This was inspired by a thread that got horrendously off-topic earlier today.
This the the second image that comes up when you search Google for "metal":
And, sadly, the guy on the right is what most people, even musicians, think of when they hear the word "metal". A dirty, unintelligent troglodyte.
Why is this? Because of a select few?
Because of Metallica?
Link Removed
Yes. Yes it is.
They made metal huge. And they, acting like a bunch of drunk guys they are (or were), attracted lots of drunk fans.
Loud, drunk people. Loud drunk annoying people.
"Man, bro, this band is so rad and they're all about partying too! They rule!"
That's exactly what happened.
I'm not trying to talk trash about them. They changed music forever. They made "metal" a household term. They did great things.
And they gave everyone that image in their heads when they think of a metal fan.
When I thought about making this thread, I wanted to disprove the metal stereotype. The the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Most metal fans, and, dare I say, metal musicians are people who want to seem tough. They see this as a scene, feel they will get respect, and admiration, because possibly they've never been in a position like that before. This is sad, and it gives metal in general a bad name.
Like all stereotypes, they are not true in all cases. I will not attempt to disprove this, I will simply show examples of metal that is not so simple minded. "Thinking metal" if you will. But keep in mind, it's not all like that. No, most of it is not. Most of it sucks. It's absolutely terrible. I really do love metal, but watching a bad metal band full of drunk guys that suck is the most painful thing ever. I'd honestly prefer seeing any other band, of any genre and skill level than that.
I'm referring to local bands here. My band has been gigging for over a year now and we've played, by my estimation, roughly 40 shows. I'm not saying we're the best band around this part of the state, but we've only played with 4 to 5 bands that I actually enjoyed. Most of them are just bad. A surprising amount are signed. They lack skill and songwriting ability. All if not most of the songs sound exactly the same. Hell, we play with one band frequently, they're really nice guys, but I cannot stand their music. They have one song that is around 5 minutes long and is literally ONE RIFF. The drummer goes to half time a few times in the song. That is it. I have actually listened to it all the way through just so I could confirm this. It was hard.
They play 1-2 gigs a month on average. They. Get. GIGS.
Metal is about an attitude. When some people hear that a few metal bands are playing at the local bar, they will go, no matter who said bands are. Because they enjoy the scene, the attitude etc of a metal show. The music sadly does not matter.
Is this what we have come to? Is all lost? Is metal just about a bunch of drunk bros shoving and sweating all over each other?
No, it's not. Far from it. Metal is some of the most beautiful, versatile, and (although it really doesn't matter) technically challenging music in existence. It is a huge genre with bands calling themselves anything from "deathcore" (which we will touch upon in a later part of this thread) to "adult contemporary progressive death metal".
In my next post I will show you some bands that break this stereotype. Bands that will make you think, make you wonder "how did they play that?" They might make you actually enjoy metal.... if you have an open mind.
This the the second image that comes up when you search Google for "metal":
And, sadly, the guy on the right is what most people, even musicians, think of when they hear the word "metal". A dirty, unintelligent troglodyte.
Why is this? Because of a select few?
Because of Metallica?
Link Removed
Yes. Yes it is.
They made metal huge. And they, acting like a bunch of drunk guys they are (or were), attracted lots of drunk fans.
Loud, drunk people. Loud drunk annoying people.
"Man, bro, this band is so rad and they're all about partying too! They rule!"
That's exactly what happened.
I'm not trying to talk trash about them. They changed music forever. They made "metal" a household term. They did great things.
And they gave everyone that image in their heads when they think of a metal fan.
When I thought about making this thread, I wanted to disprove the metal stereotype. The the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Most metal fans, and, dare I say, metal musicians are people who want to seem tough. They see this as a scene, feel they will get respect, and admiration, because possibly they've never been in a position like that before. This is sad, and it gives metal in general a bad name.
Like all stereotypes, they are not true in all cases. I will not attempt to disprove this, I will simply show examples of metal that is not so simple minded. "Thinking metal" if you will. But keep in mind, it's not all like that. No, most of it is not. Most of it sucks. It's absolutely terrible. I really do love metal, but watching a bad metal band full of drunk guys that suck is the most painful thing ever. I'd honestly prefer seeing any other band, of any genre and skill level than that.
I'm referring to local bands here. My band has been gigging for over a year now and we've played, by my estimation, roughly 40 shows. I'm not saying we're the best band around this part of the state, but we've only played with 4 to 5 bands that I actually enjoyed. Most of them are just bad. A surprising amount are signed. They lack skill and songwriting ability. All if not most of the songs sound exactly the same. Hell, we play with one band frequently, they're really nice guys, but I cannot stand their music. They have one song that is around 5 minutes long and is literally ONE RIFF. The drummer goes to half time a few times in the song. That is it. I have actually listened to it all the way through just so I could confirm this. It was hard.
They play 1-2 gigs a month on average. They. Get. GIGS.
Metal is about an attitude. When some people hear that a few metal bands are playing at the local bar, they will go, no matter who said bands are. Because they enjoy the scene, the attitude etc of a metal show. The music sadly does not matter.
Is this what we have come to? Is all lost? Is metal just about a bunch of drunk bros shoving and sweating all over each other?
No, it's not. Far from it. Metal is some of the most beautiful, versatile, and (although it really doesn't matter) technically challenging music in existence. It is a huge genre with bands calling themselves anything from "deathcore" (which we will touch upon in a later part of this thread) to "adult contemporary progressive death metal".
In my next post I will show you some bands that break this stereotype. Bands that will make you think, make you wonder "how did they play that?" They might make you actually enjoy metal.... if you have an open mind.
