Seems like the retro rock/metal wave that has been going on for a couple of years in the underground rock scene has finally reached the mainstrain.
There are tons of reunions of 80s bands or young bands playing 80s style music - quite successful in the European rock scene, virtually unnoticed in the US (yet).
This is some sort of "counter-revolution" to the total dominance of MTV imposed American mainstream rock/metal music in the 90s... namely Grunge and so-called Nu-Metal, both of which pretty much killed the diversity in rock music in Europe and the US alike.
Sad as it may be but Cobain's suicide and the following ebb of Grunge was one of the best things that happened to Rock music in the 90s. It gave bands playing different or more traditional styles room to breathe again.
The Nu-Metal juggernaut is finally collapsing, too... there's only so much tuned down guitars and angry vocals one can take. And whoever came up with the idea to use rap vocals in rock music deserves a painful pummeling and an eternity in hell. Rap Metal has been the total low, even worse than the constant whining of those damn Seattle goaties. Oh, how I hate that crap.
And let's just hope that the disgusting wave of US Fun "Punk" bands (like there was any punk in a bunch of suburban American middle class kids) like New Found Glory, Good Charlotte and whatever the are called isn't here to stay. Who needs them anyway when you can have NoFX and Bad Religion? And don't get me even started about those ridiculous Christian "rockers" like P.O.D, Staind or Creed.
Without the death of Grunge and the decline of Nu-Metal we would have never seens the reunions of such great American bands like Morbid Angel, Exodus, Exciter, Bitch, Warlord and errm, Twisted Sister.
Let's just hope the retro thing can kick off in the US so that those great bands don't have to travel around half the globe so that they can play in front of more than a few dozen people anymore. Hey, we might actually see some good, honest old-school rock/metal music on MTV again. When did they kill Headbanger's Ball?
The 21st century has been good so far. Good rock music reappeared on the scene. Dickinson is back at Iron Maiden, Halford returned to Judas Priest. Destruction released two kick ass albums... things just can't get much better.
And The Darkness? Sure, they're campy. But I prefer cheesy, over-the-top Glam Rock and that awful hair that comes with it considerably more than the whiny drug addicts and the super-tough angry motherfuckers we've been tortured with in the past decade.
