The Australian metal scene has been around in one form or another, since the early 1970's. The scene was always primarily part of the underground culture and a lot of people liked it that way. When metal, particularly hair metal, gained rising success in the US, interest was awakened in the Australian metal scene, but it was still primarily underground. By the mid 90's it grew further and was becoming more than just a well established underground scene.
Australian Metal of the 70's and 80's
The most prominent metal band of the 70's for Australia would have to be AC/DC. Buffalo and Rose Tattoo, were other metal bands that gained success overseas, but oddly were overlooked by Australian radio.
The Angles did well with local success, but were ignored overseas. While bands were heavily influenced by British punk and US metal, the fact that it was part of an underground culture, local radio was not likely to play foreign bands. And US or British labels were not likely to pick up Australian acts. Unfortunately metal was not shared between countries, it had a border.
In Sydney, John Cotter began trading metal and punk albums that were not released in Australia, through his small independent retailer, Utopia Records. By the 80's it was known as the country's best heavy metal retailer. With this, John began to break the border of metal between countries.
Growth of Metal in the 90'sThe 90's saw the exploding success of Metallica in the US and it was felt all the way in Australia. By the middle of the 90's the metal scene in Australia was well established as an underground culture and was ready to break into the foreground.
Sydney and Melbourne had growing labels that supported local acts and thriving metal circuits and venues around each city.
Magazines and street press were coming out catering specifically for metal, and also covering the umbrella genres of grunge and other alternative styles. While this would generally be a good thing, bringing more alternative genres to the light, metal fans saw it more as a way to just push their genre underground once more.
Foreign metal bands were becoming readily available to the Australian consumer and local acts were getting the recognition they deserved both locally and internationally. That metal scene was beginning to thrive.
Current State of Australian Metal
As metal generally struggled up until the 90's, and even as it flourished it was still more or less part of an underground culture; the use of the internet and other media, allowed Australia to consume more heavily the international metal we were missing out on. It became quite popular to be a fan of heavy metal and hardcore music, and Australian metal became fairly mainstream.
The Australian metal scene however, is more a metalcore scene these days, a combination of metal and hardcore punk. As metalcore is taking over and has become quite popular with bands like I Killed The Prom Queen, Parkway Drive and Wish for Wings creating a large fan base for themselves both locally and overseas, the metal scene could be seen as thriving, but it is not the metal from the bygone days of its underground culture.
While the genre of metalcore has created more awareness of the metal genre, having air time on the radio and exposure out on the streets and more record stores selling their music, is the scene really thriving? On the surface yes, metalcore is a subgenre of metal and so the Australian scene is prosperous. But the bands that are true metal, the metal that started it all, are still fairly ignored locally, but recognised overseas.
Some may see the metalcore movement as metal selling out. Some think it was better when it was all underground and it was just a cult following and true fans of the genre. Others, see it as just a normal change, things can't stay the same forever. The genre is reaching the success it deserves.
It all depends on how much you value the fundamental metal genre itself.
Christine Caruana - My name is Christine, I am an aspiring music journalist. I am currently a writer for Loud Australia Magazine where so far I have ...
