I'd say it's more likely due to the fact that most serious people don't even have accounts on this forum... from memory a duplicate of this thread on Perthbands got quite a few more replies fairly quick. Plus, even though interest for progressive metal in Perth is starting to rise, most progressive fans I've talked to at gigs or at random are quite aware how prejudiced the average black/death metal fan (which this forum is mainly composed of) is against the genre, so they steer clear of places like this where they'll just get given shit.
A bit of a generalization, dont you think?
a) To claim that wf posters have prejudices against certain styles of music, and then suggest regulars on pb.com are more accepting is not true IMO.
b) Progressive music has always been welcomed in the Perth music scene and has always had some bands around doing it. The difference I see is that its becoming more exposed/commercialized on the global scene. (That, or more bands are using the word 'progressive' in their titles to make their musical style seem more developed or less generic than other people doing the exact same thing)
c) Regarding local prog fans... They seriously say that? I would have thought that being interested in progressive music would allow them to be a little more open to other styles anyway, but most of the people I know on here are into most styles of metal, and certainly dont hang shit on others for their musical tastes. I cant say this about the younger crew of course, but Ive always found far less tolerance for this kind of stuff on pb.com
Im hoping to prove this in a few weeks when my new band takes to the stage for the first time. It wont be nearly as metal as most heavier bands out there, but I know that the metal guys around here WILL be prepared to give it support and give it a listen. If they dont like it, I certainly wont expect it to be publicly bagged on this site.
a) I did say extreme metal fans, not WF posters... and yeah, I know it's still generalising, but almost every metal fan I've talked to who prefers extreme metal, has told me straight to my face that they hate progressive metal, and especially power metal. Mainly because of the "wanking", and lowered focus on "brutality" or "heaviness". This even includes good friends of mine who love their black/death/thrash metal. It's not like I take it personally or anything, each to their own, and I realise that doesn't represent everyone's thoughts, but still... I hear it so often that it's almost become a natural association to me. I can understand it though, there's plenty of people who hate death metal, but then again, most of these people assume that all metal is death metal.
Also, don't misinterpret me as suggesting that the regulars on Perthbands are more open-minded or anything... quite the opposite in my opinion too... just about every prog band related thread I've seen, including ones started by me, has been ragged upon. I was merely commenting on how the Perthbands equivalent/duplicate of this thread was receiving attention, in regards to earlier discussion topics in this thread.
b) Of course it would have been, there will always be a fan base for it, regardless of how small it is, but just because something is welcomed and accepted by few or even many, it doesn't mean there isn't going to be a bunch of people who plainly hate it (but then again, the same can be said for anything)... and I totally agree on the vague overuse of the word "progressive", and although progressive metal in general does seem to becoming more popular, I wouldn't say only commercialised/exposed prog bands are getting noticed.
c) Well I can't say that on the behalf of every one can I? It's not like I went around doing a demographic survey, trying to make sure I attained a sufficient sample size while employing a double-blind placebo controlled trial. But yeah, quite a few I've talked to have spoken negatively about this site, perthbands and other similar sites, as well as the local scene, because of others being intolerant of their musical tastes... of course progressive fans by nature should be more open to other musical styles, but there is also plenty of "prog elitists" too, so it's not like it's a one-way street. Even I would have classified myself as a more close-minded prog elitist at first, but I'd think that eventually everyone matures on a musical level to appreciate any work based on it's own merits, and not the genre it's pigeonholed under... I think there will always be a "genre war" though, just like there will always be a "Metallica vs. Megadeth war", and there will always be a mass of people too petty to look past it.
Props to getting your band off the ground though, I can't wait to hear it, and I imagine it will be well received by local supporters.
Even though I don't know you personally, I have a lot of respect for you... especially reading some of the discussions you've had on Perthbands, where some people have directly attacked you, you've always handled it professionally.
Anyway, I'm going to discontinue my involvement in this thread, however I'm quite happy to continue the discussion in private or in person with anyone who is interested. I was mainly stepping in to stand up for Gina, even though I'm quite aware it wasn't a personal attack, and most likely meant in jest.