JUMPING DARKNESS PARADE: DAATH’S EYAL LEVI ON THE HEIRARCHY OF THE METAL WORLD
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 4:30pm by Eyal Levi
So playing underground metal is interesting for various reasons. There’s a real hierarchy to it. It has its own set of stars. Its own celebs. Legends. Etc. But in the grand scheme of the music industry, it’s nothing but a drop in the bucket.
Forget Metallica and the huge bands. I’m talking about everything else. Maybe these days, when records don’t sell like they used to and metal sells like it always has, it’s a bigger drop in the bucket. But check this out. A metal band sells 100,000 units. I’ts something to open up champagne and do coke off of strippers asses over. Tour buses, flat screen TVs, WOW WE’RE ROCKSTARS. Do you guys realize that on a major label in the mainstream world, 100,000 units is an abject failure?
I remember a few years ago when Dope (I HATE DOPE SO DON’T GIVE ME SHIT) only sold 250,000 units and got dropped. Dr. Edsel was giving a speech on how he got to do more than most artists ever do, etc., etc. Dude, if you sell 250,000 units now in a heavy band you are goddamn royalty. Like Five Finger Death Punch. Dropped in the 90’s, now is some huge shit. Again, I’m not saying I like this band, I’m just talking about numbers.
The numbers are low. They’ve always been low for most metal, but now they’re really low. If a band on an indie label sells 80,000 records they are some big time shit. Imagine that in the 90’s. FAILURE! Imagine that on a major label. FAILURE! What I’m getting at is this: metal is its own little bubble world with its own set of standards that have nothing to do with the rest of the music industry.
I like it that way. Its not for outsiders really. Maybe it’s the vocals, even though there’s a million styles of ‘em. Maybe it’s the fact that to really listen to the music you basically have to be ready to drive fast and red line yourself. Maybe people just need easy listening at the office. For whatever reason, this kind of music is for the few. What’s cool to me is that, even within this tiny genre of music, there is an entire community with a hierarchy and a set of unwritten rules. This is a genre you can prosper in outside of the larger music industry without pulling in pop/rock/country/rap numbers. It’s a small genre, but a dedicated genre.
It fascinates me that in genres like rock, I have NEVER seen an underground scene like this where bands that sell 15,000 units (e.g., Satyricon) can headline tours, roll in buses, and make that money. Metal has its own set of rules. Maybe that’s why I like it. You can’t be in it for the money. Its all about music and lifestyle. If you are lucky enough to make enough money to live, by metal standards you are rich. Those who have actually gotten rich by real world standards…. well… consider them winners of the metal lottery.
-EL
Help Eyal become a winner in the metal lottery by visiting Daath on MySpace.
This guy has by far the most entertaining reads on this site week after week, and i like that he posts up pretty damn regularly with new stuff.
Dallas Coyle isn’t fit to trim Eyal Levi’s blogging toenails
Dallas is the fucking man and if he hadn’t done his blog I wouldn’t have had the inspiration to do mine
well put sir
You must forgive \m/eluveitie\m/. He has taken the place of Ziltoid as one of the biggest closed minded dumb-fucks that posts on this site and is just doing his part.
Lemme correct myself…I didn’t mean any hate towards Dallas, I just think Eyal’s blog is much more insightful and well-written. While Coyle’s blog was all over the place in terms of content, Eyal’s has always been about aspects of the industry and life in a band that I’m interested in. With Dallas it was always a mystery whether he’d write something I actually cared about reading, the topics Eyal covers have consistently appealed to my interests. So far I haven’t read a single blog from Eyal that made me wonder “Why the hell did I just waste my time reading this?”, with Dallas it’s a different story.
i think what your saying is, Levi writes about shit of interest, while Coyle writes about…Susan Boyle.
Bingo
I loved the part in “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” where they covered the business end of our subculture, mostly because it was succinct and dead-on. We as a subculture (largely) make our own taste, the fans keep the underground going with sites like this one and others (or by word of mouth, in general), and our artists don’t wait to “get made” — they do it themselves and take it to the streets, so to speak.
To paraphrase Rob Zombie, I love it that we have our own thing going and it’s HUGE, but most people don’t know anything about it. The flip side of our music not being considered commercially viable or even suitable for mass consumption means that most artists who play metal don’t get to make a living off of it; for that matter, they can pretty much forget about getting rich. I wish the artists who made me so happy could reasonably expect to reap larger financial rewards for bleeding themselves dry like they do, but these days it’s less likely than ever that can or ever will be their reality.
And yes, hoo-ray for Eyal!
Considering Kevin Talley is your drummer and the fact that he tried out for Slayer, I’m surprised you guys don’t get that much more exposure that you deserve.
Eyal, I know this is off topic but are you guys planning on getting a new keyboardist? As much as I like the new album, I miss the industrial elements that you had on The Hinderers. That album is very influential and very underrated. I loved the variety you had on there.
Glad you dig both albums man.
The next DAATH record is going to be all of our elements maxed the fuck out. We chose to limit the keys on The Concealers in order to really focus on the riffs and the solos but we’re about to take about as hard a left turn before the next one as we did for this one. Expect keys, expect tons of solos, expect ridiculous drumming, expect more riffs than you can count, and some catchy ass tunes.
You’re already plotting out the new album? God damn, talk about work ethic.
This is completely unrelated, but is Daath gonna get an official website soon?
Yes. We’re working on it. Its going to be pretty elaborate.
Finally! A band that still wants a real website, so I don’t have to put up with some godawful MySpace garbage!
Any plans for a Daath dvd?
We have hours and hours of footage that we’re compiling. We’re thinkng of releasing a dvd sometime during the next record cycle and have it document all the way back to The Hinderers days.
Another great piece, Eyal. Your contributions to Metalsucks are great and you provide a unique insight to the Business/scene that is very interesting. Keep ‘em coming.
Thanks bro
Way better than hatin on kids in guitar center (J/K) Good stuff dude.
i’m not hating on the kids, just the terrible racket they make
The Guitar Center on 14th street in NY hired a severely angry butch lesbian just to scare those kids away. Problem is, she scares everyone away.
i go to school right by there and ive seen her its like seeing jason in the flesh
So you guys used to be called Dirtnap back in the day? Have any songs from that band on the web? Would sure like to hear it. Anyways I got one of the last few copies of Futility off ebay. Sure I could have downloaded it but it was nice to have and the artwork is good.
Yeah. Dirtnap. That’s what we were called 2001-2003. We put together one full length demo. Some of those songs made it to Futility, but to me, they lost something in the process. The Dirt Nap demo is still where it’s at for those songs. i’ve been thinking about putting those up for download at some point in the future or maybe as a special feature on an upcoming CD.
I only buy albums now these days if it’s of a band I really like, that includes Daath. I think ATL/Georgia and Nola have the best metal scene in the country. Will Daath ever do a festival again like Ozzfest or Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
The other day I came across this page http://www.myspace.com/daathrules Do you run that too? It’s pretty cool.
Ozzfest 2007 was the time of my life. We would be overjoyed to do another massive festival tour. Just need that offer!
we don’t run that site btw – its a fan site
You guys were so fucking awesome at Ozzfest 2007. I went to the one in Pittsburgh and misssed some of the show because you were the first band of the show. Had never heard the band before that point, but god damn was I impressed.
Frankly, Eyal is by far the best writer on this site. But I do have one question. As an example, Morbid Angel had some minor mainstream success in the early 90s on Giant Records (a relatively major label). Obviously, Morbid Angel are one of the best and most influential death metal bands out there, but what would have motivated a relatively major label like that to sign them given the numbers you provided (MA only sold approx 127,000 copies of Covenant, nowhere near the 250,000 “failure” of Dope)? Better yet, what would have motivated them to keep MA after Covenant for another album.
Back when Morbid Angel got signed to giant, Carcass was also signed to a major label. In my opinion the major labels thought that the genre was going to be the next big thing and signed up some obvious choices. It didn’t last too long. Carcass broke up on purpose to get out of major label hell and we all know where Morbid Angel went. I have a feeling, and this is just a guess, that the budgets for a band like Morbid Angel were far lower than for a band like dope so selling their 127,000 most likely recouped and then some. Maybe some A+R guy at the time actually understood that metal bands develop over multiple albums and kept them on board with the hopes of an eventual breakthrough. Again, these are all guesses since I don’t actually know what went down.
They may be guesses, but that’s some good insight. Thanks for the reply.
I’m commenting because I, too, was extremely impressed by Eyal’s writing. I want more of it.
But I have to say: this mind and writing talent were both wasted on a post that amounted to just another “Hey, we’re metal! You’re outside and we’re inside! Yeah! *chest thump* You don’t understand us! Yeah!” tirade. Can’t we do better?
I’ve been reading MetalSucks for a year and a half now in the hope that it’s a site that can establish a community for insightful, perhaps even introspective, perspectives on metal. Kind of like Invisible Oranges, except less narrow-minded.
That said, please, please keep writing for MetalSucks, Eyal! I only see good things coming of it. And it’ll definitely make me check the feed more often!
I have to disagree with your criticism of Eyal’s post (in fact, my comment above concurred with his post), but your point of view is no less valid. And I, too, keep hoping the budding community here will eventually coalesce into something more than the predominantly negative posts that amount to little more than “this sucks,” “you suck,” “you’re an idiot,” or, my all-time favorite, “BUT THAT’S NOT METAL!” (I propose a new drinking game: Any time someone here posts, “BUT THAT’S NOT METAL!” everyone drinks.) To this end, your continued contribution to the site will undoubtedly do its part.
If that game happens, I’ll have you all drunk very quickly.
It’s Friday night and I might stay home JUST FOR THAT. I’m counting on you, Ziltoid-baby. Don’t let me down!
i’m surprised you find Invisible Oranges narrow-minded. i’ve been more drawn to that site BECAUSE the writers (particularly Cosmo) bring up a broad range of subjects and explore a variety of genres, even those outside of metal. MS might be more entertaining but the bands they talk up here are way more predictable. MetalSucks is my main source for metal news, but Invisible Oranges is required reading, too.
i also agree with all the Eyal support. great articles, man.
And Covenant is the best selling death metal album of all time.
I’m glad someone IN the metal world has the balls to realize and admit that being big in the genre, with a very few exceptions, is still small compared to the music world in general. Metal fans seem to forget that even a big selling band like Slipknot is relatively unknown outside of fans of metal and/or hard rock.
Most people with knowledge of modern music know about Slipknot. That’s part of the reason that the younger mainstream audience thinks metal is all “OMGZ SATANIC EVIL ‘IF YO 555 DEN IM 666′ RAWR VOCALS”. Nu metal in general is pretty well known amongst the non-metal crowd. That give a horrible image of tr00 metal.
But at the same time, there are also the kind of elitists who think that Anaal Nathrakh are posers for being signed to an actual label and the only good metal is either “early 90s scandinavian stuff” that isn’t melodeath or local grind. The fact that I’ve met those kinds of people in real life is the reason why I had to call my side Ultimate Poser Blog since listening to a band that sells 3,000 copies worldwide is the definition of a poser band.
And yes, Ziltiod, I did just imply that you are not the uber tr00 kvlt guy that you claim to be around here. You actually care about quality music, but being a “real” metalhead means that you intentionally search out the most awfully produced albums and most obscure and unlistenable noise that you can find. And no, Intestinal Disgorge doesn’t count. Even I know who they are and even a total poser like me thinks tht they’re awesome.
Anyone who even glimpsed at my top 21 albums list (or my best of 2009 so far) could have told you that I’m not a “grim necro kvlt” type of metal fan (I detest the word “metalhead”–it makes me think of skinhead Pantera fans). Obviously quality is my priority, but it is always a good feeling to take the effort and find a really underground band without good promotion that also provides great quality (i.e., Synestesia, one of my candidates for best album of the year “Feeniks”). If you don’t put in real effort into finding your music, you’re not really serious about it. Enough said.
Also, I pretty much NEED good production (and by good, I don’t mean glossy, super shiny shit, I mean something that really fits the sound of the music.). Hell, look at Eucharist, a melodeath band from the 90s. They wrote some great music (all on their website for free download), but the production is so unbelievably horrible that I just can’t bring myself to liking it.
Oh Ziltoid, *glimpse* at your top 21? No, I memorized it, had it printed and then bronzed. It hangs in my entryway with the quote: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Ziltoid.” I have even decided to blog solely about your opinions and favorite artists. Why, if you stopped making your own long lists to counter those provided by the authors of Metalsucks, I’d have no reason to visit here anymore!
Glad to see that my deep insights into the world of tr00 metal is deeply appreciated. Now you just need to start a religion based on me, and we can go somewhere with this “praise Ziltoid” thing.
As much as I hate using my Facebook profile, this site isn’t letting me sign out. So I’ll use it anyway.
My post was implying that the tr00 kvlt crowd had made posers out of everyone who listens to a band with more than one demo. Thus making your elitist comments completely useless ince there are people who’d consider your musical taste mainstream. (They’re idiots but I accept that they exist even if they think that Bathory sold out on Under the Sign of the Black Mark and thinks that Gorgoroth are superstars.)
Anyway, all that I remember about your top 21 is that Mercenary’s 11 Dreams was on there. That album kicked my ass. Anyway, check out Ultimate Poser Blog from November 1st to December 31 for my top 100. I’m putting so much work into this thing to make sure that it turns out right. Some of it might be a bit mainstream for your taste but there are probably two bands on there that you’ve never even heard of that released some great unsigned albums that totally deserve your attention. (Hint: One of them is #6 and no, their production didn’t suck.)
not to be a dick, but you do realize it’s spelled Poseur, right? speler nazi’s atack!
i agree with your point, though.
NO ONE GIVES A FUCK ABOUT DAATH
You care enough to post that
You sir are a re-tard, says fat jesus
….says the spawn of ziltoid.
Don’t associate that thing with me.
I’ll second the comment that you’re currently the best writer on this site. So much so that you’re writing has led me to your music and made you a new fan. If you guys ever stumble into my neck of the woods(Sacramento, CA) I’ll not only be attending the show but, given the opportunity, I’d gladly buy you a beer or 12.
liquor… i don’t drink beer too often and hell yeah — just come find me and we’ll do some shots
Glad you’re digging the blog and the music
liquor it’ll be then.
That was directed at kidzord
I love the blog dude. I’m gonna try to pick a copy of The Concealers soon by the way.
Since you guys are from the ATL, do you think you guys will stop there every time you tour? I missed you guys when you toured w/ Goatwhore and I kinda regret it.
I’ve listened to metal since I was 13. Before that it was bullshit like rap and all that. The reason I listen to metal now is because ya’ll stay true to where it began. You don’t see underground bands changing thier style (people that believe in underground metal) just for the cash. Sure, you aren’t going to make money with underground metal, but fuck it. It’s a fucking adrenaline rush getting up there and seein’ the fans mosh and the energy produced by the crowd. People say metal takes no talent at all and that is bullshit. Look at those rappers who make millions and all they have to do is rhyme. So I say, FUCK THOSE WHO THINK METAL SUCKS!!!! STAY AWAY FROM US AND LISTEN TO YOUR BULLSHIT RAP!!!!
God heals all things in time, except these crazy eyes…
Well I agree with you on the sales being fucked up for metal bands but I think it’s just because it’s no longer about album sales like it once was. Labels and kids without a scene to jump on to are all looking for popularity. The reason a band like Five Finger Death Punch is popular is because they have become the sort of mainstream voice of heavy metal for all of the frat kids who claim to like metal and all of the kids who listen to pop music that think they are brutal. I love Satyricon, however most of their fans are the people who name dropped them back when they were still fairly obscure as a way to be more black metal than anyone else, and now that they’ve found mainstream success there’s just as many people riding on their coattails as the new thing as the people who call them sellouts. So they’ve absorbed just as many fans as a band like Cradle of Filth just by reputation. Record labels know albums are a dying breed so instead they give us shit like Panic! At the Disco and Avenged Sevenfold with little actual talent to see if they can influence an entire culture into acting and dressing the same so hopefully they will spend money on the lifestyle and not necessarily the album. Think about how much money is infused through Spencer’s and Hot Topic for those bands now by 13 year olds who think they learned what real metal is. It’s sad to think that good musicianship is replaced by marketability and in bands like 5FDP, Satyricon, Job For A Cowboy, The Agonist, etc. just found a way to exploit a bunch of vulnerable kids looking for somewhere to turn or a trend to follow.
On a positive note, just think if rebellious grunge kids had the internet in 1993, how much different the music scene would be.
There’s so much in your post that I disagree with but the general point you’re making is fairly accurate.
FUCK DAATH THIS BAND FUCKING BLOWS LIL ASIAN DICK ID RATHER LISTEN TO BROKENCYDE
What was I saying again? Oh, yeah…
Wow… I really hope that you’re just trolling.
If you’re not, I would advise that you check under your parents’ sink for some colorful bottles of liquid with names like Clorox and Drano. I hear that they’re delicious, especially when mixed together.
Red Devil Lye, it’s the best high you’ll ever get dude. Go snort some.
Funny thing about DAATH, from my experience…
On a Macedonian Metal Portal one guy left a comment: “Hey guys, you misspelled Death, but it’s OK, you can correct it…”
ROTFLMAO! And what’s worse is, that’s not the first I’ve heard of someone making that mistake!
Completely off-topic and unashamed: Saw an interview on YouTube from 2007 where Nergal was wearing a Daath T-shirt. How come that tour hasn’t happened yet? Food for thought…
Eyal, well-stated, as always. I’ve always been fascinated how such a relatively unpopular genre (by mainstream standards) can maintain itself. Then again, we’ve reached a point where bands aren’t making much money from album sales anyway, so it’s a lot harder to judge a band’s success on that basis.
Yep, best writer on MS. Keeps my faith in this site going strong.
And The Hinderers was underrated as all hell.
Eyal- Awesome blog posts, my friend! Great to have someone in the trenches telling it as it happens. Very appreciated. BTW- Awesome show in Vancouver, Canada… It was a small crowd, but we loved ya, bro!
Eyal, loving your posts, as others have said, very insightful. I can’t play any instrument for shit, but have a passion for this music nontheless.
Will Daath be doing a headline run of the UK?
I saw that you guys are supporting Chimaira / Throwdown in London, but I’m guessing you’ll be stiffed with a 20-min set & restricted sound – would love to see you guys play for a hell of a lot longer.
Who cares what this idiots opinion is. Daath sucks.
To counter, two things:
(1) Judging from the comment traffic here lately, I’d say plenty of people care. Furthermore, it would appear it’s not just Daath fans swinging off of Eyal’s nuts these days, either — there are plenty of people posting here who either don’t care for Daath or don’t know anything about them, but are still interested to hear his perspective. I, for one, count myself among the nutswingers because even when I don’t agree with him (which, mind you, isn’t often), his shit is still entertaining as Hell.
(2) So does your band. Sorry, but I wouldn’t have brought it up had you not deigned to pass judgment on someone else’s work. And please don’t waste any more of our time with inane comments, like this sucks or that sucks; that is, unless you’re okay with being treated to the same, in turn.
But more the point, your last 50 or so posts would indicate you’re dissatisfied with the goings-on here; however, I can’t imagine any one actually MADE you click the link to this blog….or to this site, for that matter. So what gives?
I think your logic and proper grammar is wasted on Brutalizer, who appears to have the IQ of a stuffed iguana.
or the IQ of a Pantera fan.
^ Ziltoids comment = win
Shut up little girl. Your opinion is meaningless.
Ziltoid, while I agree that Brutalizer’s comment is borderline retarted, I have to disagree with the Pantera hate around here. Their music, and even their lyrics, aren’t totally redneck trash. I know you have a total distaste for “groove” (though i don’t understand why), but you seem to attack the band by way of it’s fans, and it’s an over simplification.
I look at it like this – i hate Mac users. you know the type. artsy – fartsy 30 somethings who think they’ve “bought in” to somehting special when in reality they’ve flushed their money down the drain on a fisher price computer with bubbly feel good music software. but that’s not why I hate Macs themselves. I hate Macs because they’re over priced. not because thier consumers are douche bags.
You are 100% retarded if you hate mac. You know nothing about music production, video or photo editing. You probably typed that post from a low-grade HP desktop that you paid $500 for. You cheap son of a bitch. Anybody who uses mac knows that macs are PROFESSIONAL and used for PROFESSIONAL work. Idiot. And yeah, I am not a hardcore Pantera fan like these people all seem to think, but I do have respect and give Pantera lots of cred.
My band throat fucks your mother. We then proceed to perform a bukkake session on her. After that is finished, we smash her fucking head in. When were all done with that we will fuck you!
@ Brutalizer: And so you add “misogynist” to “fuckwit,” and hereby render your participation on this site, as you say, meaningless. As such, I won’t bother with you again. I bid you to enjoy the rest of your meaningless life in meaningless perpetuity and meaningless bliss.
Ohhhhh. Big words. That doesn’t make you smart. You are just as bad as a youtube kid. My life is amazing. Your life is meaningless. You probobly listen to prog in your bathrobe all day while your fat-assed wife eats twinkies.
Castrate yourself, do the gene pool a favor.
That was of course to Brutaltool not shinaain
I will castrate you and feed the leftovers to your whore of a mother.
I’m not a fan of Daath’s music at all but this guy (Eyal) absolutely knows what the fuck he’s talking about. That’s not even a point that can be argued, considering he has firsthand experience touring in a metal band and being a part of the metal scene while most of the people who talk shit on these forums probably only leave their computer to take a shit.
I saw Daath with Dragonforce and Cynic. I didn’t listen to them before seeing them, but after I was almost interested enough to download some shit. Maybe I’ll get around to it soon, seeing as how Eyal’s posts are always interesting. But they sounded like Pantera to me.
Hey Eyal, next time you guys are in Dallas, I hope you are in need of some good. I’m like 10 minutes from downtown, you guys bring your vape, i’ll break out the bong my friend. Good Times.
Hey Eyal, next time you guys are in Dallas, I hope you are in need of some good head.I’m like 10 minutes from downtown, you guys bring your dicks.good times.
I literally CAME when I read this. Eyal, i love you and i want to bear your children. you can squirt your man gum on me anytime.
Sincerely, Metalsucks reader.
Well said.
Thank you for pointing out what so many people can’t grasp.
I really love supporting a genre where every sold record counts, even if it’s just in the thousands. I also try to buy them from retailers where one sold record of Daath or Bloodbath or Opeth really sticks out in their daily sales and perhaps make some manager or buyer pick up a few extra units for the store the next time some of these bands release a record.
Hey Eyal, how many units of The Concealers have shipped/sold? Just curious :)
Keep up the good work on your blog, and with Daath of course, looking forward to your upcoming efforts.
VERY good point. I don’t know how much this counts towards the sales of my favorite artists (not all that savvy on how those sorts of numbers are tracked), but I try to buy from my local independent store as much as possible. If they don’t have what I want in stock, I also try to be patient and allow them the opportunity to order it for me.
Heads-up for the touring artists who visit this page: The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, where most metal artists coming through town end up at, is only a block down from the largest independent record store in Colorado Springs, Independent Records. The manager is a feisty little lady who tries to support the local scene as much as possible, as well as stock as much of the more obscure and/or underground records as possible. They have a really good cross-selection of music, literature, and swag, overall. I keep meaning to ask her if she makes an effort to stock the artists who play The Black Sheep. If you stop in and talk to her, let her know your band is out there and put yourselves on her radar. She might be more inclined to make sure to stock your band’s stuff in her store.
I mention this because some of my old band buddies used to be sure to visit the local indie stores in each town they played to talk to the management about getting their stuff stocked. Most of these guys were selling their respective band’s CD’s out of the back of their vans, but they said they did see some sales after they left town because people would go to the local independents to buy the album on word of mouth after the shows. I have no idea whether or not that tactic is still relevant in the digital age, but I’d be interested to hear if anyone else here has tried that and whether or not it works for them.
I think i’ll actually go an give your shit a listen… i’ll be back with comments.
hmmm… that sucks. you guys are pretty good, but your singer is crap. his phrasing is fine, but his voice ruined the song when he came in.
“Maybe people just need easy listening at the office.”
HAHA yeah. Dude next cubicle over is always talking about fuckin Kid Rock. I’ve got Origin on my iPod and am trying to tune everything out. Everyone just has closed minds. Iron Maiden can make anyone a metalhead.