Is there truly a "metal community?"

[Jim LotFP]

Given how agressive the music is, given how much people are drinking, given that there's usually a pit, it's almost mind boggling that there aren't three or four fights a night.

You've lived in a more peaceful place than I have. Part of the fun going to metal shows would be watching the fights break out after someone bumped into someone else the wrong way in the pit. Skinhead attack!

 

[lizard]

I just had a vision of sunny treelined streets, mothers with spiked dog collars pushing strollers, a five year old by her side, wearing an Entombed tee....father coming home from a hard day's work and throwing off his three piece suit, and sliding into a comfy pair of ripped jeans and a manowar hoodie...

"say hon, I just heard today that Cannibal Corpse tickets go on sale tomorrow...maybe we could get together with the McKenzies and make a day of it, you know, go out to the forest and contemplate pagan thoughts, and then catch the show afterward."

 

[General Zod]

You've lived in a more peaceful place than I have. Part of the fun going to metal shows would be watching the fights break out after someone bumped into someone else the wrong way in the pit. Skinhead attack!

I live in the NJ/NY/Philly area. Not exactly an area known for its easygoing attitude. Since you mentioned skinheads, are you talking Metal shows or Hardcore shows.? At Hardcore shows, there are tons of fights.

Zod

 

[General Zod]

Anyway, I don't feel at all attracted to the "classic" metal culture, as in beer, chicks and concerts, that's simply not my cup of tea, and thus not something I'd want to be associated with

The "classic" Metal culture is something that doesn't exist any longer. However, it was a lot of fun back in the day. I don't think I've ever seen as many hot girls, in jaw-dropping outfits, as I did at Crue and Ratt shows.

Zod

 

[NAD]

Yeah I've seen very few fights at concerts, and I've been to a ton. In fact the only one I can remember is when Dissection took 45 minutes to hit the stage in this tiny ass club and tensions were high. It was also the most brutal fight I've ever seen in my life, two dudes rolled around the floor with a whole shitload of other dudes kicking them. When the fighters finally broke up, the one dude had claw marks ripped out of his face.

Then Dissection turned anger into joy within the first 20 seconds of Night's Blood.

 

[KILL TULLY]

Is there truly a "metal community"?

Yes. Of course. I have couches I can sleep on all around the world based on the fact that there is a "metal community". There is a strong community, without a doubt.

 

[Jim LotFP]

I live in the NJ/NY/Philly area. Not exactly an area known for its easygoing attitude. Since you mentioned skinheads, are you talking Metal shows or Hardcore shows.? At Hardcore shows, there are tons of fights.

I've been to a couple of hardcore shows (with Turmoil on them, back when I thought getting in free was a good enough reason to go to a concert). Don't recall one fight but admittedly that's hardly a good sample of shows.

But at death metal shows of any size in Atlanta (93-01 at least, I stopped going to many shows after that), fight fight fight fight fight fight! Count on it. And that shit gets NASTY. I always liked it when the big group of Mexicans would come out to a show because that meant the skinheads weren't going to just randomly start stupid shit. Those guys were assholes and I feel ashamed about several fights where I didn't jump in where they were attacking 4, 5, 6-on-1 because one of them got bumped in the pit.

 

[General Zod]

But at death metal shows of any size in Atlanta (93-01 at least, I stopped going to many shows after that), fight fight fight fight fight fight! Count on it.

That's a shame. We don't often get much of a skinhead presence at shows around here, and maybe that's the difference. The only show I've been to, where I can recall even the smallest group of skinheads was when I saw Dimmu/Nevermore/CoB/Hipocrisy at the Trocadero in Philly. And even then, it was like 4 or 5 of them. Hell, at the Soilwork/Dark Tranquillity show, there were two black guys in the pit the whole night, giving as good as they got. No one thought twice about it.

I don't know Atlanta very well. Does it tend to have a redneck mentality?

Zod

 

[Ayeka]

When I go to a Metal show, I feel like I'm among friends, regardless of what type of Metal show it is. I can't tell you how many Metal shows I've been to, and how few fights I've seen. Honestly, I don't recall ever seeing a fight at a Metal show, and I would guess I've been to at least 250 shows. Given how agressive the music is, given how much people are drinking, given that there's usually a pit, it's almost mind boggling that there aren't three or four fights a night. I've always chalked up the lack of fights to the sense of community/brotherhood that we all feel. So few people get this music. We get it. We feel passionate about it. So regardless of what may be different about us, we're the same on some level.

Fuck yeah. Me and my mates usually note, on our nightclub street the rock club we frequent, up right at the end, is where you never get any trouble and kicking out time can be so chilled. It's going down that road past the dance club where you gotta watch yourself. I saw a guy get KO'd in one punch last Saturday out there.

Of course, they've cheapened our club now. You get the occasional fight, and it's always emo kids. Scum.

 

[Demonspell]

I take back what I said about the occasional dissension between followers of different types of metal casting doubt upon the strength of the metal community as a whole. After reading this article, I quickly realized that unity among all metal listeners does in fact exist.

 

[spaffe]

The "classic" Metal culture is something that doesn't exist any longer. However, it was a lot of fun back in the day. I don't think I've ever seen as many hot girls, in jaw-dropping outfits, as I did at Crue and Ratt shows.

Zod

Well that's why I used ""-marks, I was referring to a group of interests generally associated with the classic metal image