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75 thE flooDgatEs oPEN Sinawe and Baekdoosan are universally cited when dis- cussing the first Korean metal bands. Along with Black Syndrome, H2O, Asiana, Black Hole, Cratia (recently re- formed) and Buhwal, they played what most people would consider hard rock or traditional metal. These bands were successful and received a considerable amount of main- stream exposure. One side effect of the country opening so late and abrupt- ly was that it was inundated with decades of rock evolution all at once. Within a few years of first consuming standard metal stylings, the influence of thrash and death metal could already be felt, spurning the second wave of Korean metal in the early 1990s. These included Crash, Off and Seed, among others. This is considered by most to have been the peak of widespread popularity. It’s around this time that Dosu Kim of Oathean first got started. “All of those bands were very active and there were a ton of people at the shows,” says Choe Sung-won, a Kore- an-American in the metal-core band Paradigm, adding that he got his introduction buying Crash CDs in New York’s Ko- reatown. “It’s inconceivable now to think of anything being remotely death being played on Korean TV, but back then it was a reality.” Soon, the behemoth known as K-pop emerged in its modern form. Pretty and packaged, it was marketed tire- lessly to the first generation of Koreans to be raised in rel- ative affluence. There were also new forms of rock and roll making a dent in the market, such as punk rock, ska, oi and indie rock. TaijiSeo of Sinawe jumped ship and became a pop star sensation, though it’s still unclear whether this was for fi- nancial reasons or a changed taste in music. Besides the high turnover rate of fads and market trends, however, there are other social factors that continue to play a role today. Baekdoosan broke up in the mid-‘90s when founding member Hyeon-Sang Yoo quit the band because his fiancé’s father wouldn’t approve of their engagement until he had secured a “respectable” career. It’s also worth pointing out that Korea is still in a state of war, with man- datory military service for all young men. When discussing some of his favorite (now defunct) Korean bands — Nifil- heim, Brutal Life, Desperado — Choe Sung-won explains, “That’s a common story in Korea. A lot of great bands break up due to military service or having to get ‘normal’ jobs.” AU REVOIR MICHELLE ImperIal DomInatIon Dark Mirror ov TrageDy Oathean Silent eye