Grumpy Old Man

[introclaus]

Nope, this isn't about LarryD ... it's actually about myself (although Larry sure is a GOM).

As I'm sitting here on the last day of the year reflecting on life and whatnot, I realized how I'm slowly turning into a grumpy old man. Besides my absolute aversion to way too many things, including people parking their cars across sidewalks, kids thinking it's okay to argue with their parents, people who don't like my dad-jokes, runners listening to music loudly without headphones on, and many other small idiosyncrasies, I've also developed a complete dislike to tribute / cover-albums as well as bands releasing albums right at the very end of the year.

With that said, Lord of the Lost manages to stomp all over those last two points (I don't know how they listen to music during the jogging routines, nor how they park their German vehicles) with their "Weapons of Mass Seduction". I mean, who the heck puts out an album on the last possible release day of the year? Apparently LotL does - and two years in a row no less! I never thought I would like an album (let alone a double album) of cover tunes, but here the German industrial-meets-gothic pioneers manages to take 22 songs and make them their own. Out of the bunch, the only song I don't like is the "Cha Cha Cha" song which sounds like industrial metalcore in Finnish. Everything else I really enjoy - from the Michael Jackson tune to Billy Idol, from Lady Gaga to Roxette, from Iron Maiden to Judas Priest. Having played this on repeat the last two days, I might have to give up a little bit on my Grumpy Old Man attitude.

[LarryD]

When I saw that post title, I couldn't wait to see what you've written about me ........ my loss.

That first part of your post was right on ..... there is no shame or no stopping what happens to us as we age .......sadly, it makes its way into our music, and I wish somehow it didn't. Everything else in life is a given for becoming grumpy, and I won't mention what they are because there are too many and meaningless to anyone else except the person experiencing it. As far as music - its not so much that I don't like metal anymore, but the tolerance level for what it is goes way down ....what do I mean by that ....well, let's take a band like Alestorm. This is fun as hell metal band that absolutely slayed the hell out of Prog Power. They aren't meant to be serious, they are meant for us to have fun .... and that they are. But - that is not what I want out of my personal metal. What appeals to me is a band like Sorcerer, who also slayed Prog Power, has a great singer, and I take them seriously for whatever reason ... see, it is a perspective of something as you age. It changes. So as time goes by, I want less and less to reach for a Kamelot disc (Tommy era in particular) but it now becomes a mood thing instead of " I need to hear this " ..... " I need to hear this " for me by today's standards is a Michael Romeo disc... a Redemption disc...... a Wolverine disc .... etc etc ...... bands that I want to sit down with a listen intently.....

That is only part of it .... it becomes so much deeper on different levels, there is not enough text to lay it down here. But, before I end this, I will share a serious pet peeve, old age related or not.

Bands who have 1 or 2 members still in it from the 70s, 80s, 90s, or whatever..... you are NOT the original band, and I don't listen. I'm talking to you Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Ratt, Queensryche, Kansas, etc etc etc and the list just goes on and on .....you are now a tribute band, and I don't buy into it. That is why I have a CD collection, and a huge DVD / Bluray collection so that I CAN see and hear the original bands that blew me away so many years ago ...... I don't need to see a drugged out dude in his 70s trying to struggle through the songs from the 80s that you can't sing anymore, and no one around you is original in the band ..... huge pet peeve for me.

As far as Lord of the Lost, the two discs I've heard from them are pretty rockin and bad ass for what they are - and yes, they do stomp the shit. Definitely a mood call for me, but what that band does they do it incredibly well ......