Let's talk about originality for a second.
I'm researching metal bands from various strange places. I check out a Korean metal band called
Black Syndrome. Name's not too original, but it works, I guess. I can find their web site, their videos, I can find them on iTunes even, and I like them enough to download the song
Raptured in the above video.
After watching their video I click on another random video labeled "
Chinese metal band with female vocals". This is interesting simply because the female vocalist -- young and slightly built -- growls into the microphone with a deep and very credible death growl. I've heard several female vocalists do the higher-pitched black metal scream style of vocals, and some people actually think that works even better with a female vocalist, but deep death metal growls, especially from someone who looks like that?
Here's where the bit about being original comes in. This Chinese death metal band is named
Purgatory. This is not to be confused with old school thrash metal band
Purgatory from Florida, who would go on to change their name to
Iced Earth before relesing their first cd way back in the 1980's. And frankly that was a very smart move! Otherwise they might become confused with
Purgatory, the well-known band from Cleveland, Ohio. Or they might be confused with
Purgatory, the U.S. death metal band from Moosup, CT. Or, actually, they might be confused with
Purgatory, the thrash/death band from Memphis, TN.
Confused yet? It gets better. I clicked on some of the other videos by
Purgatory on Youtube, just to see what I'd get. What's this?
Purgatory, a thrash/death metal band from Limoges, France? Sorry, I was looking for
Purgatory, not
Purgatory. Oh wait... here's an Iranian death metal band! Really, death metal from Iran -- you gotta love it. They aren't too original but at least their name stands out from the crowd... oh wait, they're called
Purgatory too.
Not, mind you, to be confused with
Purgatory... the famous death metal band from Indonesia. (Who at least don't sound quite like all of the others.)
Yeah... insert your own joke about being in death metal purgatory here....
