I'm working on a long form piece/expose of journalism of why metal appeals mostly to men, why physical play and aggression are so key to it, and why it's been under attack in the last few years.

I'm looking for some additional input/critique/ besides some of my friends in the local metal scene. (I'd love to interview a few of you.) (I'm partial to the "metal-core" and hardcore influenced genres of metal, but it's all metal to me.

So far I've hit upon a few ideas:

1. In regards to moshpits; It is literally a rebellion and is antithetical to the "safety-minded" culture of our generation that wants to make sure kids don't scuff their knee, fall on the playground, fight with sticks because they might hurt each other, or now even play tag, because it could be "risky". (You might actually get hurt which is the thrill of the risk of it. ) It's aggressive physical play.

2. Most of us don't want to fight in a real war, but we want a taste of battle. We want to feel that rush and that adrenaline. Metal and hardcore shows are one of the few events where you can go into a space which isn't "safe" and take a risk with the others in the pit.

3. In relation to the previous point; every metal-head and in those who enjoy the shows, environment, ect there is something that drove us there; a set of experiences in our lives where we were desperate to feel the life coursing through our veins. We wanted to feel ALIVE. That aggression and adrenaline that we saw in car chases, shootouts, winning a hard-fought competition, and seeing in a warfilm as a kid; we wanted to experience for ourselves - without getting into heaps of trouble necessarily to do it.

4. The aggression at shows/concerts has been deemed by many an article in the last 5 years or so at outlets from AltPress to MetalInjection and even Lambgoat to be displays of "Toxic masculinity" and an environment hostile to women and girls at shows. I believe this is down to the atmosphere at shows being uncomfortable to those who aren't used to it/don't participate in it.

5. SJW influx into metal bands, and yet again, specifically into much of the alt music and metal media/journalistic publications. #MetalGate was a salvo, but I've actually seen a journalist at Salon suggest barricades being put around moshpits to make them safer for women, meaning she has no idea what a metal show is like - nonetheless how pits actually break out - and suggests more deliberate and nefarious entryism then I realized.

Thoughts?

I use to go to metal shows all the time and beat the shit out of people/get beat up and get drunk and high. Not so much anymore I've mellowed out a bit but that ya metal shows are fun as hell.

Best pits I've been in were Hatebreed and Cannibal Corpse.

It's funny: Even though I listen to nothing but rap on my own time, I absolutely love the fact that they blast rock/metal in the free weight room on my campus. It just gets me so pumped. It's to the point where I can't listen to anything else when I lift, rap included.

I'm always disappointed every time a newbie works the desk and they play their own Katy Perry Sam Smith shit from their phone instead. My lifts miraculously get worse and I have to go 5-10lbs lower on everything. Low energy.

Most men who go to metal concerts don't step anywhere near the mosh pit.

I've been in a few and liked it, it's intense enough to get the blood going but not violent enough to cause any permanent damage, even at it's most vigorous. However I was too cheap in my 20s to spend money on more than a few live shows in 10 years.

I used to dive into the pit back in the 80s during my punk and skinhead days in Europe. Grew out of it after my 20s but yeah I remember it getting pretty physical. Not really got beaten up but flew out of the pit a few times - LOL :-)

Meh - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

^ GoldHawk, just grab some headphones, download Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare and Overthrow - Within Suffering, they are my favourite workout albums

I've been into metal for about 15 years, mainly a fan of 80s and early 90s death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal. I don't go to shows personally, more out of having noone to go with than anything else. There's no doubt in my mind that metal, thrash and death in particular, is the single most masculine form of music, with the only potential competitor being early 90s hip hop. The pure aggression that is needed to make good thrash/death, or pure hatred that is needed to make good black metal, and the fact that death metal has itself splintered into subgenres attempting to be either as technically proficient, brutal, or gory as possible, all speak to this. The fact that extreme metal bands can be successful in their scene while singing about white nationalism or even nazism, as well. It is also home to some of the strongest appreciation of white history and culture anywhere - think folk, pagan, slavonic, viking themed metal, etc. I'm happy to be interviewed, just keeping in mind I can speak for metal culture on the internet in the past 10 years, and the kind of themes I see metal bands use, but not really the atmosphere at metal shows.

Gonna be honest, and not meaning to take a dig at you, but metalcore is often seen by metalheads as being more hardcore than metal, and I'm not sure how much actual overlap there is between extreme metal and metalcore scenes.

4 - I read recently in a reddit metal discussion thread that people are often 'hyper sensitive' at metal shows to the safety of women - just to give a different perspective on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/...on/d1hixni

5 - in my experience metal is a fairly anti-sjw environment. Black metal often provides a safe haven for nazis and white supremacists, which is an extreme example, but I think the entire ethos of metal is diametrically opposed to leftism. For instance there's no shortage of people who will happily ignore the lyrics of bands like GBK/Arghoslent in favour of the music itself

Also perhaps this is something you are interested in: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-25/st...on/6571820

Looks at forum name, post about heavy metal....

System of A Down, is that you?

I'm not primarily a metal fan; but it strikes me as tribal, individualistic, and competitive.

You want to ask about metal, pick away. I was in a touring metal band back in Massachusetts for 8 years. Grew up on black sabbath, got hooked on nu metal, progressed to metalcore, hardcore, and death metal, jumped on the deathcore bandwagon, and now my tastes are all over the place.

I think your initial thesis is flawed. Since when has metal been under attack? No one's been hating on heavy metal since the 80's when all that explicit music cencorship shit was going on. Public trying to blame metal music for youth delinquency. Dee Snider on the stand defending the art and free speech etc.

Also, more women are into metal now than ever. It's not even "just men" anymore. Metal concerts are full of chicks, but granted the vast majority of them are there with their boyfriends. Lots of metal bands with female fronts and members.

As for why you could argue men specifically are attracted to it: easy, it's aggressive. Men are aggressive by nature. We are competitive, masculine, dominating, powerful, all things that metal music exemplifies. It's loud, raw, in your face, fast, heavy, punishing, etc.

For me, it's often very cathartic. A lot of it is release-valve type of stuff.

It can also bey very technical. A lot of contrast and beauty in the chaos.

Great topic for an article. The death of metal in mainstream radio and TV can't be accidental. How do we go from bands like Guns N Roses, Mettalica, Iron Maiden, doing sold out stadium gigs of tens of thousands to not even finding a mention of metal in popular culture?

I'm a huge metal fan and can appreciate almost all genres except nu-metal and pop-metal.

Of course music has its time and place. I would never listen to rap or various dance/electronica genres by myself but in a club I will bounce along.

I think the main attraction for me with metal is the energy and aggression. It just seems obvious to me that that what goes in - to making music - comes out the side for the listener. Metal is bursting with energy and aggression, which suits my temperament, but more than that, there's a certain unashamed megalomania in most metal. It is not music which tries to be clever or indirect, it states its purpose and intention very clearly and that also shows in the lifestyle of the typical metal musician. These are genuine rebels and individualists. Lets take the guitar solo, it is the instrumental version of the freestyle rap battle. A brash display of skill and confidence. When you put it together, you get music that is very masculine and meritocratic.

As someone who's been to quite a few metal shows over the past couple of years. I can attest to it being about the release. Moshing in particular is this great way to blow off steam. There's an edicate to moshing that newcomers and outsiders don't always understand. If you're a bit you're basically consenting to be knocked around a bit. No one forcing you into a pit.

As far as being anti-sjw or anti-feminist, I have some doubts about that. There are a lot of leftists in the genre. I see metal heads that defend fat acceptance or partake in Bernie Sanders circle jerking. At the same time there are a lot of metalheads who are apolitical and simple don't care or find every politician to be useless.

If you're looking for a good documentary on Black Metal, check out the documentary Until the Light Takes Us. I think it get's back metal right. Guys like Varg Vikernes get called racist but he might be what Europe needs with the migrant crisis.

Quote: (03-30-2016 06:34 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  

Looks at forum name, post about heavy metal....

System of A Down, is that you?

I love System of A Down, especially the first album.

Lyrics are retarded as fuck, though.

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:38 PM)nomadbrah Wrote:  

Great topic for an article. The death of metal in mainstream radio and TV can't be accidental. How do we go from bands like Guns N Roses, Mettalica, Iron Maiden, doing sold out stadium gigs of tens of thousands to not even finding a mention of metal in popular culture?

There are still modern mainstream metal bands that get radio play and sell out huge places. Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Slipknot, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, the list goes on. Just because they are bands you may not listen to doesn't mean they don't exist. Shit, I remember a few years back A Day To Remember had to book an extra date for a show in MA because they sold out the first show so fast.

A lot of modern metal has just gotten too radio unfriendly to get a lot of mainstream attention and air-time, though. Screaming vocals turn a lot of people off - but times have also changed. Satellite and internet radio are big now, and there are plenty of stations dedicated exclusively to heavy metal.

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:05 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

You want to ask about metal, pick away. I was in a touring metal band back in Massachusetts for 8 years. Grew up on black sabbath, got hooked on nu metal, progressed to metalcore, hardcore, and death metal, jumped on the deathcore bandwagon, and now my tastes are all over the place.

I think your initial thesis is flawed. Since when has metal been under attack? No one's been hating on heavy metal since the 80's when all that explicit music cencorship shit was going on. Public trying to blame metal music for youth delinquency. Dee Snider on the stand defending the art and free speech etc.

Also, more women are into metal now than ever. It's not even "just men" anymore. Metal concerts are full of chicks, but granted the vast majority of them are there with their boyfriends. Lots of metal bands with female fronts and members.

As for why you could argue men specifically are attracted to it: easy, it's aggressive. Men are aggressive by nature. We are competitive, masculine, dominating, powerful, all things that metal music exemplifies. It's loud, raw, in your face, fast, heavy, punishing, etc.

For me, it's often very cathartic. A lot of it is release-valve type of stuff.

It can also bey very technical. A lot of contrast and beauty in the chaos.

There are definitely more girls going to shows and not just The Warped Tour. The question is what kind of bands? Bring Me The Horizon, Sleeping With Sirens, and Pierce The Veil? Or The Acacia Strain, All Shall Perish, Suicide Silence, and Whitechapel? You get my drift.

It's not that chicks dont dig metal and that guys don't want them there, its that several writers in the music media want to make it look like's its the case.

I loved going to shows with girls and meeting them there. That's not the issue as much as the social justice entryists using it as an excuse and a surprising amount of people in the community buying into it, and I'm not just talking about Buddy from Senses Fail. Free speech might have been promoted back in the 90s, but its not being promoted now. Even Fronz from Attilla who is all about social justice is getting heat for having "Faggot" in the lyrics. The guy from Memphis May Fire was under fire, pun intended, for asking girls not to ask him to sign his autograph near their tits because he had a wife and he didn't feel comfortable doing it. Apparently, he was a terrible slut shamer.

They ended up making him apologize. He was getting hit from members of other bands [url="http://www.theprp.com/2014/09/18/news/the-amity-affliction-frontman-says-memphis-may-fires-matty-mullins-is-a-piece-of-shit/]with comments like[/url],

Quote:Quote:

"But, he was actively… He said onstage something along the lines of ‘I can’t believe all you girls are dressed like this, it’s disgusting to me.’ ‘You guys don’t have to act like, dress like sluts, to impress me, I’ve got a wife.’

It’s like motherfucker, no one’s trying to suck your dick you fucking dickhead. Don’t act like they’re here to impress you. They’re hot temperature wise. Maybe some of them were hot physically, I don’t know. But I’m saying, there’s dudes out there with no shirts on, what’s the difference? Like they’re wearing a bikini top to a ‘Warped Tour‘—what the fuck?—who cares. Don’t be a misogynist and target women.”

The nerve.


In fact, I'd say metal and all of it's subgenres has been under attack for the past several years by it's very own press - specifically the language policing which has only grown from there.

Here's what I'm talking about and you'll notice Alt Press which is one of the biggest media publications in the scene that covers metal drives alot of it. Just google "metal and misogyny" and all sorts of shit comes up - all within the last several years.

We reached out to 37 female musicians about their experiences with sexism, only 5 responded Seems like the author is trying so hard to create a problem.

9 Things Women In Music Are Sick Of Experiencing

War On Women (Bridge Nine) fight back against institutionalized sexism with “Glass City” music video

Trying to kiss band members onstage is not okay Dig up some more on the subject and you'll see a huge double standard in the press about it.
All-female rock band told they weren’t “sultry” enough to win Battle Of The Bands competition

[url=]Female band manager told to leave the industry because of her gender (Followup leads to http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/...36358.html)

Mastodon defends "misogynistic" music video From Lambgoat of all places.

Warped Tour's Women Problem

Punched, groped, beer thrown in my face: Being a woman at a concert can be terrifying Notice how she wants to fence in moshpits and the way she describes them. Also notice how she is actually get promotion from Alt Press for the article.

Then there is stuff like this which delves into the social justice sphere of tone/language policing: The Thrash Hits Podcast 018: The Racist, Sexist, Homophobic Underbelly of Metal

The Problem With Heavy Metal Is Metalheads: Stop Calling Everyone A Faggot

Heavy Metal Is Gay: Why We Need To Tackle Our Homophobia

This is the one's I had archived for a post I had been working on, but its just a small amount of them.

Btw, Stalin would you be down for an interview about your touring experiences and the show atmosphere?

Quote: (03-30-2016 06:21 PM)Sweet Jones Wrote:  

^ GoldHawk, just grab some headphones, download Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare and Overthrow - Within Suffering, they are my favourite workout albums

I've been into metal for about 15 years, mainly a fan of 80s and early 90s death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal. I don't go to shows personally, more out of having noone to go with than anything else. There's no doubt in my mind that metal, thrash and death in particular, is the single most masculine form of music, with the only potential competitor being early 90s hip hop. The pure aggression that is needed to make good thrash/death, or pure hatred that is needed to make good black metal, and the fact that death metal has itself splintered into subgenres attempting to be either as technically proficient, brutal, or gory as possible, all speak to this. The fact that extreme metal bands can be successful in their scene while singing about white nationalism or even nazism, as well. It is also home to some of the strongest appreciation of white history and culture anywhere - think folk, pagan, slavonic, viking themed metal, etc. I'm happy to be interviewed, just keeping in mind I can speak for metal culture on the internet in the past 10 years, and the kind of themes I see metal bands use, but not really the atmosphere at metal shows.

Gonna be honest, and not meaning to take a dig at you, but metalcore is often seen by metalheads as being more hardcore than metal, and I'm not sure how much actual overlap there is between extreme metal and metalcore scenes.

4 - I read recently in a reddit metal discussion thread that people are often 'hyper sensitive' at metal shows to the safety of women - just to give a different perspective on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/...on/d1hixni

5 - in my experience metal is a fairly anti-sjw environment. Black metal often provides a safe haven for nazis and white supremacists, which is an extreme example, but I think the entire ethos of metal is diametrically opposed to leftism. For instance there's no shortage of people who will happily ignore the lyrics of bands like GBK/Arghoslent in favour of the music itself

Also perhaps this is something you are interested in: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-25/st...on/6571820

Usually metal-heads despise tone policing, but I'm noticing a growing majority who don't

I actually recall stumbling on the article you mention about it reducing anger and depression and quite a few people I know in the hardcore scene have said the same thing. One swears it saved his life.

Quote:Quote:

Gonna be honest, and not meaning to take a dig at you, but metalcore is often seen by metalheads as being more hardcore than metal, and I'm not sure how much actual overlap there is between extreme metal and metalcore scenes.

I know what you mean. I suppose it depends on the metal-core. Are we talking Killswitch Engage, early Trivium, August Burns Red or the Counterparts, The Ghost Inside, Stick To Your Guns type? (Underoath would be it's own thing.)

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:49 PM)Killer Joe Wrote:  

Quote: (03-30-2016 06:34 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  

Looks at forum name, post about heavy metal....

System of A Down, is that you?

I love System of A Down, especially the first album.

Lyrics are retarded as fuck, though.

System Of A Down was one of my favorite bands and is one of the reasons I listen to alot of what I do now. That and them all being Armenian. Their self-titled album was my favorite, but they've gone down hill, especially after Toxicity. Now Serj is a borderline social justice advocate. (It did led me to Nu Metal though.)

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:56 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:38 PM)nomadbrah Wrote:  

Great topic for an article. The death of metal in mainstream radio and TV can't be accidental. How do we go from bands like Guns N Roses, Mettalica, Iron Maiden, doing sold out stadium gigs of tens of thousands to not even finding a mention of metal in popular culture?

There are still modern mainstream metal bands that get radio play and sell out huge places. Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Slipknot, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, the list goes on. Just because they are bands you may not listen to doesn't mean they don't exist. Shit, I remember a few years back A Day To Remember had to book an extra date for a show in MA because they sold out the first show so fast.

A lot of modern metal has just gotten too radio unfriendly to get a lot of mainstream attention and air-time, though. Screaming vocals turn a lot of people off - but times have also changed. Satellite and internet radio are big now, and there are plenty of stations dedicated exclusively to heavy metal.

I've noticed the softer stuff from those bands usually gets airplay. Five Finger's old stuff won't be played on anything you get on normal FM. Slipknot might be played, but it's not going to be stuff of Iowa usually. Same thing with Bring Me The Horizon and the occasional Killswitch when it's played.


I've heard A Day To Remember - which got me into metal-core in the first place and who I still love - but its All I Want, not 2nd Sucks which people go nuts to at shows. ADTR is pretty damn big now though. (I did like Common Courtesy.)

There are chicks at all concerts. Go to a dingy underground hardcore show and there are girls with their septum piercings, plaid shirts, and black frame glasses. Go to deathcore shows and their are scene chicks with stretched lobes and hand tattoos. Of course the mainstream sceney-weenie stuff appeals more to young women than the former, but you get my drift. Still more female attendance at any given metal show these days than when I was in highschool.

As for the bad press - it's still press man. Those are all media outlets. Metal or not, a lot of them cater to controversy, hysterics, and outright bullshit just to get hits. Most metal chicks aren't much better than typical dyke-haired feminists - in fact most of them are just by nature. No "refined lady" listens to breakdown music willingly. So of course they will jump at the opportunity to play the victim for attention throwing their own scene under the bus. Cosplay girls do the same thing when they bitch about the "misogyny" at nerd conventions.

Truth is even though metal is gruesome and hard as all fuck nowadays, it's never been softer as far as the artists go. Metal bands don't do hard ass drugs, trash hotel rooms, and slag whores 24/7 like it was the 80's. So many bands nowadays write about women and relationships so angrily and violently because they are a product of this generation of marginalized masculinity. Children raised in primarily single parent homes with poor examples of family and no strong role models.

The Vincent Bennett's and the Frankie Palmeri's of modern metal say awful things about women because they were betas who got walked on by women who didn't respect them. Another reflection of this generation expressed through music.

As for broads complaining about getting groped at metal concerts - I can assure you that the sexual harassment and assault is much worse at some butt rock or country festival. Not saying that makes it cool or that it doesn't happen at metal concerts, but to say it is some sort of phenomenon or epidemic that is specific to the metal scene is laughable. Any girl wearing next to nothing huddled up shoulder to shoulder like sardines with a bunch of sweaty inebriated men is likely to catch a hand or two on her bum, especially if she's planing on crowd surfing.

I've had my fingers bitten in the crowd before. Whatever uncomfortable shit happens.

I am a casual fan of metal. That is, sometimes I get into a "metal phase" and download 5fdp, Whitechapel, Cannibal corpse and whatnot.
Armenia4ever makes a good case for metal being under attack. Wasn't there something called "metalgate"? Also I think we've seen metal's popularity diminish because of the universal softening of music. Look, EMINEM was considered soft when he came out, even Rass Kass. Now we have kendrick going "hard" when he sounds personally, like a toned down Rass.

Personally I don't consider any of those bands you listed metal. I'm thinking this SJW infestation is only really happening in -core and more mainstream metal scenes, if you take as an example of the underground extreme metal scene, the Nuclear War Now! label forums or metal-archives forums it's hard to see SJWism getting any sort of a foothold in those places.

Quote: (03-30-2016 08:58 PM)Sweet Jones Wrote:  

Personally I don't consider any of those bands you listed metal. I'm thinking this SJW infestation is only really happening in -core and more mainstream metal scenes, if you take as an example of the underground extreme metal scene, the Nuclear War Now! label forums or metal-archives forums it's hard to see SJWism getting any sort of a foothold in those places.

Going elitist metal head on me eh?

I think you have a valid point, though what is the "underground extreme metal scene?" Grindcore? The new wave of Deathcore? Doom Metal? I'm glad that there are some metal heads who love Black Metal that shit on SJWs and their attempts to tone police. It's just that there aren't many who shape which bands get coverage, who gets "free" promotion, and who gets on the good tours.

Look at what happened to Sputnik and AbsolutePunk though, and it happened fast. Now I don't mind when these kids go from ADTR to August Burns Red to As I Lay Dying to The Black Dhalia Murder to Deafhaven to Rings Of Saturn.

It's just that they bring their social justice with them. As soon as you write lyrics that aren't about mutilating dead bodies, burning churches, anti-christian stuff, etc. and start writing about faggots and bad mothers, they are all over you.

Hell, I've even seen Asking Alexandrias, "You Stupid Fucking Whore" take heat which was a darling of teenage Tumblrettes for a long time.

Older metal and the more very extreme stuff is safe, but it's not where the battle is. I wish it was though. I have alot of respect for older metal-heads. (I'll occasionally do some hardcore dancing which I'd know you'd abhor, but I have enough respect for fellow metal-heads at lets say a Killswitch show that I'd never do that in a normal mosh pit.

Quote: (03-30-2016 09:11 PM)armenia4ever Wrote:  

Quote: (03-30-2016 08:58 PM)Sweet Jones Wrote:  

Personally I don't consider any of those bands you listed metal. I'm thinking this SJW infestation is only really happening in -core and more mainstream metal scenes, if you take as an example of the underground extreme metal scene, the Nuclear War Now! label forums or metal-archives forums it's hard to see SJWism getting any sort of a foothold in those places.

Going elitist metal head on me eh?

I think you have a valid point, though what is the "underground extreme metal scene?" Grindcore? The new wave of Deathcore? Doom Metal? I'm glad that there are some metal heads who love Black Metal that shit on SJWs and their attempts to tone police. It's just that there aren't many who shape which bands get coverage, who gets "free" promotion, and who gets on the good tours.

Look at what happened to Sputnik and AbsolutePunk though, and it happened fast. Now I don't mind when these kids go from ADTR to August Burns Red to As I Lay Dying to The Black Dhalia Murder to Deafhaven to Rings Of Saturn.

It's just that they bring their social justice with them. As soon as you write lyrics that aren't about mutilating dead bodies, burning churches, anti-christian stuff, etc. and start writing about faggots and bad mothers, they are all over you.

Hell, I've even seen Asking Alexandrias, "You Stupid Fucking Whore" take heat which was a darling of teenage Tumblrettes for a long time.

Older metal and the more very extreme stuff is safe, but it's not where the battle is. I wish it was though. I have alot of respect for older metal-heads. (I'll occasionally do some hardcore dancing which I'd know you'd abhor, but I have enough respect for fellow metal-heads at lets say a Killswitch show that I'd never do that in a normal mosh pit.

Ah man don't take it the wrong way - I respect metalcore for what it is, I don't have a problem with it - just I don't listen to it nor consider it metal (and I realise that's down to opinion and not a 'this is how it is' statement). The reason these bands don't influence any of that is because they intentionally insulate themselves from the mainstream. It's attractive in itself for being something of a safe haven from mainstream culture, but I guess they cannot effect metal on a great scale without destroying what they are. I don't think really that any somewhat mainstream subculture, or to put it differently the mainstream front of a movement, is going to be able to resist being eventually overwhelmed by SJWs.

Why does metal appeal to men?

Metal is loud, aggressive, rings mightily in the ears, and has absolutely no filter. It does not apologize. It does not pretend to be inclusive and it does not pander.

Any and every single offensive statement you could ever dream up, there is a metal song about it. Growing up a sorry ass country kid surrounded by songs about tractors and beer, listening to metal was like discovering an oasis in the desert.

What's not to love?

I've been to a Deafhaven concert and I've seen Baroness.

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:05 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

You want to ask about metal, pick away. I was in a touring metal band back in Massachusetts for 8 years. Grew up on black sabbath, got hooked on nu metal, progressed to metalcore, hardcore, and death metal, jumped on the deathcore bandwagon, and now my tastes are all over the place.

I think your initial thesis is flawed. Since when has metal been under attack? No one's been hating on heavy metal since the 80's when all that explicit music cencorship shit was going on. Public trying to blame metal music for youth delinquency. Dee Snider on the stand defending the art and free speech etc.

Also, more women are into metal now than ever. It's not even "just men" anymore. Metal concerts are full of chicks, but granted the vast majority of them are there with their boyfriends. Lots of metal bands with female fronts and members.

As for why you could argue men specifically are attracted to it: easy, it's aggressive. Men are aggressive by nature. We are competitive, masculine, dominating, powerful, all things that metal music exemplifies. It's loud, raw, in your face, fast, heavy, punishing, etc.

For me, it's often very cathartic. A lot of it is release-valve type of stuff.

It can also bey very technical. A lot of contrast and beauty in the chaos.

What are you thoughts on Mastadon?

I used to listen to lots of heavy metal every day all throughout high school and college. I never looked the part or did it for the scene. I was into metal because I played guitar. I listened to metal more for the instrumentals than anything, my favorite types were melodic, progressive death metal. In general bands from Nordic countries make the best heavy metal.

Over the years I've been to more heavy metal shows than I can remember. I never liked mosh pits, I don't see anything fun about getting physically aggressive with sweaty guys. I went to concerts to listen to music and nothing else. Best show I've ever seen was Opeth, Between the Buried & Me, and Dream Theater performing one after another.

Lately I only listen to heavy metal occasionally. It sounds great

Quote: (03-30-2016 07:56 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

A lot of modern metal has just gotten too radio unfriendly to get a lot of mainstream attention and air-time, though. Screaming vocals turn a lot of people off - but times have also changed. Satellite and internet radio are big now, and there are plenty of stations dedicated exclusively to heavy metal.

Indeed. Octane plays the BMTH, 5FDP and the other stuff that sorta sounds like metal but then Liquid Metal plays the harder bands. I almost cannot listen to terrestrial anymore since it's so outdated and .... and .... slimmed down? Pussified? "The station that rocks" here in the city plays the "made for the radio" tracks while Octane/Liquid play the stuff that goes to eleven.