Heavy Metal?
Today, I want to reflect on one evening this past weekend and in an upcoming post focus on another very special day we had with family and friends. Wow, it was quite the weekend!
Lets start with the concert:
Friday was a night for heavy metal/rock fans, Heaven & Hell which includes the members of Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio were playing again in Vancouver. It was a great concert to a small crowd, the location was unusual in many ways but the stage, music, talent and class of the band made it a really good evening. These are premiere musicians and given Dio’s voice and energy who says your sixties are the declining years…he will prove you wrong.
I watched the hands of the guitarists and marvel at the speed, the technical expertise and practise it must take. The drummers feet on peddles and his arms are flailing around, hitting every beat perfectly. I guess for these guys there is not much need for practise after all of these years, but still the creativity and precision is mind blowing.
It often surprises people when they meet me that I am a metal/rock fan, not all groups catch my attention but the best of the best do. There are bands out there who are so well trained instrumentally and vocally that it is hard not to want more. Radio fails to give us the opportunity to be impressed and amazed by their talents and therefore many people remain ignorant of the contributions bands such as this one bring to the music world.
It is interesting to note that opera and classical elements play heavy in metal or should I say in the “good” metal bands. Consequently, many songs are created with the symphony in the background. I have listened to bands such as Nightwish or Opeth, that by extracting the vocals I’m sure a seasoned symphony fan would not recognized they are listening to a heavy metal group.
My mother almost eighty years old who comes from a musical family and opera vocal training, enjoys many of the bands we have exposed her too. She appreciates the singers and musicians but also enjoys greatly the dedication and excitement of the fans in the DVD’s.
So, if you are a music lover but haven’t branched out into the metal genre, I encourage you to try. There are bands worth checking out. Some of the fans at the concert may give you moments to shake your head and ponder the pitfalls of arrested development, but they know good music. Please take a moment to immerse yourself, try something new – you may be pleasantly surprised.
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Very well put!
Heaven & Hell, were fantastic; 60 plus year old legends performing better than any young pop sensation could ever dream, and Ronnie James Dio, one of the classiest singers of any genre captivating the audience with every word he sang. A must see for any fan of music.
The talent in composing and performing this type of music far exceeds the pop/commercial music of today and yesteryear that has been marketed to the masses. It is truly sad that the Heavy Metal genre has been tarnished by the mass market ignorance. However, if only people really knew the truth. Metal is sophisticated, intelligent and melodic and doesn’t resort to marketing “jingles” on mass market radio, or T&A on MTV to sell their inferior product.
Further,You’ll never hear about bands like Iron Maiden traveling to dozens of countries, thousands of miles in just 45 days to play to people who have never seen a full production concert, let alone a classic Metal concert. The dedication of the band to its fan base, and the fans to the band is unmatched. For anyone interested in seeing a documentary on what length this legendary band will go to reach its fans in far off lands, they should rent (or buy)the DVD “Iron Maiden:Flight 666″. Don’t be afraid, you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this riveting account of their recent world tour.
Up the Irons!
I can’t believe I left Iron Maiden out of this post! That truly is a band that goes more than the distance to provide fans and music lovers the best quality. The song writing and concerts are incredible!
Let’s hope more people open their minds to metal!