PHOENIX, AZ. (www.myspace.com/stmadness) - Prophet, lead singer of the Arizona-based shock/thrash metal band 'St. Madness' was interviewed for the following article, originally printed in the January 12, 2006 East Valley Tribune 'Get Out' Entertainment circular, and reposted by Blabbermouth.net:
BLABBERMOUTH.NET REPORT
Arizona
Heavy Metal Scene Is Going Through Another Revival - Jan. 12, 2006
Chris Hansen Orf of Arizona's East Valley Tribune has issued the following report:
Chicago metal band DISTURBED sold out Sunday and Monday shows at the Marquee Theatre in a matter of hours.
Granted, the Tempe venue only holds about 1,000 fans, but with the success of the Ozzfest tours year after year and DISTURBED and other metal bands such as STAIND getting airplay on Valley hard rock station KUPD (97.9 FM) as well as alternative rock station KEDJ (103.9 FM) heavy metal is going through another revival after early-'90s grunge nearly knocked it out of the mainstream.
In the '80s, metal was arguably the leading rock genre in the Valley, with local bands such as the SCHOOLBOYS, SURGICAL STEEL and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (which featured bassist Jason Newsted, who later joined metal powerhouse METALLICA), but when the '90s rolled around, local metal's popularity was usurped by Tempe alt-rock bands such as the GIN BLOSSOMS, DEAD HOT WORKSHOP and the REFRESHMENTS, who all signed major-label deals after a grunge-induced "hair metal" backlash.
"Phoenix was once a melting pot for heavy metal," says Prophet, singer and founder of one of the Valley's best metal bands, the long-running ST. MADNESS. "I watched the Valley go from 'Long Live Metal!' up until 1992, when all of a sudden people and bands were acting like they were ashamed of metal and of being in metal bands."
METAL IS BACK
But lately, following a nationwide trend, the Valley is undergoing a metal resurgence.
There are several Valley clubs that have popped up in recent years that feature metal shows, including Metal Devastation, Alice Cooperstown, the Venue of Scottsdale, Jugheads, the Clubhouse and Joe's Grotto, to name a few, picking up the slack after Phoenix's
Mason Jar, the most popular metal club in the Valley for decades, closed its doors in 2004.
The local metal scene means a lot to us, and we're lucky that there are so many venues supporting heavy music in the Valley these days, says Debra Darlene, singer for Mesa metal band
Storm Within. We've lived in other cities where there were only one or two clubs to play if your music was heavy.
Prophet believes the Valley metal scene is going to get bigger.
Since we here in the Valley of the Sun are right above the fires of hell, it's only fitting that some powerful metal bands should soon rise up in an explosion of new and modern metal, the singer says. And it would be an awesome thing if we all started working together to help each other and to promote goodwill to all the bands and fans of metal here at home.
ALL TOGETHER
Storm Within lead guitarist Mike
Savage agrees.
Our fan base has grown (recently), and we've been able to hook up with other bands that feel like brothers to us, like Suicide Circus,
Savage says. They support us, and we support them. It's great when you come across other bands that realize it's not a competition and that if we want to build (a bigger) scene we need to work together.
With fans and bands bonding over local metal's resurgence, Prophet speaks for all metal fans when he says, You can have your screamo, emo and Tickle Me Elmo' any day.
As for me, make mine metal!
