THE BIg DEBATE

Our writer Stephen Hill lamented the dissolving of subgenres in metal on the Hammer site last month, and how it has impacted our scene. Unsurprisingly, you guys had Some Thoughts.

HE SAID:

“How many fans were first exposed to our world through a taste of thrash, or NWOBHM, or punk in the mainstream and then given the keys to a new world, a new way of life? It must be immeasurable. That’s the true power of a subculture: it doesn’t just define an era, it can actually shape huge groups of people.”

YOU SAY:

There are only two genres: music I like and music I don’t. I don’t give a shit if others need to categorise it. Joe Michael Lecuyer (Facebook)

Subgenres are a way for people to feel like they’re doing something original. Usually they’re just rehashing stuff that’s already been done.

Jeff Riniker (Facebook)

Genres are useful for describing a particular sound. I’m not going to say that Pig Destroyer and Celtic Frost sound the same just because “it’s all just metal”.

Wyatt Wilcher (Facebook)

People were predicting the death of punk when I was a teenager. They pronounced metal dead in my 20s. Rock was pronounced dead when I was 30. I’m 50. I’m not worried about metal dying out, subgenres or no. Lisa Ishee (Facebook)

Basic genres are fine, but it gets nuts when people are like, ‘Check out this band, they are thrash-technicalbattle-blackened-doomy-death-progressive-sludge.’ Rejan Plante (Facebook)