The Return of Rock?

[Guest MrRant]

With the rise of "nu-metal" or "poor me rock" do you think that rock music has came back up the cycle like it has before? The cycle that I mean is like the 80's with the rise of the hair bands; the 90's with the rise of grunge. Each time after a few years of the respective type of rock being at the forefront of music the genre seems to go into a 5-6 year slump. Myself not being a fan of rap or teeny-bopper pop and glad for ANY rock being in heavy rotation instead of those particular types of music. I am by no means a really big fan of nu-metal and I think either that type of rock or a different strand of rock will be on top for the next few years and if the cycle holds true then rap and/or pop will be unbearable once again.

[Guest Kinetic]

I think rock and roll, as a cultural force, is deader than dead. It's nothing. It's been watered-down and mass-marketed and..uh...hyphenated to the point where it hardly means anything anymore. So, personally, I don't give a fuck if it's Britney or Korn topping the charts because neither of them represent anything meaningful to me. That said, I'd much rather see this garage rock revival take precedent over the tired, cliched nu-metal bullshit that's been hovering around the mainstream for the past five years or so. So, to answer your question: Yes, I think rock's time has come again. I just don't care.

[Guest MrRant]

That's how I feel as well. Yes I can stand some poor me rock but I don't feel any substance coming from it like you can listening to older bands from Fleetwood Mac to Guns 'N Roses (Yes I am a GNR mark. Appetite for Destruction is vastly underrated in my opinion). None of this music makes me feel angry, sad or convey any emotions to me. The only feeling I have is why is this punk unhappy?

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

I see three current major movements in rock music.

 

1) Nu-metal/rap-metal/aggressive rap-rock type stuff. The Korn/Papa Roach/Slipknot/SOAD/Drowning Pool/Linkin Park/Pretty much anyone you find on Ozzfest type. I know that I'm lumping a lot together and putting a good bit of decent stuff (namely SOAD) with some utter shit, but you will find all of this stuff on a sale rack together.

 

2) Generic "alternative" rock. The kind of stuff that Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Default, Creed, and their ilk are currently getting big on.

 

3) Garage rock, aka Kinks revival. The Strokes, the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki, Trail of Dead, and any other number of big buzz bands over the last year. Getting big on a fairly stripped-down, raw sound.

 

I like one of these 'movements.' Guess which one.

 

I'm not sure which will die off first (I'm really, really hoping the rap-rock obsession goes away sooner rather than later, now that Rage and RHCP, the two people who did it first and best, have abandoned the style), but this is what I see today. What I wouldn't give for a little hair metal to spice that up.

 

That said: long live Andrew W.K.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

we need metallica to regroup and come up with a master of puppets quality album

[Guest Kinetic]

I see three current major movements in rock music.

 

1) Nu-metal/rap-metal/aggressive rap-rock type stuff. The Korn/Papa Roach/Slipknot/SOAD/Drowning Pool/Linkin Park/Pretty much anyone you find on Ozzfest type. I know that I'm lumping a lot together and putting a good bit of decent stuff (namely SOAD) with some utter shit, but you will find all of this stuff on a sale rack together.

 

2) Generic "alternative" rock. The kind of stuff that Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Default, Creed, and their ilk are currently getting big on.

 

3) Garage rock, aka Kinks revival. The Strokes, the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki, Trail of Dead, and any other number of big buzz bands over the last year. Getting big on a fairly stripped-down, raw sound.

 

I like one of these 'movements.' Guess which one.

 

I'm not sure which will die off first (I'm really, really hoping the rap-rock obsession goes away sooner rather than later, now that Rage and RHCP, the two people who did it first and best, have abandoned the style), but this is what I see today. What I wouldn't give for a little hair metal to spice that up.

 

That said: long live Andrew W.K.

I agreed with everything up to the last two sentences. I don't think people would ever buy into hair metal ever again. It's been degraded in the mainstream to the point where no band even remotely associated with that scene has any chance at being anything other than county fair fodder. Personally, I don't think the garage rock revival stuff has a snowball's chance in hell of becoming the premiere rock sound in American mainstream rock. I'd say most people consider The Strokes and The White Stripes, the two most successful groups to emerge with this sound thus far, total novelty acts. The Strokes because of their self-consciously retro look and sound, the Stripes because of the swank-ass Leggo animation video for "Fell In Love With A Girl." But the collective American music consumer has never been able to tolerate stripped-down production and I don't see that changing now, in an era where most young ears are accustomed to overwhelming studio gloss.

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

I love Rock, but if it stays dead I wouldn't mind. The resurrection of Rock would be a short lived celebration. In a year, the new sound or look would be exploited and every fucking band would look/sound the same. People would complain about overexposure and so forth. It'll just be another trend in a long line of them.

 

If Rock were to come back, then only as a true cultural force would it be accepted as opposeed to just a new sound that no one will care for in 3 years.

 

The cycle sucks, but unfortunatley it's necessary.

[Guest redbaron51]

I see three current major movements in rock music.

 

1) Nu-metal/rap-metal/aggressive rap-rock type stuff. The Korn/Papa Roach/Slipknot/SOAD/Drowning Pool/Linkin Park/Pretty much anyone you find on Ozzfest type. I know that I'm lumping a lot together and putting a good bit of decent stuff (namely SOAD) with some utter shit, but you will find all of this stuff on a sale rack together.

 

2) Generic "alternative" rock. The kind of stuff that Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Default, Creed, and their ilk are currently getting big on.

 

3) Garage rock, aka Kinks revival. The Strokes, the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki, Trail of Dead, and any other number of big buzz bands over the last year. Getting big on a fairly stripped-down, raw sound.

 

I like one of these 'movements.' Guess which one.

 

I'm not sure which will die off first (I'm really, really hoping the rap-rock obsession goes away sooner rather than later, now that Rage and RHCP, the two people who did it first and best, have abandoned the style), but this is what I see today. What I wouldn't give for a little hair metal to spice that up.

 

That said: long live Andrew W.K.

in anyways Rock to me is dead. Like Kinetic said, it has been categorized, water-down to the point where I couldn't care less. Thats why some bands such as Edwin mentioned won't last for that long (hopefully) and hardly anyone would remember because most of them were trying to cash in what was popular (papa roach, linkin park...some extend Staind).

 

Now I rarely listen to music that has come out of the 90's. I mean there is Pearl Jam, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins that are semi-popular, but i'm my own person and I listen to Dream Theater, Black Label Society, and people look at me with weird looks.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

The spirit of rock n' roll won't be anythign other than a memory until some band comes along and causes controversy with everybody but their fans (Manson has actually come the closest, but was exposed as being controversial just for the sake of it). Deep down, rock n' roll is meant to piss off your parents, your neighbors, and offend priests. It's rebellion, pure and simple, and "rebellion" is now being marketed by Calvin Klein as a fragrance.

[Guest Mark4steamboat]

I can see the garage movement being around for a while thanks to mtv2 and now All Things Rock on mtv.

BTW, i dont see metallica putting out another master of puppets quality album but you never know they may surprise me. And hopefully they will.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

Wait...Rock music died?

[Guest justsoyouknow]

I'm a huge GNR mark, too, Appetite for Destruction is my favorite album by them.....as far as rock being dead goes, Rock died when Limp Bizkit put out his first CD.

 

.....Andrew W.K. rules all.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that because one band sucked, all the other good bands just decided to stop releasing albums...

[Guest Vyce]

I see three current major movements in rock music.

 

1) Nu-metal/rap-metal/aggressive rap-rock type stuff. The Korn/Papa Roach/Slipknot/SOAD/Drowning Pool/Linkin Park/Pretty much anyone you find on Ozzfest type. I know that I'm lumping a lot together and putting a good bit of decent stuff (namely SOAD) with some utter shit, but you will find all of this stuff on a sale rack together.

 

2) Generic "alternative" rock. The kind of stuff that Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Default, Creed, and their ilk are currently getting big on.

 

3) Garage rock, aka Kinks revival. The Strokes, the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki, Trail of Dead, and any other number of big buzz bands over the last year. Getting big on a fairly stripped-down, raw sound.

 

I like one of these 'movements.' Guess which one.

 

I'm not sure which will die off first (I'm really, really hoping the rap-rock obsession goes away sooner rather than later, now that Rage and RHCP, the two people who did it first and best, have abandoned the style), but this is what I see today. What I wouldn't give for a little hair metal to spice that up.

 

That said: long live Andrew W.K.

I generally agree with you.

 

Except that I actually LIKE the "generic alternative rock" (give me Default over just about any other band out there today).

 

And I just don't get the appeal of Andrew WK. I HATE that goddamn "party" song he put out.

[Guest Kinetic]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that because one band sucked, all the other good bands just decided to stop releasing albums...

The "rock is dead" statement obviously doesn't mean that rock music has ceased to be. There are still a lot of rock bands out there releasing music, some of which is quite good. The point is that rock music has lost all merit culturally because it no longer stands for anything. It once unified the youth culture on both sides of the Atlantic but it has now been completely superseded by hip hop in that regard. So, yeah. Rock music is dead.

[Guest redbaron51]

I wouldn't say Hip Hop killed Rock, but Record companies sure did though, and also when hair bands began I think thats where it all started to go downhill, and then the grunge movement just burried it.

[Guest hardyz1]

Hip hop...blech.

 

I enjoy all kinds of rock, in fact I am a fan of all three categories listed above. It's just that I don't always want something that conveys deep emotion or is thought-provoking. A lot of the time I just want something that sounds good and that I can enjoy. I like those catchy songs that I can sing along to in my car. I like to be able to listen to Linkin Park and follow it with System of a Down then some Nickelback followed by Guns N Roses.

 

My point is...I don't know what my point is, exactly, but I would like to quote Homer Simpson: "I like music!!"

[Guest godthedog]

i think we're just going through a drought of talent. a medium is only as good as the people working in it, and we just don't have any pete townshends or lou reeds (hell, i'd even settle for a kurt cobain) to keep the medium fresh and exciting.

[Guest redbaron51]

i think we're just going through a drought of talent. a medium is only as good as the people working in it, and we just don't have any pete townshends or lou reeds (hell, i'd even settle for a kurt cobain) to keep the medium fresh and exciting.

in the mainstream media...yes there is rarely any talent up there (Sum 41 is probably the best, with the harmonics and shit).

 

But really you have bands like Tool, Ozzy, and such guitarists as John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani...and there are so much more.

 

Lets just say this...

 

Mainstream and creativity does not mix

[Guest Human Fly]

Nu-Metal is the furthest thing from being a Rock revival. Since it combines Rock with Rap I look at it being Rock and Rollers selling out to conform and get a piece of the mainstream music pie. That's not what Rock and Roll is about (as has been discussed here). Years from now how many people do you think will say they were inspired by a Nu-Metal band to make music? The only Nu-Metal band that is really good (if you even consider them that) was Rage ATM.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Lets just say this...

 

Mainstream and creativity does not mix

*cough* The Beatles *cough* most mainstream band ever *cough* though I'm not as big a fan as some they're pretty damn creative and "good" to me *cough*

 

Excuse me, I need to get a drink of water

 

Also, music is what you make of it. While it may be nice for it to be a "cultural phenomenon", it doesn't have to be to be enjoyable. The only thing that unites the world currently is the internet anyway, and that unity is tighter than any music ever could.

 

Even though I'm as big a critic of what "modern rock" has become, I'd never say "rock died", I mean just because it's not as "good" as old rock doesn't mean it's not as popular as ever. It's still unifying people... it just got a little boring for us, is all.

[Guest redbaron51]

i meant in today's music

[Guest evenflowDDT]

i meant in today's music

Oh... in that case I'd have to agree with you, except for that short time when Blue Man Group was popular.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

A rock revial? Where did rock go to begin with? The underground still and always will continue to produce the better and more innovative bands. I could really give a rat's ass what's going on in the mainstream.

[Guest ant_7000]

I wouldn't say Hip Hop killed Rock, but Record companies sure did though, and also when hair bands began I think thats where it all started to go downhill, and then the grunge movement just burried it.

Hip Hop saved rock, Rock incorprated Rap into their music now

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

Hip Hop saved rock, Rock incorprated Rap into their music now

As far as money and mainstream attention goes, probably.

 

Creatively? I'd say far from it. In fact, Rock now seems watered down and bland and boring. If anything, the hip hop mentality incorporated into it has made seem almost cartoonish. I can't help but laugh when I see POD videos with the lead singer flailing/waving his arms around like he's a rapper or anything like it.

 

Hopefully this, 'white america wants to be black' phase wears off.

[Guest redbaron51]

I really hope it goes back to leather and tight jeans and metal would be the best...and mullets were acceptable.

 

Jokes aside, at first Rap-Rock idea was pretty cool, like Rage against the Machine, and RHCP, but when bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit etc use it...it sucks

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Rap-rock still has the potential to be interesting, but most of the time the popular bands (which of course, are all you get to hear) choose the easy way out of writing bitchy songs about their life containing RUTHLESS AGRESSION~! and that's why their music gets boring and is looked down upon by many listeners.

[Guest Madmartigan21]

A rock revial? Where did rock go to begin with? The underground still and always will continue to produce the better and more innovative bands. I could really give a rat's ass what's going on in the mainstream.

I hate this kind of pretentious fucking mentality for three reasons:

1. "Undergound" falsely implies that whatever bands you're talking about(i.e. The ones YOU like) are playing to some vastly different audience than any other unsigned band or indy level band trying to make it.

 

Which leads me to:

 

2. The goal of these bands is to make it to the MAINSTREAM. Just like anybody in any field,(music, movies,wrestling, business, plumbing etc...) they are trying to be successful. If you're not selling a ton of CD's, you AIN'T successful. It doesn't matter how "innovative", a band is. The reasons that guys form a band today are exactly the same as they have been for the last forty years. To obtain girls, fame, and money. Anybody in a band that says otherwise is LYING.

 

3. Anything that is undergournd right now, will be mainstream three to five years. That's the way it always has been and always will be.

 

 

A quick rant on the thought of people in this thread on Rock-Rap:

 

First of all, Rage fucking blew. Now, THEY were REALLY pretentious. If you ever paid attention to any of the "causes" they were into, they usually had their facts way wrong. I never understood why people, fans of a band or not, would listen to their political views. What makes them so much more fucking qualified than your average guy on the street to tell me about the "injustices of the world."

 

Also, Rage didn't invent shit. I don't know if they were the first, but I think anyone would be hard pressed to name a metal band before Anthrax, that mixed metal and rap. AND they've done it better than any of these newer bands. They were hardcore. Just look a their rap associates, Public Enemy, for proof. Compare them to Redman, Method Man, or whatever the fuck man is Limp Bizkit's boy. I think that's the real problem with most music in general. Too many pussys pretending to be, and wrongly perceived to be bad asses. Think about Chuck D and Axl Rose as opposed to Eminem and Fred Durst. I have many more thoughts down this line, including the lack of modern charsimatic rock frontmen, and the watering down of all muscial genres, but I don't have the patience right now.

 

Quickly back to Rock-Rap.

To state it quickly, below are the three real reasons that rock/metal-rap have been able to become successful.

 

1. Anthrax and their collaboration with Public Enemy

2. Epic by Faith No More

3. Walk this Way by Run DMC with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry

 

Those three things paved the way.

[Guest caboose]

Rap Metal and Nu-Metal are not the same thing.

 

Rap Metal is stuff like Linkin Park where the rap and metal sections are clearly separate, but they are integrated together into the track.

 

Nu-Metal is stuff like Korn & The Deftones where the music is very aggressive or of a darker tone.

 

Rap Metal sucks cock, while Nu-Metal has it's moments.