I must admit, all my favorite metal records are from the 80's to mid 90's. there is an organic groove to these records, musicians playing off each-other. sure there are subtle mistakes, production may be poor, but this is their charm. real and raw.
Another thing I like is how some bands had more broader influences. Tom himself said that he was influenced by 80's goth such as Bauhaus, which partially led to Monotheist's sound. Samael's Passage brought in industrial influences, even though a lot of the stuff after that is kind of crap. And for a more punk example, one of Amebix's biggest influences was Killing Joke
Even in the 90's, one example is Deftones, Chi Cheng played bass, as Chino Moreno said, in his own" tempo signature" (cuz if you heard while he playing, he was out of beat almost every time), but that's the beauty on it, those little imperfections making the music as it can be: human.
100% right about everything. The genre has been coopted by corporations and made marketable and mainstream and accessible. The music no longer has to truly captivate you, it's produced with the sole purpose of being digestible to broader audiences. The true underground still exists but it will never have that bombastic sense of rebellion, that experience of creating or even listening to something never before experienced in the music world. That analogue rawness is something that must be pursued now, it's niche, and won't come with that feeling of innovation ever again like it did when heavy metal first hit the scene.
I agree I honestly don’t have nothing against kids who enjoy a slipknot or korn or whitechapel but it’s just not for me. It’s just my personal taste but if you people enjoy than i respect that
I'm 51 now. All I gotta say is that the 80s & 90s were the best years of Metal. It was literally all so fresh & new. All I see now are young kids who romanticize my generation with their high tops, tight jeans, dreaming about a time before they were even born. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to keep the scene alive, but it'll never be the same.
True. Also if people had denim vest with the patches in mid 90's to early 2000's, it was rare and like just continue to the 80's. It wasn't a fashion show like today with thousands of different clothes to choose, all designed to look retro.
Political correctness killed metal. Slayer, Type o Negative, Mayhem, Marduk and so many other bands wouldn't have a chance to develop in today's modern-day liberal fanaticism.
@@kingpriapatius5832Yeah, do remember though that a lot of metal was rebelling against ilogical conservatism. Extremes are always the problem, people go from being annoying conservatives about family-at-all-costs and against anyone different, to almost forcing the political correctness. Both extremes are bad. I've been recently seeing a lot of "conservative" metalheads which to me is insane and almost an oxymoron.
54, equally so, I agree. Dead-simply put: Imperfect is perfect. Since it is ALIVE!!! Not "technologised" (Deadited" (read it as dead-edited) as it is today.
I love this commentary on heavy music; anarchy, passion, revolution, and energy. The imperfection of fire and dirt. I fucking love this description of what metal music embodies as a sound and form of expression! This man is speaking the truth like no one can or will! 🔥🔥🔥
@@primalmythic386Absolutely, in the late night/midnight they (and some still) played so many underground bands (metal, punk, goth and even at the time cause the genre was no so big here in México, Hip-Hop, reggae and lot of "counterculture" music).
This dude puts the same passion in his spoken words as he does his music. I've been a fan since the BEGINNING. He's one of my biggest influences of all time, if not the BIGGEST.
The interviewer looks uncomfortable. I suppose it was not the answer he was expecting, but I agree with Tom. Even if there are excellent musicians nowadays, in general there is a lack of energy in most Metal bands.
I was trying to explain this recently to a producer whom I think is part of the problem. I think I will send him this video. Tom said exactly what I feel about a lot of modern bands. Most even have the same tones on drums, bass and guitar. Same mix too. I need raw and chaotic.
I've been following Tom since 1984. I was in a new and used record store in downtown Portland Oregon in the first album that I saw in the heavy metal section was hellhammer for $3 best three dollars that I've ever spent now I have everything he's ever done
I like how respectfully he expresses his opinions. He can criticize things without personally insulting anyone. Few people are this well spoken and eloquent with their opinions.
Celtic Frosts "Morbid Tales" was one of the first albums a ever had. Together with Bathorys "Blood fire death" it was so aweseome to have been a part of this looking back from today. I am 48 now.
Probably my favorite concert I've seen live was Black Sabbath on their Cross Purposes tour in Feb 1994 at the state theater in Detroit, MI. with the Iommi, Butler, Tony Martin, and Bobby Rodinelli line-up, with Motorhead & Morbid Angel opening up. It was in a very small concert hall and was BY FAR the loudest and heaviest concert I've ever been to. I couldn't hear hardly anything for 3 days afterward. I saw Black Sabbath again (or Heaven & Hell) as they called themselves at the time since Dio was back in the band for the 3rd time at this point) in March 2007 at the John Labatt arena in London, Ontario Canada with the Iommi-Butler-Dio-Appice line-up, with Down & Megadeth opening. This is my favorite line-up of the band, but unfortunately they were in such a huge place this time, and I was on the complete opposite end of the building from the stage, the sound wasn't nearly as good as when I saw the band in 1994 at the small concert hall in Detroit. And this time there was tons of lighting & sound technicians all over in the center of the arena floor between me and the stage which was distracting as well. I'll take the bare-bones but louder than hell concert I saw them at 1994 over an elaborate but poor sound quality of a huge arena any day. But getting back to the topic here, I absolutely love Celtic Frosts Live 2007 Wacken concert. The sound is fantastic, probably the best I've ever heard from them they really are a great band. I had most of their albums back in the 1980's, and the most recent one I purchased on CD was Monotheist which is just as good as most of their old songs and very heavy as well.
Punk rock died with Green Day and Rancid. It was a place and time in history and that place and time have moved on. Jello Biafra of the DK's says the same thing,it's impossible to be a "punk rock" band in 2022.
@@E.C.2 Agreed. Punk rock means different things to different people, but nowadays I just see a bunch of sidekicks to their own uniforms rehashing formalaeic, dime a dozen, cookie cutter stuff. Not interested in it.
My contribution in 2014 to the Celtic Frost tribute book. So close to what Tom is talking about here: "I was just another heavy metal kid into Priest and Kiss when I borrowed three albums I'd never heard about before from a new friend: Eternal Devastation, Hell Awaits and Morbid Tales. Destruction and Slayer were of course mindblowingly awesome in their own right, making me tear down my Iron Maiden posters in minutes. But Frost was another beast entirely. There was something beyond the sheer power of the music, something ancient, mystical and Howardesian/Lovecraftesque that propelled my fragile teen mind into twisted worlds of macabre gods and forgotten dreams. "And the perfect creation calls. What will the wind bring these days?" What, indeed? We live in a time when every kid and his grandma can record their band professionally on a laptop, autotune vocals and trigger the drums, or reach millions on a metal blog. To me, the strength (and oh, what power they held) of Celtic Frost was actually in their technical shortcomings, and how they conquered them. It was never about virtuosity or seasoned professionalism, but bending all your limitations to your will and from them craft some of the most crushing and majestic music this planet has ever heard. I honestly think we should stop giving instrument lessons to kids. Just give them all a copy of Morbid Tales and lock them in a room with a stereo and some old Savage Sword of Conan comics. The world of music will never be the same again."
He's 100% correct and I have huge respect for Tom G. There's no danger involved in this music anymore, no passion and not giving a shit if you fall on face and fuck up a solo. Actually a lot of heavy metal music back then did have a lot to do with jazz in my opinion, the music was much more freer than it is now and what went wrong has a lot to do with the advent of digital recording. Tape was expensive and you couldn't afford to do take after take, so improvisation and leaving artifacts in the mix were the norm and usually that is all for the better. Now it takes several years for bands to release albums...
Tom is so honest...so fuckin honest,and true and loyal ...brings me to tears,I´m trying to play my similiar stuff but nobody uderstads,don¨t give damn what is the majority thinkin´ about.. just doin where my soul leads me ....whatever the majority thinks .....straid forward !!! AND WE KNOW WHAT THE DIRT IS !! DIRT IS ACTUALLY SOUL PRESENTATION OV PURITY
Wow awesomely stated.. I grew up in a house of order and structure and found metal late in life. I could never be as metal as this guy. I love his vision and the fact he states its his opinion and the way he looks at life and how he lives!! Its his music and his generation, gotta respect that!
It may be true in a sense, but there's also an inevitability to it. There's no chance for any band to have the same sort of impact or emotional feeling when there have been tens of thousands of metal songs written since the 80's. We're all also older and have heard and seen so much there's not even a chance for something to stand out like that.
I disagree. Although what you're saying is true, it's not what Tom is commenting on. He's talking about what heavy music stands for and embodies as a form of expression. Rebellion, fire, anarchy, and the raw energy of passion. Including all the mistakes and nuances of imperfection that define that energy. He's saying that this energetic spirit is no longer with the music, that it's far too perfected, technical, and over-produced to embody the raw energy it attempts to represent, but instead it fails to deliver or truly convey this spirit. What he is talking about is sort of like an expressive kind of symbolism or metaphor through sound. While I still enjoy much modern metal, he is right about it not living up to the authentic energetic message it stands for as a sound.
Very true regards to what he stated with old school heavy metal scene these days (for the most part). Other factor most (young) music listeners don't take time, searching for those hidden modern metal bands still carrying the torch. Playing, recording "old school style" heavy metal music. Hidden in the vast streaming music sea. Lost in the mix with millions of other bands & artists streaming their music on Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc.
He's such a nice guy, genuine and humble...he's correct in every word...... We've changed very much and for the worst. We have lost the fire...I remember growing up in the 80s and being introduced to Sabbath, Kiss,Rush , Rainbow and Deep Purple early on and watched the transformation of the genre... Ironically, obscura's old drummer plays in Triptykon..
I agree completely. I’m not as old as him but I’m 42 and have been a metal head since I was 11. Started playing guitar at 16 and have written my own music off and on over the years. All my music is flooded with mistakes but I don’t care. It’s honest and real. Metal, or music in general, isn’t supposed to be perfect. I listen to older records more then anything modern as well. The production is minimal and the raw energy is present in all those old 70’s and 80’a albums. I can’t stand the over production in todays metal. Not saying there isn’t a lot of good talent out there today because there definitely is. Todays music just doesn’t move me the way older music does. Not just metal but all music.
Modern metal has become soulless. All of these artists are simply slaves to technology, and as a result metal has become one of the most conservative & safe forms of music.
Unfortunately every genre sound old, looking at the history of rock music you can see a path, a change every 5/6 years in style, approach, sound. Psychedelic rock, progressive, hard rock, punk, new wave, hardcore, metal, dark wave, post rock etcetc. Every genre or sub genre added something new or was a reaction to the previous generation, now music sounds conservative and revivalism is the key, how many tv shows or bands that sucks to the 80s nostalgia do we have today? I think that the problem is much more deeper than metal, even pop was much fresher, pets sounds from the beach boys played with odd time signatures, unusual instruments, strange recording techniques, it was much more free and unpredictable than fucking heavy metal today despite the pop label.
come back and show the kids how its done. i remember the 80's metal scene it was rich, chaotic and beautiful. it wasn't just ratt and motley crue it was also celtic frost, venom, entombed and testament. i think today we need the old Guard more then ever, don't be the old guy shacking fist at clouds, be the wise master teaching the young knights of metal. we need you guys still.
This man's honesty has brought me to tears As a 20 something metalhead and guitar player, I feel the same way with alot of what he said, it's like there's a rut that the world of music is stuck in, but that is just subjective, everyone will like what they think sounds good and that's ok he talks about his hard youth being apart of what drew him to heavier music. And I'm sure most of us if not all of us who love hard rock and heavy metal have found comfort and beauty in the terror and chaos of that music. What is wrong with us indeed lol
He said it best when he described the modern metal sound as "sterile". I am amazed at the technical skills of some of these bands, but the music is generally over-processed and flat with no feel to it at all.
i always like how easy it is to play celtic frost stuff, and im horrible at guitar, but it still sounds good. its a good example of how you can keep it simple and still come up with something spectacular.
When the entire Black/Death/Thrash/Speed Metal scene was first born through bands like Venom, Voivod, Mercyfucl Fate, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Exodus, Possessed, Razor, Death, Destruction, Kreator, Sodom, etc etc, each band had their own distinct sound - if you heard a Hellhammer song you knew it was Hellhammer; if you heard a Voivod song you knew it was Voivod, so on and so forth but then something started happening in the later part of the 80s, yes, even back then. During the second or third wave of the underground metal scene it was clear which bands influenced the wave coming out during the later part of the 80s and unfortunately most of the bands were influenced by metallicas sound, or perhaps by metallicas growing popularity. A lot of bands started playing beyond what they could on a technical level, a lot of bands over produced their sound resulting in a sterility that made their product lose its original charm. Now of course as musicians they should want to grow, perfect example being Voivod, but in that quest for technical prowess a lot of bands from the original wave lost something incredibly important, their soul. And that whole birth of 'tnbm', well that can just suck my cock and balls.
Tom has absolutely no reason to apologise for his view.It's so refreshing to hear an opinion that I not only totally agree with but one put across so succinctly.
I couldn't agree more. When I buy a new metal album I often buy it on tape (if I get the chance) and play it in my crappiest cassette recorder so I don't have to struggle with all that perfection. I guess also that is why I shifted a lot into shoegaze over the last 10 years.
I Mostly Agree with him. Although will says guys like Kurt Ballou proves you can still produce records that sound great, but yet still keeps the Rawness,Energy and Charm of Metal
Flashback. I was 13 in 1984, growing up in rural Ohio and I used to record the local college radio station on my Realistic dual-cassette boombox every saturday from 11 pm to 2 am because they had a metal show. The only time you really heard metal on the radio besides maybe Ratt, Quiet Riot, ACDC, Twisted Sister, and Def Leppard. Then later I would make crappy sounding mix tapes of the songs I had recorded that I liked lol. But it was great because it was underground music that I couldn't just go buy at Kmart. One night the DJ played "Into Crypts of Rays" and "Procreation of the Wicked", then he apologized for it on the air lol. I thought it was really great and listened to it a lot but I didn't catch the name of the band until I found it a few years later. Soon afterwards I first heard Metallica Fight Fire, Ride the lightening, Creeping Death, Slayer Hell Awaits😮. This new metal coming out at the time was incrediblly heavy and unlike anything I'd heard before. It was great back then because people were like, "what the fuck is this weird creepy music??", and you felt like some kind of weirdo for loving it. Celtic Frost were wayyyy out front of the rest with their sound and innovation. Tom Warrior invented the "death grunt".
I agree..... I am 53 and kind of stuck in the 80s and early/mid 90s. That being said There a lot of now a days Death Metal and a few Black Metal bands that I love.
I also agree as in 2022 I'm now 48 years old with a long white beard and miss the value of bands I listened to (still do) back in the day. There are very few bands I listen to today that are bad ass and that I enjoy and respect. I grew up to Mercyful Fate, Misfits, Subhumans, Slayer etc. and Yes...I can hear the air between sounds as it was more organic and raw BUT produced very well analog. Sure I know you gotta get with the times and now it's all digital but I get it. Punk rock now is super perfect and I don't like it. I guess I'm an old school fart metal head punk rock and old school goth rock and industrial fan and I still play old school video games like atari, Nintendo and all cartridge based and old pc systems and games. Never owned a modern system and probably never will so even in the entertainment industry I'm still old school and I'm happy. Hell I still use charcoal to grill these days and never used a propane tank. So yeah...I totally get it 100% and I'm happy. Great Video! A+++ Thumbs Up and shared.
Holy S*it !! That's the reason why i always liked Hellhammer instead of Celtic Frost, because of Raw Sound and not too much computer effects on studio production. I'm a multi instrumentist on my own Metal project and on that project i play on a very cheap guitar, very cheap bass and a very cheap drum set. The only amps i use are a 20 years old Tiny Marshall Guitar Amp only with "Overdrive" and "Volume" (nowadays there are new versions on stores) and for the bass guitar i use the BASS Travel powered by 2 AAA Batteries and connected to an old radio speaker. I have done some experiments recording that to my laptop and the sound is almost the early 80s recordings.
I understand what he is saying, and he expresses himself well. But I am glad that he has at least some awareness that his age is a factor here. I am 44 and have been making music my whole life. I have done amateur music production for decades, and have recently been formally trained as an audio engineer. The reality is that we have tools now that bands didn’t have in the past. Although there are still bands producing a raw esthetic, there are technical bands that now have the ability to achieve a kind of perfection that was previously impossible. They are not sellouts or corporate shills. They are artists that are striving for a certain sound. Yes, modern deathcore is heavily produced, but that doesn’t make it fake or soulless.
I was very fortunate to see C.F. in 86 & 06. They will always be a very important part of my teen as well as my adult life. "And that's all I want to tell you."
He speaks the absolute truth 💯 if you listen to his early recordings like Morbid Tales it sounds so raw, pure and authentic whereas computer generated metal sounds generic and robotic 🤖
hes totally correct. if one digs deep in late 60s early 70s underground hard rock around the time he was being influenced by these sounds, you will unearth thousands of underground independent bands that were breaking the rules of music and making it heavier and heavier, i love the era when psych became super heavy right before being prog. i would like to see the rest of the interview, he's well spoken and articulates his experience very well.
Tom is brutally honest and unapologetic in his opinions. I've grown pretty indifferent towards a lot of the modern metal. So much of it just sounds too similar. I agree with him about it being overproduced to death. He's definitely one of my favorite artists because he stays true to his vision. Monotheist and the 2 Triptykon studio releases are on my list of favorite albums.
I could write a novel on this topic but modern bands focus too much on technicality. Metal is supposed to be raw, heavy, in your face, and filled with awesome riffs. If i wanted technicality i would listen to jazz.
I don't care for genres, personal preference, or even the pursuit of perfection. I seek frisson. And Tom produces so many pieces, which for me, are all i would hope they would be.
He's not wrong. As usual... the truth is a little bit somewhere in the middle. There are bands coming out nowadays that sound like Guitar Pro turned into real life (Archspire from Canada) and yet there are bands coming out that sound like they were recorded on tape in the 60's (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats). So, it's both. The ones who like Obscura good for them, the ones who like shit that sounds like it was recorded pre-90's, good for them too, there's room for both in this world...
He's not wrong. Some of the absolute best albums, songs, riffs and drumbeats were a bit sloppy by today's standards. When bands were pressured to keep studio time to a minimum and there were no shortcuts - some great work was caught on tape with the emotion intact. When musicians who didn't have the intricate chops to shred or time-perfect drumming - they had to compensate with killer songwriting and passion. THAT is metal imo.
The man's dead on with all his assessments. I'm not that much younger than him and I remember the glory days when metal was indeed crazed and passionate and ground breaking. Celtic Frost were one of my favorite bands back in the day; how eerie and warped and evil they sounded was a major turn on for me. These days, bands all sound alike because they use the same gear, the same Pro Tools settings, the same Kemper settings, the same drum triggers...you get the point. It's overly polished and overproduced and all the real danger and excitement has gone out of it. It's all about the science and not the art. I disagree with Adam Nergal Darski on a lot of things (pretentious black metal hipster that the man has always been), but he's also right about how "extreme" metal is old hat and predictable. I don't even pay attention to it anymore, sad to say. Metal has been stagnant for years, now, and it seems nobody has the courage to break the mold and try something new or something from the heart. Tragic development, isn't it?
Every time a band tries "something new", they are seen as "moving away from the genre" or not having that "passion". There's a lot of comments about that right here, it makes no sense. One thing is the superiority or innovation of the past, another thing is nostalgia. Most people in this comment section are riding on nostalgia.
tom is a legend he is one of the most important figures in the history of heavy metal an amazing songwriter musician frontman he is responsible for a whole range of metal styles in extreme metal he helped to innovate it thrash /black/death /gothic/avande-garde he helped by a long way to innovate them mainly with the forever amazing celtic frost a band that invented all these genres a band that to me is as important as sabbath ,priest ,maiden ,metallica ectc amazing albums in their own right except for cold lake allow it hade a few decent moments it just should never have hade the name Celtic frost put to it and the image change too lets not forget the one before hellhammer long since regarded as an important release for extreme metal especially black metal controversial at time of release even tom hated it now embraces it and it hade a great cover designed by the late martin ain R.I.P. venom clones maybe and as for tryptikon well there has only been 2 albums both awesome and incorporating all the elements as hellhammer and frost hade would like a third one as it was 8 years since second one was released never the less tom i salute you sir
Tom G. Always smarter than the heavy metal scene. 'Into the pandemonium' was shunned back in the day. 'Cold Lake' also. Philosophy, poetry and an actual attempt to articulate the struggle with Sartre's Nausea. The Frost - still bites.
Totally right on these thrash and death metal bands. The thrash bands now are mostly overproduced and clean sounding. I love dirty,evil sounding,raw stuff like old Death,Hellhammer,early Bathory,early Venom,Bulldozer,early. There are some good bands playing that style like Maniac,Hammr and some others. So i for that now.
It's a different time, a different era and I'm and old balding fat hairy man. I'm optimistic that right now someone is out there creating some extremely heavy and dangerous music. I'm hoping to unlock the gates and find this musical art that will send chills down my spine the same way that Hell Hammer and CF did when I was much younger......
I love Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Triptykon and I have the greatest respect for Tom's contribution to metal. But if he's missing the hundreds of bands making interesting, exciting and challenging music in this scene right now, then perhaps someone should set up a GoFundMe for him to get an internet connection. Just my opinion.
So much creative and interesting stuff in the underground. You just need to be looking for it. So many lazy people out there who want things handed to them.
@@Porous_Dawg 100% agree, and - just my opinion - but I think it's insulting to the many bands doing amazing things in the underground when I hear veterans of the scene saying things like this.
I must admit, all my favorite metal records are from the 80's to mid 90's. there is an organic groove to these records, musicians playing off each-other. sure there are subtle mistakes, production may be poor, but this is their charm. real and raw.
Yeah it's like that. Anarchy or perfection ? Pure anarchy is beautiful not sterile
Another thing I like is how some bands had more broader influences. Tom himself said that he was influenced by 80's goth such as Bauhaus, which partially led to Monotheist's sound. Samael's Passage brought in industrial influences, even though a lot of the stuff after that is kind of crap. And for a more punk example, one of Amebix's biggest influences was Killing Joke
Even in the 90's, one example is Deftones, Chi Cheng played bass, as Chino Moreno said, in his own" tempo signature" (cuz if you heard while he playing, he was out of beat almost every time), but that's the beauty on it, those little imperfections making the music as it can be: human.
100% right about everything. The genre has been coopted by corporations and made marketable and mainstream and accessible. The music no longer has to truly captivate you, it's produced with the sole purpose of being digestible to broader audiences. The true underground still exists but it will never have that bombastic sense of rebellion, that experience of creating or even listening to something never before experienced in the music world. That analogue rawness is something that must be pursued now, it's niche, and won't come with that feeling of innovation ever again like it did when heavy metal first hit the scene.
The zeitgeist has moved. Metal and rock can no longer be in the musical zeitgeist AND ALSO be creative, new and honest.
What world are you living in??? Metal isn't mainstream anymore... Can't remember the last time a major label signed a metal band
I agree I honestly don’t have nothing against kids who enjoy a slipknot or korn or whitechapel but it’s just not for me. It’s just my personal taste but if you people enjoy than i respect that
He's dead wrong. He's projecting a little.
@@DrJ-hx7wv in what way, doctor?
"What's wrong with people?" A lot Tom. You're 100% right and articulate this perfectly.
Yowch! He's right. A well-spoken guy. Six minutes without a single um or ah. Respect for you man
He slipped up at 1:16 one um in 6 minutes is stil impressive especially for a non native english speaker.
Not to mention English isn’t his first language!
so true, I think he's Swiss, right?
I'm 51 now. All I gotta say is that the 80s & 90s were the best years of Metal. It was literally all so fresh & new. All I see now are young kids who romanticize my generation with their high tops, tight jeans, dreaming about a time before they were even born. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to keep the scene alive, but it'll never be the same.
True. Also if people had denim vest with the patches in mid 90's to early 2000's, it was rare and like just continue to the 80's. It wasn't a fashion show like today with thousands of different clothes to choose, all designed to look retro.
Political correctness killed metal. Slayer, Type o Negative, Mayhem, Marduk and so many other bands wouldn't have a chance to develop in today's modern-day liberal fanaticism.
@@kingpriapatius5832Yeah, do remember though that a lot of metal was rebelling against ilogical conservatism. Extremes are always the problem, people go from being annoying conservatives about family-at-all-costs and against anyone different, to almost forcing the political correctness. Both extremes are bad. I've been recently seeing a lot of "conservative" metalheads which to me is insane and almost an oxymoron.
Tom, I agree with you. I'm 64 and a proud metalhead. A lot of music these days is BPM and speed. I miss the days of analog recordimg and tube amps.
54, equally so, I agree.
Dead-simply put:
Imperfect is perfect.
Since it is ALIVE!!!
Not "technologised" (Deadited" (read it as dead-edited) as it is today.
DO what Tom did:
Tape deck, mic, and blast away.
It probably will come out better than on some "pro" label.
It's hard to find artists who are as passionate as Tom. He truly is one of the greats
I love this commentary on heavy music; anarchy, passion, revolution, and energy. The imperfection of fire and dirt. I fucking love this description of what metal music embodies as a sound and form of expression! This man is speaking the truth like no one can or will! 🔥🔥🔥
He’s right
Tom is articulate, inciteful, brutal and 100% correct. He didnt hear that on the Mexican Radio lol
Mexico City radio stations 👹 probably played Celtic Frost once in a while on underground radio shows in 80s.
@@primalmythic386Absolutely, in the late night/midnight they (and some still) played so many underground bands (metal, punk, goth and even at the time cause the genre was no so big here in México, Hip-Hop, reggae and lot of "counterculture" music).
This dude puts the same passion in his spoken words as he does his music. I've been a fan since the BEGINNING. He's one of my biggest influences of all time, if not the BIGGEST.
The interviewer looks uncomfortable. I suppose it was not the answer he was expecting, but I agree with Tom. Even if there are excellent musicians nowadays, in general there is a lack of energy in most Metal bands.
I was trying to explain this recently to a producer whom I think is part of the problem. I think I will send him this video. Tom said exactly what I feel about a lot of modern bands. Most even have the same tones on drums, bass and guitar. Same mix too. I need raw and chaotic.
Listen to Manferior.
You are Not an "old fart" Tom. YOU ARE A LEGEND OF HEAVY METAL MUSIC!!! 🤘👿🤘
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘💯💯💯
🤘👹
I couldn't agree more. I never listened an interview with him, but he really articulates his thoughts so well. Clear cut.
Rauta has a good interview up check it out!
Full support, Heavy Metal isn't doing things right, those who want to do it correctly could join Orchestra .
i never listened an interview with him..... its i never listened "to" an interview with him
I've been following Tom since 1984. I was in a new and used record store in downtown Portland Oregon in the first album that I saw in the heavy metal section was hellhammer for $3 best three dollars that I've ever spent now I have everything he's ever done
Tom G Warrior has my highest respect!
I like how respectfully he expresses his opinions.
He can criticize things without personally insulting anyone.
Few people are this well spoken and eloquent with their opinions.
Celtic Frosts "Morbid Tales" was one of the first albums a ever had. Together with Bathorys "Blood fire death" it was so aweseome to have been a part of this looking back from today. I am 48 now.
Tom G Poser, Cold Lake, hairspray and makeup will NEVER be forgotten and never be forgiven
His appraisal applies perfectly to other music genres or even movies
Probably my favorite concert I've seen live was Black Sabbath on their Cross Purposes tour in Feb 1994 at the state theater in Detroit, MI. with the Iommi, Butler, Tony Martin, and Bobby Rodinelli line-up, with Motorhead & Morbid Angel opening up. It was in a very small concert hall and was BY FAR the loudest and heaviest concert I've ever been to. I couldn't hear hardly anything for 3 days afterward.
I saw Black Sabbath again (or Heaven & Hell) as they called themselves at the time since Dio was back in the band for the 3rd time at this point) in March 2007 at the John Labatt arena in London, Ontario Canada with the Iommi-Butler-Dio-Appice line-up, with Down & Megadeth opening. This is my favorite line-up of the band, but unfortunately they were in such a huge place this time, and I was on the complete opposite end of the building from the stage, the sound wasn't nearly as good as when I saw the band in 1994 at the small concert hall in Detroit. And this time there was tons of lighting & sound technicians all over in the center of the arena floor between me and the stage which was distracting as well. I'll take the bare-bones but louder than hell concert I saw them at 1994 over an elaborate but poor sound quality of a huge arena any day.
But getting back to the topic here, I absolutely love Celtic Frosts Live 2007 Wacken concert. The sound is fantastic, probably the best I've ever heard from them they really are a great band. I had most of their albums back in the 1980's, and the most recent one I purchased on CD was Monotheist which is just as good as most of their old songs and very heavy as well.
Saw Motorhead 4 or 5 times and couldn't hear right for 3-4 days after. Monotheist? Sounds like some sorry ass poser crap.
I come from a different musical background, but he is totally right. What he says here holds true for punk rock and hardcore punk as well.
I mos def agree
It's all the Corporate shit.
Punk rock died with Green Day and Rancid. It was a place and time in history and that place and time have moved on. Jello Biafra of the DK's says the same thing,it's impossible to be a "punk rock" band in 2022.
@@E.C.2 Agreed. Punk rock means different things to different people, but nowadays I just see a bunch of sidekicks to their own uniforms rehashing formalaeic, dime a dozen, cookie cutter stuff. Not interested in it.
@@E.C.2 Punk rock died with Sid Vicious in 1979.
This guy knows what's up.
The words of a genius and alma matter to extreme music. Absolutely right. Pure respect
My contribution in 2014 to the Celtic Frost tribute book. So close to what Tom is talking about here:
"I was just another heavy metal kid into Priest and Kiss when I borrowed three albums I'd never heard about before from a new friend: Eternal Devastation, Hell Awaits and Morbid Tales. Destruction and Slayer were of course mindblowingly awesome in their own right, making me tear down my Iron Maiden posters in minutes. But Frost was another beast entirely. There was something beyond the sheer power of the music, something ancient, mystical and Howardesian/Lovecraftesque that propelled my fragile teen mind into twisted worlds of macabre gods and forgotten dreams.
"And the perfect creation calls. What will the wind bring these days?"
What, indeed? We live in a time when every kid and his grandma can record their band professionally on a laptop, autotune vocals and trigger the drums, or reach millions on a metal blog. To me, the strength (and oh, what power they held) of Celtic Frost was actually in their technical shortcomings, and how they conquered them. It was never about virtuosity or seasoned professionalism, but bending all your limitations to your will and from them craft some of the most crushing and majestic music this planet has ever heard. I honestly think we should stop giving instrument lessons to kids. Just give them all a copy of Morbid Tales and lock them in a room with a stereo and some old Savage Sword of Conan comics. The world of music will never be the same again."
He's 100% correct and I have huge respect for Tom G. There's no danger involved in this music anymore, no passion and not giving a shit if you fall on face and fuck up a solo. Actually a lot of heavy metal music back then did have a lot to do with jazz in my opinion, the music was much more freer than it is now and what went wrong has a lot to do with the advent of digital recording. Tape was expensive and you couldn't afford to do take after take, so improvisation and leaving artifacts in the mix were the norm and usually that is all for the better. Now it takes several years for bands to release albums...
Tom is so honest...so fuckin honest,and true and loyal ...brings me to tears,I´m trying to play my similiar stuff but nobody uderstads,don¨t give damn what is the majority thinkin´ about.. just doin where my soul leads me ....whatever the majority thinks .....straid forward !!! AND WE KNOW WHAT THE DIRT IS !! DIRT IS ACTUALLY SOUL PRESENTATION OV PURITY
Wow awesomely stated.. I grew up in a house of order and structure and found metal late in life. I could never be as metal as this guy. I love his vision and the fact he states its his opinion and the way he looks at life and how he lives!! Its his music and his generation, gotta respect that!
Tom, du bist einfach der Größte!!!! Danke für diese tollen Worte!!!
It may be true in a sense, but there's also an inevitability to it. There's no chance for any band to have the same sort of impact or emotional feeling when there have been tens of thousands of metal songs written since the 80's. We're all also older and have heard and seen so much there's not even a chance for something to stand out like that.
Trve.
I disagree. Although what you're saying is true, it's not what Tom is commenting on. He's talking about what heavy music stands for and embodies as a form of expression. Rebellion, fire, anarchy, and the raw energy of passion. Including all the mistakes and nuances of imperfection that define that energy. He's saying that this energetic spirit is no longer with the music, that it's far too perfected, technical, and over-produced to embody the raw energy it attempts to represent, but instead it fails to deliver or truly convey this spirit. What he is talking about is sort of like an expressive kind of symbolism or metaphor through sound.
While I still enjoy much modern metal, he is right about it not living up to the authentic energetic message it stands for as a sound.
Well Tom is certainly the polar opposite of Seth Putnam
Tom is a legend.
Very true regards to what he stated with old school heavy metal scene these days (for the most part). Other factor most (young) music listeners don't take time, searching for those hidden modern metal bands still carrying the torch. Playing, recording "old school style" heavy metal music. Hidden in the vast streaming music sea. Lost in the mix with millions of other bands & artists streaming their music on Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc.
He's such a nice guy, genuine and humble...he's correct in every word...... We've changed very much and for the worst. We have lost the fire...I remember growing up in the 80s and being introduced to Sabbath, Kiss,Rush , Rainbow and Deep Purple early on and watched the transformation of the genre... Ironically, obscura's old drummer plays in Triptykon..
Nah, you're just old.
I agree completely. I’m not as old as him but I’m 42 and have been a metal head since I was 11. Started playing guitar at 16 and have written my own music off and on over the years. All my music is flooded with mistakes but I don’t care. It’s honest and real. Metal, or music in general, isn’t supposed to be perfect. I listen to older records more then anything modern as well. The production is minimal and the raw energy is present in all those old 70’s and 80’a albums. I can’t stand the over production in todays metal. Not saying there isn’t a lot of good talent out there today because there definitely is. Todays music just doesn’t move me the way older music does. Not just metal but all music.
well done Tom for saying it like it is , I remember a time when you had tape trading and fanzines, now its downloads and Facebook !!!
Tom G is an innovator. A metal legend. He is on the mark minus a VERY small handful of young bands who do it right.
Which bands would you count among these?
He influenced early hardcore bands too
From one of the living legends himself, Tom is spot on with his warrior wit and wisdom indeed
What a very smart guy. Couldn’t have said it better.
passion, fire, you are absolutely correct Sir, agree 100% 👍👍
Modern metal has become soulless. All of these artists are simply slaves to technology, and as a result metal has become one of the most conservative & safe forms of music.
@Metal Fan Vale Neil Peart
Soulless. You said it all with those two syllables.
Great music exists...it always will. But you really have to dig long and hard to find it.
Unfortunately every genre sound old, looking at the history of rock music you can see a path, a change every 5/6 years in style, approach, sound. Psychedelic rock, progressive, hard rock, punk, new wave, hardcore, metal, dark wave, post rock etcetc. Every genre or sub genre added something new or was a reaction to the previous generation, now music sounds conservative and revivalism is the key, how many tv shows or bands that sucks to the 80s nostalgia do we have today? I think that the problem is much more deeper than metal, even pop was much fresher, pets sounds from the beach boys played with odd time signatures, unusual instruments, strange recording techniques, it was much more free and unpredictable than fucking heavy metal today despite the pop label.
@Paul Murphy Spot on 100%.
Fear factory warned us but we didn’t listen
come back and show the kids how its done. i remember the 80's metal scene it was rich, chaotic and beautiful. it wasn't just ratt and motley crue it was also celtic frost, venom, entombed and testament. i think today we need the old Guard more then ever, don't be the old guy shacking fist at clouds, be the wise master teaching the young knights of metal. we need you guys still.
This man's honesty has brought me to tears As a 20 something metalhead and guitar player, I feel the same way with alot of what he said, it's like there's a rut that the world of music is stuck in, but that is just subjective, everyone will like what they think sounds good and that's ok he talks about his hard youth being apart of what drew him to heavier music. And I'm sure most of us if not all of us who love hard rock and heavy metal have found comfort and beauty in the terror and chaos of that music. What is wrong with us indeed lol
He said it best when he described the modern metal sound as "sterile". I am amazed at the technical skills of some of these bands, but the music is generally over-processed and flat with no feel to it at all.
i always like how easy it is to play celtic frost stuff, and im horrible at guitar, but it still sounds good. its a good example of how you can keep it simple and still come up with something spectacular.
It's not about the Musicianship it's the songwriting. The songwriting and studio production is what is killing it.
When the entire Black/Death/Thrash/Speed Metal scene was first born through bands like Venom, Voivod, Mercyfucl Fate, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Exodus, Possessed, Razor, Death, Destruction, Kreator, Sodom, etc etc, each band had their own distinct sound - if you heard a Hellhammer song you knew it was Hellhammer; if you heard a Voivod song you knew it was Voivod, so on and so forth but then something started happening in the later part of the 80s, yes, even back then. During the second or third wave of the underground metal scene it was clear which bands influenced the wave coming out during the later part of the 80s and unfortunately most of the bands were influenced by metallicas sound, or perhaps by metallicas growing popularity. A lot of bands started playing beyond what they could on a technical level, a lot of bands over produced their sound resulting in a sterility that made their product lose its original charm. Now of course as musicians they should want to grow, perfect example being Voivod, but in that quest for technical prowess a lot of bands from the original wave lost something incredibly important, their soul. And that whole birth of 'tnbm', well that can just suck my cock and balls.
I love Tom 👊🤘🤘 Celtic frost, so amazing 👊🤘🔥one of my heroes
Love this guy all his bands don’t get enough credit for having a major part in the making of black metal and managed to put doom and thrash in it
I absolutely love this man
I respect his takes hes got the years to back it up
Tom has absolutely no reason to apologise for his view.It's so refreshing to hear an opinion that I not only totally agree with but one put across so succinctly.
I couldn't agree more. When I buy a new metal album I often buy it on tape (if I get the chance) and play it in my crappiest cassette recorder so I don't have to struggle with all that perfection. I guess also that is why I shifted a lot into shoegaze over the last 10 years.
I Mostly Agree with him. Although will says guys like Kurt Ballou proves you can still produce records that sound great, but yet still keeps the Rawness,Energy and Charm of Metal
I'm 27 years old, but I share his opinion
Flashback. I was 13 in 1984, growing up in rural Ohio and I used to record the local college radio station on my Realistic dual-cassette boombox every saturday from 11 pm to 2 am because they had a metal show. The only time you really heard metal on the radio besides maybe Ratt, Quiet Riot, ACDC, Twisted Sister, and Def Leppard. Then later I would make crappy sounding mix tapes of the songs I had recorded that I liked lol. But it was great because it was underground music that I couldn't just go buy at Kmart. One night the DJ played "Into Crypts of Rays" and "Procreation of the Wicked", then he apologized for it on the air lol. I thought it was really great and listened to it a lot but I didn't catch the name of the band until I found it a few years later. Soon afterwards I first heard Metallica Fight Fire, Ride the lightening, Creeping Death, Slayer Hell Awaits😮. This new metal coming out at the time was incrediblly heavy and unlike anything I'd heard before. It was great back then because people were like, "what the fuck is this weird creepy music??", and you felt like some kind of weirdo for loving it. Celtic Frost were wayyyy out front of the rest with their sound and innovation. Tom Warrior invented the "death grunt".
I'm glad this guy was there to answer that question so fucking perfectly.
I agree..... I am 53 and kind of stuck in the 80s and early/mid 90s. That being said There a lot of now a days Death Metal and a few Black Metal bands that I love.
This applies to most genres of music
I also agree as in 2022 I'm now 48 years old with a long white beard and miss the value of bands I listened to (still do) back in the day. There are very few bands I listen to today that are bad ass and that I enjoy and respect. I grew up to Mercyful Fate, Misfits, Subhumans, Slayer etc. and Yes...I can hear the air between sounds as it was more organic and raw BUT produced very well analog. Sure I know you gotta get with the times and now it's all digital but I get it. Punk rock now is super perfect and I don't like it. I guess I'm an old school fart metal head punk rock and old school goth rock and industrial fan and I still play old school video games like atari, Nintendo and all cartridge based and old pc systems and games. Never owned a modern system and probably never will so even in the entertainment industry I'm still old school and I'm happy. Hell I still use charcoal to grill these days and never used a propane tank. So yeah...I totally get it 100% and I'm happy. Great Video! A+++ Thumbs Up and shared.
Holy S*it !!
That's the reason why i always liked Hellhammer instead of Celtic Frost, because of Raw Sound and not too much computer effects on studio production.
I'm a multi instrumentist on my own Metal project and on that project i play on a very cheap guitar, very cheap bass and a very cheap drum set.
The only amps i use are a 20 years old Tiny Marshall Guitar Amp only with "Overdrive" and "Volume" (nowadays there are new versions on stores) and for the bass guitar i use the BASS Travel powered by 2 AAA Batteries and connected to an old radio speaker.
I have done some experiments recording that to my laptop and the sound is almost the early 80s recordings.
Wow! I couldn't possibly agree any more, nor have explained any better.
Right to the spot, thank you very much for this very valuable statement
Thank you!
Pretty true. I heard someone say the new megadeth album sounds like “copyright free metal” and now I can’t think of any other way.
I understand what he is saying, and he expresses himself well. But I am glad that he has at least some awareness that his age is a factor here.
I am 44 and have been making music my whole life. I have done amateur music production for decades, and have recently been formally trained as an audio engineer. The reality is that we have tools now that bands didn’t have in the past. Although there are still bands producing a raw esthetic, there are technical bands that now have the ability to achieve a kind of perfection that was previously impossible. They are not sellouts or corporate shills. They are artists that are striving for a certain sound. Yes, modern deathcore is heavily produced, but that doesn’t make it fake or soulless.
I was very fortunate to see C.F. in 86 & 06. They will always be a very important part of my teen as well as my adult life. "And that's all I want to tell you."
Tom hit the nail perfectly. 80s was absolute pure and agressive.
A total icon and huge influence on me and the entire extreme metal scene
You are absolutely RIGHT!!!!!
He speaks the absolute truth 💯 if you listen to his early recordings like Morbid Tales it sounds so raw, pure and authentic whereas computer generated metal sounds generic and robotic 🤖
hes totally correct. if one digs deep in late 60s early 70s underground hard rock around the time he was being influenced by these sounds, you will unearth thousands of underground independent bands that were breaking the rules of music and making it heavier and heavier, i love the era when psych became super heavy right before being prog. i would like to see the rest of the interview, he's well spoken and articulates his experience very well.
Tom is brutally honest and unapologetic in his opinions. I've grown pretty indifferent towards a lot of the modern metal. So much of it just sounds too similar. I agree with him about it being overproduced to death. He's definitely one of my favorite artists because he stays true to his vision. Monotheist and the 2 Triptykon studio releases are on my list of favorite albums.
Plus all these silly bs thematic subgroups. I'll stick with the old school scene bathory hellhammer
I like how objective he is even with his own position.
I agree!! I hate that technical shit! Although its impossible to expect another motorhead black sabbath, iron maiden, celtic frost, venom, etc.
I could write a novel on this topic but modern bands focus too much on technicality. Metal is supposed to be raw, heavy, in your face, and filled with awesome riffs. If i wanted technicality i would listen to jazz.
that was a GREAT interview, imagine if it were Lars Ulrich answering those questions? millions of people would have slit their wrists
Lol😅
I don't care for genres, personal preference, or even the pursuit of perfection. I seek frisson. And Tom produces so many pieces, which for me, are all i would hope they would be.
Totally agree. UGH!
He's not wrong. As usual... the truth is a little bit somewhere in the middle. There are bands coming out nowadays that sound like Guitar Pro turned into real life (Archspire from Canada) and yet there are bands coming out that sound like they were recorded on tape in the 60's (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats). So, it's both. The ones who like Obscura good for them, the ones who like shit that sounds like it was recorded pre-90's, good for them too, there's room for both in this world...
Thats it I swear perfection kills it ! Thats why I liked bands like Pentagram, Celtic Frost etc.
The same for me, thats why I try to record songs in least takes possible. But covers have to be played as good as it is possible.
Absolutely on point
To Mega Therion is a great great piece of Art and it will never repeat in the fuc*** history of heavy music.
He's not wrong. Some of the absolute best albums, songs, riffs and drumbeats were a bit sloppy by today's standards. When bands were pressured to keep studio time to a minimum and there were no shortcuts - some great work was caught on tape with the emotion intact. When musicians who didn't have the intricate chops to shred or time-perfect drumming - they had to compensate with killer songwriting and passion. THAT is metal imo.
Only honesty like in TGW can speak such truths and remain undaunted.
The man's dead on with all his assessments. I'm not that much younger than him and I remember the glory days when metal was indeed crazed and passionate and ground breaking. Celtic Frost were one of my favorite bands back in the day; how eerie and warped and evil they sounded was a major turn on for me. These days, bands all sound alike because they use the same gear, the same Pro Tools settings, the same Kemper settings, the same drum triggers...you get the point. It's overly polished and overproduced and all the real danger and excitement has gone out of it. It's all about the science and not the art. I disagree with Adam Nergal Darski on a lot of things (pretentious black metal hipster that the man has always been), but he's also right about how "extreme" metal is old hat and predictable. I don't even pay attention to it anymore, sad to say. Metal has been stagnant for years, now, and it seems nobody has the courage to break the mold and try something new or something from the heart. Tragic development, isn't it?
Every time a band tries "something new", they are seen as "moving away from the genre" or not having that "passion". There's a lot of comments about that right here, it makes no sense. One thing is the superiority or innovation of the past, another thing is nostalgia. Most people in this comment section are riding on nostalgia.
Dark Throne is still good.
@@MoonOvIce facts.
I couldn't agree with Tom more. I think the old generations of rock and metal had an attitude the young bands just don't get.
tom is a legend he is one of the most important figures in the history of heavy metal an amazing songwriter musician frontman he is responsible for a whole range of metal styles in extreme metal he helped to innovate it thrash /black/death /gothic/avande-garde he helped by a long way to innovate them mainly with the forever amazing celtic frost a band that invented all these genres a band that to me is as important as sabbath ,priest ,maiden ,metallica ectc amazing albums in their own right except for cold lake allow it hade a few decent moments it just should never have hade the name Celtic frost put to it and the image change too lets not forget the one before hellhammer long since regarded as an important release for extreme metal especially black metal controversial at time of release even tom hated it now embraces it and it hade a great cover designed by the late martin ain R.I.P. venom clones maybe and as for tryptikon well there has only been 2 albums both awesome and incorporating all the elements as hellhammer and frost hade would like a third one as it was 8 years since second one was released never the less tom i salute you sir
Tom G. Always smarter than the heavy metal scene. 'Into the pandemonium' was shunned back in the day. 'Cold Lake' also. Philosophy, poetry and an actual attempt to articulate the struggle with Sartre's Nausea. The Frost - still bites.
I love those two albums!!
Of course Tom still brutally shuns Cold Lake to this day himself...
@@craigwisnom It’s not a bad record. Metal fans can be seriously brutal when it comes to any changeup of style.
Cold Lake should still be shunned tbh
How true. Very proudly said. Hail the Frost 🤘👹🤘..
Im a 35 years old fart and Im literally crying above these words. Truth fucking hurts.
Totally right on these thrash and death metal bands. The thrash bands now are mostly overproduced and clean sounding. I love dirty,evil sounding,raw stuff like old Death,Hellhammer,early Bathory,early Venom,Bulldozer,early. There are some good bands playing that style like Maniac,Hammr and some others. So i for that now.
Gotta agree with him here. 100%
True. Bands like Idles can feel more anarchic than what the top metal tracks sound like.
I agree. He says that metal has become sport instead art
100% agree.
He is 100% correct about everything he says here.
It's a different time, a different era and I'm and old balding fat hairy man. I'm optimistic that right now someone is out there creating some extremely heavy and dangerous music. I'm hoping to unlock the gates and find this musical art that will send chills down my spine the same way that Hell Hammer and CF did when I was much younger......
Este tío es más sensato hablando que cualquier político que veréis por la tele.
Tom I was born in 1963.....what month day? epic !
I love Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Triptykon and I have the greatest respect for Tom's contribution to metal. But if he's missing the hundreds of bands making interesting, exciting and challenging music in this scene right now, then perhaps someone should set up a GoFundMe for him to get an internet connection. Just my opinion.
So much creative and interesting stuff in the underground. You just need to be looking for it. So many lazy people out there who want things handed to them.
@@Porous_Dawg 100% agree, and - just my opinion - but I think it's insulting to the many bands doing amazing things in the underground when I hear veterans of the scene saying things like this.
I am sure he has one. Maybe send him a few recommendations.