Metal Reviews

Discounting any social pressures such as listening to metal for reasons related to: being a loner, wanting to be weird, wanting to be a rebel, wanting to be different, and pretty much anything stereotypically related to metalheads; why do us metalheads listen to metal?

Metal is a bass ridden music, which can sometimes sound muddy. Death Metal is filled with low chugging guitars and the most ungodly growls and screams possibly emitted from human vocal cords. Power metal has the loudest whiny guitars with the highest ear piercing vocals. Why do we as metalheads find this to be so pleasing, so intruiging, so awe inspiring? None of these sounds are true to nature, and thus should seem out of place with human experience.

I myself do not fit any of the metal stereotypes. I grew up in a economically sound house, with both loving parents. I went to school in a predominantly white neighborhood with no crime to speak of. I've never had any traumatic experiences, and I need not an escape. At present I do well in school, wear jeans and polos, have a good looking girlfriend, and are very sociable. I am also the child of two christian parents and are a follower of the religion myself... so, I've come to question my liking of Metal in general. Why metal? Why does it attract me so? I still love metal to death, but I was just curious as to why and how I got into it.

Give me some input as to why some of you believe metal is so appealing to some people.

Hmm, this is a very insightful query. Thanks for bringing this up.

As you have said, there is a certain stereotype for the common metalhead(loner, angry, misanthropic), but, like all stereotypes, I find it to be inaccurate.
Unlike you, in a sense, I grew up in a rough part of town, I had been around junkies, alcholics, sacrilegious people, etc. Yet I feel this did not directly influence Metal's appeal to me.
The appeal of Metal, ultimately, can be seen as a longing for a certain adversity that is commonly not found in more publicly known music. It's subject matter is different than most other genres, and thus it gains the appeal of those who personally concern their own thoughts with this subject matter.
Yet, not all Metal focuses on a certain array of subject matters; these ideas can range from hate, to love, to misanthropy, to faith, and so much more.
I also believe the sound is what draws some to it. I bought my first Metal record(C.T.A.D by Himsa) because I felt its sound had a certain "starkness" that I favored. I now listen to Metal because of this starkness and the emotion that it can carry and stimulate.

nothing, i just thought it sounded nice the first time i heard it.

There were a few things leading up to my listening to metal.

1.I heard Iron Maiden-The Number of the Beast and the bit after Bruce does that scream and the lyrics go "Night was black..." was (:lol:) the heaviest thing I'd ever heard, somehow. That intrigued me.

2. I bought Iron Maiden-Iron Maiden because I'd loved the Maiden cover art for years. Loved the CD.

3. Heard Slayer-Raining Blood and freaked out.

4. Heard death metal and thought it was the thing that had been missing from my life for so long.

Because it is complete fucking armageddon.

I also used to be a normal kid, my family's economy was pretty good and they are the coolest people ever, I was succesful and popular in school, I was in the basketball team and a social guy... Then things took a different turn. I didn't like any of this, I hated my life. Metal was my way out of it all, it was something different, unforced and pure. I didn't have to behave myself while listening to metal, I didn't have to be normal. I felt connected to the music, I felt I was a part of something where you didn't have to smile all the time and speak politely. I liked that. I liked to be free from the chains. Because of this metal is something I value a lot, it was there for me in my worst and best times, it became a part of me growing up. That's why I feel I can never quit it, why do people quit anyway? Fucking fags.

It sounded cool and epic and stuff.

I fit Tipo's description to the T! I guess it was between my brother and a few of his friends that got me into it, one of them being Chris from Cellador. I had always been into Maiden, just not as much. Once I heard Sonata Arctica, Strato, Dream Theater and Helloween I was hooked. Then I explored on from there after hearing Bodom and In Flames (harsh metal that is easy to get into).

I fit the loner stereotype. I have always been a shy little boy, and always a bit lonely, and i just happened to find a form of music that wasnt all smiles and sunshine. Something that offered an escape from all the shit i hated. School, my perception of myself as an ugly loser, and later my mental illness nightmare, when for years i was too afraid to tell anyone about it.

Metal transports me to another world, which is the opposite of everything i hate in this life, where i can forget it all. As long as you can feel something in the music, even the shttiest demo with the worst production ever can be calming. It has less to do with the actual sound of the instruments and more with the emotion the music conveys.

I thought current music could be more than a 3 minute pop song, so I went looking for metal.

I just think it sounds good. It's challenging, diverse, and Metal is one of the few genres where the actual music is the spotlight, and not the lyrics.

Also, Metal is appealing to me because it speaks the truth. Metal bands tackle issues that most people don't have the balls to tackle, or just plain talks about things you aren't supposed to hear. I love the Anti-PC, I don't give a fuck if you're offended stance that Metal embodies. Don't give a damn what people think, for the majority are fools anyway. You just don't find that in other genres of music.

Your signature now seems ever more resonant.

About 8 years ago I was listening to pretty much 100 percent classic rock (Hendrix, Zeppelin, Cream). I knoew I needed something more but I had no clue what it would be. Then I was in a friend of a friends car and he was playing Manowar. I was hooked instantly. I have since moved on to much more tech music and listen almost exclusively to heavy prog metal like Zero Hour and Degree Absolute but I still remeber the feeling of awe and FUCK YOU spirit that filled me. I had a full on metal erection.

I agree, and feel the same.

This is why I listen to it. In pop music it's all about the singer. The rest of the band can be absolute crap but if the singer has a good voice and writes relateable lyrics then they're instantly popular, and that bugged me. My parents had made me do a whole lot or music stuff throughout my life, I've been in choirs and concert bands and marching bands and everything, so I wanted a style of music to listen to that actually included the ENTIRE band instead of just a single artist.

Also there's so much emotion in metal that you don't hear elsewhere. Anyone starting a metal band has got to realize that it's a pretty much doomed career choice. Even if you get successful, it's a relatively small audience. Therefore, anyone who seriously goes into metal does it because they love it SO much that they're willing to sacrifice stuff like money and such. And that shows in the music that they create.

I'm closer to ftr. I've always been shy, and I was a loner when I was younger. Metal spoke to that part of me that was looking for a more visceral way to express itself. Music feeds something in me that needs to be fed, and gives me an outlet. Plus, there's just something perversely enjoyable about driving down the street singing along to really loud cheesy power metal.

Oh yeah I should also add that I wanted music that wasn't the best ever BECAUSE EVERYONE SAYS SO. Now I know this happens in Metal circles too (Wanky's disrespectin' da Blind Guardian when he first signed up, for example ), but when I first heard Iron Maiden I was like "This! This is the best music ever! I don't care what bastards tell me I_just_have to like The fucking Beatles!"

i come from a very musical family. My parents are both musicians and work at the Conservatory here, so i'v always been passionate about music. I used to memorize Mozart operas when i was 6... I discovered the Beatles in our library one day and loved it. then my mom started getting me stuff she thought i might like (Eagles, Doors). i adored everything. My dad listened to Sabbath as a kid, but he thought it might be too dark for me. So he recommende bands like pink floyd and led zeppelin to me. Then someone got me Queen. Eventually I bought my own best of black sabbath and loved it. Since i loved it so much i went and checked out Ozzy's solo stuff and fell in love with the crazy train riff. Then my guitar teacher lent me Appetite For Destruction. I had decided to start playing guitar after being bowled over by tony iommi's solo on Heaven and Hell. and it just grew from there...

I like interesting rhythms in my music, and metal seems to be the genre that provides that the most. I also like ambitious, huge sounding music, and besides classical metal seems to be the second best genre for providing that, and I've never really appreciated classical music on recording, its more of a live thing for me.