Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I don't really get/like metal...
- Thread starter glocke1
- Start date
I like a good amount of old school (proto?) metal ('67-75). '76-present, I like a number of individual metal tunes, but no longer the genre. Too often solo's have become "look at me" shredfests and lyrics have gotten dumber.
And don't get me started on the fact that fans have created 20+ sub-genre's. Ridiculous.
And don't get me started on the fact that fans have created 20+ sub-genre's. Ridiculous.
Last edited:
Just something to be mindful of. We're clearly all passionate people.
Post titles containing 'I don't get/like X genre' or 'X instrument/effect/cable sounds like -insert type of excrement here- are pretty much asking for backlash, whether intended or not. Or it's perceived as merely clickbait, which is a total time waster.
You totally could have just gone with 'check out this cool drummer' and left it at that, and this would never have gone sideways because there's no potential for it to do so.
Also, apologies for being a deck. But that being said, this is metal - what's there to get?
Post titles containing 'I don't get/like X genre' or 'X instrument/effect/cable sounds like -insert type of excrement here- are pretty much asking for backlash, whether intended or not. Or it's perceived as merely clickbait, which is a total time waster.
You totally could have just gone with 'check out this cool drummer' and left it at that, and this would never have gone sideways because there's no potential for it to do so.
Also, apologies for being a deck. But that being said, this is metal - what's there to get?
Maybe it's just me, but I'm seeing some irony in your post here, Mom.
And now it's a hallway full of mirrors.
I've heard it before too. Just never in a positive way. I'm not singling you or any one person out.
So let's get this conversation back on track. As I'm sure you have guessed, metal fans are rabidly attached to their music. If there is something to "get" about metal, it is that it is about emotion. It isn't a trifle that goes on in the background, it is a thundering wave that demands your attention. Some people aren't into that. If you are looking for music that will make you calm and cheerful, you won't "get" most metal. Maybe Andrew WK.
The other thing is that if you aren't a metal listener, you heard something that is pretty extreme. If you were a 16 year old having their first beer, and it was an Imperial IPA or Russian Stout, you would probably think all beer is terrible. You have to work your way up to complex beer, and you have to work your way up to tech death metal.
Another thing is that metal is a genre of extremes. Everyone is always looking for the next line to cross, the next envelope to push. That means sometimes you end up in some weird @$$ places musical. The emotions are also extreme. Some of it is viciously sarcastic or grossly irreverent. Some of it is painfully serious. Not everyone knows which extreme they are looking at when they see\hear a metal band. That can be uncomfortable for the casual listener.
The Faceless is a little wanky, even by metal standards, so it is understandable if you don't like or get them. Personally, I'm not a fan, even though I think their former bass player, Even Brewer is a genius.
Instead of going right to some of the most challenging metal out there, maybe these suggestions will peak your interest more:
Ancient Spell - Wizard of Doom
...but if, as the research suggests, liking metal has a strong correlation to low self-esteem and feelings of maladjustment (which is scientist-speak for "I feel fundamentally different from 'normal' people and that is often frustrating and painful"), then a lot of metalheads will be very sensitive to statements that might be read as dismissal or rejection. The innocent phrase "I don't get metal" will start shading towards "Everyone else in the world will never get YOU."
As a 40 year old who loves metal, I find myself rankling at the
post. I have to make a concerted effort to remind myself that there is truth to this... Feelings of low self-esteem and maladjustment are more prevalent among early adolescents. It's just that a lot of those kids manage to adapt themselves to the demands of mainstream culture without the cathartic outlet of activities like listening to metal. I can stand around with the other dads at soccer practice and pretend to care about the weather and cars and football and lawncare, but you better believe I'm gonna listen to a song about mass murder and arson afterward to keep myself sane.
Indeed, there are a whole bunch of metalheads reading this right now, thinking "You don't represent me! Stop trying to categorize me in your neat little box!" To whom I will reply: If you had to choose between 'normal' society and a passionate tribe of freaks and weirdos... I don't even need to finish that do I?
All of which is to say: If you want them off your back, you should say something like "Even with all your examples and suggestions, I still don't get it, but I'm kind of jealous because it looks like a lot of fun!"
If you can convince a metalhead that you love their difference, even if you don't share it, they will be yours for life.
Like this:
Link Removed
Everyone loves feel good science that validates themselves and makes their counterparties look inferior. No shortage of studies abound to feed that need, it's a very desirable product.
Sorry jazz bro, I totally didn't mean to impugn your morality or question your romantic fidelity. <3
I didn't read all the pages to know if we're still talking about drum cams, but they're a lot of fun to watch. Here's some more for your enjoyment!
Sorry again sigterm! As the only person who has posted any kind of science-related material in this thread, and the person who posted immediately before you, I may have jumped to conclusions. But it's true, like everyone, I love feel good science that validates me and makes my counterparties look inferior. Here is some more!
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists
Still hoping we can be friends,
Your buddy,
Ogreboy88
Wow I've come back to this thread a few days later and I see all these people posting scientific polls and making broad statements and psychological inferences about metal heads. I believe that says a lot more about the people posting the rhetoric than it does about the headbangers they are jabbing at.
