Yesterday, Attila released news that their latest album, Guilty Pleasure, would be released before the end of the year. Most metal fans probably either shrugged in indifference or had a visceral reaction of hatred. Here’s the thing, though. Fronz and friends know that they’re hated by a lot of people, and are using that as a badge of courage. It’s also working, since the band’s last album About That Life gave the band their highest debut ever. They’re far from the only band that know they’re hated and play it up, and there are other bands that are popular (read: mass appeal) enough to inspire a backlash, and are ok with it. With that in mind, here’s our top five list of bands that are hated by many a metalhead.
5) Ghost
Swedish band Ghost came seemingly out of nowhere a few years ago with Opus Eponymous, a solid debut on Rise Above Records. They came to America, played the Maryland Deathfest, and did a proper U.S. tour before signing with a major label (Republic offshoot Loma Vista) and the same management company as Slayer and Mastodon. Their sophomore album, Infestissumas, was more 60’s garage rock at times than metal, however, and we haven’t even mentioned their schtick. As an anonymous band fronted by “Papa Emeritus” and backed by “nameless ghouls,” it’s campy, and many view them as false metal. There’s even a petition to shut them down, whatever that means.
That being said, the petition has only gained 1,345 supporters, and only four of those in the last 60 days. While the masks and personas are a gimmick, it’s being done extremely well, and for all those that claim the band is killing metal, more are taking the band for what they are, a fun, campy version of satanism that take themselves very seriously but know that many people listening to them don’t. Now that people are talking about who they might be, the luster might wear off, but as long as they keep making good music, there’s no reason they shouldn’t have a few more albums in them.
