Metal "Poser"/"Trendhopper" Bingo

This thing was making the rounds on Twitter (I told you I was not going to call it X) for a few days.  I never did anything with it on the site, but I thought it would be sort of interesting to put it up here.

1.  Think thrash metal is lame.  Obviously this does not apply to me.  Longtime readers know thrash is probably my favorite metal subgenre.  It was the first one I got into, via Metallica, Megadeth and Testament.  Testament is my favorite band.

2.  Get upset at extreme themes in death metal and black metal.  Nope.  I don't love misogynistic lyrics and I prefer to avoid NSBM, but I definitely don't get upset by them.

3.  Only listen to one style of metal.  Definitely not.  I listen to a wide variety of styles of metal and can generally find a band to listen to out of almost everything.

4.  Have a nose ring.  Nope, no piercings here.

5.  Watch or have watched Metal journalist Youtube videos.  What is a metal journalist?  Who is a metal journalist?  I have watched people talk about metal on Youtube, but I have no idea what counts here.

6.  Use Rate Your Music on Last.FM.  I don't use Last.FM.

7.  Watch Anthony Fantano.  I have never watched him.  I am familiar with who he is though.

8.  Found a metal band you like on Tik Tok.  Nope.  Never use Tik Tok.

9.  Haven't seen Slayer live.  I have seen Slayer live twice.

10.  Buy clothes from Hot Topic/Spencer's.  No.  I have bought shirts at Hot Topic in the past, but this is presented in a present tense.  It's been probably 20 years since I have even stepped inside a Hot Topic.  Does that store still exist?

11.  Think all black metal sounds the same.  Definitely not.  Black metal is easily one of the most diverse metal subgenres.

12.  Listen to nu-metal.  So, I do occasionally listen to some nu-metal.  There are some decent albums that I still come back to from time to time.  Bands like Spineshank, Systematic, early Static-X, System of a Down, Deadlights and others are still decent.

13.  Free Space.  Obviously.

14.  Go to hardcore shows a lot.  No.  There have occasionally been hardcore bands playing at shows I have been to, but I have never been to an exclusive hardcore show and certainly not often.

15.  Listen to deathcore and metalcore.  I do listen to bands in both subgenres.  I am trying out a few bands in deathcore, with Carnifex being a particular favorite.  As far as metalcore, I have early Trivium, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and several others.  Neither subgenre is a favorite, but I do listen to some.

16.  Re-sell band merch on De-Pop.  I don't even know what that is.  I also don't resell merch.

17.  Don't play an instrument.  I am teaching myself bass.

18.  Call other people posers too often.  I generally don't have an issue with other people's listening habits to the point I call them names.  I do think there are people who need to broaden their horizons to be considered metalheads.

19.  Listen to hipster metal bands like Blood Incantation and Full of Hell.  What makes a metal band hipster?  I would consider Deafheaven to be a better example.  Anyway, I do listen to both of those bands, but I have been listening to Blood Incantation since well before their mainstream notoriety.  

20.  Don't go to shows.  I go to a lot of shows. 

21.  Listen to Maggot Stomp bands.  I had to look up the label, because I am not great at keeping track of what labels are out there these days.  Anyway, yes I do.  Apparently groups like Undeath, Internal Bleeding, 200 Stab Wounds, Coffin Rot, Fulci and Sanguisugabogg are all bands I listen to that are on that label.

22.  Haven't been to a festival.  I don't love festivals, primarily because they tend to be outside in the summer and that can be way too hot, but I have been to two.

23.  Get patches from Amazon.  Nope.

24.  Haven't been to a festival.  Apparently, this is here twice.  

25.  Wear an ushanka.  I had to look that up too.  It's a hat with ear coverings.  No, I do not wear an ushanka.

So, how did I do?

Apparently, I did not get a Bingo.  So, not a poser/trendhopper then?  

Impending Doom: Hellbent (2021)

I am trying to open up my mind a little more to some genres I have not generally been a fan of.  The first one is deathcore.  Deathcore is obviously a hybrid genre of death metal and hardcore, and it is one that I thought would be a short-lived phase from around 2007 to 2015 or so, but it is not going away.  My Twitter (I refuse to call it X) page is often full of deathcore mentions, so I decided to revisit the few deathcore albums I own and see if I can appreciate them more.  Off the top of my head, I own four (one album each by Through the Eyes of the Dead, Carnifex, Despised Icon and this one).  I suppose you could count Infant Annihilator too.  I've only seen All Shall Perish and Fit for an Autopsy in concert, both opening for bands I wanted to see.  Yep, like I said, it was not really a genre I cared much for, so I avoided it.

I can't say I will be making a deep dive into the genre and I am going to stick around the bands that are more on the metal side of things.  So, no Slaughter to Prevail.  I can't stand that fucking band.  Maybe I will try to branch out a bit and check out bands that I have not really explored in the past, such as Job for a Cowboy (still one of the stupider metal band names I have heard of), Whitechapel, and the like.  I fear I am becoming an angry, curmudgeonly metalhead stuck in the past.  Whether I like it or not, the music evolves and deathcore is not going anywhere.  

So, first up is Impending Doom, and this is an EP so it is short enough to listen to all the way through without shutting off right away and giving up on the whole plan.  Now, Impending Doom is notable because they are a Christian deathcore band.  I can't remember how it is that I came into possession of this release.  Maybe I didn't know that when I purchased the album.  Maybe it was sent to me when I was a member of the Monthly Metal Box subscription club.  I don't know.  The band apparently likes to refer to their music as "gorship music", a portmanteau of gore and worship.  The lyrics are definitely Christian-oriented.  The first track "Satanic Panic" features this little gem: "You will feel the wrath of God when the noose drops.  Vengeance is his name."  So, not really your bright and shiny Christianity, more of the fire and brimstone preacher stuff.  It's a bit more heavy-handed in its message than some Christian bands.  

The music is pretty typical for the genre.  It's certainly heavy and more oriented toward the death metal side of things.  The hardcore portions are definitely the heavy use of breakdowns, but they are generally built around actual riffs.  Some of the songs are quite a bit better than others.  The last track "I Must End" should have taken its own advice about four minutes sooner.  The band leans into some nu-metal-esque elements at times, such as eerie guitar noodling and drumming that sounds lifted from Korn.  The aforementioned opening track "Satanic Panic" and the title track are probably the highlights of the album.  Some of the other tracks veer too far from death metal at times for my taste.  

Well, I tried.  I don't know how I will keep going at this and for how long.  I suppose I didn't hate this album, but it did try my patience at times.  I will give it another couple spins and see if it is something I can get into or not.  As I said before, at least it's short.