Adrift in the deserts of mediocrity, the empty wastelands of indie show gazers and corporate boy bands citadels of metal walls remain impervious to the flickering fads of fashionistas.
But these citadels have become increasingly removed from each other: whereas the 19080s heyday of all forms of metal saw the denim and leather bedecked care not whether it was Def Leppard, Metallica or Saxon, the same fans went to all the gigs.
Today there are so many sub-genres of sub-grenres that the metal citadels of creativity stand, partially removed from each other.
Black metal, death metal, blackened death metal, classic metal, thrash metal, blackened thrash metal, technical black thrash, prog metal, even the wonderful Scottish Pirate Metal.
Within each of these genres there is one common theme, a sense of creativity against all the odds. The proliferation of genres, while having a negative side, also has an upside in that by choosing influences and re-interpreting them for 2015/16 there is a need and a desire to keep new arrangements, new workings, new production striving to reach ever new levels.
Here in Northern Ireland there is less of a ‘split’ within the terrifyingly wide spectrum of genres.
The likes of Sinocence and Rabid Bitch of the North have proved in recent years that they can take their original template and make it for the contemporary music scene without compromising their principle ‘sound’.
While Gasoline Outlaws and Screaming Eagles may sit comfortable in the hard rock scene there can be no denying that they add a metal edge when they need to.
Zombified and Overoth may sit in the death metal ‘camp’, but they are instantly recognisable as separate creative entities.
Stormzone and Conjuring Fate draw on the classic metal soundtrack to great effect, yet have completely different sounds and stage presence.
It would be easy to rhyme off even more Northern Ireland hard rock and metal bands, each within their own sub-genre, but what is probably more re-assuring is that despite what is happening elsewhere many of the people supporting local rock and metal see every show they can no matter what classification lazy reporters thrust upon them.
