Most people hate it. I don’t blame them. I get it. It’s loud obnoxious stuff…it’s not for everyone. I’ve seen people walking into a metal show for the first time with their hands up in front of their face in a defensive manner, eyes blinking, trying to make sense of the horror in front of them. Folks like that don’t usually last there for too long. However, some less sensible ones actually stick around and like it.
For many, Heavy metal music is a wall of awful noise to be avoided like a tsunami. Some people feel intimidated by it at first, though they get used to it pretty quickly if no escape route is possible.
The music can be fast or slow and grinding. The riffs from the highly amplified, distorted sound of the guitar and bass strings can be difficult to separate out. The drums are sometimes very fast and complex. The drums can sound like a dump truck full of hammers was unloaded down an elevator shaft. Over top of all this you have aggressive vocals that are growled, screamed and grunted. Very puzzling for most. I get that, I do.
Heavy metal is passionate, energizing, adrenaline inducing music. It’s not about beautiful melodies and heart warming moments but about intensity, groove and aggression. Those who enjoy it find it cathartic (those who do not, the opposite). Those who dislike it find it makes them annoyed to the point of anger. The music is aggressive and metalheads may be rowdy, but they are not violent (for those who don’t know, a metalhead is someone with horrible taste in music who worships the devil). Some people think that metal fans are moronic barbarians who smell bad and don’t brush their teeth. That might be true occasionally, but you get all sorts of people who are into it. Some are quite intelligent and rather passive when not listening to their favorite bands. There are vegetarians, vegans, and straight edge kids who don’t drink or do drugs, smoke or engage in promiscuous sex. Straight-edge is more of a hardcore punk movement, the music would be indistinguishable from metal to non-fans, but it’s a little different.
Do headbangers really worship the devil? Well, they like to joke about it but the mass majority don’t believe in the devil, nor god. They worship the music, not the devil, though during a concert you will often see the devil horns (holding your arm in the air, with the index and pinkie finger extended and the middle finger and ring finger down with the thumb).
The environment at a metal show is unique. It’s counterculture, with most people dressed in black. Lots of males with long hair, beards, tattoos, piercings, dreads, gauged ears, the whole deal. Much of the music might be angry but the crowd is not. It’s a happy atmosphere, people laughing, joking, having fun. There are mosh pits for those who are rowdy and want to mix it up with other like minded types.
Believe or not, females do attend metal concerts. About 10% to 20% of the crowd is female I would say. I’m sure some are there just to hang out with their boyfriends, but others are really into it. There are some beauties too. Some of them wear black leather, fishnet leggings, biker bitch boots and outerwear bustiers – wohoo!
The mosh pits can be really wild, lots of physicality in there, but you rarely see fights. I think a metal show environment favorably compares to other events involving alcohol fueled young males. I’ve seen more fights at regular bars and pubs than metal concerts.
Unlike most music genres, metal music has nothing to do with sex. It’s not about beauty either. Metalheads with a bald spot and really long hair, a belly, plumber butt and a smile with missing teeth are fully accepted. There are exceptions though to the normally asexual metal themes. There is a sub-genre called Pornogrind. The lyrics are pornographic and the concerts involve lots of jokers dressed in ridiculous costumes, often with large, inflatable phallic appendages, jumping on and off stage. Total foolishness.
I think metal gets a bad rap sometimes. The elements that make up this genre are seen everywhere. Heavy metal lyrics are an exploration of the dark side. Many of the themes explored are the same as what you see on the nightly news. The music is aggressive. Have you ever noticed that hockey, football and mixed martial arts are very aggressive? Humans enjoy exploring the dark side. TV, movies, the aggressive dark side of humanity is explored daily. Heavy Metal is music’s version of this. There is no actual violence in metal music. It is just music. No one is killed. What is worse – listening to aggressive music or watching people get murdered on TV?
Some of the musicians are very talented and practice for long hours daily. There are technical bands who produce difficult music to play – unusual time signatures, fast intricate drum patterns, bass that sometimes doubles complex guitar riffs and vocals that don’t even sound human sometimes. I think some of the appeal of this type of music is to be able to process everything that is going on. It feels like an accomplishment to sort out and absorb all the sounds being blasted at you. Recently, I have really been getting into blast beats. This is when the drummer strikes the bass drum, snare and a symbol at the same time at high beats per minute, sometimes as high as 300 bpm! It sounds a bit like a jackhammer. I have found the technique to be an acquired taste. It is strangely mesmerizing in a frenzied, intense kind of way. There are unique names for the different types of blast beats, my favorite being the “Inverse Skank Blast”.
The music is not all about being serious and intense all the time. In between songs the singers often joke around with the crowd. There are sub-genres of metal that include Black Metal, Death Metal and Viking metal. Musicians and fans don’t take the themes seriously, it is tongue in cheek. Viking metal guitarists don’t really think they are vikings.
Well, I better get going, it is almost time for my evening prayers to Satan. He gets all red in the face if I’m late.