Thrash Elitists Rant

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It annoys me so much, because when ever you go to any modern metal, not matter it is, there is always going to be that one guy who says talks about how it's not metal and then raves on and on about Slayer and Megadeth and Pantera and crap. These people are so damn annoying. Just because it's not Thrash metal does not mean it's not metal, and it's metal regardless of whether you like it or not. I like Disturbed, and they are clearly a metal band, not a hard rock one. Likewise, I don't like Avenged Sevenfold very much, but they are still clearly a metal band, not a hard rock one. It's not just alternative/nu metal and metalcore they spam, it's anything that's newer, like melodic death metal or djent, they will rave about how it's not metal, or it all sounds the same, or whatever crap. Well guess what, not everyone agrees with you, I don't particularly like Thrash and think it more sounds similar that the genres you say all sound the same. Thrash wasn't the original form of metal, it's very different from the original metal, and this new metal has as much grounds as being metal as Thrash did, they were singing cleanly before they weren't so if anything it's closer to what metal original was. If you don't like this, go listen to what you like instead of whining, the big 4 and other old metal bands are still topping the charts with there new albums, and guess what, there is even new Thrash bands! Even worse are the people who pretend like metal has magically gone to s**t and is completely different than it was in the 80s. Yes, metal is different now, but as said before the old stuff is still around, and the stuff you complained about isn't new. Black Veil Brides isn't all that exists now, there is more brutal metal than ever that's popular in the underground, and if you look back in Slayer's day they were in the underground and Glam Metal acts were what was popular. Stop complaining and go listen to the metal that interests you already.

Metal has evolved since the 80's, some close-minded pricks just don't see it that way.

If it isn't Stryper, it isn't metal!

I find it even more annoying when someone declares you not a 'real metalhead' because you don't know a certain obscure band or don't recognize someone right off.

News flash... the metal genre is so f*****g HUGE nobody is going to know it all. Not even you.

Or (God forbid) you listen to anything other than metal

I'm a music junkie, not a music Nazi.

That really does get to me. "OMG YOU LIKE EMINEM! POSER!"

Uh... what?

Conversely, if you don't like a certain song or band it automatically makes you a Justin Bieber fan.

I've noticed that. Makes no sense to me at all. Since when is music Metal v Bieber?

The way I see it metal “elitism” works in two ways. On the one hand there are more typical elitists who get labeled as such because they will go out of their way and bash people just because they prefer more modern forms of metal (nu-metal, djent, metalcore etc.) while they themselves favour old school classics of heavy, black, death, thrash etc. In their eyes the Disturbed fans are poseurs. There are (some) posters like this on sites I frequent such as the Encyclopedia Metallium.
On the other hand though, there are the hypocritical kids who display some elitism themselves by bashing those who don’t like Korn, In Flames or whatever. These people are sometimes newer to metal and have some growing up to do themselves.
I’m not a fan of a lot of the popular metal bands of the last 10 or 15 years or so and just because of this have been called an “elitist”. In this case I think it’s just a buzzword to deflect any criticism from happening against these more popular newer types of metal bands. Or they are just frustrated because I don’t have the same taste as them.

I have been accused of liking pop because I don’t worship Megadeth myself but I have also been looked down upon for not liking a lot of popular newer styles, bands etc.
The bottom line is people should just listen to their preferred forms of metal and not worry about being called a poseur or stigmatized by an unflattering label when they do so. We all have different tastes and if people can’t deal with this then that’s their problem.
I’m not sure if you meant Pantera played thrash or not but they are most certainly not a thrash metal band in my opinion.

i like black metal and i also find it problematic how change is both seen in a deriding way and yet people want to stick to how 'fresh' older metal is...by sticking to the old styles.

I wouldn't consider the second group to be elitists, as elitism would imply selection and exclusion. The latter group isn't insisting you can't like the older groups, but you must like the newer ones. It's just as bad, but it's not elitism persay. Anyway, I agree, though I think the people who insist no new bands are good are myopic as there are new bands which play the older styles, and I'm sure there should be at least one most of the older fans would be able to enjoy.

I personally don't consider 80's extreme metal to be oldschool heavy metal, I'd reserve that term for the stuff from the 70's, nothing heavier than Motorhead or Iron Maiden. I say the newer bands which people declare un-metal for being "too melodic" are just as close to old-school heavy metal as all the extreme metal bands, and thus just as metal.

No, I don't consider Pantera to be Thrash, but it's placed on the same pedestal as the Big 4, and have Thrash's aggression. The only other non-thrash band I've seen praised by these elitists is Iced Earth, and they can still be considered Thrash.

No, in my experiences I have definitely met some fans of newer bands who are just as ‘elitist’ as well, people who have the idea that the newer bands they may prefer are objectively superior, and look down on those who don’t share such opinions.
I don’t know anyone who insists one can’t like newer bands either. Even the people I know who are into more obscure black metal, for example, find some newer bands they think to be “cool” or “kvlt” enough to enjoy. With thrash metal, have bands like Warbringer, Toxic Holocaust, Merciless Death, Nocturnal Graves (black/thrash), Havok etc. (all are at least relatively new and these are just examples) not been praised left and right??
I personally believe the golden era of thrash was in the eighties, but that doesn’t stop me from supporting the newer acts if they’re good. I think a lot of people feel this way but I don’t consider this elitism.



Exactly. Be it thrash or death or black or whatever there are a ton of newer bands who please even the metal ‘purists’ if you will. There are people I know and people I see on the message boards I frequent that are as elitist as they come but if they like Ildjarn lots will still often enjoy Bone Awl, if they like Burzum they still often enjoy Nocturnal Depression. Again, just like the thrash metal example a lot of people may think a certain older period was the subgenre’s peak and prefer this time period of the subgenre, but this does not mean they insist you can’t like anything new, it just matters if it’s of high quality or not.



Sure, Maiden and Motorhead are heavy metal (and NWOBHM, but exploring this term is a whole other can of worms). By “the newer bands” who are looked down upon I take it you mean bands that are new and are playing a melodic style of metal?? Perhaps some of the people looking down upon these artists prefer thrash to the more melodic bands in general?? After all, not everyone is going to like newer melodic death metal (for example) just as not everyone will like thrash metal.



I actually find that Pantera and other half-thrash/groove acts are looked down upon by the thrash elitists. Take Sepultura’s “Chaos A.D” for example, they will often say it’s the album where Sep sold out though it’s very popular amongst the more mainstream type metal crowd.
A lot of people have only been exposed to relatively mainstream metal bands and thus may like Pantera as well as the big 4.



So do you consider Iced Earth a non-thrash band or thrash? Judging by the albums I own (Night of the Stormrider, Burnt Offerings, Alive In Athens, Something Wicked This Way Comes) I find they are a hard band to label, sort of a heavy/power/thrash type of hybrid IMO.

Okay, I just haven't met nearly as many of the latter type, might be because of the genres I enjoy and places I frequent. Anyway, I've definitely seen people who insist that ALL modern metal is garbage, ignoring the underground completely and forgetting that their classic metal acts were once underground. I doubt you will find those type of people on an actual metal fansite as those sites are more in touch with the underground. Okay, it's not really that those people I'm talking about are Thrash elitists, they are just fans of extreme metal acts that went mainstream, most of which are thrash metal bands so they appear to be thrash elitists. I guess the real problem I'm talking about isn't elitist, but people who don't understand the concept of the heavy metal underground and only see metal acts which are now considered mainstream, and have absolutely no knowledge of the history of metal. Elitists are still annoying though.

Anyway, I consider Iced Earth to be Power Metal, albeit a more extreme breed of it.

No, you’re right, the first type of arrogant metal “purists” are more prevalent than the second type I had mentioned, but I still get pissed off when I tell some people I don’t like Slipknot (who I do consider metal btw even if certain underground oriented sites and "purists" don’t) or metalcore or djent (for example) and then these people automatically assume I must like Rhianna, Justin Timberlake etc.
Anyone who doesn’t appreciate ANY modern metal bands are obviously a few sandwiches short of a picnic, especially when there are so many bands that stay somewhat true to the styles of the older bands they may prefer. But to write off a quality metal band because they are newer is BS. I’m not saying these kind of people don’t exist either, just that I don’t encounter any in my day to day life. I myself like a lot of old school black, death, thrash etc. but I realize that in certain cases if done right innovating and experimentation can be a positive thing too.
As I said before, people should just listen to whatever the hell they like if they enjoy it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.