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The least crack related road trip ever · by Sach O
A different kind of white.
I’m going OT today for what would surely be an “up north trip” for 99% percent of y’all, but is really a trip down south since I’m Canadian. No I’m not moving mad weight from town to town, I’m headed down to gully ahem Burlington Vermont for DRAGONFORCE’S US tour. See, back when crack ruled and rap music didn’t suck, white musicians were going through the same problems Hiphop is going through today: ridiculously exaggerated posturing, a disconnect from the roots of their music and rampant commercialism. All of this combined to form Hair-Metal and most of the time, it sucked but was mighty fun in a retarded way (see Young Joc, Young Dro) regardless. Still, proving that rap still has hope, after a Kurt Cobain induced ethering (TM Bol) and many years of rehabilitation, metal apparently recovered although since it involved screaming white people I never cared for it.
So what the fuck is Dragonforce and what the hell does it have to do with that story? Well Dragonforce is a modern kick ass power metal band that doesn’t suck since it combines all the swagger and bravado of 80’s rock with virtuoso musicianship and songwriting that’s best described as “totally radical”. The best part is, unlike most bands aping the 80’s, these guys aren’t busy in any wink wink nudge nudge irony but are totally serious in their balls to the wall style of music even as they acknowledge it’s really all about having fun. Of course, this is a complete 180 from most of the things that make me want to listen to Hiphop, but it’s good to exercise different parts of the brain. These guys are pretty fuckin awesome at what they do and as a bonus, the Pitchfork jocking hipsters hate them because they “aren’t cool”.
Check em out at myspace and scare a hipster. In the meantime, Rafi and the rest of the team will hold down the fort for crack week with tons of nostril-burning updates.
Comments for "The least crack related road trip ever"
The crack is appropriate since most “Power Metal” bands sound like Iron Maiden on crack.
Among the types of rock music I like, Power Metal ranks pretty low (How is it possible to be a completely non ironic un self aware power metal band in this day & age?) but for whatever it’s worth, I have never seen anyone shred a guitar the way the two guitar players in this band do. Their technical ability is unreal.
And yes, it’s worth liking just for the fact that obnoxious Metal music (like Norwegian Black Metal) is like kryptonite to white hipsters in “Crack is Back” T shirts.
— Epitome Aug 3, 12:54 AM
I don’t really follow any particular subgenres/fads/style in rock nowadays because it’s very easy for me to like one act and dislike every other one in that style (see Lily Allen, Dragonforce, Of Montreal).
The show was awesome. US border patrol are total assholes. White people get violent in moshpits. Serving sizes in US restaurants are fucking huge. I may post a follow up piece if I decide I don’t mind losing my street cred.
— Sach Aug 3, 06:20 PM
As a fan of Dave Mustaine and Lemmi (Motorhead) I wholly applaud your trip “Down South” for this show. Few people know this but I really enjoy metal and rock – in fact when I work on rap websites and rap lyrics 12 hours a day it’s really nice to listen to anything NOT hip-hop for a little while and with no offense to fans of John Tesh something lite would be as bad as no release at all. Music that raises my pulse and makes me want to thrash my head around is just as good in it’s way as music that makes me want to snap my fingers and my neck. They can both get CRUNK in their own way.
— DJ Flash Aug 3, 11:32 PM
Forgot to comment to agree how awesome the Dragonforce is
— David Aug 20, 04:41 AM