I guess to me it was always clear that heavy metal was good for me. I had the choice between a bunch of stuff that sounded like Lady GaGa or Nas, or I had this powerful, evil-sounding, intense music that was as brave as a warrior and as impersonal as a history of the civil war. While everyone around me was obsessed with their own little ego dramas, heavy metal was big picture music. It was both heavy (deep, dark, and ambiguous concepts in life) and simply rockin'. It gave energy where pop music took it away.
However, I'm told that not all people share this view. Specifically, every minute of the day somewhere on earth a metalhead is being told that heavy metal is dumb, simple and for losers. It's not good for you, saying the doubting voices. So to fight back against this pure stupidity, I've compiled a list of reasons why heavy metal is good for you:
- Your parents will always hate it
- It's not about "safe" topics
- Cool cover art
- It forces you to re-assess your surroundings
- It's not the same ol' rock n roll gag
- It's more complex than other genres
- Smart kids like it
- It mellows you out
- It's about literary themes
- It's like classical music
Comments
A much-needed article. It is honest and to the point, a metal apology that describes what many feel is the essence of metal, but what they are unable to convey to anti-Hessians, who generally only look at the surface of things.
a pal of mine s
said that he learned a lot about the bible from iron maiden
But Heavy Metal isn't good for you. It causes brain damage through headbanging, associating with the lowest of scum at shows, promotes thoughts of aggression, desensitizes you to the beautiful subtleties of music through constant growling/blasting/guitar distortion to 10, and is simple, boring music. Heavy Metal is garbage and by listening to it you too become garbage.
Get it right dude, HEAVY Metal uses ZERO growling. That is only used in Death Metal and Black Metal. HEAVY Metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, etc actually sing, or did you not even realize those were Heavy Metal bands?
I love the Glen Benton pic btw. If Glen Benton is supposed to be a shining example of why Heavy Metal is good for you then I can only pray for the deluded metal dorks who actually believe this.
Bleda:
So far, Brett has done a pretty good job proving his point with evidence. Although I've read *one* article about headbanging causing brain damage, can you do the same for the rest of you points?
Great article, and valuable arguments. Also, its good to see an article defending metal that don't cite bands like Slipknot and Lamb of God, but yes the good bands, like Summoning and Atheist.
Great article. I agree with your points, although I couldn't care less if my parents like it or not.
Bleda is just trolling, ignore him/her. Also, yes, probably headbanging causes brain damage, but i have yet to meet a intelligent person who do that movement enough time to have that problem. Seriously, i consider headbanging stupid, and judging metal for that is the most idiotic thing i have ever hear, next to "how do dance that thing?".
PD: Sorry for broken english.
Heavy Metal is a war-dance. The American Indians used to do it. We got our own version. Its just heavy loud angry music that gets us pumped and ready to do battle.
Bleda can sucka my peter.......twice.
surley while some aspects of metal are bad,same goes for rap,dance,grunge,ahem..r+b,grunk etc...it's surley a great thing for parents to listen how their little timmy wants to waste a cop,treat women like holes..or even take part in a drive by,i would'nt recommend using metal for educational purposes? would'nt time be better spent reading a book or two?...bottom line for me anyway is that i like rock ,some classical,some opera,most types of guitar music...and a tiny ammount of rap,i would say that regardless of musical prefference you should be careful of what you listen to or see,be more fussy,everything will influence you!!...whatsssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuppppp!!!!
gay. metal sucks and IS for losers. none of your reasons for liking it are any good at all.
If you hate it, get lost because you don't deserve to live.
I do like metal.
Bleda's arguement is silly.
Research actually showed that people who listen to metal are more likely(but not necessarily) going to be happier day to day.
Metal is music. It has no inherent moral value and no inherent association with aggression, violence or anger. A large portion of heavy metal and even extreme metal acts don't include harsh vocals—or any vocals at all—and the lyrics are often philosophical, sociopolitical, fantasy-inspired, romantic, etc. and wouldn't be considered aggressive or "negative" by most people.
As for headbanging, it is one of those arbitrary subculture phenomena you will witness in concerts and among fans (much like the punks' Mohawks, the rappers' hand gestures, etc.), but it has no musical connection to the genre itself; you could just as well be headbanging to reggae as far as musical language is concerned.
Unfortunately for people like "Bleda", who know little about metal, they will tend to focus their conception of the genre on its subcultural and controversial aspects, and will never try to appreciate it for its musical value.
Actually, for me, your first point is wrong. Both my parents like metal. So does my grandmother. A little odd, but cool.
@"metalblows"
I tend to agree that his reasons aren't quite valid, and some downright false; but your reasons for the "metal is gay and for losers" counterpoint aren't the best either. Oh wait...
Metal is the best kind of music!!! The rest of the "music" out there is not even worth a listen. Especially rap and all of that garbage that the losers listen to and think their cool (/laugh). Get that trash out of here you punks and make way for REAL music (aka METAL).
\m/
\m/
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heavy metal songs have topics?
Metal definitely music for a real man, it'll definitely grow hair on your balls. And as much as I like metal music, I can't say that it is the only music worth listening to. It is a bit ignorant to to say that it is (this is aimed at Dreckspatz's comment). I'd have to say that all music genres have there good bands as well as there bad... Even metal. It's unfortunate that the radio generally only plays the bad bands (at least the top 40 stations... And rock stations in Iowa). But to comment on this article, all of what he says is so true and that is why I like METAL!!! The complexity is epic and it is super badass.
Yes i agree on the fact that usually, parents disagree with their children listening to Heavy Metal, Deathcore, Ect. But it is not always true. The way you stated it makes it sound like it is always 100% true
Anybody who thinks that metal is for losers needs to get a life. The reason they don't like metal is because they didn't experience things in their life that would make one feel completely insecure. I went through that point in my life, and after listening to it for three years now, I've become the happiest guy that you'd ever meet. And, most of the arguments in the original discussion are totally true, metal does make you mellow, it does make you re-assess life, it is for the more intelligent people and it is more complex than ALL other genres. Take it from me, I write, perform and record metal music of all kinds.
@SorrowtheWicked - Hate to say it, but we can't get more technical than classical. This is not an inslt to metal it's a simple fact that an orchestra will have more interplay than a 4/5 man band. Though I'd say we come top 3.
wen i listen to punk nd classical songs it doesnt please me.....but wen it comes to death metal and heavy metal the stress inside me vanishes.....so its metal all over...!!
\m/
if your young and white you have to listen to metal because wiggers are the joke of the world.
call me :)
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