Informal Reader Poll: Who Are The 1% of Metal?

One of the biggest arguments that people — especially older metalheads — make these days is that there just aren’t enough talented bands out there. Which, if you ask me, is horseshit. There’s more amazing metal out there than ever before, it’s just that a lot of it is being made deep in the underground, and therefore requires some searching to find. If you’re not some doughy blogger who gets a million promo e-mails a day, it’s hard to know about everything that’s going on out there.

Meanwhile, it seems like there are a very small group of bands who reap all the recognition, acclaim, and financial rewards (and MetalSucks coverage) within the metal scene. And while some of those bands are great, not all of them deserve it. Let’s be honest, some of them have been coasting for over a decade. And members of those bands are often pretty vocal about how up-and-coming bands suck these days. It reminds one of the concept made popular by the Occupy movement, referring to the massive wealth inequality between 99% of the country and the 1% that are far richer than anyone else.

So: what bands are metal’s 1%? Which bands have tons of money and praise while doing a pretty shitty job, even as great bands in the underground starve for their art? Is it the usual bunch, the classic metal elite of the ’80s, or a new class of musicians who often goes unrecognized as the greedy shits they are?

Leave your answers in the comments section. We’re interested to see who you pick.