The legends at Metal Hammer recently spoke with Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and Anathema’s Daniel Cavanagh about a number of topics relating to music and metal. The conversation turned to musical evolution and angry metal elitism when Åkerfeldt offered the following insight.
“Every band I’ve loved has moved forward. All the world-class songwriters, whether it be Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd, have evolved. Maybe not AC/DC because they’re perfect as they are! Bands like Porcupine Tree have continued that tradition. It’s a mark of intelligence in music and genuine creativity.
In metal, evolution doesn’t seem to be that important. I think most metal fans just want their Happy Meals served to them. They don’t really want to know about what they’re getting. For a while, I thought metal was a more open-minded thing but I was wrong. Maybe it’s different from country-to-country. Don’t get me wrong, I love metal, but I’m also open-minded. I admire some bands that do the same record over and over again – I wonder how they don’t get bored! For us, and Anathema, it seems impossible for us to stay still.”
Interesting to say the least. Not all of metal sees things in the “happy meal” light, but I know for a fact some individuals do. Kudos to Mr. Åkerfeldt for calling this out.
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