Metal fans will root for the underdog to a fault. Sure, it’s always fun to fight for the little guy and feel vaguely like a victim of the world at large. But real must recognize real, and the tendency to hate on ascending bands just because they’re no longer underground has become a metal cliché. The real question is, why?
On this week’s episode of our heavy-metal talk show Last Words, the Pit’s new staff writer Chris Krovatin joins hosts Jordan Olds (Two Minutes To Late Night), Katy Irizarry (Season Of Mist), and Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves/Ex Man Podcast) in discussing why it is metal fans so love to hate any band like Ghost who reaches mainstream success. The conversation kicks off with Avatar‘s new album Hunter Gatherer and why it’s blowing up right now.
“This is what I just kind of love about the divisions in our taste,” says Doc, “because not only was this by far my favorite record of the week, this is probably, like, one of my favorite records of the year. And unlike everything else, it’s fun. You got riffs, it’s got hooks–I feel like I’m going fishing because it’s got hooks everywhere! And no, it’s not radio, dude! The closest thing I can find to it is a really heavy version of Faith No More meets System of a Down.”
“They’re very much doing this circus metal thing, this larger than life thing,” says Chris, mopping the sweat from his oily brow. “And I love that shit! There’s a song on this album, ‘Colossus’…I was walking around the other day, listening to it, thinking, I want to stomp around in clown make-up. That festival [metal] thing, that’s a circus thing, and I love the circus…I just love how big this is.”
Check out the episode below:
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more interviews, documentaries, and behind-the-scenes fun!
