You constantly hear musicians saying “rock is dead”. A local metal show (or even a touring one!) might have 50 people there max on a given night, and people are keen to give up on the scene they once loved. As a recent father and 60+ hour a week worker, I sort of get it – when you have bills to pay and a family to feed, attending a reckless, heart-pounding metal show is often pretty low on the list of things to do.
That being said, metal is not “dead”, no matter what anyone tells you. Even though I personally may have a lack of time to attend shows, I still feel the power of metal within my soul. No matter how old I get, I will always feel metal running through my veins. And apparently vocalist Johnny Crowder of Dark Sermon does, too – he’s someone who lays it all out there every night, whether it’s a tour halfway across the country, or a local show at Transitions Art Gallery in Tampa.
He had a pretty powerful statement to make on metal as a whole earlier today while on tour. Check out what he said below!
I’ve been going to shows for 10 years now, and playing shows for over 7 of them. My passion is the same, but so much has changed. Almost all of the bands I grew up with have broken up and “moved on.” Almost all of the fans my band used to have just stopped going to shows. Tampa’s metal scene used to be terrifyingly strong. Remember that “death metal capital of the world” moniker? Every kid knew every word to every song. Every band had a pit the size of the floor. Every show was packed front to back. Local bands were the talk of the town, and touring acts swore Florida was one of the best states to play. People CARED.
Metal used to be mainstream, for God’s sake. Whitechapel was on MTV, dude. Bands that hit dive bars now used to play amphitheaters 15 years ago. Mayhem Fest got discontinued because nobody shows up anymore. Remember Ozzfest? Thousands upon thousands of sweaty fans circle pitting for hours on end. Where did they all go? Why is it different now? How did this happen? The genre may be comparatively weaker, but is it salvageable?
Yes. If I didn’t think it was, I wouldn’t have dedicated my life to saving it. I refuse to close the book on the very thing that saved my life and countless others.
Aggressive music is not dead, it is dormant. And we have to wake it up.
Although the scene isn’t what it used to be, I know that it can grow to be ten times what it was. Life moves in seasons, and it’s about time the thing I love most started being relevant and “in” again. You can either help me or step aside and watch me do it, because I will single-handedly bring aggressive music back if I have to. I believe in this.
I just care too much to let it die. – J
