During a recent interview on the Mike Nelson Show, the rock band Bastardane (which features Castor Hetfield, son of Metallica‘s James Hetfield), shared their thoughts regarding Gene Simmons’ “rock is dead” sentiment. This statement from the Kiss bassist has provoked a plethora of reactions – some folks who agree and some who disagree. In fact, Alice Cooper recently shared his thoughts on this sentiment, providing a more positive angle.
Bastardane have also expressed more positive leaning feelings when it comes to the state of rock and roll. At one point during their interview, they are asked about Gene Simmons’ stance on the genre; Bastardane guitarist Ethan Sirotzki replied with the following:
“He’s lying… It’s bullshit. I think it will come back but be much different. I don’t think a revival is going to be, ‘Oh, the ’80s and ’90s are happening again.’ I think people will draw from that and create something new that will be really big and exciting.”
Castor Hetfield then speaks up, sharing his feelings on the state of live rock and roll:
“I think there’s a lot of people that all the shows that they’ve seen live is just some guy with a microphone in front of a computer. I mean, I’m not gonna hate on the music but the live aspect of it — what are you gonna watch?”
“There’s quite a few people who, I feel like, have come to one of our shows and been, ‘Wow. This is the first real instrument show I’ve seen and it’s more of a spectacle.’ And I think people are realizing that it’s a real thing and I feel like there’s a lot of appreciation towards it, especially now that there’s a lot of those computer music guys out there. I just think it’s cooler to watch live — more going on — and it just feels more intense. You can mess up — playing guitar, you can mess up. The computer is not gonna mess up.”
What do you make of what Bastardane have to say about the state of rock and roll? When it comes to the state of heavy music, we personally think it is doing incredibly well. We have two features that speak to our feelings about the current world of heavy music – one that challenges Gene Simmons’ sentiment, and another that highlights 20 musical acts that are helping to keep heavy music and metal alive. You can find links to those features below; you can also find a video below that features this recent interview with Bastardane.
The New Age Of Metal: 20 Bands + Artists Redefining Heavy Music
Opinion: Gene Simmons Says “Rock Is Dead” And We Think That Is Bull