Staying power

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Heavy metal still gold mine inside world

of rock music

So, how does it feel, music fan, to be in the middle of the summer of metal? Loud enough for you? Bands such as 3 Doors Down and Staind get as much radio airplay as teen pop. Linkin Park and Korn have just set off on the highly anticipated Projekt Revolution tour with an unlikely associate, rapper Snoop Dogg.

The Ozzfest tour is selling big in most venues, according to promoters. And it's not just the metal dinosaurs -- Black Sabbath is headlining -- who are drawing fans to the annual heavy metal festival.

Newer bands such as Lamb of God (an "extreme metal" band from Richmond that signed a major-label deal last year), Unearth and Every Time I Die are attracting young metalheads, too.

Ozzfest is flourishing in a soft summer market, while Lollapalooza, the alt-rock revue that had critics in a lather of anticipation, tanked ignominiously due to poor ticket sales.

Heavy metal may not inspire critical hosannas, but it has something the niche bands of indie rock do not: mass popularity. Traditionally, it has appealed to disaffected, young suburban and rural white guys, whereas punk music, the inspiration for many indie rock bands, was more of a soundtrack to urban disaffection.

Whatever the source of unrest, metal remains a trusty emotional safety valve.

"Detuned power chords and lyrics that scream alienation have fueled the platinum sounds of almost every major band of the past two decades, from Nirvana, Metallica and Soundgarden to Linkin Park, Story of the Year and In Flames," writes Guitar World editor Brad Tolinski.