Originally Posted by Bleeding Purist

Actually, that is incorrect. The band is fully aware of what Adrenalize did to their longterm validity. To say they look back on Adrenalize fondly is a stretch. They recognize the damage the album did in that respect, fully understand how that album hurt Slang and their future, but that there is really nothing they can do about it. Adrenalize is the album that locked them into the 80s hair band genre. Hysteria was groundbreaking and fresh when it was released. People forget that. By the time Adrenalize came out, the Hysteria sound had been copied to death and run into the ground by inferior bands. Adrenalize furthered this and parodied the band.

Their fans, quite frankly, are idiots stuck in the 80s. The majority have made the band their personal nostalgia trip so they can pretend they are still in high school. They blast Hysteria in the parking lot as if it were 1987 and respond to new songs played with "BOO! PLAY POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME!" This is not the hardcore fan base. Their popularity in the 80s earned them a lot of casual fans vs hardcore fans that stay with them. That kind of fanbase kills a band by preventing them from having any success beyond two or three core albums from a certain time period, no matter the caliber of material that follows. Manraze, Phil's side project is a direct response to all of the above. Look around and you'll find him addressing all of the exact points I listed in agreement.

Where the band is now is at acceptance with where they have landed, since they can't change history. Any of us would do the same in their shoes. Their hardcore fan base is simply not large enough to sustain their forward creative output on albums and tours. That is why we are stuck with setlists/shows that are dominated by songs from two albums rather than a balanced set from throughout their career.