Actually, I feel that all genres of "mainstream" music are being dumbed down and void of of any message or even any creativity. The mainstream rock station here only plays music from the 90s and music from now that SOUNDS like music from the 90s, its like they are trapping the "mainstream" people into a time area and anything outside of that sound is considered weird or unlistenable to them. If you try to show someone who only knows System of A Down as a source of protest music some independent artists that go much deeper and are more insightful as well as being more musically creative, the mainstream types will throw that shit away and spit on it because it doesn't fit the "norm". The mainstream rock/pop BS stations are only playing "Clear Channel Approved" type songs that have no political message whatsoever, and if they do it was written in the 90s(i.e. Rage Against The Machine) so it is almost irrelevant in this post 9/11 era of politics. Some good bands to look into: Fear Before The March Of Flames, Circa Survive, Sparta, Muse, Modern Life Is War, Iron Chic, Foals, Dog Fashion Disco, Dear Landlord, The Copyrights, I could go on for days. some of those are "mainstream-ish" I understand but they don't get play really, mostly I would say, because of their message.

While I agree with your overall sentiment, I have to interject about SOAD. There is a variety and creativity in their music, if it times it is unfocused and undisciplined. Lacking insight? Fine. Lacking creativity? No. I think that they've proven willing to take risks musically and they certainly don't sound like anyone else. Creativity really is not some comparative quantity...either you value it or you don't. I think it's easy to see that they do.

Also, while Rage Against the Machine does sound dated today, based largely on their subsequent influence, their message is certainly not irrelevant in a post 9/11 world. In fact, 9/11 only exacerbated the factors they were turned onto back then. This is clear. I would argue that by dismissing both them and SOAD, you are letting your musical preferences color your perception of the intellectual and musical content of these other groups that don't fit your taste.

It's a natural thing to do, since we're communicating in a medium that is largely dependent on subjective personal experiences.

Actually I really like RATM. SOAD however is a bit annoying, especially once they let the guitarist start singing, that guy has an ego issue I feel. I am talking about how mainstream radio is projecting that it is playing the "newest" and "most relevant" music when in actuality they are playing music from the 90s and early 00s and are completely ignoring all the good music that has come out since. After 9/11 music really changed, but if you only listen to the radio to get your "new" music, you are missing out on all of the GOOD music. The independent music scene has grown and has evolved music in a way that the people who suck the mainstream dick have no idea what has been done in the last 10 years, as someone who has participated and played shows with HUNDREDS of underground independent bands for the last 10 years I can tell you with 100% accuracy that the radio is not playing ANYTHING worth a shit right now. Yes RATM and SOAD are classic bands at this point, but they are not mainstream anymore, they are classics. I'm not kidding man, the mainstream radio, just like the mainstream media, is highly controlled in what they will release, and SOAD is milktoast compared to most of what has been put out since they "blew up", trust me on this.

Yes this is happening in all genres apparently. I'm a hiphop head and I watched a steady degradation in the mainstream to today. I'd rather shove a claw hammer up my urethra than listen to this paraquat rap music that is coming out now in the mainstream. On occasion one will slip through that is surprisingly enlightening... but for the most part I've shat better lyrics. At least we have the independent labels to keep genres alive.

Check out Immortal Technique if you have not already, but i bet you have

Seconded. Mainstream hiphop is uninteresting. But artists like Imtech and Nas, KRS-1, Lupe Fiasco, Lowkey and a few others keep it interesting and vital.

Nas and Krs-1 are classics. Though I find Nas's earlier stuff more pivotal I occasionally hear something new from him that keeps my faith in him up. I don't know of Imteck and Lowkey, but Lupe Fiasco's first album was garbage. His two radio songs were fantastic everything else was reaaaally subpar comparatively. IMHO

Immortal Technique. Some people call him Imtech for short. If you haven't checked him out, you're missing some greatness.

I have... Some of his stuff is waaay to aggressive for my current tastes, but would have been perfect for my tastes circa 95. I do appreciate his attention to conspiracy fact. The Micronauts (I think they were called) and Jedi Mind Tricks and some of Dead Prez managed to touch on those topics too.

That's why I don't listen to anything after 1980 or so...

There's still a lot of good music mostly unaffected by what op is talking about. It's just not mainstream.

I guess I lied. I also listen to MGMT... But that's it. Everything else is too chorus based for me and has no band dynamics. I've been spoiled by prog.

Conspiracy in rap

Interesting. I do feel that early metal doesn't get enough credit for its ability to deliver a positive message. They took the reins of musical political protest from the 60s icons like CSNY. On the other end of the spectrum was reggae, which at the time was also highly political.

I don't know if AC/DC is the best example to show the devolution of metal. If anything they were always a "party" band to me.

Killing Joke - MMXII

Muse - The Resistance

There is no doubt that George H W Bush hated the likes of John Lennon, Neil Young, and War Protest Music. He blamed them for what he called "Vietnam Syndrome". http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Vietnam%20Syndrome

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2011/022811.html

As many people had noted John Lennon was about the only artist who could rally a million war protestors on a moments notice and get lots of media coverage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/09/AR2010120904262.html

Then PNAC and the NeoCons came along bought up the airwaves prior to 9/11 via ClearChannel and others and basically prohibited any Anti War Music.

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/awradio.html

But, income inequality doesn't hinder freedom! I just have to get off my butt, earn a brazillion dollars, and buy my own media outlets. If I can't, it's 'cause I'm dumb. I'm also just jealous.

You mean it doesn't have anything to do with tribal control of the Federal Reserve and Wall Street? Or agents of the Federal Reserve buying up large and influential media outlets right after it was founded?

Metallica was making conscious metal in 1981, and really didn't stop doing so until the Black album. They were too popular to put a leash on...

One:

Landmine has taken my sight

Taken my speech

Taken my hearing

Taken my arms

Taken my legs

Taken my soul

Left me with life in hell

They certainly weren't as direct as they could have been, but for anyone with sufficient mental capacity the message was clear.

Just curious if you've ever heard this song by them, it's an instrumental.

Orion

Make absolutely sure you hear from 4:10 on.

It would be a shame to have died and have never heard this song, and many more of them. Seriously, they are that well composed, that dynamic, that incredible...

I'm 34 years old, a music aficinado, I've never liked metal, but... All of the Metallica albums up until the Black album, are the only albums I know of that I can listen to from start to finish without even thinking about changing tracks.

Disposable Heroes:

Life planned out before my birth, nothing could I say

had no chance to see myself, molded day by day

Looking back I realize, nothing have I done

left to die with only friend

Alone I clench my gun.

Later we get "she loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again."

WTF, Metallica?

They sold out with the Black album, and every other one after it. The only reason the Black album did so well is because it had the full backing of the music industry Oligarchs.

To quote the Dead Kennedys:

music is banned in khomeini's iran

on the grounds that it stimulates the brain

we've done him one better in the land of coke-n-honey

using music to put peoples brains to sleep

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come

I hear this song as a call to arms against the system Machine Head-who we are

First of all, great post. You've done your homework. I would say that the Sabbath vs. AC/DC was a bit self serving and cherry picked, but that doesn't take away from the point you're making. I just don't think AC/DC is establishment, more than they were drunken lovable morons.

I also think you might be overemphasizing the church's response to metal. They were against bands like Black Sabbath because the band's name was Black Sabbath. Titles like "heaven and hell" and "seventh star" were chosen, arguably, to cultivate exactly that image.

Even the positive vibe of their message was framed in a decidedly pagan, anti-church context. Again, as an element of counter culture, I would argue that this is intentional. I don't think you can say Black Sabbath was unaware of this and only came to it when they began catering to the powers that be, since their name was BLACK SABBATH.

I think they were positioning themselves in direct opposition with the church, and the positive vibe and "people are powerful" vibe is just a function of that.

Edit: Don't want people to take this as advocating the church response, or an argument against the great points that OP made. I just think that Black Sabbath might be getting a little too much credit as a voice of good that was unduly criticized by the church.

There have always been popular songs with shitty lyrics.

The biggest culprit of 'poor' lyrics in today's generation is that Electronic Dance Music has been the #1 genre in the world for nearly a decade, and there isn't a lot of room for lyricism in EDM.

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Don't forget "Paschendale"

What the hell is paschendale?

You had me at hello

I quit read after you said you didn't respect metal.

a whole lot of crazy just spilled out of your mouth, you might want to catch it before it escapes.