重金屬的頭條問題：下一代充滿舞台的樂團將來自哪裡？

在過去十年左右的時間裡，人們經常說重金屬正在走向危機。該流派的先驅們已經70多歲了，而20世紀80年代英國重金屬新浪潮和鞭打金屬爆炸的明星們現在大多已經60多歲了。

Heavy metal is facing a crisis as the genre’s pioneers age and mainstream interest in metal contracts.

隨著重金屬先驅者的年齡增長和主流對金屬合約的興趣，重金屬正面臨著危機。

The last wave of nü-metal bands to achieve widespread success was in the late 90s/early 00s, with bands like Linkin Park, System Of A Down, and Korn. While there have been some successful metal bands to emerge in the two decades since, such as Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb Of God, mainstream interest in metal has largely waned.

最後一波新金屬樂團廣泛成功是在 90 年代末/00 年代初，包括 Linkin Park、System Of A Down 和 Korn 等樂團。儘管自那時起的二十年裡出現了一些成功的金屬樂隊，例如 Avenged Sevenfold、Killswitch Engage 和 Lamb Of God，但主流對金屬的興趣已經大大減弱。

This is due in part to the changing landscape of the music industry, with the singular apparatus of the music industry now a shadow of what it used to be. The streaming business model has also forced artists to essentially become traveling merch retailers in order to break even.

這在某種程度上是由於音樂產業格局的變化，音樂產業的單一機構現在已經成為過去的影子。串流媒體商業模式也迫使藝術家本質上成為旅行商品零售商，以實現收支平衡。

Promoters are also hesitant to take chances on unproven bands, especially when they can guarantee a profit with the surefire draw of an expensive headliner. However, this mindset is ultimately stifling the growth of the genre.

主辦單位也不願在未經證實的樂團身上冒險，尤其是當他們可以透過昂貴的頭條新聞來保證利潤時。然而，這種心態最終會抑制該類型的發展。

Promoter Ash Avildsen of Sumerian Records attempted to confront this problem head-on this year by booking numerous up and coming bands for the reactivated ‘Mayhem Festival’ and ‘Summer Slaughter Tour’.

Sumerian Records 的發起人 Ash Avildsen 今年試圖正面解決這個問題，預訂了眾多後起之秀的樂隊參加重新啟動的“Mayhem Festival”和“Summer Slaughter Tour”。

“I love all the older acts that headline a lot of the rock festivals in the U.S.,” said Avildsen. “But I think it’s a bit naïve to think that there’s not an urgent need to break new headlining bands. When I think back to when I was a teenager in the Nineties, the whole new wave of big bands like Korn and Slipknot were young guys.

「我喜歡美國許多搖滾音樂節上所有的老樂團表演，」阿維爾森說。 「但我認為認為沒有迫切需要打破新的主打樂團的想法有點天真。當我回想起九十年代我十幾歲的時候，像 Korn 和 Slipknot 這樣的新一波大樂團都是年輕人。

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a wave of bands with singers that are in their twenties that can really headline festivals. I feel like we’re finally there with a number of bands, [and] I think Mayhem can really help elevate this era the same way that it had elevated bands 10-15 years ago.”

「我們已經很久沒有出現過一波由二十多歲歌手組成的樂團真正成為音樂節的頭條了。我覺得我們終於擁有了一批樂隊，[並且]我認為 Mayhem 確實可以幫助提升這個時代，就像 10-15 年前提升樂隊一樣。

However, his booking gambles didn’t entirely pay off, as the Veil Of Maya-headlined ‘Summer Slaughter Tour’ suffered from middling attendance at a number of shows, while the Bad Omens and Parkway Drive headlined ‘Mayhem Festival’ also turned out to be a bit softer than he likely had hoped.

然而，他的預訂賭博並沒有完全得到回報，因為以“瑪雅面紗”為標題的“夏季屠殺之旅”在許多演出中都出現了中等程度的上座率，而以“混亂節日”為標題的“壞預兆」和「百匯大道」也被證明是比他希望的要溫和一些。

There were of course external factors that contributed to the fate of those endeavors, including stiff competition and an unfavorable economy. In fact, the problem of low attendance wasn’t even confined to the metal world, as multi-platinum artists and established festivals were also forced to scrap their plans this year, and next year seemingly isn’t immune.

當然，有一些外部因素導致了這些努力的命運，包括激烈的競爭和不利的經濟。事實上，出席率低的問題甚至不僅限於金屬界，多白金藝術家和知名音樂節也被迫取消今年的計劃，明年似乎也無法倖免。

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson has also spoken at length on the matter, stating last year of the problem metal bands face in breaking out, “the big corporations took everything over, and they’re interested in making money, so they propagate the big headliners, but they don’t bring on the bands that create the drama to create the fanbase, to create the dedication to bring it up.”

鐵娘子主唱布魯斯·迪金森（Bruce Dickinson）也就此事發表了長篇大論，他去年談到金屬樂隊在爆發時面臨的問題時說：“大公司接管了一切，他們對賺錢感興趣，所以他們宣傳大頭條人物，但他們並沒有邀請創作這齣戲劇的樂隊來創造粉絲群，並創造出奉獻精神來提起它。

While Avildsen‘s attempts to elevate new talent to top billing were all-in gestures, the UK are opting for a more conservative approach. Rising British alternative metal outfit Sleep Token have been named as a headliner for the closing date of next year’s ‘Download Festival’. However, the festival is also relying on some old favorites in Green Day and Korn to headline the other two dates of the fest.

儘管艾維爾森全力以赴地試圖將新人才提升到最高水平，但英國選擇了更保守的做法。冉冉升起的英國另類金屬樂團 Sleep Token 被提名為明年「下載節」截止日期的頭條新聞。然而，該音樂節也依靠綠日樂隊和科恩樂隊的一些老歌來成為音樂節其他兩個日期的主角。

Sleep Token being given that headlining spot hasn’t been without controversy, despite the band clearly being able to headline large arenas in the UK and Europe. Andy Copping, founder of the ‘Download Festival’, however feels confident in the band being able to rise up to the occasion, jumping to their defense after some concertgoers decried their booking.

儘管樂團顯然能夠在英國和歐洲的大型舞台上佔據主導地位，但睡眠令牌被授予頭條地位並非沒有爭議。然而，「下載音樂節」的創始人安迪·科平對樂隊能夠應對這一場合充滿信心，在一些音樂會觀眾譴責他們的預訂後，他跳出來為他們辯護。

In a recent discussion with NME, Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan was asked how he felt about Sleep Token being given the nod to headline next year’s ‘Download Festival’, a festival which Slipknot themselves have headlined numerous times over the years.

在最近與NME 的一次討論中，Slipknot 打擊樂手M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan 被問到他對Sleep Token 成為明年“下載節”的頭條有何感想，多年來Slipknot 自己已經多次在這個節日上擔任頭條新聞。

“They have their niche and they must be doing their business well,” replied Crahan. “The old me might have torn it down, but the new me, the real me, is just like ‘Hey, it’s always up to the fans’. The fans let the business people know what to do. The fans speak and the business people listen.

「他們有自己的利基市場，他們必須把自己的業務做好，」克拉漢回答。 「舊的我可能已經把它撕毀了，但新的我，真正的我，就像『嘿，這總是取決於粉絲』。球迷讓商界人士不知所措。球迷說話，商界人士傾聽。

“They must be very popular, and you’ve got to remember that there’s not a lot of good music out there. There just isn’t. In my opinion, these days there are so many horrible bands right now. I’ve seen Sleep Token, I’ve watched them for a bit and I’ve downloaded their stuff. They have their niche and they have a fan base.

「它們一定很受歡迎，但你必須記住，那裡沒有很多好音樂。只是沒有。在我看來，現在有很多可怕的樂團。我看過《Sleep Token》，看了一會兒，還下載了他們的東西。他們有自己的定位，也有粉絲基礎。

“It doesn’t matter if it has divided [Download fans] because that means 50 per cent are getting what they want. I no longer

「[下載粉絲]是否存在分歧並不重要，因為這意味著 50% 的人得到了他們想要的東西。我不再