you got it bryant.
metal transcends my mind and emotions to level non-existant in the everyday "real" world that we all live in.
the fact i can close my eyes to the music and feel like im in my own world of imagination, thoughts, and dreams. it takes experiences and wishes i have and transforms them into a euphoric world that is always open for me to...visit.
when you get that feeling like a black hole opened up inside you, the har stands up on your arms, and you shiver and bit...usually swallow your breath; that is an experience that is far more meaningful that anything explainable or observable by sense of touch or sight.
you can feel connected to it. its not like playing a new sport, watching a brand new tv show, or trying to write with your opposite hand.
the moment that new cd from this new band comes on, if it hits you, it hits you. there is no awkwardness, its like that new music has been with you your whole life, and it immediatly comes to fruition inside me.
there is also a love that is just personal. i can, and do, feel connected with so many people. the sense that a large bunch of metalfans is no different than an age-old neighborhood whose residents have known eachother for decades.
hell, the fact im sitting here typing this to people ive never seen or met before...half i probably havent even directly talked to on the forums; thats what its about right there. and even more so that i am generally aware the majority of people reading my reply are significant older than me, (no pun intended), but yet i don't feel the age is signifcant or even prevalent in the metal community.
just the fact i could explain the same thing in 100 different ways in this post to try and be clearer and still feel i wasnt able to fully capture my feelings shows how important it actually is.
i hear alot of people think of music as an escape from their everday lives. it does work like that, but not in the same way for me. to me, what metal lets me feel and imagine is what my life is. i would not be who i am without it. though, nothing about me would change if my "everday life" was voided.
there is world id like to live in, experiences id like to have, dreams i wish to be fulfilled, places id like to see, emotions i like to feel. metal brings them to life in my mind- which i am still convinced are more meaningful than things that are already in this world for me to experience.
"what's more valuable is what you create. there is a reason we have the need to act and think on our emotions and feelings; rather than have the emotions to justify our actions."