has the magic of metal faded for you over the years?

[666Thrasher666]

I've been listening to metal for 2 years now but ive listened to rock more like 4...as the days go by, listen to the same songs over and over, it can get old. I started by listening to southern rock like Skynyrd, but i needed heavier and heavier music as i got older. i remember the first time i heard that scream in the begining of Angel of Death and thinking "holy shit ...SLAYERS AMAZING!!" which they are but after listening to an album over and over it becomes old...if you vary what you listen to and change it up, you easily discover stuff you've never heard of and hopefully the 'magic' will never die

 

[black blood]

In my opinion the magic of metal has faded away over years. But not in me personally but the metal scene in general.
For me the albums that I loved on the first few listens still give me the same feeling. Case in point...my first death metal album: Deicide's Legion, makes the same impact if not greater today than it did some ten years ago when I first heard it.

 

[TheMoonstar]

Well, when I first got into metal it was really exciting because everything was new to me and I was just hearing a lot of great bands for the first time. I still am obsessed with the music, but I've kind of heard most of what's out there so there's not anymore surprises really. It's rare now for me to find a new band that really excites me.

 

[Belligerent]

Hasn't faded at all. If anything it grows stronger every day by finding new bands and researching them. I started off with Sabbath when my old man used to blast "The Wizard". From there I got Master of Puppets when I was 8 years old...started playing guitar shortly after and got into Satriani and Vai. Then came Carcass a few years later and it's all uphill from there.
I will never get sick of metal. It seriously fuels me.

 

[Moves]

The magic of metal hasn't faded for me, and I doubt it will. There are so many bands out there I haven't even listened to yet, so the thought of all this unheard music keeps my interest in Metal high.

 

[Cythraul]

Cythraul is an old school Metalhead like myself and Jean-Pierre, it seems. Likewise, I've experienced a similar experience through the course of the years.

Starting off with Metal when you're young and developing your tastes on your own off of message boards is probably a major part of this whole experience. Back when I was 9, Metallica's Ride The Lightning was some pretty intimidating stuff, with the massively heavy riffs, the chants of "Die! Die!", the hellish vocals, and the general aura that it communicated being a bit overwhelming - in a good way.

Though I've only been exposed to more extreme styles of Metal for about 6 or 7 years, I still felt that mystique about it. This was when I was first starting to explore Metal via the internet, and this other kid who was growing on a similar path told me to get some Burzum and Mayhem. So I got the first full lengths of each band, and once I was able to get into them, I was overwhelmed. I felt as if I was listening to things that I shouldn't be listening to. I was innocent then, and these strange, evil men were warping my mind through sound. Going back and listening to these records now, I do not feel that same initial otherworldly shock that I first did, as if I was listening to something wholly unearthly. However, I have built several new connections to them over the years that have replaced that initial aura that originally drew me in. I feel a sense of nostalgia and an image of that first reaction that I had to Ea, Lord Of The Depths and Kaatharian Life Code; it still impacts me, but it does not overwhelm. I feel now that I am a listener outside of the experience, while when I was young, I was a listener inside of it, and felt as though I couldn't get out. It terrified me, and it was good. Today, I still feel the sense of terror, but in a passive, objective, analytical way, and that draws me in more today.

I'm definitely old school, buddy. That's part of the reason why a lot of current metal doesn't interest me much. The stuff that really influenced me was stuff from about 1985 to 1996. I remember picking up used copies of albums like To Mega Therion, Like an Everflowing Stream, and Dreamweaver all on cassette. Those albums were pretty easy to find in the used racks around 95-96 because, well, I guess a lot of aging ex-metalheads were getting rid of those albums at that time. Listening to metal albums at a young age really was a sort of all-consuming experience. I really sat for hours and hours on end in my bedroom listening, and I mean really listening to these albums. That point in one's life is one without a lot of excess worries and responsibilities, so it's easier to immerse yourself entirely in music.

On the other hand, I do like having a more detached and "objective" kind of perspective towards music now. There's another dimension to music and a lot of ways of analyzing and enjoying it that I didn't understand back then.

 

[Alter]

One thing that I try to do to retain that certain 'magic' that special albums contain is that I play them rarely, and in ideal circumstances. I find that it's more evocative when it still 'feels' new even though you first heard it over a decade ago because you just don't play it enough for you to know it front and back.

I could never do that to a record I love. If I find a record that floats my boat I will honestly listen to it over and over again where ever I can.

 

[skeptik]

It's not that hard when you have hundreds of albums that you love.

 

[Alter]

So do I.

But only a few get a ton of constant plays from me which pushes me to the point of listening to it wherever I can.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Some great posts in this thread.


I found that leaving metal alone for a while and discovering other styles worked really well when I'd explored it fully and it wasn't hitting the spot like it used to. I was so into the genre for so long that I just needed a break. I sold a bunch of stuff and kept only the albums that I thought were classics to me. I of course regretted this later on, and a lot of albums I have since re-purchased and found new love for, but anyway.

That feeling of mystique and danger that you get when first delving into extreme metal when you're a kid is something that never happens again unfortunately. I'll never forget the first time I heard Master of Puppets, Black Metal, Extreme Aggression, and Spiritual Healing. I've immersed myself in many other styles since then and the only time I came close to that feeling was when I got into electronic music, mainly because I'd always considered it the enemy of "real" music and was dumbfounded when I discovered electronic stuff that is as dark as any black/death metal album you'll ever hear.

Extreme metal and metal in general to me is/was never about staying "true" or listening to the harshest, most evil, most brutal and uncompromising stuff, that's all nonsense, but listening to music that will excite me and I found that there are not as many metal albums that seem to do it for me anymore.

There is much more to music than just metal: jazz, prog/psych rock, folk, classical, industrial, experimental stuff, etc. I'd still be listening to/buying metal, but in parallel, exploring other genres; apparently, I've been missing out on much. Having various types of music in your collection, to fit a variety of moods is always a good thing.

Well said.

 

[Alter]

Some great posts in this thread.


I found that leaving metal alone for a while and discovering other styles worked really well when I'd explored it fully and it wasn't hitting the spot like it used to. I was so into the genre for so long that I just needed a break. I sold a bunch of stuff and kept only the albums that I thought were classics to me. I of course regretted this later on, and a lot of albums I have since re-purchased and found new love for, but anyway.

That feeling of mystique and danger that you get when first delving into extreme metal when you're a kid is something that never happens again unfortunately. I'll never forget the first time I heard Master of Puppets, Black Metal, Extreme Aggression, and Spiritual Healing. I've immersed myself in many other styles since then and the only time I came close to that feeling was when I got into electronic music, mainly because I'd always considered it the enemy of "real" music and was dumbfounded when I discovered electronic stuff that is as dark as any black/death metal album you'll ever hear.

I must say that metal does burn you out.

 

[skeptik]

Only if you're a poseur.

 

[Alter]

Are you claiming I am?

 

[skeptik]

Do you get burned out by Metal?

 

[Alter]

A bit sometimes. Than I turn on Spoon. Than Toxic Holocaust.

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Stuff

Finally a new poster who doesn't deserve a beat down.

 

[XSASweet]

I pretty much started out with extreme metal, as far as remembering what it was: my bro was really into megadeth, but I can't remember hearing any megadeth albums when I was little... but I remember when I watched this video, the soundtrack had in flames, and it was fucking crazy. The thrill of hearing your first metal album will be a thrill you can never top, IMO, but you can still come pretty damn close all the time with new bands and new sounds; like now, I'm on a power metal purge and getting epic power metal bands that people have recommended (Blind Guardian, Helloween) I'll switch the genre I listen to mostly every 3 months or so, because I will hear a new song or album that will totally blow my mind and I will rush to get alot of that sort of metal. It's very nice, because you can hear all new sounds and different takes on different things, which is awesome and to me, it really never gets boring.

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

Nope.

I think that the music of recent years is just as good as the old shit. I wrote it like I said it was better, which is not necessarily true. It came out the wrong way. There's always good shit coming out.

BTW, I find that even with albums I love they can get outplayed at times.

 

[Jreg]

I pretty much started out with extreme metal, as far as remembering what it was: my bro was really into megadeth, but I can't remember hearing any megadeth albums when I was little... but I remember when I watched this video, the soundtrack had in flames, and it was fucking crazy. The thrill of hearing your first metal album will be a thrill you can never top, IMO, but you can still come pretty damn close all the time with new bands and new sounds; like now, I'm on a power metal purge and getting epic power metal bands that people have recommended (Blind Guardian, Helloween) I'll switch the genre I listen to mostly every 3 months or so, because I will hear a new song or album that will totally blow my mind and I will rush to get alot of that sort of metal. It's very nice, because you can hear all new sounds and different takes on different things, which is awesome and to me, it really never gets boring.

Most people I know who approach music that way (getting really into something new every 3 months) are ultimately going through phases (metal included) that don't last. Not to knock you, I'm just saying.

 

[Evil?]

I envy all of those who got into real metal at a younger age and those old enough to have lived when metal was still a scary thing. I have only gotten into real extreme(death/black) metal in the last couple of years. I have been listening to black metal for about a year now. Because I got into it when I was nearly 20 I did not get to experience any feelings of terror or mystique. Being older an desensitized to most extremes, this kind of metal did not effect me as much as it could have, had I gone into it with more of an innocent mind, like Necuratul mentioned. Black metal still gives me a great feeling and it has become one of my favorite types of music but it was not as initially "shocking" as it was for people who experienced it at its inception or at a younger age.

Also, because I got into the game at an age where the internet could provide me with everything I needed to know, I never got to experience discovering this underground music on my own. Nothing was mysterious or too difficult to acquire. Because of this I am not sure I have many albums that are special to me in that they o[ened a new world of music. Many people seem to have this type of an experience with an album. But with the internet and forums, I am presented with large lists of albums to check out. I feel the internet and my age did me a great disservice in my metal developement.