Metal's popularity

[ShredHeadJHJ]

It depends on the era...

I started listening to metal in the early 90's, when it seemed to be at it's height in popularity. When I started going to high school in around '97-'98 metal was dying in a very big way. Less & less people were listening to it, to the point where it became uncool to listen to it. Also, a lot of bands from late the 80's/early 90's became very instrumental in setting the foundation of continued interest in the society.

On the other hand, if you just look at things over the last 3 years I think metal has got much more popular in the last 3 years, but it is still far from being mainstream. Because of this immediate slight "surge" in popularity I voted the 3rd option.

 

[Blind Guardian]

I started listening to Metallica in 93 or 94. I can't remember if it was popular or not then but i guess at least the big metal bands were also big in general. Metal is probably, if not more popular, at least wider. There's not many new bands who can sell out whole sports venues like Iron Maiden or Metallica could 15-20 years ago though.

 

[The Ozzman]

It's more popular now than when I first started listening seriously to it back in 2004/2005, so I vote for the third option

 

[just metal]

Less.
The posers are increasing thu.

 

[Ultimate_Symphony]

My experience living in the real world is that metal populairty is about the same. On the internet world is definitively more popular, though.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

more people, more fans, more music, more access, more popular in a metal way.

 

[Cythraul]

When I was first getting into extreme metal back in '95 or '96 it was damn near impossible for me to find a mainstream record store that had a metal section or even stocked a significant amount of extreme metal. That has changed in the past, say, 7-8 years. So it might be the case that metal in general had some explosion of popularity since I started listening to it, or at least a steady rise. I also meet a lot more people nowadays who like extreme metal and not just mainstream shit, but that might have to do with the fact that I'm in college. After all, not many 10 year olds get into Mayhem or Morbid Angel, and most of the people I meet who listen to extreme metal are college students or at least in that typical age range. I guess college is the time for a lot of people to experiment with new and exciting things: binge drinking, random sex with strangers, extreme metal, sandal wearing, hacky sack, Che Guevara shirts, etc.

 

[SkiesAtOurFeet]

and now you can run into metal fans anywhere.

I do not run into metal fans anywhere, only at shows (given). Even if i do, the 'fan/s' are your typical kid/s whom won't listen to the music in a year or two from now.

 

[Einherjar86]

I guess college is the time for a lot of people to experiment with new and exciting things: binge drinking, random sex with strangers, extreme metal, sandal wearing, hacky sack, Che Guevara shirts, etc.

I like how the first three things are fucking metal, and the last three things are just people I want to kill. Although I can tolerate sandals; it's people who wear no shoes at all that piss me off. There are some hippies that walk around my campus barefoot. One day I saw one of them, a girl, riding her bike to class (with no shoes on, of course). The front wheel of her bike must not have been attached properly, because it came off, handlebars and all, and she just flew forward, slamming down on to the pavement. I would have asked her if she was alright, but I was laughing too hard. That's what you get for going around campus barefoot.

 

[Mother North]

about the same...

thats why black metal ist kreig haha

 

[Janga666]

I like how the first three things are fucking metal, and the last three things are just people I want to kill. Although I can tolerate sandals; it's people who wear no shoes at all that piss me off. There are some hippies that walk around my campus barefoot. One day I saw one of them, a girl, riding her bike to class (with no shoes on, of course). The front wheel of her bike must not have been attached properly, because it came off, handlebars and all, and she just flew forward, slamming down on to the pavement. I would have asked her if she was alright, but I was laughing too hard. That's what you get for going around campus barefoot.

LOL stupid hippies.

 

[mutantllama]

binge drinking, random sex with strangers, extreme metal, sandal wearing, hacky sack, Che Guevara shirts, etc.

This made me lol. Espicially the last three.

 

[waif]

Haven't really noticed. It's been about 4/5 years so probably no huge change. I don't really track record sales or read rolling stone and kerrang, and obviously reading metal magazines wouldn't give me a clue as to how popular metal is. Also, around here no matter how big your band is, metal bands play the palladium - Iron Maiden played the Aganis and there are some smaller bands that play bars, but almost everyone plays the palladium so there's no way to track trends in a band's popularity without finding numbers for their album sales and even that means little considering piracy...
So basically I have no fucking way to answer. Also, considering that everyone on here has been listening for different lengths of time the poll will be pretty meaningless because "it's gotten more popular since I started 25 years ago" and "It's gotten less popular since I started last month" count for the same...

 

[CAIRATH]

Hey it's Mumblefood. Where the hell have you been?

 

[Belligerent]

I voted about the same. I was leaning towards more popular because of the floppy haired Tech Death/Metalcore/Emo kids or whateverthefuck.

 

[~Derek~]

It's popular in the mainstream forms but beyond that here, not really, seems there's few people here even into mainstream metal.

 

[cookiecutter]

I like how the first three things are fucking metal, and the last three things are just people I want to kill. Although I can tolerate sandals; it's people who wear no shoes at all that piss me off. There are some hippies that walk around my campus barefoot. One day I saw one of them, a girl, riding her bike to class (with no shoes on, of course). The front wheel of her bike must not have been attached properly, because it came off, handlebars and all, and she just flew forward, slamming down on to the pavement. I would have asked her if she was alright, but I was laughing too hard. That's what you get for going around campus barefoot.

I saw some guy do that the other day, although I think the reason he flew forward was because he hit someone. All I saw was this guy fly forward and almost hit a parked car and some other guy looking mortified.

 

[Manbient]

Hey it's Mumblefood. Where the hell have you been?

Oh you know, around. My life had this sweet downward spiral going on for a long while, that was entertaining. Did i miss anything on um.com?

 

[Belligerent]

I like how the first three things are fucking metal, and the last three things are just people I want to kill. Although I can tolerate sandals; it's people who wear no shoes at all that piss me off. There are some hippies that walk around my campus barefoot. One day I saw one of them, a girl, riding her bike to class (with no shoes on, of course). The front wheel of her bike must not have been attached properly, because it came off, handlebars and all, and she just flew forward, slamming down on to the pavement. I would have asked her if she was alright, but I was laughing too hard. That's what you get for going around campus barefoot.

Hippies can't afford properly working bicycles.