I don't really get/like metal...

[ogreboy88]

Ever read/hear something about yourself that you knew had to be true because it stung?

This is from The Psychology Of Loving Heavy Metal...

Somewhat predictably, heavy metal fans were more likely to be male, to dislike authority, and to feel a need to be unique. Enjoying heavy metal was also correlated with openness, possibly because people with more open personalities would be drawn to music that is "intense, engaging, and challenging," as metal can be, the researchers write. Interestingly, the metal fans in the study tended to have relatively low self-esteem. "The catharsis afforded by heavy metal may, in turn, help boost self-worth and promote positive self-evaluations among those with otherwise low self-esteem," the study postulates.

And this is from Heavy metal 'a comfort for the bright child'...

Researchers found that, far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders… "We are looking at a group with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted. They feel more stressed out and turn to heavy metal as a way of relieving that stress."

 

[scuzzy]

I enjoy good metal music. Likely just because it's rhythmically driven. I play bass and drums, I like rhythm. Metal is rhythmic.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

I get it. I love metal but am not fond of Pop music.

 

[socialleper]

And to think it all started here. "Heavy metal thunder."

It started with Black Sabbath, but close enough.

 

[socialleper]

I dunno. Were the Kinks considered to be a metal band? That is as far as I would go.

No, not even close.

 

[bkbirge]

I like metal ok unless it's the big hair pop of the 80's and the same acts that tried to ride the grunge bandwagon in the 90's. I was always more into punk though. Modern metal seems to have a lot more in common with prog rock with the level of musicianship raised considerably from where it was in the 80's and some of that stuff can be pretty fantastic. There is a lot of dreck out there for sure, though that can be said about all styles.

 

[socialleper]

Depends on when you were 14. I was 14 in 1957. It was Elvis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis...
Metal, like any other genre, is a generational thing. What are current 14 year old males listening to?

Not quite. Metal has now spanned at least three generations now.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Metal/heavy metal has morphed so much through the years that it is impossible to define it even for today, never mind going back - what was heavy metal is nothing like it is now. Steppenwolf/Sabbath/Def Leopard comes closer to what we call classic rock than the heavy drumming/gutteral vocal/riff laden stuff today.

Call it music - listen to what you like.

 

[higain617]

I really wish there was footage of Martin "Kiddie" Kearns RIP, that guy was a powerhouse, with really propulsive groove.

I saw Bolt Thrower once. They were killer.

 

[Kriegs]

My favorite extreme drummer, Aaron Kitcher of Infant Annihilator:

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Not quite. Metal has now spanned at least three generations now.

The label Metal has been around, but the sounds have changed. It is the normal evolution of music.
Both of these are Rock & Roll

 

[lfmn16]

I get ya. I don’t get/like Balkan folk music and I just don’t understand why.

I don't like Yoko Ono; what am I not getting????

 

[buldog5151bass]

I don't like Yoko Ono; what am I not getting????

You aren't getting that you have good taste?

 

[Karlson541]

Metal is a pretty broad genre.
As diverse a genre as is the case with jazz for example.

Try some Tool:



Or how about some Om:

 

[ogreboy88]

Or how about some Om:

The tone on that song is what made me pick up my bass again after 15 years. I want to paint the entire world in that sound.

 

[Boy_Narf]

Ah yes the classic Faceless drum cam

I primary listen to metal/grind/prog/djent/death/whatever you want to call it. As stated above metal is hard to pin down these days as there are so many influences involved. I will say that when it comes to creativity and pushing the envelope, metal and jazz are about all that are doing anything interesting these days. Neither is afraid of going places that are not "traditional". When it comes to some of the more extreme genres, lets say something like Alien-Core (Rings Of Saturn would be a good example), indeed they can get fatiguing to listen to. Typically I'll find a specific part of the band I'm a fan of and go from there. Perhaps you think the drummer is great, or that the guitar is creative. Well that's all you need! If you are wanting to get into Metal (and not focusing on the death category), a good place to start might be Animals As Leaders. Serious jazz influences and playing I'm sure everyone can appreciate. Check out the latest album "The Madness Of Many", or better yet their Live 2017 album. Great stuff! It might help that there are also no vocals, so if anyone is scared off by the screaming, not to worry.

In regards to getting into metal, I didn't start out with mainstream rock as people posted above. Mainstream metal IMO is garbage. It's nothing more than generic hard rock with some yelling over top. I've also never been a fan of the original version of metal. I think it's terrible. What got me started was going to a punk rock show that my friends wanted to see and discovering a band called Poison The Well. They went off to buy shirts from the headliners as they weren't into metal, but I stuck around. Seriously that show is what led me down this path. I'd never heard anything like that before, and once I got home I was eager to find more.

For me, it's all about pushing the envelope, and trying something different. I've always said that a band should be able to convey emotion through the instrumentation. I don't need a singer to tell me this is a sad part, I want the instruments to do something that makes me feel sad. In metal, I find the instruments as a whole are what matter. Together they create the melody, mood, and atmosphere. Seems the singer in a metal band matters the least. A "metal" song does not need to rely on a catchy melody or lyrics about the weekend. The instruments have their own story to tell.

Also since some folks are calling the singers cookie monster, what can help me deal with some more extreme singers is to consider the vocals a part of the rhythm, as opposed to the lead part of the band. It's a bit of a mindset shift as we all know the vast majority of music features vocals as the main attraction. Allow them to blend into the music. Listen to the track a few times, and perhaps try listening to just the drums. Then listen again and try and pick out the bass. Then listen again but only to the guitars. Then listen again with everything balanced (yea this can be done in your mind, you just have to concentrate). You will find there is some much more depth to the music than some dude wrecking his vocal chords because he is angry at his father.

 

[DavC]

being an old fart ... i like and dislike stuff in just about every genre ...!!

i don't have time for stuff that promotes hate or violence ... those fires don't need to be flamed ..!!

 

[klejst]

I don't mind metal...it's the "screamo" stuff where it's just a bunch of loud over gain'ed out guitars and ear bashing drums (forget about trying to hear much of the bass) and the only thing you usually can tell what the vocalist is saying is "that was our set, we want to thank you all for coming" that I don't get.

 

[EricMordus]

I don't really like/get jazz... but ultimately, who give a poopie?

 

[Karlson541]

being an old fart ... i like and dislike stuff in just about every genre ...!!

i don't have time for stuff that promotes hate or violence ... those fires don't need to be flamed ..!!

There's difference between promoting hate and violence and then giving it a voice to expose it in a fictional context.
Cause that is what most metal bands actually does.
By far the most are against hate and violence, but give it a voice to exorcise and/or expose it.
If you had the same attitude said towards movies you wouldn't be able to watch most of what comes out.
And most movies are not even critical about it.