Was hanging out with a new friend of mine from my previous year in high school. We're both friends with somebody else who, like me, listens to metal (especially the heavy stuff). I know he has shown the friend who I was hanging out with his 'idea' of what metal should be - pure harsh vocals and aggression, deeper the better. The friend who I was hanging out with seemed entirely turned off by what he was shown because it was simply what he was shown to be 'metal' in all shapes and forms, wrongly convinced by a bad impression. This friend only listens to music you would hear on the radio, which 99/100 times is utter trash.

When we were hanging out yesterday, I showed him some of my library which has everything from pure cleans and slow tempo to extreme everything. We didnt have much time, so I showed him some Protest The Hero because they're not particularly hard to listen to in terms of intensity. After a few songs such as "C'est La Vie", "Hair Trigger", and "Spoils" he seemed to me as if his mind was just opened. He described that unlike what he is used to, in which a song essentially builds up to a peak and then descends, that the music he was listening to was up and down repeatedly, how the lyrics were completely foreign (topic wise) - and how he liked it.

It was an interesting thing for me to witness, because he had acted disgusted before when he knew I was listening to metal on my iPod, or with what the other guy was listening to. It appears to me like I completely changed his views on music with only a couple of well chosen songs. I know that metal can sometimes take time to get into, usually requiring the lighter side to draw somebody in and then building it into an acquired taste by getting progressively heavier over time.

So, did any of you ever do something like this for others?

Nah, I never did that. I did get two of my previously vaguely alternative girl friends into metal, but I've never actually "shown" metal to anyone who hadn't expressed interest beforehand. Maybe a couple of ballads to curious people but that's about it.

I don't even share my music with my metalhead friends a lot. They just label me as "the weird one" and rarely listen to my suggestions so I've given up, my taste is not weird in the slightest but if that's how they perceive my fave music, okay out of the two people who are willing to receive suggestions, one moves pretty slow and the other is currently computerless so he can't listen to anything.

About other ways metal can open your mind about music - I think metal is the gateway alternative music. Rock and metal are somewhat closest to the "surface" out of all genres of alternative/underground music so it's almost guaranteed that people who get into metal by being open-minded and willing to try music people in their peer group usually don't listen to (though there's not a lot of these metalheads) will get into other genres of alternative music afterwards.

Since getting into metal I have an appreciation for different genres now due to a better understanding of musicianship, so I understand what you're saying about alternative music.

Written by Zealot644 on 16.06.2012 at 22:39

Since getting into metal I have an appreciation for different genres now due to a better understanding of musicianship, so I understand what you're saying about alternative music.

I didn't exactly mean you gain a better understanding of musicianship, more like, if you got into this because you were curious about new and "strange" music (and in the beginning it does seem strange), it's only logical that you'll keep looking for new genres

Metalheads are stereotypically close-minded.

^
yeah, they have quite a bit of arrogance about themselves. You only need to go as far as those moronic youtube comments.

I was actually expecting far more elitism in the opening post to be honest...

It's tough to say. Before listening to metal I wandered through a few different genres, albeit the more popular ones: various forms of pop, rock, and hip hop. I moved on to metal in junior high and found other genres from off-shoots like dark ambient, noise, drone, industrial. Then I started up with more folk and singer/songwriter music before eventually coming back to a lot of nostalgic genres such as Eurodance, house, and techno. That led to a rap rediscovery and now I just listen to what I enjoy.

Long story short, I was open to musical discovery long before I listened to metal. And metal hasn't directly changed my mind in any way in regards to understanding or appreciating other genres. I'd say the combination of non-metal and metal has opened my mind more, but no genre in particular gave me that feeling or sense of direction.

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 01:23

Metalheads are stereotypically close-minded.

I don't want this to go off-topic, but metal is like religions, whose followers firmly believe to be the one true way, and hold themselves superior to "non-"s.

Please, do we need another thread here where people talk about how close minded metal fans are? We already insult metal fans enough here. And most of the people who say stuff like "Metal 4ever pop 4never all rap and pop sucks fuck bieber metal is the best music ever!!!!" are kids who jack off to Suicide Silence* and will stop listening to metal and be indie rockers once they start college. Most "real" metal fans really don't care what people listen to, they just get annoyed when their grouped in with those kids.

*Not insulting the band, I kinda like them, but their fans aren't really representative of what we generally think of as metal fans.

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 03:09

Please, do we need another thread here where people talk about how close minded metal fans are?

i was just saying that this topic kind of reads like "have you ever converted some one to our religion?"

....disregard that^

yes, I've gotten a few people to like or at least accept metal, i think. and yes, metal made me appreciate avantgarde and folk music a bit more.

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 01:37

^
yeah, they have quite a bit of arrogance about themselves. You only need to go as far as those moronic youtube comments.

Nonsense. I saw a clip once that didn't degenerate into a recist/sexist/homophobic/whater-ist rant.

How i found out metal is that i wanted to be different from other guys, and actually cuz i didnt liked what they listened to...so i heard about Iron Maiden, and it changed my way of listening to music mainly cuz i liked to hear somebody creates his own music unlike the "popular" songs now written by somebody that people doesnt even now he exist...they all like lady gaga, bieber and others music thinking they wrote it and wanted to feel like they do....but thats all a lie and thats how metal opened my mind.....and yes i showed metal to some of my friends...some of them love it but others are too popular to listen to that...they listen what all the others do just to fit into the group(mostly national turbo-folk and new auto-tuned singers)...and thats what i hate...i just wana listen what i like and not let the group change me....

From my experience metal has the opposite effect. What I've seen is that metal fans are often pseudo-elitists who think that Metal is the be all and end all form of artistic expression -- and often forget the fact that Metal is also a variant of Pop music and builds upon the same foundation (Blues, R&B, Jazz, and whatnot). I know this because I used to be like that.

I used to listen to a lot of power/thrash, death, doom, and pretty much anything in between (I dabbled in black metal but it never was my cup of tea). But now the simple song structures, lack of innovation, and sheer repetitiveness of the genre just bore me to death.

Furthermore, despite loving the metal community and thinking that there are great people to meet, there are simply way too many morons that listen to metal. And to further this problem, these are the loudest voices among the community! While I know that they are few in number, I really do not want to be associated with the socially-incapacitated tr00 kvlt dirty ignorant prick that dwells at the nearest mall and makes sure to size every opportunity to further degrade the scene. Save the corpse paint for concerts!

Anyway, Metal is just like fast-food. While I do enjoy my greasy burger every now I then, I realize that it has little nutritional value and that its bad to have a diet based solely on it.

I think metalheads take Metal way too seriously. It is not a religion or a philosophy, its just a branch of pop music -- and like its siblings, its main purpose is to entertain rather than become immortalized due to its unfathomable artistic value.

Written by 4look4rd on 17.06.2012 at 19:15

From my experience metal has the opposite effect. What I've seen is that metal fans are often pseudo-elitists who think that Metal is the be all and end all form of artistic expression -- and often forget the fact that Metal is also a variant of Pop music and builds upon the same foundation (Blues, R&B, Jazz, and whatnot). I know this because I used to be like that.
...
I think metalheads take Metal way too seriously. It is not a religion or a philosophy, its just a branch of pop music -- and like its siblings, its main purpose is to entertain rather than become immortalized due to its unfathomable artistic value.

Agreed.

Written by 4look4rd on 17.06.2012 at 19:15

While I know that they are few in number, I really do not want to be associated with the socially-incapacitated tr00 kvlt dirty ignorant prick that dwells at the nearest mall and makes sure to size every opportunity to further degrade the scene.

I don't want to be associated with those around here either, and I achieve that by being a decent, civilized person that no one in the right mind would associate with these people. It's ridiculous to complain of "kids playing on your playground" imo. You sound like a mature person, so I don't see why would you bother paying attention to metalheads in the mall (here we have metalheads on town squares, different countries, different folks).

What bothers me in these discussions about metal is that ultimately everyone claims "oh yeah, metal is not deep, 90% of metalheads are jerks" and similar, but in the end, is there any sort of music that IS deep? Before you guys start talking of classical music, it was written for the exact same purpose as any other music - entertaining people. And aren't 90% of PEOPLE jerks who are stuck up in one way or another - including all of us on this forum? Isn't it a bit redundant to talk about it?

Apologies for being incoherent, it's 35 degrees Celzius here and I'm completely burnt out, school stuff.

It definitely broadened my musical horizons and others as well. I listened mostly to rock and gothic before I started checking out metal and nowadays I'm willing to listen to anything. Maybe it was me that evolved, but metal had something to do with it because it made me discover what else was out there.

Written by Milena on 17.06.2012 at 20:08

Apologies for being incoherent, it's 35 degrees Celzius here and I'm completely burnt out, school stuff.

43 here. And an exam tomorrow.

Written by Zealot644 on 16.06.2012 at 21:03

So, did any of you ever do something like this for others?

You need to talk to my wife, she just doesn't get it.

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 20:42

43 here. And an exam tomorrow.

Oh yeah, we're in the same shit, except yours is hotter. And I can read your signature.
And, uhm, *something relevant to the topic at hand*

I'm in high school, so you can imagine how relentlessly ignorant people are with seeing outside their horizons on music or any type of art. I have two friends who listens to metal and one of them (I believe) only listens to A7X.

Written by 4look4rd on 17.06.2012 at 19:15

But now the simple song structures, lack of innovation, and sheer repetitiveness of the genre just bore me to death.

actually among modern music much of metal is among the more complex and less repetitive stuff
of course you can also find many extremely simple metal bands, but you could easily only listen to those you enjoy

Written by 4look4rd on 17.06.2012 at 19:15



Anyway, Metal is just like fast-food. While I do enjoy my greasy burger every now I then, I realize that it has little nutritional value and that its bad to have a diet based solely on it.

What does have nutritional value then?

I do agree with the vast majority of what you are saying but I really doubt anything has nutritional value at all. It would be absolutely pretentious to have anything put above something else here based on "artistic values" that's just gonna be subjective anyways. Progheads might be raving about Dream Theater being oh-so-fucking artsy and complex and whatnot but to me it is tearfully boring instrumental wankery and I would take a simple and "poppy" band like All That Remains for example over them any day.

In the end the only semi-reasonable way you can put any music over the other (aside from personal preference) is to look at the intent behind its creation. I have very little respect for music that is more a product than self-expression like the majority of really mainstream pop music, but as long as any music is made with the intent of genuine self-expression, I cannot really put anything above the other in terms of artistic values.
Metal is diverse, there is very simple metal and very complex metal (all pretense aside I really do think tech death is one of the most technically demanding contemporary music genre be it "popular" music or self-righteously and pretentiously designated "art music". And music does not have to be complex to be artsy or good at all.

Written by Necrox on 17.06.2012 at 22:42

I'm in high school, so you can imagine how relentlessly ignorant people are with seeing outside their horizons on music or any type of art. I have two friends who listens to metal and one of them (I believe) only listens to A7X.

Yeah I know that feel, I guess it's quite amusing - or really lonely, actually - having people point out that I have someone performing a lobotomy or something similar on my shirts. I have friends who are really into that radio-friendly metal (and dubstep that all the new trendy-kids are into), but I explain to them that there really isn't much difficulty - in terms of effort - getting into the heavier side of metal.

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 22:58

Written by Necrox on 17.06.2012 at 22:42

I'm in high school, so you can imagine how relentlessly ignorant people are with seeing outside their horizons on music or any type of art. I have two friends who listens to metal and one of them (I believe) only listens to A7X.

Yeah I know that feel, I guess it's quite amusing - or really lonely, actually - having people point out that I have someone performing a lobotomy or something similar on my shirts. I have friends who are really into that radio-friendly metal (and dubstep that all the new trendy-kids are into), but I explain to them that there really isn't much difficulty - in terms of effort - getting into the heavier side of metal.

It is lonely sometimes, but I've learned to not care about illogical bashing on metal. I find extreme genres difficult to get into. Heaviness (death), rawness (black), and challenging experimentation (a few post bands) are difficult elements to overcome for a newcomer. I only own 4 death metal albums, 2 black metal albums (3 if you count Alcest), and one Neurosis album even after 4 years of metal listening. I like the music, it's just hardly accessible.

Written by Uldreth on 17.06.2012 at 22:54

Written by 4look4rd on 17.06.2012 at 19:15



Anyway, Metal is just like fast-food. While I do enjoy my greasy burger every now I then, I realize that it has little nutritional value and that its bad to have a diet based solely on it.

What does have nutritional value then?

I do agree with the vast majority of what you are saying but I really doubt anything has nutritional value at all. It would be absolutely pretentious to have anything put above something else here based on "artistic values" that's just gonna be subjective anyways. Progheads might be raving about Dream Theater being oh-so-fucking artsy and complex and whatnot but to me it is tearfully boring instrumental wankery and I would take a simple and "poppy" band like All That Remains for example over them any day.

In the end the only semi-reasonable way you can put any music over the other (aside from personal preference) is to look at the intent behind its creation. I have very little respect for music that is more a product than self-expression like the majority of really mainstream pop music, but as long as any music is made with the intent of genuine self-expression, I cannot really put anything above the other in terms of artistic values.
Metal is diverse, there is very simple metal and very complex metal (all pretense aside I really do think tech death is one of the most technically demanding contemporary music genre be it "popular" music or self-righteously and pretentiously designated "art music". And music does not have to be complex to be artsy or good at all.

+1

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 22:58

Yeah I know that feel, I guess it's quite amusing - or really lonely, actually - having people point out that I have someone performing a lobotomy or something similar on my shirts. I have friends who are really into that radio-friendly metal (and dubstep that all the new trendy-kids are into), but I explain to them that there really isn't much difficulty - in terms of effort - getting into the heavier side of metal.

Ah, yes, I can identify with that, except I also have friends who are into metal which isn't radio friendly. It does get lonely, but after a while, people just stop caring and pointing out that you're the "token metalhead" in your class/school/wherever. Especially in Uni.

I had some people ask me "so you're into that heavy stuff, wow, that's fuckin' weird" and all that, but in the end, I guess I subconsciously send everyone a message that I don't want to talk about it. I've done enough "but you know, it isn't all that weird, it's fun"-talking to know most people don't really care to open up to metal. And similarly, most of my metalhead friends won't open up to what I recommend them if they hadn't already heard of it. So yeah, I wish I were able to do what the OP described, but it's not possible.

Listening to metal, thinking about metal, posting on forums, reviewing albums and similar metal-related activities consume a lot of my time, but I'm an educated 19-year-old and I can hold a conversation if the topic isn't music. I dress in alternative fashions and mostly set people straight when they start talking about the "culture" popular in Serbia - "nah, I don't watch that/listen to that/go to clubs" and similar - but I'm mostly quiet about the music I listen to and people don't seem to mind that a lot. So you'll feel better after a while.

Written by Milena on 17.06.2012 at 23:28

Written by Guest on 17.06.2012 at 22:58

Yeah I know that feel, I guess it's quite amusing - or really lonely, actually - having people point out that I have someone performing a lobotomy or something similar on my shirts. I have friends who are really into that radio-friendly metal (and dubstep that all the new trendy-kids are into), but I explain to them that there really isn't much difficulty - in terms of effort - getting into the heavier side of metal.

Ah, yes, I can identify with that, except I also have friends who are into metal which isn't radio friendly. It does get lonely, but after a while, people just stop caring and pointing out that you're the "token metalhead" in your class/school/wherever. Especially in Uni.

I had some people ask me "so you're into that heavy stuff, wow, that's fuckin' weird"

Yeah, ive had similar things happen when i was in high school and even as far back as elementary school. Pretty much all of my friends listened to the "popular" music of the time. With the exception of one or two people. And in high school all i did was wear either various thrash metal shirts or brightly colored Grateful Dead shirts, which hardly anyone listened to either of those two. So i was just that weird dude who was a hippie stoner metal kid. Which really didnt bother me at all. But As for opening minds with metal. One of my friends listened to whatever i listened to from el school on up to about 10th grade (which was mostly classic metal and thrash). He started getting into what is now called deathcore. And thats all he listens to, he even plays in a deathcore band. He told me to get with the times and stop living in the past. We are still friends but from time to time we critizise each others music.

Written by Necrox on 17.06.2012 at 22:42

I'm in high school, so you can imagine how relentlessly ignorant people are with seeing outside their horizons on music or any type of art. I have two friends who listens to metal and one of them (I believe) only listens to A7X.

That's funny. Sounds like one of my pals who only listens to metalcore. All I know he listens to is A7X, All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, and Slipknot.

Written by tea[m]ster on 17.06.2012 at 21:18

Written by Zealot644 on 16.06.2012 at 21:03

So, did any of you ever do something like this for others?

You need to talk to my wife, she just doesn't get it.

Your wife doesnt understand why people like metal?