Hello, first time here to the board and I'm too lazy to sign up, but I've been an Iron Maiden and a ( former ) Metallica fan since 1984, when I was 11 years old and my father introduced me to heavy metal. I've seen Metallica when James Hetfield still had bad Acne, and you could smell Lars from the crowd. I've been to countless Metallica gigs, Metallica with Venom, Metallica with Exodus/Anthrax, so many it's not even funny. Being a metal fan in the 80's meant you would have the chance to go to countless thrash gigs, but moving on, I do know about Metallica. I do know heavy metal. I also know Iron Maiden, and to say Iron Maiden sold out is absurd. You talk about true heavy metal, well let me tell you something boy.
Metallica are no longer true to heavy metal, their roots, or even the genre they helped create. They turned their backs on metal for the all mighty dollar, fame and fortune. If anything, Metallica did a lot more harm to metal by selling out ( Yes I said it, they did, EVEN JASON NEWSTEAD SAID THEY SOLD OUT ) then they did by pioneering the thrash scene , which turned into the nu-metal scene.
See, back in the early 80's, before You, metallica fan boy were probobly born, between songs James, Lars or even Cliff would grab the microphone and thank their influences. I cannot recall every band they used to thank, but the main bands they thanked were Motorhead, Diamond Head, Mercyful Fate, Venom, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Their biggest infleunces, I believe. I'm sure you heard the famous quote from hetfield, when he said "If your here to see sugar coated bullshit and eye make up and fancy hair cuts, you're at the wrong fucking show" ( Too lazy to find the exact quote but you get it ) Well guess that, they waited for the 90's to do that! Let's here it for irony!
See, after they ran out of Dave Mustaine riffs and After they Cliff died and they lost his power, the quality of their material started to diminish, Bob Rock , taking advantage of them , seeing their potential for mainstream success came to them and told them to soften up their material. Long gone were the epic tracks, the time changes... in were the catchy, simplified songs with awkwardly strange lyrics such as Enter Sandman, the Black album was their portal to mainstream success. Now fanboy, you say Bob Rock is part of the band... well you do know who Bob Rock is right? He produced Bon Jovi and Motley Crue's albums, two of the biggest "False" metal bands of the 80's! Two of the biggest sugar coated record company sucking up mainstream bullshit bands of the 80's that every true metal head, INCLUDING Metallica, hated.
After the Black album experiment, Bob Rock's pupils turned into dollar bills, and he completly changed their style. COMPLETLY. Load was the biggest pile of shit, and the biggest insult to metal in the history of metal. Metallica didn't experiment with that album, they changed EVERYTHING. You Metallica fanboys defend four guys cutting off their long hair by saying Bruce did... Bruce cut his hair because he was training to be an airline pilot, and he did it at the low point of his career. Not only that, but when Metallica cut their hair... they put it up spikey. They took an alternative look, the music that was in at the time! They were trying to fit in the crowd, the Metal thrash icons jumped the band wagon!
To say Metallica is true metal is so wrong it's not even funny. It's sad, Metallica turned their backs on Metal, thrash and the bands that made them a long time ago. They DID sell out, yes I'll say it. I'll say it again, Metallica sold out and if you were old enough to realize this in 1994 you would hate them like I do. There is a huge difference between experimenting and changing your sound to target the kids of today. Iron Maiden never changed their image, logo or sound to target the top 40 listeners. Yes, Metallica is pretty much liked by everyone... at the price of their souls. In the 80's, Metallica was known as "Devil worshipping, rape your sister kill your parents shit" By the Media and none metal fans just like any other metal band was from that era. Metallica sold their souls and if you don't believe me, ask Jason Newstead. Stop listening to Lars, take your head out of your ass and wisen up boy. Metallica are the betrayers of the true, and may be liked by the majority but are hated by the true Metal fans, and Metal bands alike.
Another example of Metallicas bullshit is the Metallica Icon show. Iron Maiden would never ever accept a televised blowjob from people who are being paid to say they like them, like Arvil Lasagna and Fred Durst. Iron Maiden would never be a part of that, and the Metallica of the 80's wouldn't either. Metallica was because Metallica are a bunch of ungreatful assholes who don't respect metal, their hardcore fans and if anything, they will lead the army of the false posers to destroy true metal once and for all. Good work, Metallica.
Until then, I will listen to bands that stayed true to themselves and their fans, such as Iron Maiden, Manowar, Helloween, Fates Warning, Savatage, Angel Witch, and so many other bands that never sold out. Thankyou and stay true.