A QUESTION OF THE WEEK TO CALL OUR OWN!
To close out my reign as unilateral emperor of MetalSucks, I’d like us to gather ‘round and share a story, Question of the Week style, but without all those stupid professional writers offering their opinions first! This is a QOTW for the people, by the people. This column was the idea of frequent MetalSucks commenter and creator of the Universe, God, and I’m going to use it! (Thanks, big-guy-in-the-sky.)
What band got you into heavy music that might be considered embarrassing now, but you still love all the same?
I’ll go first; my older brother was a metalhead, and I grew up listening to him listen and drum along to Metallica, Pantera, Fear Factory, Green Day, and a little bit of Insane Clown Posse. (No one’s perfect, after all.) The first heavy band that I discovered on my own, though, was Sweden’s Blindside.
Plenty dudes with ponytails & Origin hoodies reading this right now will laugh, but I still stand by the band that taught me to truly love music as an 8th grader. I can’t fully explain why, but they absolutely nailed what the glut of mountain-dew-fueled “active rock” bands from the early 2000’s were failing to do. It could be because they came from a credible (but still lulzy) hardcore background, of course heavily influenced by their fellow countrymen Refused.
They aged gracefully into a grade-A alternative metal band, but the world didn’t care. They were too smart/experimental for P.O.D. fans and not seen as credible enough to gain ground in proper metal circles. To see what I mean, check out the unhinged riffs & immensely powerful closing breakdown of the track Yemkela from their last truly great effort, The Great Depression.
Your turn, readers. Is there a band that a lesser person might be embarrassed of loving, but whose honor you boldly defend?
