff when no one buys it and people are offering a 6 figure sum for a Soundgarden reunion.
Who knows, maybe Joaquin Phoenix’s solo project will be good?
Gill, Metal Hammer
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Right…. Like Metal Magic was Pantera’s greatest. Holy crap…
I’ve had it with Metallica.That last album showed that with James being sober and Lars being a part-time painter now,they have lost it.Death Magnetic sucks.I’ve listened to it maybe 2-3 times and even though there are great moments of “feeling the Headbanging fury” that they are known for,it’s pretty boring.I’m from the old school and this album sounds like they were trying to SOUND angry without BEING angry.The only reason they are in the Hall of fame now,is because of record sales.My hat off to them,they were once the Gods of Metal,but their time has long gone.
Anyone remember Sugar Ray? The first album sounds a bit dated these days but “Mean Machine” is a pretty fuckin’ heavy-arse tune. The next album had “R.P.M.” and that was a pretty awesome song too.
Then it just went pear shaped…
I’m fed up of hearing people moan about death magnetic. you all slated metallica when St. Anger came out because it was a complete departure from anything they’d done before, but with death magnetic they’ve revisted their thrash roots as well as included the best parts of the black album sound….and they’ve made a fantastic record. it seems like these guys just can’t win with some people, like you just want to bash them.
Examples of bands moving in the wrong direction
1) Korn after Take a Look in the Mirror….everything since has been shocking
2) Avenged Sevenfold. Waking the Fallen was quite a good metalcore record, everything since hs been tosh
3) Mudvayne. LD.50 was a quality album, its actually immensly progressive, and quite a unexpected album to come out of the ‘nu-metal’ days. They’ve not been able to follow it up at all, and the more straightforward structure and sound doesn’t do it for me.
Bands taking a shit direction…
Korn – ‘Follow The Leader’ was a complete slap in the face for me, as a fan of their 1st two records. I actually cried when i heard ‘Got The Life’ – i was devastated. In basic terms, they took their sound and made it hip-pop wimpering teen angst gay. And with their ensuing commercial success in the USA, pretty much turned their backs on europe for a while – even though we were stuffing money in their pockets prior to the recording of this abominable album.
Bands should never change their sound or style simply to make more cash or win more fans, they should only do that for artistic experimentation. Making music is about passion, creating something you feel strongly about and entertaining like-minded people, not making stuff that’s trendy and selling it to the dumbasses who can’t make up their own minds and only like what’s popular!
Oh, and Axl Rosenberg, SHUT UP!!!
Glam metal was a trend, thrash was the counter attack! Get your facts straight you pillock!
The band – Danzig. The album – Blackacidevil.
When the gothic soundscapes and dry atmosphere of the first four albums disappeared and the Evil Elvis became an industrial clone because that was the popular sound at the time. And spent the rest of his career both defending it and regretting it. Shame on you, Glenn.
Kreator – Endorama
An utterly disappointing album from a mighty fine band. Thankfully, they got their act together with “Violent Revolution”. And it seems that Heavenly and Elvenking are going pear shaped with their latest efforts to date.
how bout……………………..
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE MESHUGGAH BABES!!!!!!!!!!
Some good reactions and examples here, readers. Skumbo, I’ll back you on Sugar Ray. That first album rips and then… Pear-shaped is one thing, but I was thinking more along a gourd.
I’ll get totally crucified for this but here goes…
Rob Halford has a lot to answer for during his solo years. Talk about jumping on bandwagons. Whatever was “in” at the time he took a crack at, and not always with great results. The first Fight album had some good moments (Pantera was the bollocks back then) but the second album was a bit naff. Then he went a bit NIN/Manson with 2wo, which I recall only had one good song on it and that ended up on a Metal Hammer free CD so you didn’t have to go and buy the whole bloody thing.
Look at Slipknot, in my personal opinion they’ve never released a bad album in there almost 10 year history. They started in the nu-metal scene, there debut was credited as nu-metal and then changed by the second even when nu-metal was still of some significance they came back with an incredible album. The third was different to the last two in terms of sound and the fourth is one of the greatest metal albums ever. One band that is credited at some point as to trying whats popular is Machine Head, Burn My Eyes one of the great albums out there, never in a million years could I get bored of Davidian, Ten Ton Hammer from The More Things Change is simply epic. Then they went nu-metal with there next 2 releases, and because of that they were on the brink of destruction, but they made quite possibly one of the greatest comebacks with Through The Ashes Of Empires. Imperium is a song I could listen to on repeat all day and literally would never get bored, its indescribable, The Blackening was said to be one of there best since there debut. Some bands survive the changes they go through, some bands move on. I havent heard any of Cornell’s new sound and quite frankly I dont think I want to. The only rap artist I like is Eminem, I’m not a fan of timbaland or any r’n'b or other hip hop acts its all the same to me, but its a shocking direction for Cornell. While I’ve never been a huge fan of Soundgarden or Audioslave whenever they come on a music channel depending what mood I’m in I’ll leave it on, but this direction hes went in somewhere down the line he’ll regret it. He might gain new fans due to his choice of colaberation with timbaland but hes going to lose the respect he gained as apart of two well known groups
sat⋅ire –noun
1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
3. a literary genre comprising such compositions.
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Nice point with the Pantera album.
You accuse them of selling out their traditional glam values and that Cowboys From Hell is a disappointment.
Then you could listen to the breakdown in Domination.
And then shut up.
Blackbeard or long john siver?who is the better pirate?discuss