In Defense of Metal Music.

I am a person of varied taste. I will like most things because I think that a lot of things have a lot to give a person. I have a philosophy on life that art should not be discriminated against for the most part unless it causes negativity. Art should be there for a person to see beauty in whatever form, for it to enrich life and make your existence extend beyond the need to survive...innit. It is through my eclecticism that I have heard and enjoyed many different types of music, but there is one genre which I wish to write about on this post...metal.
To most people that openly say that they don't understand metal music, the argument against the genre is that it is very ugly sounding and at times, through looking at the lyrics, it seems self destructive and morbid. Some Christian groups even say that metal or rock music in general makes youths unruly and rebellious...which is true but youths act like that anyway...but Evangelical Christians have always been whining about everything that makes life fun.
Many of my friends share my tastes. I have been to a few metal gigs and festivals and have seen the fans of the music. These people all seem very passionate. It seems that metal music attracts many passionate people. When the musicians come on there are cheers that rise and can be heard all around, people make the famous horned cornu sign with their hands, jumping up. When the music starts people are jumping about exhilerated, excited and joyful about life. People literally want to become part of the music. The music is played amazingly...most of the time.
Metal and rock music uses the good old skillful solo very well. In the old days there was a type of musician, the guitar wielding maniac, using the instrument as a weapon to awaken the world from slumber. There were also amazing drummers like Keith Moon and John Bonham who were well known for being absolute maniacs. Rock and metal is a safe and fun way to indulge in a controlled chaos, a way to unleash the animal within so to speak, the great beast that has to stay dormant for a lot of the time...stress relieving and fun. In life you are expected most of the time to be calm and collected...metal gives you the opportunity to have a good old freak out or as most people say, to rock out.
It is believed also that metal music is the sound for the misfit or the outsider. Many metal fans say that some bands that sign with major labels have 'sold out' because they have gone mainstream. Many people want metal to be underground, this is an opinion that is very much apart of the extreme metal subgenre, where there is a great distaste for the mainstream. In my opinion the mainstream is fine...some good things some bad just like everything else in life.
I have recently read an article which says that many intelligent, talented people turn to metal music in order to cope with being 'special.' I shall put a link at the end of this blog post. Metal isn't the music of thugs and so called Neanderthals. The fans are intelligent, creative and passionate for the most part.
So what about the morbid, scary lyrics? Well just as you get different genres of books you must also get different types of musical tastes. Life isn't all hippy, happy and so forth. You have to take the rough with the smooth and music reflects this just as any other art. You can't dislike some art because it 'appears' to be ugly. If you just focus on art that people think is pretty or beautiful then to me it shows a certain shallowness...not that I think that metal is ugly, it isn't.
Metal is also very theatrical. During the funeral of the famous singer Dio's funeral certain Christian groups protested while many of his fans came to pay respect to him. They thought that Dio was some sort of devilish figure. What they don't seem to understand is Dio was an absolute top bloke if they had the courtesy to research about him and see his interview, the so called devilish persona of Dio is an act that he put on. Take Alice Cooper for example. His stage persona is an evil badass that likes to be evil...when in fact his actual name is Vincent Furnier and he is a dedicated Christian...let's see those Christian protestors protest against old Alice Cooper ha ha.

I shall end this blog post with a great philosophical quote from Jack Black in the film, 'School of Rock';

"Dude, that is so Punk."


Here is a good article just in case you want to read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3352230/Heavy-metal-a-comfort-for-the-bright-child.html



"Optimism - the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly."
Ambrose Bierce.

Over and Out.
ED