Random articles/thoughts on metal I've written over the years.

My Metal Journey
"How did I become a metalhead? Well to be honest it’s a story that is probably far more interesting to me but hey I’m gonna tell you anyway. First of all I wasn’t always a

fan of music in general as a matter of fact until I was probably 14 I didn’t listen to music at all. Yeah I know sad huh. At the point where my metal journey starts I had

just got into music the previous year (and by that I mean Seether, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, ect). I was also into being as “goth” as possible

which meant wearing the now ridiculously annoying Tripp’s aka bondage pants. Anyway so I went in to the first day of school and was met by a new student who

thought my pants were cool (I’m totally serious that’s how it started) and asked me about my music. After I then informed him of above said music choices he

immediately reached into his bag and handed me two CD’s one was “Ashes of the Wake” by Lamb of God and the other was “Subliminal Verses” by Slipknot told me to

go home and listen to them. It was at this point that my musical stasis was shattered I leaned that there was a thing as heavy music. I began to search around on my

own sort of floating between this band and this scene to another (yeah I feel off the metal wagon a few times) but really never devoted myself to real metal until a

fateful trip where I purchased a Judas Priest greatest hits album. While prior to that I was listening to Dimmu Borgir, Lamb of God, and Cradle of Filth. Judas Priest to

me where the heaviest thing I had ever heard it was just true real heavy not just extreme. From there it was just a short jump to Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, King

Diamond, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica. I had discovered a number of the big names of metal and had really started to hate a large majority of the stuff I used to listen

too. This whole adventure lasted most likely two years and like I said I fell off the wagon a few times for maybe a week tops then each time I returned with an even

greater conviction. To a lot of people that sounds crazy but to me heavy metal was life, and still is. I scoured the limited resources I had (being in a small town in the

bible belt) to learn of new bands, to learn the history of metal, to learn what I felt was true metal. I’m here to say that Revolver and Metal Edge magazines are not good

resources. However I slugged my way through it until my discovery of the internet. While I know a lot of metal fans are a little hateful towards the net (with good

reason) I am a little biased towards it considering if it weren’t for the board I’ve joined and the people I’ve met this year online I would still be slugging around from

metalcore band to metalcore band to try and find some real metal. So yeah here I sit now a devoted disciple of black, death, thrash, stoner, sludge, heavy, speed you

name it I’ll try it. I must say it’s a far shot from the short three years its been and its been one fun hell of a ride that I’m more than excited about staying on for the rest
of my life."
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My Metal Phase
“Oh yeah I had my metal phase when I was your age too.” If I ever hear those words again I swear by sanity it will be far too soon. I hear things like that far too often

it seems from adults when asked what kind of music I listen to or when someone occasionally recognizes one of my Iron Maiden or Megadeth shirts. Its said like heavy

metal is something your allowed to get into once in your life for about a year or two and then you move an and listen to things like “classic rock” something I actually

deny existing (I digress however). I just really don’t understand how you can be considered too old for your music its like some people feel you have to have a built in

timer that says you need to cut your hair at this age, quit wearing band shirts at this age, stop listening to music all together, here well you get my idea by now. I just

don’t and can never understand that point of view. I guess it’s just something that goes along with coming into contact with a force that truly has a changing effect on

you like heavy metal has to me. But again back to the topic. It’s not like I’m saying you have to always wear band shirts, have long hair, and only listen to metal to be

a real metalhead. Some of the biggest metal fans I know don’t always appear to be metal fans so I don’t have a problem with not looking like one that isn’t the issue.

It’s the fact that some people look down on you for listening to your music past a certain age. I mean it’s not like you out grow your favorite movies and foods. So why

should music and shirts be any different. I’m also not denying that some people do have a metal phase. It happens I mean hell I had an emo phase. But there’s just a

line of annoyance that gets crossed when people just always tend to have the idea that when you get older you quit listening to metal. Well I fell that I’ve ranted enough

on this topic and if you don’t understand my point of view by now then anything else I say won’t matter. Anyway to anyone who’s facing the same annoyance I have

just hold strong and don’t give in.

Stay Heavy,
Blackstar
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Is scene metal ruining metal? It’s a question I’ve asked my self a million times and one I’m often tempted to answer yes to as I’m asked for the twentieth time this

month how I like the new Slipknot album or if I like Nickleback, or The Devil Wears Prada. And am given that by now oh so classic “huh!?” look when I look back and

say no I don’t like it, no they suck, and no for the last time Devil Wears Prada are not grindcore the dogs from Caninus would chew up their god loving pathetic bible

towing excuse for metal in about 30 seconds. Ok so that was a bit childish but I swear it’s the truth. This massive flux of “scene” bands have caused sanity only knows

how much annoyance for me over the past couple of years of having to repeatedly tell people no im not an emo, im not a goth, and for the last time damnit all Slayer

are not screamo! It’s enough to make one batty. However back to my original question are these bands ruining metal. To that after much thought have decided that the

answer is undoubtedly…NO! Despite how many record labels that used to put out good descent metal bands have gone over to this easy way to market “metal” or how

many people will mistake you in for that lot over there listening to Demon Hunter that this influx of utter shit has only made the real metal bands fight harder for their

music. Since the age of nu metal and metal core we have seen a massive rising in pure 80’s thrash, a lot more black and death metal bands taking things back to the

roots. And above all more pride in being a true metal fan. However elitist you want to call it that’s what it is, its pride in knowing that you are not a fake, that in two

years I won’t wonder why did I buy all those silly albums, and when I’m middle aged with a job and kids I’ll still be blaring the noise, throwing the horns, and if I’m

lucky enough I hope to be the first grand father that the grandkids ever complained about listening to his music too loud! Horns up stay proud and most of all stay
heavy.

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Metal Music to me

Is heavy metal music simply one of my characteristics, like I like heavy metal music, I also like sushi. Or is it truly a part of you. To me metal music is far more than

just a simple like or a dislike a statistic of my personality if you will. To me metal music is possibly one of the greatest single defining part of me. My music is a central

outpouring of who I am; my music shows the very inside of me. That being said doesn’t mean because I like grindcore about serial killers that I’m a serial killer. But the

emotion conveyed through out the music I enjoy very much shows who I am. While I don’t think it’s wrong for music to simply be a background, a statistic. To me it is

far more than that. Metal music has helped to define my very being; it’s helped to influence my views on the world, religion, politics. It affects me in a great and many

numbered ways. It affects me to the point that I am even planning to devote my entire life to this music in one way or another, be it writing here, owning a label, a

distro, managing bands. Whatever I have to do I want to spend it in service to this music, why, because this music has given me a sense of being, a sense of who I am

and how I fit or don’t fit into this world. It has given me something to live for and I want to be able to give back to that. So for anyone else who looks at metal the same

way no your not alone you have brothers and sisters that are as passionate as you. Don’t let anyone or anything tell you that you can’t do anything you set your mind

to. Just hold up and stay strong. If nothing else is there for you metal is there and your brothers and sisters in metal are there. Braveheart baby yeah! (credit to Dee

Snider for that last line)

Stay Heavy,
Blackstar
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I thoroughly enjoyed those readings. I feel the need right now to write my metal story/what metal is to me. I'll combine those two.

It's a little difficult for me to decide where I should begin my musical story. From a young age I grew up with music, classic rock and country being the biggest genres I was exposed to. It wasn't until probably the seventh grade that I would consider myself to have "found" music. I got my first Doors album, a dual-disc greatest hits compilation, and I played that album over and over again. I wanted more, and I discovered many other classic rock bands, such as Boston, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon, .38 Special, AC/DC, etc. At first, the bands I listened to were bands that I had grown up with. But I began to branch out much more. Music had become the centerpiece of my life in a very short amount of time. As the months passed I began to listen to bands that didn't get very famous, as well as the most famous big name bands from a few decades ago. I also began to work my way up in the timeline. I started listening to NWoBHM, Thrash Metal, 80's Pop, Glam Metal, Grunge Rock, etc. I stayed with these kinds of music until just very recently, because trust me there is a lot to discover in the genre known as "classic rock". A lot of people don't realize that this genre encompases so many genres, it's almost like how "metal" encompases dozens of sub genres. At this point I considered myself a metal head, even though I only listened to older metal and considered everything with extreme vocals "screamo". While listening to some of the heavier older metal, such as Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden, etc I found out about a genre that was groundbreaking and earth shattering to me - Power Metal. I began to tell all my friends about this new genre, "It's like 80's metal only today!". The first bands I learned about were HammerFall, DragonForce, Sabaton, Stratovarious, and Theocracy. It was at this time that I stumbled across a "Fastest Guitar Solos" video, which was greated by our very own byd. I joined this forum, and it all branched out from there. This is where I stop beause the rest of my music/metal journey has been shared, influenced, and shaped by you guys. This forum is one of the biggest things I am going to reference in my second part. For me metal isn't something I enjoy, it is something that I live. It's almost like a religion. You don't "like" christianity, you live christianity. And I can live without something I enjoy and not be majorly influenced, but if metal were to suddenly die completely, I would be forever changed. One reason I feel this way is because metal provides a community for me to identify with. There are people from every walk of life who love and live metal, and we are all brought together by this form of music. Sure, there are petty disbutes, but when it comes down to it metalheads stick together. This forum is a huge example. We love every form of metal here, and we are stronger for it. Aside from that it has began to influence non-musical things I do. A lot of metal expresses the inner struggles, either directly or through metaphorical means. It mirrors what I feel inside, whatever I feel inside. There is always something in metal that is perfect for the way I feel, and it shows. It's very emotional, more so than many other genres of music. That's why I sort of enjoy the ignorance that radiates from society. They hate metal, I love it, and I am going to defend it and love it more if you tell me not to. If someone doesn't feel that way the moment they discover metal and how beautiful, sad, ugly, angry, and happy it is, then they likely never will.


Oh, and plus rep. That was thoroughly enjoyable

That was very enjoyable.

Thanks all.

It would have been a lot easier to read if you spaced it out a bit, but right now I'm about to leave so it's a "tl;dr" thing.

Will read later tonight.

Nice work, guys. I enjoyed reading that.

I got inspired by Blackstar's, so I just wrote mine in five minutes. Glad you found it entertaining though

Master Cthulhu wrote:

It would have been a lot easier to read if you spaced it out a bit, but right now I'm about to leave so it's a "tl;dr" thing.

Will read later tonight.

Done.