Australia Council recognises artistic merits of death metal

[Moloc]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/mu ... 6361642287

OUROBOROS is a Sydney band that has all the hallmarks of death metal: an arcane name, lots of long hair, deafeningly loud music, and a singer with a baritone like Beelzebub.

But this quartet has another, more unusual attribute: its website acknowledges support from the Australian government through the Australia Council for the Arts.

It may be the first death-metal band -- the genre is distinct from thrash and other versions of heavy metal -- to win a grant for composition from the arts-funding body.

The $20,000 grant is to help the band write new songs for its next album that will include a symphony orchestra.

"This is amazing for us," said drummer David Horgan. "We couldn't consider hiring an orchestra to do this without this kind of support."

Composer Matthew Hindson, chair of the Australia Council music board which approved the grant, said of Ouroboros: "They have a degree of technical virtuosity and musicianship. No matter what kind of music you are involved in, that comes through."


A federal government review of the Australia Council last week recommended a restructure that would abolish separate artform-assessor panels, such as the music board. Fears have been raised in the arts sector of potential loss of expertise within the organisation, leading to projects such as Ouroboros being overlooked.

"The challenge is to try and ensure that music is still able to be represented in all its diversity without a (music) board," Mr Hindson said yesterday.

At a recent rehearsal with Ouroboros in Sydney, this reporter was handed a pair of earplugs and sat just metres from Horgan's rapid-fire bass drum.

In songs such as Black Hole Generator and Sanctuary, in which singer Evgeny Linnik emitted an unholy growl, the drums (Horgan), bass (Michael Conti) and guitar (Chris Jones) were loud but incredibly intricate and precisely executed.

Jones, who started out playing blues and Jimi Hendrix, said his guitar-playing involved a lot of rhythmic figures such as triplets and techniques such as palm muting and legato. He is studying composition at the Australian Institute of Music and is writing the orchestral parts for the band's next album. "We're not the typical death-metal band, but we can understand why there are certain cliches," Jones said. "We don't sing about blood and death, none of that stuff interests us."


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I don't care how good your band is, government money shouldn't be spent on frivolous shite like this. What? Did Sydney suddenly solve all their murders overnight? The streets are clean of thugs and rapists all of a sudden?

Priorities, man.

[BlackRoija]

the anglo oceanic countries all have ridiculous governments. idk how they're doing this while also censoring lots of media. NZ does stuff like raid metal merch shops for offensive shirts

also

its next album that will include a symphony orchestra.

gross