[Lozek]

Talking about what's currently coming through, then I have to agree that 99.9% of what i hear in the UK sucks. I don't really count Maiden, Carcass or Cradle in that as their quality material is all years in the past.

Reason being, I think we really suffer from being an island out on our own. We have our own little industry happening in this country which is totally insular to everything else, we have magazines that emulate the rest of the UK press by being obsessive about what is 'in' this week, and believe me if you ever meet any of the 'journalists' that work for those rags, they are some of the most pathetic people that have ever existed. With a few exceptions (there are a couple of genuine metal fans amongst them who love what they do) journalists/industry people that I've met are so obsessed with 'Who's doing who/who's not doing who/who's got the coke/who can i hang out with to make me cooler than everyone else', that they seem to forget that they're actually meant to be concentrating on the music.

BFMV are a product of these people, for a long time I've heard various people dropping in 'Oh, I was hanging out with Matt from Bullet the other night' like it's some kind of achievement. In reference to some of my earlier statements, read Dom Lawsons summary of the new BFMV album in Metal Hammer this month. An honest opinion given by a guy who knows his metal inside out & has been doing it for decades.

For this reason, UK bands are so obsessive about what's 'cool' that they seem to totally bypass the fact that they need to inject personality in what they do. I guess it is easier to emulate someone else than explore your own possibilities.

Exceptions to the rule:

Sikth - How unique are they? Do you know anything else that sounds like them (apart from the now numerous Sikth rip-off merchants)? It's a double edged sword though, I know a lot of people that come out with 'I just can't stand that vocalist', but that is the price you pay for doing something inidividual

Skindred - Not a massive massive fan, but is there anyone else that sounds like them? They really have explored that whole metal/reggae/D&B thing and done something totally unique. Plus, Benji is hands down one of the best frontmen around. Ever seen a black man called a whole rally of Hells Angels 'wankers' & get away with it?

Skunk Anansie - Again, not really round anymore, but could those guys write a song or what? They had an amazing talent in Skin as a vocalist. Ace was such a tasty guitar player, totally understated but always played to the song and had a sound that fitted perfectly for every part. Cass was quite experimental in his approach to his bass & the drummer was extremely solid. But they were much more than the sum of their parts.

So, there's the rules. If you come from the UK & want to be good, your name needs to start with S and have a K somewhere close.