Forhekset: Stage Smoke And Inferno Mirrors

After talking about corpse paint and death for the previous editions of Forhekset, it acted as a precursor on what to expect here and to put it succinctly: Unorthodox pleasantries. Giving my 2 cents worth on what my ears and occasionally the eyes pick up from the grapevine, this month takes a look into the seemingly huge issue of stage theatrics and how it has destroyed the reputation of extreme music



It all started with a performance from death metal band Zaganoth during Now Suffer and the mixed reactions from the crowd and internet anonytrolls alike when vocalist Jaar Vis decided to go onstage with his briefs and a stocking adorning his head throughout their setlist. While some were appalled by the shock antics and derided it as a tactic to climb up the metal hierarchy, others applauded the said vocalist for his ability to get the attention of the crowd while backing up with an impressive performance to complement the rest of the line up for the night. It definitely caught my eye no doubt but never did it raise an eyebrow since the likes of scum rockers The Dwarves and G.G Ailin have gone that route before so it is not unusual to see a performer onstage in his innerwear and showcasing his inner Manowar tendencies. What I could not comprehend however, was the blind negativity directed towards Jaar Vis and his band that had nothing to do with the quality of the music churned out but for the minor fact that his theatrics left a sour taste in their mouths. An irony of sorts given that part of the reason why these critics probably got into metal is due to the fact that their favourite band was appealing to their and to a subliminal extent, the image portrayed by them



From Eddie to pyromania at concerts, theatrics and image have become part and parcel of a band aside from their music which fundamentally forms the basis of their varied career lifespans. Metal purists will attempt to put down the notion and quickly insist that image is nothing more but a minor criteria in order to make it in the music industry and forming a fanbase but even the likes of Slayer resorted to corpse paint in the early years of their music career back when Kerry King had hair to rival Dave Mustaine. The black metal genre made the two tone death mask an iconic feature with the likes of Immortal and 1349 wearing the corpse paint until today whereas death metal prefers to say it with blood as evidenced in Carcass' album artworks and the regalia of Polish knights Behemoth. Let us not forget the pioneers of extreme metal as well, for it was the head of a goat featured prominently on Venom's Black Metal album (which also attributed to giving the grim genre its name)that pushed the envelope and gave bands the opportunity to use gimmicks as a tool to launch their material instead of being confined to watching Stryper delivering gifts of goodwill. Since then, masked men in overalls (Slipknot) Vic Rattlesnake (Megadeth) and skinned pigs onstage (Mayhem) are just one of the many ways bands are trying to get the attention of the download generation to skip the mouse and head to the record store instead

Back to the context of the local metal scene, the idea of having stage theatrics are being frowned upon by certain sections of the crowd who wholly reckons that it should be all about the music and nothing else. I beg to differ, having the element of surprise has become a powerful tool that does not exist online in order for a band to get ahead to the rest. The music should never be compromised but it doesn't hurt to make an impression on the crowd visually as well