This Week In Awesome Trendy Metal: Buried In Verona, Apparitions, Early Seasons
It’s important to beware the tyranny of “good.” If a person only selects the best option at every opportunity, then one is not truly “choosing.” Rather, out goes the opportunity for free will, the chance to experience what may not meet the criteria of “good for you.” One’s range of experiences is girdled, and one’s energy is expended on the selection process — before the experience even begins. In short, it’s bad for you to only be good.
That last sentence, I think, may lie at the heart of Sergeant D’s vibe here on MS and on his own Stuff You Will Hate: Again and again, D places an emphasis on expression and not the appearance of quality. There’s nobility in the generic, a focus on appeal and not originality. Think of food: Rarely do we seek creativity in our meals, for our identity isn’t all wrapped up in what we eat. But since we judge and sense judgement based on our music choices, suddenly we must demonstrate intelligence all the fucking time. We show that we “get” what a band is doing, be it some next-level heaviness, some retro thing, or a new genre. That’s a waste of time.
In this spirit, let’s dive in to a few sweet new releases from Tuesday that your discriminating self may have already stomped right past. Again, food: Think of these jams as a roll-out of slightly-new flavors of the age-old potato chip, all presented in boardroom-edgy packaging, tasty but not expected to supply lasting sustenance. You love chips! Have a bite!
Not a heckuva lot of real estate separates Buried In Verona from lands occupied by MS-approved cyber-metallists Cynic and Menace, but metal people are trained to prefer AIDS to hunky scene bands. Foolish! Crank it up!
It helps to neatly think of melodic metalcore/scene bands as the hair metal of this era: Though rarely as overwrought, hair rock depended equally on synths, fashion, and non-male fans. Just as the beard is this generation’s mullet, Apparitions is the new Bon Jovi. Or the new Coheed And Cambria, whatever.
Along with records by BiV and Apparitions (above), Tuesday brought new releases from The Bunny The Bear and The Prestige, making for a day of wallet-draining for young dudes with fancy haircuts, sleeve tattoos, and snug jeans. But we too can devote a few francs to Early Seasons, a hopelessly derivative Franche band with all the grandiose electronics, brie-fisted breakdowns, and employ of the effect that simulates a faulty mic cord at moments of drama. Again, just a bag of chips with extreme marketing, want a handful?
