It seems as though not everyone is as open minded when it comes to government appropriation towards music as you’d think. 3AW Radio presenter Neil Mitchell has slammed the Australia Council for the Arts decision to grant Sydney Death Metal band Ouroboros $20,000 to go towards the writing and recording of their new album, which is said to even include a symphony orchestra.
Neil has chosen the always hot ‘tax payers money’ line to back his argument that this type of music holds no musical value or appeal: “It’s awful stuff, and you’re paying for it…”. During a recent program, Mitchell even went as far as to compare Ouroboros’ vocals to that of the cookie monster. Funny I suppose, but still a total dick move.
The Music Council has backed its decision, saying they chose the band as “they have a degree of technical virtuosity and musicianship. No matter what kind of music you are involved in, that comes through”. This is an awesome sign of the times that shows metal, in many of its wonderful forms, has arrived.
The band, as you can imagine, are stoked. Drummer David Hogan told The Australian: “This is amazing for us; we couldn’t consider hiring an orchestra to do this without this kind of support”. This is great news for the local scene; can’t wait to hear the final product.
