What is it like to be a metal metalhead in America?

[StorTroll]

Do other people moralize you? What was/ is it like at school were
evry second listens to ´N Sync? Do they think you´re weird ´cos you listen to metal? Is this dependent on region, do people in certain places neglect you guys more?...Tell me!!!
When at high school I had to put up with this kind hypocrisy and was from arse.

 

[Pieguy]

I just don't talk about music in public.

 

[Lina]

As you've probably gathered by now, metal is NOT played on the radio here, for the most part. It is much more underground here than in Europe (even though it's not "popular" there either).

So, because people aren't exposed to it, it has a stigma of being satanic, evil, et cetera.

When people ask what music I listen to, I just say "rock." Saying "metal" would lead to a long explanation of "No, not Limp Bizkit. No, I'm not a satanist." blah blah blah.

But let me take this opportunity to say I hate people who dress like a "metalhead," because that usually means they ARE trying to look evil. (My hatred goes for all groups whose clothing defines them.) No wonder there are so many misconceptions concerning metal, since the "metalheads" go out of their way to look gothic, evil and morose. They give metal just as bad a name as white boys in visors and baggy pants give rap a bad name. Argh.

So I would say, compared to Europe, metal is more underground here, and since the U.S. is more religious than most western countries, the negative stigma attached to it is greater.

There's my thesis.

 

[Pieguy]

People that build up an image based on the music they listen to should be tortured, and executed.

 

[MetalManCPA]

Originally posted by Lina
But let me take this opportunity to say I hate people who dress like a "metalhead," because that usually means they ARE trying to look evil. (My hatred goes for all groups whose clothing defines them.) No wonder there are so many misconceptions concerning metal, since the "metalheads" go out of their way to look gothic, evil and morose. They give metal just as bad a name as white boys in visors and baggy pants give rap a bad name. Argh.

Before I answer the question - I want to agree with Lina. I look at this whole "dress" thing from a middle-aged (ugh) parent perspective. At the Dimmu Borgir concert a few days ago, I saw more teenage girls dressed to the hilt - with the Hot Topic long dresses, all done up in black lipstick and fingernails, etc etc. I could only wonder why. It's one thing to go to a club and dress a certain way - but this was a concert (which I thought was about the music). Sure, I dawned my Cardle of Filth t-shirt (it's about the only time I can get away with it ), but that was it. We're talkning about music here - not a way of life.

Metal in the U.S. gets a horrible rap. Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister had to go to court to defend metal of that day. So many blame metal music (and more importantly the lyrics) for when the youth of America "acts up". It has a huge stigma here - from being a phase, to noise, to worshipping satan, to putting evil and death on a pedistal. The contradictions that are the U.S.A. are mind-boggling. We were born on freedom of speech, yet when an artist puts his heart and soul into metal music - he is deemed "against" what is good, and is labelled evil. And there may be a handful of artists in the metal world that are truely saying some sort of evil message - but it's a huge minority.

And to me, even a greater miscarriage of justice is how metal music is looked at musically. Look at all the award shows - it's obvious. To my ears, the artists that play metal - guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, etc. - are better musicians then most that get the accolades. It's sad. Granted - death vocals vs. clean are merit for comparing musically (death vocals are such an acquired taste), but even then, these bands get no musical recognition except from us.

Mainstream pop bands fill up venues of 15,000+, yet when I went to Enslaved, there were not even 100 people there. I feel bad for the musicians in this field. They work hard - and struggle.

As far as me listening to metal - it's a joke to most, but I don't care. The music I listen to is for me anyways: I could give a crap about what others think.

 

[warsofwinter]

Actualy in my school every second person listens to Death or Deicide haha .. and if you listen to boy bands and pop 'artists' then you are concidered either gay or .......gay (no offense to anyone who is gay here)

I think I live in a Metal school . We have this one guy that plays in a metal band called Stigmata . His name is Al Brake and he is the best drummer I have ever seen in my life .. he is just amazing to watch .. ever little thing he does is perfect just perfect .

There is probably 50 amazing guitarist in our school (out of 600 people) 10 crazy drummers ........ not too many bassist but the ones we do have are great ... and we have probably 8 good vocalist's ( I have the best one haha) . And all of listen to bands like In Flames . Tool . Manson. Ozzy . Randy R . Steve Vai . Death . Deicide . Maiden , PInk Floyd . me and another guy are huge Opeth fans but he's antisocial . There is such a wide range of good talent there ... the battle of the bands is every month and everytime each band has something new that just blows you away ...


I would not want to go to school anywhere else because I know too many people into metal and other great bands that live here ...

 

[SentencedToBurn]

at my school there is probably about 5 or 6 kids who are actually into REAL metal, and not this mudvayne slipknot shit. No one looks at me weird or anything cause i really dont dress up like a metal freak like some people. i just wear a band t shirt and jeans. And i agree with warsofwinter. If you listen to boy bands here in america, and your not a girl who is 13 and under, you are gay. Most of the kids at my school (im a senior in high school by the way) listen to the shit played on the rock radio stations. When i go out in public, i see a metal head every now and then (based on either a t shirt he is wearing or whatever).
I find the people that dress all gothic really funny of how sad they really are.

 

[warsofwinter]

Originally posted by metalmancpa


Before I answer the question - I want to agree with Lina. I look at this whole "dress" thing from a middle-aged (ugh) parent perspective. At the Dimmu Borgir concert a few days ago, I saw more teenage girls dressed to the hilt - with the Hot Topic long dresses, all done up in black lipstick and fingernails, etc etc. I could only wonder why. It's one thing to go to a club and dress a certain way - but this was a concert (which I thought was about the music). Sure, I dawned my Cardle of Filth t-shirt (it's about the only time I can get away with it ), but that was it. We're talkning about music here - not a way of life.

Metal in the U.S. gets a horrible rap. Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister had to go to court to defend metal of that day. So many blame metal music (and more importantly the lyrics) for when the youth of America "acts up". It has a huge stigma here - from being a phase, to noise, to worshipping satan, to putting evil and death on a pedistal. The contradictions that are the U.S.A. are mind-boggling. We were born on freedom of speech, yet when an artist puts his heart and soul into metal music - he is deemed "against" what is good, and is labelled evil. And there may be a handful of artists in the metal world that are truely saying some sort of evil message - but it's a huge minority.

And to me, even a greater miscarriage of justice is how metal music is looked at musically. Look at all the award shows - it's obvious. To my ears, the artists that play metal - guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, etc. - are better musicians then most that get the accolades. It's sad. Granted - death vocals vs. clean are merit for comparing musically (death vocals are such an acquired taste), but even then, these bands get no musical recognition except from us.

Mainstream pop bands fill up venues of 15,000+, yet when I went to Enslaved, there were not even 100 people there. I feel bad for the musicians in this field. They work hard - and struggle.

As far as me listening to metal - it's a joke to most, but I don't care. The music I listen to is for me anyways: I could give a crap about what others think.

Well put Metalman .. I think you have a great point there.


Metal ( and some other genre's) should be respected more ......it takes so much time, organization and patients to be in a metal band .. some bands go through hell getting a label . then the label fucks em over ...... the majority of larger labels think of metal bands as being the lower end of the music industry and the labels know that they can fuck around with them .

Now that i've said that . I give a lot of respect to Slipknot , for a long time I didn't see a whole song with distorted vocals on much music . Now we have it on the fucking countdown .. it just goes to show that a metal band ( or a band with metal roots) can go somewhere . Tool is another example of this , they aren't really labeled metal but they have opened alot of peoples minds to explore new and more exciting areas of music ...

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

I don't think it's very known that i'm a metal head, the only band shirt I have is my Opeth shirt. I still find it annoying when people think Limp Bizkit and Disturbed are "Heavy shit". I don't even think most of the people that are into that like the music, they think it makes them look cool for listening to "heavy", "Misunderstood" music.

Bandwise, I think there is one metal band at my school, they are terrible too, I only heard them play one song though. I have a few guys in my classes that are a boyband. They lip-synched a backstreet boys song while doing the dance moves at a pep rally once, and they have their own boyband songs too

The thing that bothers me the most is the misconceptions about the music I listen to when I mention it (not often). For example, if I let someone who listens to pop hear the music I like "It's just noise", same with those who like rap. Numetal people will say "I don't like the growls." Also known as, I'm too used to whining vocals and bland musicianship that I can't see how good this is, plus it's not cool to listen to it so i'll stick with numetal.

 

[Despot]

I guess it's not that bad. I mean there are still good shows every so often to go to, and plus all of my friends are metalheads as well. I really don't have it as bad as most people... Still it's annoying because you have to put up with so much ignorance. As Lina said, if you say, "I listen to metal" your avrage, every day, idiot is gonna think that you're talking about Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Metallica and all the other crap. When asked what music I listen to, I still say metal because I am proud of it, and because I don't give a fuck what anybody else thinks. I don't listen to it for image or to be "cool" I listen to it because it makes me feel good. It is almost orgasmic.
If every day for the rest of my life I had Kit Kats, Sex and Metal I would be trully happy.

 

[TheMindzI]

Concerning the clothing thing.. Why is it a bad thing? Why does it mean that u r trying to look evil or anything like that? Why JUDGE ppl by their appearance in the first place? That's what I hate!
Ok I think it's ridiculous to wear spikes all over your body, and things like that, or get dressed that way only when u r clubbing or going to concerts and blah blah.. but if u actually LIKE the way u r dressed? If it's a part of urself just like your music? I can't get it.. plz someone explain..
I'm not defending myself here, I don't say that I'm wearing black clothes all the time etc (although I usually do).. It's just my opinion on the subject. And that'd be it even if I wore shirts and ties..

 

[MetalManCPA]

Originally posted by Despot
... As Lina said, if you say, "I listen to metal" your avrage, every day, idiot is gonna think that you're talking about Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Metallica and all the other crap. When asked what music I listen to, I still say metal because I am proud of it, and because I don't give a fuck what anybody else thinks. .....

I never get away with just saying metal - and it's for a reason. I enjoy being more specific - so when asked what I listen to, first I say "I listen to WAAF" (a radio station that plays some decent stuff), and some know of it becasue their kids listen to it. Then I go further - I say that "WAAAF plays OK music, but I listen to underground metal." Then they usually ask what bands do you listen to - and the funny thing is, I hear this question so much, that it almost seems like a canned response by the masses. It shows how shallow communication can be - it sounds like they're reading from a script, or somehow just knew that it was time to use "that question". ANyways, in response to what bands I listen to, my normal answer is: "I listen to Opeth, Nevermore, Slayer, Anthrax, Dimmu Borgir, Grip Inc., The Tea PArty", and others. I usually get that quizzical look, and that they've never heard of any of those bands - although, some know a band or two. I try to use bands that cover my extended years of listening, to cover from the early 80's to the present, figuring maybe they listen to a certain short time period of music, and covering a span might hit a nerve with them.

Then what really blows them away is that I go alone to metal concerts. My Dad laughs when I tell him: "I just saw Diabolic, Krisiun, Cryptopsy, and Dimmu Borgir who's fron Norway". My Dad says things like : "ha ha, from Norway" : personally, I have no idea why he finds humour in that.

And yes - I say these things because I'm proud too. I find a level of enjoyment in metal music that transcends anything - including a 41 year relationship with my parents. I stand up for my music always - and NEVER bend. I don't consider listening to a wide variety of music bending - I always answer with the deepest metal bands first. Then, if the conversation continues, I'll tell them I listen to some other "stuff", but the conversation always starts and ends with metal.

An I also could give a crap of what others think. My mental response to that way of thinking is: "They have no idea what the hell they are missing. And I don't care, because it's mine, and anybody is invited to share with me my love for heavy metal, but if they don't really give it a try, then that's OK with me." Then - when the conversation is over, and everybody has gone home, I'll usually reflect a bit (because a lot of my daily thought is with music). I think of how stupid so many people are for brushing heavy metal aside, or even go so far as calling it a plague.

Then I go happily along to my computer, to chat with you, download some music (and I do buy too), and get on with life.

 

[Lina]

Originally posted by TheMindzI
but if u actually LIKE the way u r dressed? If it's a part of urself just like your music? I can't get it.. plz someone explain..

If you like wearing all black clothes, etc, it's partly because you WANT people to have a certain opinion of you -- not just that you HAPPEN to like the color black.

I remember a couple people on this board whined about people calling them goth. And then they posted pictures of themselves dressed...you guessed it...goth.

When you're choosing your clothing, you KNOW (or at least you should) what people are going to think of you. If you know but don't care, that's cool -- BUT that only applies to people who show no care whatsoever in their clothing -- not to people who deliberately coordinate their black shirt with their black pants with their black boots with their black hair with their black fingernails with their black belt with their black necklace with their black lipstick.

 

[Belial]

This conversation reminds me of how I get along with the youth groupI go to. I go there and the queers there play a lot of pop nonsense and rave trash, it gets on my nerves, but I don't complain.

So anyway, me and a bunch of guys started talking and the subject of music came up and everyone was listing bands they listen to. Most said "Madonna, Pink, Alicia Keys, etc" There was this one wiccan lesbian chick that was into Disturbed and Tool.

So it's my turn and I said flat out what I listen to. "Lets see... I listen to Cannibal Corpse, Eternal Tears Of Sorrow, In Flames, Dying Fetus, Deicide, Dark tranquility, ...and so on." The look on their faces was priceless, I have no idea why I told them what I listen to but it was a fucking riot seeing them get all shocked. I felt I had to balance it out by mentioning some Trance artists I listen to.

That was one of the funniest moments in my life.

 

[TheMindzI]

Originally posted by Lina
But let me take this opportunity to say I hate people who dress like a "metalhead," because that usually means they ARE trying to look evil. (My hatred goes for all groups whose clothing defines them.)

Well u can say I'm a "metalhead" if u see me, so my clothing and my appearance in general DO define me.. so what? I DO dress like that because of the music I like, well that's how it started.. but I DID like it. It was not like.. u know.. I listen to metal now so I HAVE to dress like this..
That damn music changed my whole life.. the way that I think, the way that I act, the way that I dress.. everything! I don't look evil or something.. but u know what kind of music I like when u see me.. and I LOVE the black colour (just as I like white t-shirts).
I don't WANT anyone to have ANY opinion about me if they don't already have one. I don't WANT anyone to form an opinion about me because of the way I look. I've never called myself a "metalhead" or something.. and I don't care if they call me that or anything else.. and yes I know what ppl are going to think about me, but.. there's a quote about this.. "You laugh at me because I'm different, but I laugh at you because you are all the same.." .. Well .. why don't they all fuck off?
That's all.. I just hate prejudice.. I'm talking personally here because I want to state the facts, but that applies to many ppl I think..

 

[SentencedToBurn]

"You laugh at me because I'm different, but I laugh at you because you are all the same.."

LOL this is the biggest nu metal teen angst horshit quote ive ever heard in my life. People who dress diffrent to get judged so they can say "dont judge me". thats what i think of that quote.

 

[jimbobhickville]

Okay, take the stigma of listening to metal in the US, and try to imagine what it is like living in Utah. Here are a couple questions I got on a date (I was actively religious at the time and listening to metal): "Do you do drugs?" and "How can you listen to that and still be active in the church?". Ah, the lovely ignorance.

Most people here equate metal to either a) hair bands or b) nu-metal. It is really frustrating. I generally introduce people to Aghora, since it is so mind-blowingly excellent and non-offensive. People are like, "oh I thought all metal was noisy guitar solos and screaming". And if they don't like it, I know they will never appreciate anything with musical quality and I give up.

I, too, find the "metalheads" to be quite ridiculous. It just perpetuates the stereotypes. It is really self-defeating. Generally they do it to rebel, but they rebel by conforming to a stereotype, which is humorous to me. If they are doing it just 'cause they like it, then that's cool, but I think a lot of them aren't. I used to wear a long black trenchcoat and combat boots 'cause I liked wearing them, then everyone started copying me, which I thought was funny. I never knew how easy it was to be a trendsetter.

Oh well, I'm just babbling now. Later.

 

[Sullen Jester]

I don't know any 'metaller's' or 'goths'.

I hate the people who go 'gothic' for the image. I do believe it to be a form of expression (Fuck, everything is) but there are always the wankers who do to be a 'part of something'.

Some of my better "friends" who live music, they don't go heavier than Metallica, AC/DC, Limp Bizkit etcetera, with the odd Drowning Pool, Slipknot and Mudvayne.

I've been trying to get my friend Fish into Opeth. He plays drums, and I'm trying to get him doing something crazy like Peter Wildoer (Ex-Armageddon, ex-Agretator, ex-Zaninez, current Darkane drummer) and long-lasting like Martin (The 'peth man, the 'peth). The only Opeth song he know's is "Karma", but I don't think he's listened to it through.

Rap, pop, nu-metal is dominant here, and the shittier side at that. A lot of 'nu-metal' bands I can tolerate, some I see a lot of talent in them. That being said, the only bands that people here know are the very shit, untalented (That's a maybe, just a gues from the music), unimaginative, overplayed bands. What makes it worse is they don't even try to understand 'my kind of music'.

To them, EVERYTHING I listen to is 'goth' and very 'heavy' and 'extreme'. I can't get people to believe that I like Blur. (That being said, Blur is one of my 'favourite' bands.)

There is no metal scene here, the only source for that is the internet. If I'm lucky, bigger bands (Pantera, Ozzy, Slipknot) come around and they get decent bands for support (Segression, Corrosion of Conformity and Frankenbok.) but I'm 'not allowed' to go them because they're 'bad' bands and the places are full of 'evil people'. It get's to the point when the whole 'metal' genre is completely misunderstood, and I'm not able to enjoy it without getting an earful of bullshit.

Edit: Even though I'm not from America, I still posted. Do not ask me why.

 

[revengeoftempest]

Being a metalhead in America is fairly easy, but can be difficult. One, there are NO concerts here. Even worse for me over in eastern washington... Two, if you say you like metal, people think you like slipknot and limp bizkit and all that other "nu-metal" CRAP. I always have to explain what real metal is. Thats the only time i get funny looks. I dont dress in black and wear spikes and makeup. Thats for the the goths who think they listen to "heavy" music... mostly manson and stuff like that.
I am actively religious so explaining why i listen to such "morbid" and "scarry" music is sometimes difficult. Most people dont ever understand why i listen so i dont always bother to explain.
Interesting story about how warped americans music sense is:
I came into orchestra one day and set my cd player down to get my bass. (I play bass guitar and upright bass.) One of the other basses who already thought was a dick looked at my cd player and asked what i was listening to. Fair enough. I told him "In Flames." He then asked "Are they rave or techno?" I answered "Rave or techno? The hell? Its freakin heavy metal...." He asked if he could listen and i handed him the head phones and turned on the cd. After approx. 10 seconds he took off the headphones in disgust. he then said that that sounded like crap and it had no rythem. (sp?) I almost punched him in the face right about there. But, i just told him he was full of shit and continued to unpack my bass.

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

because people aren't exposed to it, it has a stigma of being satanic, evil, et cetera.

Exactly.

I'm in Oz.... And it's exactly the same here.

Australia = America II