Road Rage

Annnnnd I’m back; that’s right after being sidetracked by that tedious thing called work I have finally gotten round to the next instalment of what my good friend the Voice Of Doom likes call ‘Why I hate the stuff I love’, yes it is time to brush off the fatigue, viciously stab at the keyboard with between two and four fingers and say ‘I love metal, but it’s proper shit sometimes’.
Again.

No, seriously having guested again on c’s radio show I was initially going to just play five kick ass songs and say ‘This is good because…’ but following a request for one of my favourite songs ‘Paper Tiger’ by Dry Kill Logic I thought I’d have a bit of fun and spout some stuff that makes c put his head in his hands on the other side of the desk.
I’m talking about metal powerhouse label Roadrunner Records.
I kicked off my intro by asking two questions:
Should modern metal fans be grateful for Nickelback? And:
Is Roadrunner bad for metal?

Well before we get into all the stuff I couldn’t talk about let’s give a bit of background shall we?
Formed in 1980 as Roadracer Records in Sweden, the label was essentially designed as a distribution network for exporting North American Heavy Metal music into Europe, some of their early successes included bringing a fledgling Metallica to the continent.
Such a success they became (and following a name change to the little less wank Roadrunner) that by the end of the 80’s they were able to fund and release two genuine records rather than merely flogging foreign imports.
These records were the seminal ‘Beneath The Remains’ and ‘Slowly We Rot’ by Sepultura and Obituary respectively and they helped establish Roadrunner as a name that Metal fans could come to rely on as a sign of quality releases as they released album after album of great metal going into the nineties with bands like Type O Negative, Machine Head, Fear Factory, Life Of Agony, Sepultura - honestly if I kept up the list of names would be massive… these days they are known for Slipknot, Stone Sour, Megadeth, Trivium, Down, Soulfly, Within Temptation, Killswitch Engage, Korn, The Murderdolls… they absolutely dominate the scene from a commercial level.
Equally impressive is the list of bands they have dropped or had depart with ill feelings.
Machine Head, Fear Factory, Type O Negative, Cradle Of Filth, Morbid Angel, Face Down and so on.

A constant accusation levelled at the label time and time again is that they attempt to drive the direction of mainstream metal and often do not invest enough time and effort into supporting their artists, or do not allow them the creative freedom to express themselves properly.

Make no mistake I appreciate that Roadrunner are a business and the music industry is in a moribund state right now, in need of learning to adapt and survive rather than enjoying the fat halcyon days of say the eighties… BUT and once again I run to the safety of falling back to Iron Maiden as an example, when Rod Smallwood was hawking the young Iron Maiden around he knew that metal bands are expensive to run. They are not some massive one hit wonder; it takes an extreme amount of effort, money, time and investment to break a band of Maiden’s type - yet alone something more extreme like the stuff on Roadrunner, so he had EMI commit to a 3 album deal and even though the first albums sold well, when your third release is number one album ‘The Number Of The Beast’ frankly you are going to get a contract extension.
History will tell you Queen’s first album was a flop, Judas Priest’s first album was massively shit and so on; bands don’t always come into it straight out the gate and with the disposable approach that some labels had we would not have had Bohemian Rhapsody or Breaking The Law (delete as appropriate - personally having been subjected to Mercury & co relentlessly as a kid I would rather smash myself in the face with a bottle than listen to Queen these days).

So my point on the show was to highlight some of the great music spurned by Roadrunner and try pitch why they are damaging for metal.

My first of five tracks was as I have said ‘Paper Tiger’.



Paper Tiger Video

Dry Kill Logic signed to RR back in 2000 as the crest of the Nu Metal wave began to stumble and saw bands rediscovering life as an honest Metal band. Previously known as the not at all inspiring Hinge they were forced to change their name due to a recording studio owning the rights…
Which fact allows me to make some jibe about them being an open and shut case, or swinging back and forth or golden with six screws… or something.
Influenced by the late nineties sound they released ’The Darker Side of Nonsense’ in 2001. I have to say I really wasn’t that keen. It was a bit generic if truth is told. Weird, off kilter sounds and a slightly heard it before ‘of the time’ sound, like they wanted to be Slipknot without the million extra members or gimmicks.
Despite initial success and reasonable sales they found themselves without a record deal as when returning to make their sophomore effort for the label they were told they had to adopt a more commercial sound. They refused and it was curtains, or the door slammed shut on it’s er hinges… yeah I’m not really working the furniture angle well today.

Still they found themselves penning an artist driven deal and released the excellent ‘The Dead & The Dreaming’ in 2004 on SPV Records which is probably (in my opinion ) their best album to date. This was followed by 2006’s of Vengeance & Violence’ but sadly without the heavy weight clout of a major label they faded from view and have officially been on hiatus ever since. The metal world robbed of a potentially great band through the labels insistence they soften up their sound.
Thank God Killswitch took their advice hey? They have in no way becoming boring or shit or repative since massively Emo laced The Heart Of Heartache and subsequent duller and duller releases. No wonder metal core studio genius Adam D now wears a cape on stage and acts like a complete prick. At least http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifpeople walking away from their gigs have something to talk about rather than ‘Do you remember when they released ‘Alive Or Just Breathing’ and were a metal band?’.

But this isn’t really a new phenomena.
Back in 1995 Down released the jam tape style happy accident that was ‘NOLA’. This album won over the hearts and ears of metal fans everywhere, because let’s face it, it’s fucking great. End of discussion.
As a result RR signed Floodgate another New Orleans Sludge/Doom style band in the hope they would be the next big southern metal thing.



Floodgate Til My Soil track

Floodgate it should be noted featured one Kyle Thomas previously of eighties thrashers Exhorder who released the controversial ‘Slaughter In The Vatican’. Ironically for a band that seemingly based it’s creative output on a Phil Anselmo (you know mogadon sounding, You Tube crying, running mouth and sometimes singer… oh and he was in Pantera) side project Exhorder fans spent much of the early nineties crying how Mouthpiece and The Cowboys From Hell ripped off their beloved Kyle and stole their thunder (Google Exhorder vs. Pantera for more on this). This argument is kind of silly as Anselmo confessed a healthy respect for Thomas and he himself has said Pantera deserved their success, worked a lot harder and probably did themselves a favour by not titling their albums after Papal murder.
Still in 1996 Floodgate released the classic ‘Penalty’ album. I say classic; it is in my house. Everyone I have introduced to it has loved the band, but they had a brief stint supporting Sepultura on their ‘Roots’ tour and that was all the favours they got from their label who judged that not selling much or being as instantly popular as Down meant they were shit.
Goodbye Floodgate, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out… since then the band have been on hiatus having never officially split up. They resurfaced briefly in 2007 to play a Hurricane Katrina benefit show for their home town, but since then Thomas has bee handling vocal and guitar duties for Alabama Thunderpussy and so we are unlikely to hear much more of them.

As I have previously mentioned, the nineties were bad for metal. The backlash effecting major labels played as hard on RR and their was a massive cull of many bands, particularly in their Hardcore roster as they concentrated on their more mainstream or Death genres.
One such band to fall fowl of this through their interference was Vision Of Disorder.



Vision Of Disorder featuring Phil Anselmo 'By The River'

Having previous built a cult independent following they were signed in 1996 and released their self titled debut which had a massive underground impact, particularly the hardcore tinged, leftfield edge to their music.
Despite this RR decided they wanted a more mainstream metal sound from the band and generously gave them two weeks in the studio to craft what fans of RR bands had come to expect, that lavish multi layered Colin Richardson sound, and what Vision fans wanted - a hardcore classic.
Well neither happened.
1998‘s ‘Imprint’ is a fantastic album in my book but suffers from appalling rushed and muddy production. It’s mere sound enough to alienate fans of the slick metal produced at the time by their label mates and the change in direction enough to alienate their own fans.
Not even the guest appearance of Phil ‘How far can I shove my foot down my mouth today?’ Anselmo on the monstrously heavy ‘By The River’ could save them from a commercial.
They were swiftly shown the exit door and despite tours supporting Pantera and the TVT released ‘From Bliss To Devastation’ in 2001 the band disbanded and vocalist Tim Williams went on to create the kind of like an average, light weight version of VOD, Bloodsimple who release two ‘Meh’ albums.
The good news for anyone still interested it that Vision are now back and have recorded an album set (hopefully) for release this year…
They were not alone in this as Roadrunner axed most, if not all their Hardcore bands during this period. The irony being in 2011 is that one of their biggest sellers now is the hardcore act Hatebreed, who they poached off Victory Records…

So dropping bands… a common theme.
Not too mention the oft cited lack of support. It would be fair enough to defend RR and say well History boy, the bands you have mentioned aren’t exactly massive or household names…
And I agree, they aren’t and why?
Because they were never really given the chance to be.
Dave Mustaine’s Megadeth are now sat on the labels roster having released their last two critically acclaimed (not by me I should add) albums through RR. He recently took time out from reminding everyone he used to be in Metallica, used to be a drug addict, used to argue with Dave Junior (Ellefson) but now loves him and would love to work with that band he used to be in again, to moan about Roadrunners lack of support. He has claimed they do not promote their releases, do not support the band on tour and have a distinct lack of interest in helping their artists full stop.
Lightning to strike twice?
Cradle Of Filth decided to give the mainstream a go despite (inexplicably) a healthy career built largely at independent niche metal label supreme Century Media. This lasted approximately one album before the diminutive Danni Manno.. Filth ran off crying that the horrid people at RR didn’t shower him with praise and rose petals every single day and tell him how special he was… okay maybe I am maligning the made-in-Essex poison dwarf but the accusations again cut true, echo Fear Factory, Sepultura, etc…
If you aren’t going to push a major artist, one who has a pedigree of success like Megadeth, how in the hell are a new band going to survive?

So where do Nickelback come in?



As I mentioned, the label jettisoned a lot of artists in the late nineties/early noughties to clear space and cut costs. However it also saw a shift in signing policy and to open up a more commercial arm of their roster they signed an up and coming Canadian band.
With songs about spousal abuse, being rockstars and how people remind him that he is an ugly as sin, not even a mother could love the gravel voiced, soft rock pedalling cunt, wannabe Jesus-look-a-like Chad Kroeger’s crew thrust ‘Silverside Up’ on the world in 2001 and has sold over 10 million copies. They has since sold a staggering amount of their follow up albums proving once and for all that someone out there is happy to buy, yes BUY, complete shit again and again.
This release was the singular most important fiscal turning point for RR as it (along with successes like Slipknot and Kilswitch) given them the clout to walk tall with their agenda and sign whoever they want - their acquisitions in recent years have seen just about every successful band end up under their wing - Korn and Dimmu Borigir being recent ones - and their balance books were obviously looking so hot right then that Warner Music Group assimilated them into their fold in 2007.
An extremely negative move in my opinion as the whole foundation of the label was to be fiercely independent, but surely as the primary vehicle for metal these days you have to argue if not for the success of that ear cancer there would be less successful metal bands around in the mainstream… mind you having heard Black Veil Brides I’m not so sure I’m drinking the Kool Aid…

What has also caused me many a fit of rage is their reissues policy.
As a loyal supporter of bands there are countless times that I have bought a CD in the first week, you know the standard 10 track, jewel case, average CD… only for it to be reissued 8 months later in an expanded dig pack with improved artwork, extra tracks and the whole thing a little bit more sexy…
What this does is create a market where people get screwed.
I as a loyal fan get penalised because by purchasing the first CD I end up with an inferior product compared to someone who sees them on tour or buys the album hype generated after it’s release, either that or I have to shell out again.
This leads to a culture of thinking, ‘Well fuck it. I’ll download the album and wait for the decent version’.
What happens then is that the initial release doesn’t sell well enough and the band get dropped.
Fucking genius.
You either rip people off or sacrifice a bands career…

Is there a silver lining?
Probably not, but there is a case to be argued that RR occasionally get egg on their faces and get shown up to be twats.


Machine Head were dropped after the below par ‘Supercharger’ and were told to write more commercial music. They even went so far as to record a demo of an appalling song called ‘Pins & Needles’ which was rejected by every single record label who heard it. It is on the Elegies DVD where an embarrassed Flynn admits thathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif they had to take a long hard look at themselves after that.
‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’ was released via Roadrunner Europe in 2005. In the States Machine Head were labeless and shunned, even trendy pop for greebo magazine Kerrcap! gave it a paltry 2/5...

A Frankly Bizarre video accompanying Machine Head's 'Elergy'

The album smashed through the consciousness of metal heads like Godzilla through down town Tokyo and was named Metal Hammers album of the year. The album was so good and so popular that RR US had to come crawling back to their former signing and beg them to put pen to paper so they could release the album in North America.
Their next release was the juggernaut that was The Blackening in 2007 and the metal world in my household is currently holding it’s breath and preying that the leeches (or locusts) haven’t gotten to Flynn and swayed them too badly. The advantage to being begged to come back by the label is that Machine Head managed to negotiate a deal which gives them control.
So no doubt any fuck ups will be entirely down to them… but they should be grateful that metal core came back into fashion just when they decided to be a thrash band again.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

So they got one wrong?
Nope. My favourite Alaskan Screamo boy band 36 Crazyfists were unceremoniously booted off the roster back in 2006 after their third album Rest Inside The Flames sold a frankly pathetic 1,858 records due to a cited lack of promotion, support and you guess it airplay.



36 Crazyfists 'Reviver' video

This is despite the bright start they had on their debut ‘Bitterness The Star’ in 2002 and it’s follow up ‘A Snow Capped Romance’ the band found themselves playing to packed crowds in Europe and the proverbial one man and his dog in the US.
Following their continued success with ‘The Tide & It’s Takers’ in 2007 and released on Ferret Records the band were resigned by Roadrunner Europe for the release of their 2010 album ‘Collisions and Castaways’ proving that the European branch seem to have their fingers on the pulse of what goes on outside of North America.

And here is the point I have been building to on this mammoth and not actually blind or vaguely amusing ranting… Roadrunner was originally founded in Europe to bring North America metal over the pond. Now as a part of soul sucking WMG it seems that they want to try and dictate the direction and trends of mainstream metal to the world. The irony is that outside of America their exists a whole legion of metal fans who do not necessarily buy into their direction and it is often the case that just because it is good for America, doesn’t mean the rest of the world want it.
Like their shit cars really.
Their attempts to buy into trends like Black Metal (Cradle and the recently acquired Dimmu Borgir) either fail to keep the artist happy or alienate the fan based, or Hardcore where they singularly fail to understand the genre or even their failure to serve established artists proves that whilst their distribution network holds a lot of sway they are as much a blessing as they are a curse.