I love \m/ \m/

I love 'Metal'.

I always have. I have hesitated to write about it more often because the fandom of metal is somewhat intimidating. I do not mean that I am intimidated by guys with long hair and tattoos in black band t-shirts. Quite the contrary, I look to those guys as part of , if not the same at least a similar, tribe to me.

No metal fans are intimidating because of their depth of knowledge of their musical tribe and they do not appreciate it being talked about in broad brush strokes. Because metal is the most heavily compartmentalised section of the overall music spectrum. Amongst a multiple of sub genres I will have missed, and to only name a few, it breaks down into, Hard Rock, Blues Metal, Alternative metal, Thrash, Nu Metal, Emo Metal, Progressive metal, Progressive death metal, Death metal, Black Metal, Power metal, Progressive Power Metal, Grindcore, Straight Edge, Industrial metal, Rap Metal, Funk Metal, Melodic , Melodic Death, Doom metal, Sludge Metal, and so on.

So to the fans of music within these quite specific genres saying, I love metal, is like saying I love music. To which the answer is, oh really, what type?

Some metal (Sub genre Power)

I love that video (lots of love throughout this post) I especially like the bit between 2:30 and 2:40 or so. When the entire crowd thrust their hands in the air in time with the music and sing the chorus. Why? Well this is Iron Maiden (duh) filmed in Mumbai.(I have posted it before) this was filmed relatively recently, yet the song was first released 30 years ago, by a British band in what is viewed as a small section of the music spectrum. Yet, here is a sold out concert in India, which we can agree isn't the most obvious place for western music to take hold, filled with kids who are unlikely to have been born when it was first released.

This is the thing about Metal, it transcends borders , whether they be age, geographical, or cultural. No other music does this. Except perhaps Classical. Which is interesting isn't it. of course it is interesting, it is on this blog and everything here is interesting . . . .to me. Why? well some more music first

(metal is not just for boys)

People who tend to like classical music are generally considered to be more of an intellectual leaning than say lovers of Pop music. Right or wrong I think that this is the general perception. People who are into metal are considered to be the other end of the scale. Luddites who just like loud music and are as far from intellectual as you can get.

Except this isn't true is it? Generally they are people who like complicated music that has a meaning behind it. They are passionate about it and take the time to understand what they are listening to a little more than your average trend follower. Because metal has only a couple of times in it's life span been a trend (hair metal and grunge -  write in if you disagree) If you say that you like metal you are basically saying to the masses that you don't care what the trend is, you just like the music. It isn't something that you attach on to for a short period of time. It isn't  a ' oh I liked Slayer one summer, but not so much anymore '. No if you like Slayer , feel free to replace this band with another you have heard of , then it doesn't go away. Of course your tastes may morph and change, but it gets into you and leaves a little residue there.

However, back to my point about metal transcending borders. You can go anywhere in the world, anywhere and you will be able to find a local metal fan. I can say from my own experience that I have had conversations and listened to metal in places diverse as a restaurant in Alaska, and the Indonesian jungle. Let me tell you, The Black album by Metallica never really leaves you after doing 100kph on logging roads, through a jungle, in the rain trying to get a ferry back to civilisation . . . ever.

Why is it that it is so universal? Well, to me , it is because it makes you feel good. This can be because it allows you an outlet to frustration or anger. Just on this , before I go on to explain some of the other emotions, you almost never see a fight at a metal gig. In deed, whilst I have seen one or two, generally about something unconnected, the aggressive music does not make people fight per se. Instead it provides an outlet. Try singing next to a guy at the top of your lungs, thrusting arms in the air and jumping/ head banging and then try to fight them. It just doesn't happen. So music allows an outlet, this I think is fairly obvious. But is also allows introspection, Listen to Damnation by Opeth and tell me me after listening to some of the lyrics that you are not least a little reflective. Or anything by Tool. As per one of my recent posts , here is a song about the singers devout Christian mum and his thoughts on her beliefs and what should happen after she died.

For me, it is also a mood lifter. if I am just a little blah, I can put on any of the songs above or indeed, the thousands of other metal songs I like and I will instantly be in a better mood and feel like doing something more positive than just watching TV, or stare at a wall. Indeed, it would be fair to say that metal was one of the things that lead me to start this tiny piece of internet.

Thousands of metal songs? I would actually hazard a guess that I may have listened to maybe 5% of metal. There is so much of it. So much and yet some people don't even know that it exists. I am not sure how this is possible. but it is. Of course I am aware of the fact that I am not aware of some things that are globally popular and have been for 40 or so years. . . . Ok maybe not .

Metal can be said to have started with the first Black Sabbath album. Obviously there were lead ups to this and it can be disputed, and has been, at length. But for our purposes today that is the safest option to go for. So 44 years. I would also argue that it is not only going strong, but gathering strength with each passing year. It changes and new ways of getting the artistic vision are often coming up, hence the huge numbers of sub genre's, however, these are welcomed into the generally open arms of the metal fans.Ok, that may or may not be true. Actually, just like fans of all music, something new is treated either as a fantastic new event, or with deep suspicion that it is some way subverts what came before it. Don't believe me? ask a few metal fans about Nu Metal and see what they say. . . But that is OK. That is what happens when you care.

As a fan that new way is so fantastic though. Every time something new comes out I am keen to listen , as it just might be that thing I didn't realise I needed. For example , I never knew I needed this

But I did, and I will again in the future.

So long live Metal, you may be impossibly complicated, differentiated and underestimated. but without you the world would be a far poorer place

\m/ \m/