THE STORY OF SUBTERRANEAN STEEL
My name's Preston, I'm a lifelong fan of old school metal music, particularly the spectrum of heavy/speed/power/thrash/death that thrived in the '80s and early '90s, as well as its close evolutions and revivals. Here, I mostly focus on heavy metal, including albums from the classic era as well as the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM), though I also chat a bit about some of my favorite thrash creations. If you're into the same stuff, then right on, this blog is dedicated to you!
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I've been writing music blogs since 2017. My first one, Iron Skullet, got surprisingly popular and led to a full-time job as the A&R guy for an indie record label. People tell me that sounds cool, but it weirdly wasn't. In fact, it kind of sucked. But I learned a lot from my mistakes on that blog and just as much from the awkward job that followed, especially how to lighten up and not take this stuff so damn seriously.
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These days I just want to write about music I like, and I find that much of what I like is kinda dumb. That's part of why I love it. So I try to point out the awesome stuff in metal music as well as the things that are kinda dumb, while also acknowledging that this blog is kinda dumb. (Whether or not that last part is intentional is up to you!)
I'm not an expert on anything, but I've been listening to traditional heavy metal for over 30 years now, have explored thousands of bands in that style, and I have a lot of thoughts rattling around in my skull about it. I'm also an artist (I write pretty openly and honestly about my own creative trials and tribulations over on www.prestoncram.com), and I try to remember that all music is made by awesome people just trying to do their best.
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Like all of us, right?
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Do I expect you to agree with me on anything? Not at all. We all think about things differently, and that's what makes life and music interesting. I just want to have fun with these posts and shine a (very small) spotlight on some obscure new releases I love. So if you find even one new band or album you enjoy because of my blog and Spotify playlists, then I will die a happy dude.
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Long live true metal!