Metal becoming hip?

[adaher]

Passed by my local high school as the students were leaving, spotted two Dream Theater shirts, one Symphony X shirt, and one Iced Earth shirt. Gigantour maybe?

Anyway, struck up a short conversation with the lady wearing the Symphony X shirt. 16 years old, knows most of the better American bands and says that many of her friends also listen. Doesn't know many European acts. Never heard of Stratovarius, Edguy, or Hammerfall. Has heard of Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Sym X, Dream Theater, Iced Earth, and Kamelot.

Could it finally be happening, at least for the less overtly 80s-style American bands? Mainstream acceptance?

 

[dew]

Well, if he plays guitar, and subscribes to guitar magazines and such, it's no surprise he's heard of bands like Dream Theater or Symphony X, with mention of some other metal bands.

 

[booB]

it's hip to be square.

 

[Yngvai X]

Real metal will never be truly mainstream, but I do definitely notice that its much more known amugst the metal crowd than when I was in high school, and that was only 4 years ago.

 

[Formerly known as Chris F5]

I truly hope so for many reasons

 

[SavaRon]

I don't know about hip, but it's on the rise for sure.

 

[DT Jesus]

...struck up a short conversation with the lady wearing the Symphony X shirt. 16 years old...

Sweet. Finally I have an in with my ... um ... "target demographic".

 

[Unca Kev]

I think that I know why, in this particular case, you ran across kids with those shirts, that are into those bands. Aside from the rising interest, a good friend of mine has a daughter that goes to high school in Coral Springs (I'm not sure if it's the same exact high school as the one that you went to) and has gotten her and at least some of her friends exposed to these bands. And from there, they've gotten others esposed those bands as well. You post what high school you went to, and I'll try to get him to post in here, to see if it's the same school/kids.

 

[Greykiller]

I think that I know why, in this particular case, you ran across kids with those shirts, that are into those bands. Aside from the rising interest, a good friend of mine has a daughter that goes to high school in Coral Springs (I'm not sure if it's the same exact high school as the one that you went to) and has gotten her and at least some of her friends exposed to these bands. And from there, they've gotten others esposed those bands as well. You post what high school you went to, and I'll try to get him to post in here, to see if it's the same school/kids.

My kid has no Symph X t-shirt (unless she took one of mine to wear to school--entirely possible!!) but she HAS been exposing all of her friends to the bands the OP describes...and not to the ones the OP says she is ignorant of...

So yeah that could have been my kid. She has been given burns of all those groups to hand out. If she had mentioned Dreamscape, Brainstorm or (most importantly!!!!) Evergrey, you could have been sure it was her.

I gather the children for conversion whenever possible muahahahahaa!

 

[Kenneth R.]

i do believe metal & rock in general are becoming more accepted by mainstream media, and I think it's because the public is bored with R&B and teen-pop. Bands like Metallica, Nickelback, Linkin Park, and now even Opeth, are making this possible, because of their ties to pop culture and the metal world. of course i think some of these bands merit more attention than others, and yet i think overall it's a positive thing for the community.

 

[dargormudshark]

Well, I know bands like Opeth, CoB, Strapping Young Lad, all the metalcore bands, and some others are becoming the new poseur bands. "Oh yeah dude, Opeth....they are the ones with those long songs right?" stpuid crap like that happens at my school all the time, although that isn't a really good example. There are maybe a few SX fans at school, some people who call themselves DT fans, and I don't think anyone likes Evergrey, they get bashed alot.

The only thing I don't mind about Guitar World embracing Metalcore or Bodom is that the guitarists giving lessons are way better than Munky,Hed, or the dude from Linkin Park. Atleast kids are actually trying to play more than just power chrods in drop d.

As far as shirts, for bands that people on here like (not all) this is for my school btw:

Dimmu Borgir, In Flames, Opeth, adn that's really about it. THat doesn't mean the people wearing these shirts actually like the bands though.

 

[J-Man]

My daughters wear their NIGHTWISH or PYRAMAZE shirts and people DO ASK them about who those bands are and they tell them. My oldest (18) plays alot of my CDs in her car with her friends and they are becoming converts, so we are getting the meassage out, we just need to do it alot more.

 

[dargormudshark]

My daughters wear their NIGHTWISH or PYRAMAZE shirts and people DO ASK them about who those bands are and they tell them. My oldest (18) plays alot of my CDs in her car with her friends and they are becoming converts, so we are getting the meassage out, we just need to do it alot more.

Yeah, since 4th Grade I have been ridiculed for my tastes so your daughters get off lucky

"Queensrich...who the fuck are they....1992? Why do you listen to music for old people?"

 

[TheWhisper]

"Queensrich...who the fuck are they....

I was getting that all the time...before 'Eyes of a Stranger' that is.

 

[rockyracoon]

Real metal will never be truly mainstream, but I do definitely notice that its much more known amugst the metal crowd than when I was in high school, and that was only 4 years ago.

Real metal?

 

[urinalcakemix]

Real metal?

Like Slipknot. DUH!

 

[TheWhisper]

Real metal?

Manowar...death to false metal!

 

[urinalcakemix]

Everything goes through phases. Metal is part of the wheel. We had the 80's wehre it was huge, then the next phase comes through. Metal will be back and better than ever when the time is right, then it'll fade out, and etc.

I do notice its on the rise, a LOT.

 

[Yngvai X]

Real metal?

The point of metal is that its supposed to be rebelious music. Something accepted by the mainstream isn't very rebelious is it?

 

[TheWhisper]

I've never understood the whole 'rebellious' thing in regards to rock/metal music.
I've been listening to rock/metal since I can remember(before some of you young'uns were born) and I never listened to, or liked something, to be rebelious...or because it was seen as rebellious. I've only ever listened to music because I liked it, plain and simple. Oh well.