What music did you listen to before metal?

[CiG]

Infinite?

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

I used to just listen to soundtracks and classical. Then, when I started high school, I decided to start listening to "popular music" on the radio, and I played the new rock/alternative station on my clock radio going to bed every night. "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed was the song that really broke the ice for me, as it was "dark" and "evil" from the standpoint of someone who never really listened to any metal before. So I was into Disturbed and other nu-metal for about a couple of years, until I picked up Slayer's God Hates Us All towards the end of my sophomore year of high school, which was a big step up from what I had hitherto listened to - although I did have exposure to Metallica because that aforementioned radio station had a "Mandatory Metallica" segment every night at 11. In my junior year, I started exploring actual decent metal, and I started getting into black metal in my senior year.

 

[EspaDa]

I used to like this kind of shit rap. Ah, memories. I liked it perhaps because of the fact it was the soundtrack of one of my favorite games

 

[Pitiless Wanderer]

Does it? High verbal skills, no doubt, but his voice is quite shite if you ask me. I always found it so whiny and pretty much awful.

 

[EternalMetal]

My most early introduction to music was actually biker music, stuff like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, etc. Even though Sabbath is considered metal, it took me quite a while longer to come to this realization myself (imo I grew up on classic rock radio). This was my parent's music. It was early on in middle school that I started developing a taste for music on my own, and all of my friends were listening to stuff like Green Day and The Offspring, so I got really into those bands for a while. I then migrated to Limp Bizkit, Pantera, Black Label Society, Ozzy, Disturbed, and some select Metallica hits (mostly Black Album and Load era). Slipknot is a worthy mention, but in hindsight I didnt really like them as much as I claimed. Mainstream rap also to a limited extent, mostly for the bass. Finally when I entered high school I went to a LAN party at a friend's house to play Starcraft and we started sharing music between sessions. One of my friends was into metal, and I basically just took everything he had (I was listening heavily to stuff like Black Label Society and Pantera at the time). Among the music I obtained was In Flames, Children of Bodom, Nevermore, and Strapping Young Lad (these bands were still somewhat underground at the time). Other than Slipknot I have never heard music as extreme and chaotic, and I have been hooked on metal and music exploration ever since.

I used to just listen to soundtracks and classical. Then, when I started high school, I decided to start listening to "popular music" on the radio, and I played the new rock/alternative station on my clock radio going to bed every night. "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed was the song that really broke the ice for me, as it was "dark" and "evil" from the standpoint of someone who never really listened to any metal before. So I was into Disturbed and other nu-metal for about a couple of years, until I picked up Slayer's God Hates Us All towards the end of my sophomore year of high school, which was a big step up from what I had hitherto listened to - although I did have exposure to Metallica because that aforementioned radio station had a "Mandatory Metallica" segment every night at 11. In my junior year, I started exploring actual decent metal, and I started getting into black metal in my senior year.

I had a similar experience to this with Disturbed actually, but it had to do more with my transition from mainstream metal into more extreme metal. When Disturbed came out with their second album, I liked it for the most part. Except that I felt like I was listening to 3 minutes of filler just to listen to the part of the song where the double bass rolls came in and truly played to the upbeat rhythm (the end of Awaken was probably the trigger here). I remember craving that type of sound, but I wanted it to be pervasive and not just at the end of the song. Then I found Children of Bodom, Iced Earth, In Flames, Nevermore, and Strapping Young Lad and I kept digging deeper into metal (and to a limited extent other genres that could potentially blow my mind) ever since.

edit: oh yea, I forgot about grunge. I was into that back in middle school as well. Mostly just Alice in Chains and Nirvana though.

 

[Burkhard]

I was just wondering what music other metal heads listened to before metal?

Mostly Abba and Elvis Presley.

And do you still actively listen to it?

No, but after I got into metal I gradually discovered other non-metal artists/bands whose music - in some cases - I found/still find as enjoyable as my favourite metal albums.

I guess maybe I should expand upon the question. How did you discover metal?

Pat Benatar - "Live from Earth" -> Lita Ford - "Dancin' on the Edge" -> Metallica - "Ride the Lightning" (all in 1984)

 

[alex76]

You people should be disgusted with yourselves!

 

[EspaDa]

^ You mean you were into some trve brutal metal since the very beginning? Good for you.