MovieChat Forums > Global Metal (2008) Discussion > Australia + South Africa

Australia + South Africa

posted 15 years ago by lightning_bellz
13 replies | jump to latest

Since we're talking Global, I was a bit perturbed to find neither country covered. Sure, Dunn is going for the more Easternized approach in GM, and it is expensive to travel the world like that, but I would have liked to see an African take on how metal influences them. Especially Sth Africa, or the Repulic of Congo, as they've got some interesting black/death bands emerging. The Australian metal scene is always mentioning what bands they'd like to see tour, and more global recognition. Melbourne's variety of metallers alone is worth covering, IMO. Perhaps they should do a Global Metal 2.0 - countries/continents missed.

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[–] user-5722689 15 years ago

Well the main Australian metal scene (apart from Airbourne and that's about it) is in hardcore (and pretty much any other '_'core)... or as fans of the types of metal covered in this doco would call it 'emo $hit'.

Being a fan of Aussie hardcore (and actually being in a hardcore band) I know that the labelling emo $hit is wrong in a variety of ways, except I really can't be bothered trying to argue with anyone who disagrees. I would've liked to have seen a segment on the underground Australian metal scene but I think it would have stirred too much of a 'this isn't metal/WTF is this sellout crap' response amongst the main demographic watching it.

As for Africa, maybe they just don't have a metal scene going on there

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[–] spike06 14 years ago

You couldn't be more from the truth. There is quite a solid metal presence in Australia not just hardcore. Bands like: Blood Duster, The Berzerker, Sadistik Exekution, Destroyer 666 (have a rather large global following), There's power metalers Vanishing Point & Pegasus. Lets not forget Tassies favourite technical Death metalers Psychroptic. Classic christian death metalers: Mortification.
Other bands of note:: Misery, Sakkuth, Dreadnaught, Frankenbok, Alchemist, Chalice, Jerk, Devolved, Hobbs Angel Of Death,. Mortal Sin, Gospel of the Horns.

[–] user-5722689 14 years ago

Yes good sir, I believe you are right. It just kind of completely skipped my mind, maybe just because I'd been spending too much time in that kind of scene lately. And having no real first hand exposure to other types of underground (or otherwise) metal originating in Australia. But yes, there is a very solid metal scene outside of Hardcore, and the other forty odd thousand other cores there are these days.

P.S. Wow, I didn't know Psychroptic were from Tasmania, let alone Australia :S Actually come to think of it I've heard of a lot of those bands, and honestly did not know most of them were Australian.

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[–] St_Anus 14 years ago

Australia was probably skipped because there is nothing particularly unique about the scene outside a handful of bands. maybe less. We haven't produced any truly genre expanding bands, and there isn't much politics to the scene here either, so there is nothing to cover from a documentary point of view. Unless you focus on the tyranny of distance and how that often adversely affects the development of quality music in Aus.

[–] RogueSoul 14 years ago

dont know what genre Karnivool would fall under but they're unique aussie band

[–] UberNoodle 14 years ago

@St. Anus: It's like you are painting Aussie metal as any more derivative than any other country. When you have bands like Hobb's Angel of Death and Mortal Sin starting up in the '80s, you can see that the evolution of Aussie metal falls within the same evolution going on the USA and Europe. Worthy of note would be Armoured Angel and Sadistik Exekution. Of course, there's AC/DC and bands like the Angels to mention as well. Australia has produced artists that have done very well overseas, or in Europe, because of their Aussie uniqueness in the sound. Australia abounds with quality metal, and honestly, I see very little going on in the realm of inovation nowadays in ANY country. To ommit Australia because it didn't pioneer enough, pretty much limits the list of applicable countries to perhaps three or four, by the same logic.

[–] St_Anus 13 years ago

KIL KILLION: With all due respect, I also mentioned that there wasn't much to our scene politics either. notice how Global Metal often focussed on the idea of metal being a revolt against tyrannical or oppressive rule?

Also, apparently the guy that made these documentaries came to Australia and tried to interview bands like Sad.Ex etc but they told him to get lost.

As for Aussie metal in general, as far as i'm concerned, with the exception of one or two bands, we have been followers, rather than leaders, but that's a reflection of Australian culture in general, not just metal. How many great artistic or musical movements have started in Australia? You are absolutely right that what we have produced has generally been in line with Europe and America, but that's also the problem imo. Most of the bands end up sounding like lame clones.

it's true the bands from the 70's and 80's and even early 90's were more original though, i'll give you that.

[–] night_lex 13 years ago

I don't know, I'm from New South Wales, so all the bands from here are metalcore or clones of 80s bands.

A few people have complained that Australia wasn't represented. Yet if anything, it's New Zealand that should be complaining, as they're always forgotten.

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[–] soulflyhigh 13 years ago

Sout Africa has a huge metal scene, up until 1994 abouts it was very hard to get music, nowadays it's not too hard since we don't need to rely on stores and can buy or get almost everything over the internet. Had some big bands here in the past, Iron Maiden, Sepultura (post Max leaving), Soulfly, Metallica, quite a few smaller Norweigan and Swedish bands playing smaller venues and Rammstein playing 2 shows here February next year. A couple of bands like V.O.D. and Aggro has played quite a few major festivals in places like Germany. Locally though, you'll hardly ever see any bands on TV or here them on radio, except really for one of the University radio stations which focus almost exclusively on Rock and Metal. Still very much a underground scene, except for the bands that sing in Afrikaans which do get some airplay.

[–] DirtyRottenImebicle 13 years ago

I believe Australia wasn't included because of the same reasons the U.S, Canada, And European countries were not included, (its one of the countries that dominate the metal scene and of which lots of metal comes from). As for Africa, I'm sure there isn't much of a scene there, as lots of countries in Africa are primitive and far too poor to have any type of scene. The absence of lots of Asian countries, Russia, and Indian countries is what let me down. I know at least like 2 bands from almost every country in the world and believe there are scenes elsewhere.

[–] Redrum237 12 years ago

Yeah, Australia is too similar to Europe and North America, it would defeat the whole purpose of the film.

South Africa would have been interesting to see though. Some other suggestions would be; Mexico, Turkey, Russia.