FACT or FICTION

You've probably seen this column idea at other sites. We thought it would be cool to do it for the various metal rumors floating around the Internet.

1. FACT OR FICTION: Iron Maiden made a good decision to play their entire new CD on their new tour?

Death Metal Shawn--FICTION: Overloading on new material means that fans are not getting to hear as many of the classics. Many of us have still never had the pleasure of seeing Maiden in a live setting, hopefully when/if that day comes for me, they'll play a lot of their material from the 80's.

EC--FICTION. Terrible idea. As great as the new album is I certainly don't want a full live version of it. I would like to see them offset their normal list of songs and throw in some older material like "Still Life", "Infinite Dreams", "Back To The Village", etc.

Etiam--FACT: Not that I saw it. But it gave them an excuse, as if they needed one, to bring out war-hungry Eddies on stage. That, and from a more practical perspective, allowed them to get those still dubious as to 'A Matter Of Life And Death's quality on the 'right' path, as it were. Ain't nothing like live Maiden.

Ken--FACT: I was not sure how it would work but it did and in the frame that Maiden took on it, they cannot play the old stuff and only one new song tour after tour. If their aim is to sell a live CD/DVD with each new album then they needed to brave this adventure. How many copies would sell with the same songs over and over again?

Nailer--FICTION for me anyway. If they had some good wind-ups on the new one I might not have cared, since I've heard the classics plenty of times. I could handle a mix from the last 3, but all those new elongated songs would've had me sitting on my ass and metal shows aren't meant for sitting on your ass. Save that shit for a few smaller clubs and I'd bite. I can see a live CD coming out of it though.

Neekoy--FICTION: Being the longest album they have released, at least the people who paid a $1001 dollars for the best seats got their money worth. It was really a good marketing ploy, if everyone loves the entire concert then they might buy the album instead of just ripping some dodgy mpeg of the Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg off youtube.

Veritas--FACT: Maiden's latest tour was my first time seeing them live, and I was a bit disappointed when I heard they’d be playing their new CD, as I was hoping to hear lots of my classic favorites. However, Maiden pulled off their new CD so well live that I was perfectly satisfied with the show. The FACT that they were able to write, record, and perform a great album at this point in their career just shows how great of a band they are, unlike many others who put out five great albums and then ten sub-par ones… although I still would like to see a tour where they focus on the older songs within the next year!

Vinaya--FICTION! Opinions of the album are mixed, but more importantly, this isn't like the seventies, when albums were under forty minutes and wouldn't take up as big a percentage of the total set time. I agree with Bruce about some fans having an ignorant herd mentality, where they just want to hear the hits, but when a band has an illustrious past like theirs, devoting half the set to a single album, no matter how good, strikes me as kind of lopsided. I think it would be more interesting for the fans if they played, say, half or a third of fhe album every night, but pick different songs from it each night, and for that matter, do the same with some other songs in the set. They could play the entire album many times over the course of a tour, just not every night. I think that would be a good middle ground solution.

Weasel--FICTION: We've all seen them play "The Trooper" and "Number of the Beast" live, but for those three people that haven't, they need the real Maiden show experience... besides, Maiden is a classic example of a metal band for one reason, the classics.

2. FACT OR FICTION: IN FLAMES is launched their first U.S. commercial campaign in the band's storied history for "Come Clarity", the highly influential band's debut for Ferret Music, which debuted at #58 on the Billboard Top 200 with first week sales of nearly 25,000 copies and is the highest charting record in both the band and label's sales history. Rather than being faced with a backlash from longtime fans, it will propel the band to a higher level of stardom.

Death Metal Shawn--In the grander scheme of things I would say this is FACT, but from a personal standpoint, it is FICTION. I have given nearly every In Flames release an honest listen, but the last one that really grabbed me was "The Jester Race". "T.J.R." is one of maybe only 5 albums from the Gothenburg-scene that I ever really liked.

EC--FACT Of course it will. More people will hear it and more people will like it. I've followed the band since "Lunar Strain" and sincerely believe the new record is the best of their storied career. I don't hold any ill will towards the group for signing with a major label.

Etiam--FICTION: There's a fallacy in this statement, really. And its not that no backlash from longtime fans will lead to stardom. No, the fallacy is rather than In Flames have any longtime fans left to piss off. But honestly, they will achieve new heights of stardom but are considered dead to the majority of those who really appreciated the art of their music in the first place, before it was transformed into a banking system.

Ken--FACT: I think the new IF CD generates a new breed of fans and they have been around long enough to keep the loyalty of some of their older supporters.

Nailer--FICTION: The new CD has the hooks, but the song they'll choose will be the weakest, most ballady one. If they choose one of the thrashy numbers, they'll pick up some people. Longtime fans will keep bitching.

Neekoy--FICTION: Although this is their apogee and clearly not "sucking satan's cock", there will be no doubt a numerous amount of hardcore fans who will insist on every message board/chatroom/blog that has space and a guest login, that they have sold out because more than 1000 people have heard them now.

Veritas--FICTION: Not happening. With Jesper sitting their latest tour, they don’t even have an original band member left playing live right now. Sure, Come Clarity for a lot of great reviews, but they sound nothing at all like the old In Flames. I’m sure this has and/or will win them plenty of new fans, but they’re simultaneously alienating almost all of their old ones. It’s not like they’re a band that came up popular, like Lamb of God for example, so anything they do achieve they probably won’t be able to sustain. Sorry.

Vinaya--I couldn't really give a crap, but I'll say FACT- conditionally. The band will probably attain a higher level of "stardom," but how many of those new fans remain loyal and how many will prove fickle is another question.

Weasel--FACT and FICTION! Okay so it may propel them to high levels of sales from the "Hot Topic" crowd... Long time fans and those adverse to the mainstream, whom generally don't have television, will most definitley backlash.

3. FACT OR FICTION: With Metal Blade's recent signing of and the subsequent popularity of acts like Cellador and Destroy Destroy Destroy, American metal fans and labels alike are moving away from the metalcore/NWOAHM sound and toward a more melodic, European-influenced sound. Over the next decade the US will see an increased amount of quality power and melodic death metal bands emerge, with a decrease in metalcore groups.

Death Metal Shawn--FACT!!!!! And I hope this is true. The American power metal scene needs a jolt and Cellador delivers. Much more pleasant to my ears than the macho chugga-ghugga blandness of metalcore. American metal needs a renaissance of vibrancy and fun to counterattack the bad attitude and faux-seriousness of nearly every metal/rock scene tha has existed since the pathetic whininess of grunge replaced the hair bands circa '91.

EC--FICTION I simply don't see it happening. It took HUGE bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden to stir the melodic power metal movement stateside in the early '80s. Bands like Cellador, Three Inches Of Blood, and Destroy Destroy Destroy simply aren't sparking that type of movement. Bands like Iced Earth, Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, and Stratovarius have tried for years to break into the domestic waters. It simply won't happen because today's generation finds growling and barking to downtuned grooves much more appealing.

Etiam--FICTION: This would be nice--but really, the thing is that nearly all American acts are influenced by the European scene. The problem arises when we try to interpret it. Somewhere along the way, either in the process of writing, the production studio, or in the fanbase reaction, European poise and artistry degenerates into childish competition and bastardized mimicry. Most of the time. That being said, Cellador are pretty kickin'.

Ken--FACT/FICTION: this is a little of both for me, as we are seeing a fortunate upswing in American youth supporting a more European styled Metal. However on the same token a lot of the Metalcore stuff is becoming melodic, see All that Remains, Burn In silence, Fear My Thoughts who all employ clean and dark vocals as well as fast and slow time signatures.

Nailer--FICTION: The U.S. is seeeing an increase in melodic death-styled bands more than Power metal. Traditionally, the U.S. likes it's metal to be fairly aggressive, from Metallica/Megadeth/Slayer to the current agro bands.

Neekoy--FICTION This is a rumour spread on the internet by elf loving fairy fuckers who won't accept that melodic power metal bands have a home in Scandinavia/Germany but not on the mp3 players of this generation. The next decade will inspire more aggressive bands with a political message, imagine Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner on peanut butter crank.

Veritas--FACT: It looks like this will be the new trend. Dragonforce’s popularity was partially what started this trend, but I think a lot of people were getting pretty sick of Metalcore anyway. Sure, it won’t go away completely, but the future lies in melodic metal. Will it be bastardized and partially destroyed by hordes of high school kids in trendy clothing? Unlikely, but always a possibility. The FACT that the style has been around in Europe for ages and is only just significantly emerging in the American local scene will probably protect it some. Cellador and Destroy Destroy Destroy are two prime signed examples of bands making waves, but be on the lookout for lesser-name acts such as California’s Nekrogoblikon, New Jersey’s Swashbuckle, and New York’s Empyreon to emerge over the next year or so.

Vinaya--FACT At least I hope it is. The US seems to be one of the most trend-oriented countries on the planet, with everything driven by a mass market that most people buy into unquestioningly. However, I am getting the sense that more and more people are getting tired of the metalcore thing, and are getting a taste for more traditional metal values, which I think is a good thing. Of course, our mass media will likely do to this type of music what they have done to all others if they catch onto it: overhype the same four bands a thousand times over, produce tons of identical bands, and completely ignore almost all other good forms of music until the trend dies down, at which point they will find another flavor of the week to traint their myopic focus on..

Weasel--FICTION: plain and simple, death metal and power metal will always have their places and their all-stars, of course the Euro influence will always be there, but we Americans have always been a stubborn lot and anything we do. From hamburgers to apple pie, pick up trucks to porn. Of course a steady influx of outside influence keeps us working harder to stay unique, but that's a good thing for people like us who benefit most from bands pushing the limits of their genres.

4. FACT OR FICTION: Given their increasing age, at least one of metal's founding fathers will die of natural causes before the end of the year.

Death Metal Shawn--FACT: There have been a lot of deaths in the scene this year. Jon Nodtveit, Jared Anderson, and Jesse Pintado. They are just a precursor for the main event, the keeling over of once-metal Lars Ulrich.

EC--FICTION Superheroes don't die.

Etiam--FICTION: Metal never dies. It just transmogrifies.

Ken--FICTION: Lets hope this is a complete fiction.

Nailer--FICTION. Metalheads have a lot of spunk in them (not that kinda spunk). They'll last at least till next year.

Neekoy--FICTION: Years of substance and alcohol abuse is actually keeping these guys going. Many believe Ozzy died years ago, funnily around the same time as the release of Down to Earth, what you see now is a corpse burning off the amphetamine calories.

Veritas--FICTION: Just because I don’t want to see it happen. But you never know.

Vinaya--Oh God, I at least hope that is FICTION! But if it does happen, my guess is it will be someone with a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and general bad health like.... Never mind, I don't want to jinx any of them.

Weasel--Let's keep our fingers crossed that it's FACT and that it's Ozzy. I'm sorry but the Prince of Darkness needs to go back to being a man of legend and mystere... Not a babbling shell kept alive by perscription drugs and a stubborn wife... though chances are it won't be by the end of THIS year, but it's gotta be soon...

5. FACT OR FICTION: For a potential European/U.K. Gigantour: Dave Mustaine wants it to be "MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, and someone else." These bands will join in with Megadeth for the tour.

Death Metal Shawn--FACT. Because even if this is FICTION, it would be a nice dream. Throw in Overkill, Nuclear Assault, and Death Angel, we'll have a thrash revival!

EC--FACT Those bands have nothing else going on for them. What is Exodus possibly going to do to get that type of exposure in a live audience? Testament has toured with everyone at one point and they are good businessmen. They will do it for the money alone. Anthrax has always paired up with metal giants. Look at the tour with Judas Priest a few years ago. This will happen at some point. The other band WON'T be Slayer.

Etiam--FACT: 'Someone else' being really, 'Anyone but Metallica'? Sure.

Ken--FICTION: Cant go, so I don’t care. I am more interested in the US version of this for year three.

Nailer--FACT: Those guys need something to do and it beats working at Piggly Wiggly.

Neekoy--FACT: Except it won't be a mainland European tour, they will actually tour crumbled ex-soviet republics where the releases of Sound of Noise, Rust in Peace and Impact is Imminent have all gone light grey on the charts.

Veritas--FACT: I think this is pretty feasible. Mustaine would be putting together a fantastic thrash all-star lineup with that billing, but hey, it’s Dave Mustaine. If he can’t do it, who can?

Vinaya--FICTION I don't think he will get all of them. Mustaine has too much of an attitude for it to go that smoothly.

Weasel--FACT: I mean... what else do they have to do besides go on tour with one of the biggest names in metal music? I mean if Anthrax signs on, I'll bet the other two will follow. Hell I'd go on the tour, and I don't even have a band... I'm curious to see who this "someone else" turns out to be...

6. FACT OR FICTION: Although they haven't announced a replacement for Tarja Turunen yet, Nightwish have selected another singer and are keeping her identity a secret. They won't make the announcement until their next CD has been recorded.

Death Metal Shawn--FICTION. Nightwish are desperately in search of good publicity, and announcing Tarja's replacement will give them that. However, can the new vocalist deliver??? I would hope that they are combing the opera circuit for a replacement.

EC--FICTION I don't know how that could be a successful business venture.

Etiam--FICTION: Knowing their penchant for theatrical bloviating and tricks, it's entirely possible that they'd pull a stunt like that. The likelihood that more of a hubbub would occur if they announced BEFORE recording is higher, though, so I expect they'll play their cards that way instead.

Ken--FICTION: I only hope this is not someone from an established band who would only become the new kid on the block in some sense rather than adventuring and making their own impact on music as opposed to being considered the new filler voice.

Nailer--FICTION: Some well known will be announced to get everybody's panties all bunched up.

Neekoy--FICTION: They can't make the announcement until they get the new range of fuck puppets in from Abyss Creations.

Veritas--FACT: Rumors of Epica’s Simone Simons going to Nightwish have been recently shot down, probably because there was no grain of truth to them whatsoever. Nightwish have said they’re waiting until the spring to announce a replacement, and I’ll bet they’ve already got someone. Probably a no-name, somebody with no significant singing background, but someone with a great voice. And they’re going to keep things under wraps for a while because the European press (especially Finnish) will have a field day with this poor girl once she is announced.

Vinaya--FACT although I think they will announce it shortly before the album comes out. Moreover, I think there is a good chance it will be one of the rumoured picks.

Weasel--FACT: though the FACT they are keeping it so under hat raises two suspicions, either it's someone we all know, so they will release the CD to see who can guess who the new singer is. Or it will be someone's big break into the scene and they want to "show what they can do" before making introductions.

7. FACT OR FICTION: Maximum Metal co-owner EC will form a new Viking Power Metal band named Blackstone Dragon Fireballs by year's end so he can feel better about drinking grog in the woods with other men.

Death Metal Shawn--FICTION. Everything else is true. BUT, he already DOES feel good about drinking in the forest with the other fellas. In FACT BDF is supposedly testing out the loincloths for their prospective arena tour, or at least that is what EC tells the guys just so he can see them in said loincloths. That's all good and all, but let me warn ya, buddy, there will be no 'pillaging my village'.

EC--FICTION EC will instead create Scream & Gore Your Eyes Out, a brand new horror film production company featuring mutant animals gone wrong. The first film scheduled to hit DVD will star Sally Struthers ("All In The Family") in the sure-fire blockbuster hit "Feed The Children.....To Rabid Badgers". Look for other soon to be cult classics next year including Joe Don Baker starring in "The Pack 2: Who Let The Dogs Out" and rapper Bone Krusher in "That Dawg Ripped My Nutsack Off". Also of special interest will be an adult-only reality show where used up porn stars are fed to sharks. Look for it to hit Fuse TV in late August.

Etiam--FACT: Need a tamborine player?

Ken--FICTION: Hey now.

Nailer--FICTION: It'll be a Power-Thrash band and he'll dring mead instead. He'll still hang in the woods with men.

Neekoy--However the band will be renamed in dedication to EC's favourite band Fintroll "RivfaderMidnattensWidunderJaktensTidVisor omSlutetTrollhammarenNattfödd" also replace "drinking grog" to "making fuck"

Veritas--FACT: He’d better invite me to be in the band.

Vinaya--FICTION He will instead fly to Sweden, try to track down the Walquist brothers, and convince them to reform Heavy Load with him in place of Eddy Malm! Or he might crash at their place for awhile, watch how they work for a few months, and then return to the US to form a future Viking metal mega-act called Valhallica.

Weasel--Hopefully FACT! Sign me up! You know you don't have to be in a Viking Power Metal band to feel good about drinking grog in the woods, I do it all the time, it's called the SCA! (www.sca.org) See you in Valhalla!