Opposing Elements

After an ever so brief hiatus, Opposing Elements is back in full-effect. I’m Tom D’Errico and, joining me this week, the tit to my tat if you will, Inside Pulse’s own contributor of hodgepodgery, Mr. Mathan Erhardt.

The column will run a little different this week: there will be no rebuttal to each viewpoint, we’ve said our piece and it’s up to YOU to decide who’s more right. But, to make up for the lack of rebuttal, there’s an extra topic to tackle. So without further ado…

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When it comes to “masked” bands, Gwar is far more respectable than Kiss. Gwar have always worn the masks with pride, while Kiss has spent its career in, out … and back in full make-up mode. Is this a problem with band integrity? And in this corner…

Con — Mathan Erhardt

Clearly Kiss is the more respectable band of the two. How do you even say Gwar? See, my spell check doesn’t even acknowledge that “Gwar” is a word. Kiss on the other hand glides from my fingertips to the screen with no problem whatsoever.

Let’s get one thing clear; Gwar doesn’t only wear masks, they wear costumes. Big fleshy costumes. Costumes that look like they’ve been designed by Sid and Marty Croft. So if you like going to see a concert that looks like HR Pufnstuf then Gwar is the band for you.

However those of us with more discerning taste in music, particularly masked bands, prefer the sounds and sights of Kiss. If you look at record sales or concert ticket sales Kiss kicks ass. Kiss is still moderately relevant in the music scene, and Gwar is a “never was.” People know and love Kiss songs, Kiss gets shout outs by Weezer, some readers might have actually been conceived to Kiss songs. Heaven help you if your seed was planted during “AEIOU.”

Plus Kiss means quality. If you see the Kiss(tm) brand name on something, you know you are getting quality. Gwar(tm) is right up there with Spam(tm) and Scud(tm). Let’s face it; Kiss is the Beatles of masked bands, and you don’t get any more respected than the Beatles.

Pro — Tom D’Errico

Ahh, the masked rock/metal stars.

Today you’ve got your Slipknot, and to a lesser extent Mushroomhead or Motograter.

Before them you had Gwar…

But even further back, you had the self-proclaimed grand-daddies of the masked musicians, Kiss.

Back in the band’s heyday of the late 70s, rock fans adored Kiss (and, for the most part, everyone’s parents hated the band). And while it may have only been makeup, no one had any idea what the members of the band looked like. It almost became a running gag and the band eventually turned its “unmasking” into a huge event: the unmasking on MTV followed by the subsequent album.

Alas, the aura, the mystery, surrounding the band subsided with the unmasking. That, along with the more pop-friendly look and sound, lead to a mass discharge in the Kiss army. After a pretty solid rock album, 1992’s “Revenge,” the group welcomed original members back into the band and re-applied the make-up, embarking on an eventual retirement tour that soldiers on to this day.

On the other hand, you have Gwar: scumdogs of the universe. A band of miscreants from outer space that call Antarctica home. Gwar too, sustained an aura of mystery as the group offered up release after solid release: its debut “Hell-O,” and the follow-ups “Scumdogs of the Universe” and “America Must Be Destroyed.”

The band took the “masked” elements of its show to a whole new level, creating an in depth history for the band, elaborate set designs and stage shows, operatic albums and live sets and even home movies.

But this too, could not last. The band and its members unmasked at various intervals, most notably for the X-Cops release (Gwar sans masks) and Dave Brockie’s solo efforts (Brockie, of course, is the alter ego of Gwar frontman Oderus Urungus). Hell, Brockie even showed up on VH1 once talking about the band. Still, Gwar continues to this day with eight full-length albums under its belt and a ninth on the way.

But while Kiss had created a persona of masked entities for itself, it stripped away the masks in an attempt to gain more musical integrity and, when that failed, put the masks back on for a quick buck… or two… or million. Who can blame them?

Gwar, meanwhile, had always taken a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards the masked aspect of the band, yet achieved a nice niche for itself and, in turn, has become more respectable than Kiss could ever hope to be in the process.

Gwar knows the joke – it’s in on the joke and so are the fans. No one’s pretending this band is really from Antarctica.

Meanwhile, Kiss can’t be more serious about the integrity of the make-up and didn’t realize it became the punch-line a long time ago.

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Death metal is the worst form of music, metal or otherwise, on the planet.

Con — Tom D’Errico

Oh man. There’s always a complaint like this.

“I love respectable movies. The Oscars rule. Horror movies are crap!”

“I only watch PBS. Reality TV is trash.”

“I only listen to rock. Death metal is the worst form of music on the planet!”

Except… is this a legitimate argument or just the rumblings of close-minded individuals?

Sure, a movie like “The English Patient” might be more technically sound than, say, “Friday the 13th Part 8,” but is that to say there’s no merit to the later (let alone an audience)?

That’s the problem. Death metal is a sub-culture of metal, a genre unto itself.

A perfect example from the movie analogy: “The Exorcist.” Widely acclaimed in both its technical offerings and as a whole, a solid movie. But a horror movie nonetheless. Yet it is an anomaly, a horror movie with respect.

Death metal is the horror movie of the music world: lyrics dealing with death, dismemberment and Satan, chugging riffs and beats that create a gloomy, chilling atmosphere, and vocals that tingle the spine.

It’s the vocals that turn people off. To the untrained ear the music’s lyrics are simply growls, grunts and snarls… but to dismiss the music at face value is a mistake.

Technically speaking, death metal has some strong roots. In no other genre is the drumming and bass-fretting as aggressive and energetic. The riffs, while simple at times, are intricate and blistering in pace. And while there are many bands that don’t quite measure up, the same can be said for any genre.

One of my all time favorite bands is Obituary. The band emerged from Florida in the late 80’s and tore through the genre, releasing five full-length albums, a live set and an anthology before calling it a day in the late 90s. The band has since re-formed and is finally working on new material.

Grind-core legends Cannibal Corpse have an equally prolific catalogue, though are considered by most to be one-trick ponies.

Bands like Slipknot list Deicide as one of its main influences. Napalm Death, Suffocation and Possessed (to name just a few and ignoring the plethora of European death metal bands like Dark Throne, Dark Funeral, etc.) are technical masters within the genre. James Murphy, one of metal’s greatest guitarists, has spent time in Obituary, Death and Disincarnate.

In short, these guys know what they are doing, and they’re doing it well. While the music or vocal delivery may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is a place for it in the industry. Fans eat it up, other bands from outside the genre find inspiration in the musicianship, and the cycle continues to this day.

Death metal is one of the last “pure” genres in music, as it has never been diluted to be more accessible to the masses, and continues on to this day in its pure, aggressive format. To say there is no place for it in the industry is ludicrous and insulting to the legions of fans.

Pro — Mathan Erhardt

Death Metal Sucks!

I think that Death Metal is, without a doubt, the worst form of music ever.

Now I know some of you are thinking “But Mathan how can say that Death Metal is worse than Techno Pop or Euro Blues or Tex Mex or Stir Fry (wait a minute, those last two are cuisines.) I respond by saying that every other form of music has redeeming qualities except Death Metal.

Techno Pop might be bland and boring, but it could put you to sleep. I bet that the Government could use Techno Pop to wear down the enemy. Techno Pop has its uses.

Death Metal on the other hand is worthless. What is the point of making music about death, and I use the term “music” lightly. The artists are more calculated and shameless than Madonna, they constantly try to top themselves. “Well last album we did a song about killing our girl, maybe this time around we should kill her then have sex with her.” Of course it doesn’t really matter what they’re saying, it’s all intelligible. Just a bunch of screaming and noise. But what’s the only thing more worthless than the music itself; it’s fanbase.

Oh, what’s that? I’m out of time?

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“Skits” on albums help to flesh an album out when there aren’t enough tracks to justify a full-length release.

Pro — Mathan Erhardt

Skits Rock!

I love skits. Without skits how would the listener ever find out about the sexual exploits of Biggie Smalls and Big Pun? Would we, the listener, really know how Kanye West feels about college? Would we know what classic movies rapper “A” wanted to recreate scenes from or how they smoke their weed? And would we really know how hard our favorite MC is?

Skits are a vital part of the music industry. Without skits, we’d have to listen to nothing but songs, and who wants that? I want to hear artists make fun of other artists. I like the sound of gunshots and bill counters. Those are the sounds that make an album to me.

We have to accept that sometimes the skits are the most inspired and entertaining part of the album. It’s sad but true. Some of the most creative tracks can be skits. Skits showed fans how funny Big Pun really was. Fans allow the artist to play a different role and flex different muscles. If you don’t enjoy skits, you don’t enjoy creativity. If you don’t dig skits, the terrorists have won.

Con — Tom D’Errico

I never “got” skits on albums. I always thought of it as a mostly “rap thing” and I don’t really listen to too much rap.

The best examples I can draw from my own music collection would be the skits that show up on some ICP albums and the first Body Count CD. In both cases they made me laugh, but I never saw them as entities unto themselves. If anything, they’re companion pieces to the songs they precede. I would never skip through, let’s say the Body count debut disc, specifically to hear track 3, “Now Sports.” It really serves no purpose other than to intro the track “Body Count.” You’d be just as happy to start right at the song.

The caveat here is listening to a disc in its entirety; that’s truly the only time the skits really work. But even then, if you really ask yourself if the skits are really and truly a necessity to the album, I can’t imagine anyone, listener or artist, answering yes. Sure, the artist may say it’s a necessity. It’s the “art” of the project. No it’s not! It’s some awkward bit of drama (comedic or otherwise). If I want to hear you acting, I’ll go see the movie you’re probably looking to be in down the road. I want to hear your music. And I especially don’t want to hear 5 minutes of you hanging around with some friends or, better yet, that weird message left on the answering machine.

As for using these skits to flesh out an album. Maybe you need to go back a re-evaluate what you want to present to your audience. As a music lover, I know I’d rather have an EP or four or five songs (featuring *gasp* music!) than have five or six sort of songs intermixed amongst another 10 minutes of jokes, skits and the like. Now I have a full album. So what?

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Got a comment for either of us? You can e-mail Mathan at mathan@4sternstaging.com, and myself at destroyer__78@hotmail.com. And check out both of our profile pages while you’re at it…

Until next time, this is Tom D’Errico and Mathan Erhardt, angry as ever.

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs