Since the decline of the hedonistic Glam Metal era of the 80s, Rock and Roll seemed to have been on a long-term hiatus with Grunge effectively dominating the modern rock scene. However, since the early 2000s, Glam Metal seems to be making a comeback within the underground rock community, mostly emerging from Sweden. This new movement is known as sordid rock, and today there are many seedy bands springing up from all over the world (although Sweden and Finland seem to be the most prominent). For the most part, these bands seem to have a unanimously positive response from their internet fanbase, most of whom know their 80s Glam Metal predecessors very well. Although many online fans claim that “rock is back “or” these guys are bringing glam metal back “, are these modern sleaze metal bands really giving glam metal a good name? Of course, good and bad are subjective to personal opinion, so I do not claim that my opinion is absolute.
First, let’s take a look at some of the glam metal bands of the 80s and consider the influences found in their music. Glam Metal was a very diverse genre; considering that almost all bands that played rock or metal (except extreme metal bands) were thrown into that category by record companies during the 80s. A lot of glam metal bands They had strong roots in blues, funk, hard rock, pop, punk and metal that they took and mixed from their rock predecessors of the 60s and 70s. If we were to specifically consider Glam’s guitarists, we would see that glam metal spawned a large majority of virtuosos (ie Reb Beach, George Lynch, Nuno Bettencourt, Vito Bratta, etc.).
Poor quality rock bands
At the opposite extreme, let’s take a look at modern sleaze metal bands. Sure, they have a similar image; spiky hair, leather and studs, cowboy boots, etc … but is the music really there? A quick listen to bands like Crashdiet, Dirty Penny, Vains Of Jenna, etc., and you will quickly realize that the only similarity between sleaze and glam metal seems to be the stereotype of hymns singing backing vocals, while the rest is a mix of punk. , pop and modern rock. These bands sound more like alternative rock than glam.
The seedy rock music formula becomes obvious pretty quickly: a vocalist with a weak range and an aggressive vocal attempt that only comes out as a sarcastic squirrel suffering from severe constipation, a very standard rhythm section, and a lead guitarist with a groovy beat. innovative and technical limited. / Lead skill recycling a 2nd rate Slash solo. These bands seem to have little in common (with the exception of the picture) with the obvious Glam groups like Motley, Ratt, WASP, Whitesnake, Dokken, etc. and they have more in common with the seedy punk flair of bands like Faster Pussycat, LA Guns. , Hanoi Rock and GNR. It’s not to insult seedy ’80s bands, but it seems like modern bands are just a cheap clone singing pop songs while desperately trying to appeal to the perceived stereotype of the genre. They seem to lack that raw integrity, hunger, anger, and rebellion that made older bands so interesting and no amount of hairspray, leather, and spandex is enough to bring them to the same level.
The modern pop band
There are also bands with hardly any rock influence that prevail in music. Sleaze Rock Bands like Reckless Love sound identical to modern techno pop; fit only to appeal to a growing crowd of tweens, but trying to keep a modern ‘edgy’ look. Unfortunately, they dress in ’80s fashion, have long hair, and wear guitars in their videos, giving glam metal an even worse reputation (who would have thought that was possible, right?). However, many fans claim they are “bringing back ‘old school’ rock” simply because the image is similar. Are we so desperate for the return of Rock N Roll that if Justin Bieber grew his hair out and started wearing lederhosen we would call it Glam Metal or Hard Rock? Bands like Reckless Love are just as rock and roll as the Orianthi or Adam Lambert albums, just because they are marketed or advertised that way, it doesn’t.
Fun moment: Reckless Love performing for a crowd of literally 7 to 13 year old girls and their parents. The lead singer proceeds to rip his shirt off for the crowd during a song and perform shirtless. While I have no problem with sexual imagery, it seems out of place and embarrassing to rip your shirt off for a crowd of kids with their parents …
The Emo / Screamo Metal Sleaze Band
Definitely the worst of all the Sleaze Rock criminals.
As Emo’s popularity waned in the late 2000s, the surviving emos decided to become a new breed. Emos began to combine with ‘extreme’ metal genres such as death, hardcore, and screamo metal. bands like brides black veil However, they weren’t satisfied with extreme metal alone, so they began to fuse their emo image with Glam Metal. Black Veil Brides shamelessly mimic Motley’s SATD image and mix it with a hot theme look between emo to create their own mix of Emo / Screamo Sleaze Rock / Glam Metal. However, some of the members keep their side bangs to look modern. The result is an image of Emo Sleaze, mixed with alternative pop rock and screamo metal. Their lyrics follow the Emo formula by expressing their sadness and complaint of being ‘outcast’ and appealing to the Hot Topic crowd of the tweens ‘scene’. 14-year-old girls everywhere with dyed black hair and lip rings find themselves singing along to a self-pitying chorus from Black Veil Brides.
Another emo sleaze rock / metal band are newcomers Toxic Rose. Toxic Rose is from Stockholm Sweden (big surprise!) And has an identical image to Black Veil Brides. The music is also identical to BVB, however no grunting / cookie monster screaming voices are included.
Congratulations Toxic Rose and Black Veil Brides, you have officially ruined the best Motley Crue album for me.
There are definitely some other seedy rock mixes out there, but I’m too lazy to list them all. Although I am a fan of Glam Metal, I cannot endorse these new Sleaze Metal bands and their so-called Rock N Roll ‘revival’. Musically, I don’t hear any similarities between 80’s Glam and New Sleaze. Their songs have no substance, they are just bubblegum rock commercial nonsense copying an image they have no real understanding of. If these seedy rock dudes are “bringing back the glamor,” then leave it buried. Oh, and Sweden: stop, just stop.