Last time I did one of these, I was pretty rage filled, and I confess in hindsight it seems rather ignorant. Luckily, this one isn’t any of that. This is a Food For Thought/Thought For Food that I’ve had in the back of my mind for quite a while, and it’s something I wanted to talk about. As cheesy as this sounds, I feel that it was time for me to speak about this given how the world is right now. Everybody needs a boost of positivity in their lives, and maybe this might do just that.
As pretty much anyone who knows me personally, you know that I am a die hard fan of Heavy Metal. Since the tender young age of 4, I have had the music of outcasts and oddballs in my life. At some of the worst times in my life, some of the loudest, bombastic, thunderous, and most emotional music I’ve ever listened to. Not a day goes by where I don’t have at least one song playing in my head, and I wake up & the first thing I see is my collection of music. Outside of a few pieces, each and every single album is Heavy Metal. Some of it is old, and some of it is new, but at the end of the day it’s all metal......and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
However, something has been bothering me ever since I’ve dived deeper into the heavy metal scene.....no, disturbing me is the more correct word to say. I’m genuinely disturbed to see so much elitism in this most underdog of music style. On the one hand, I wasn’t necessarily surprised. You can find elitism in all aspects of pop culture. Cosplay, movies, anime, music, etc. However, the elitism in the metal community at times can be nothing short of venomous and caustic. At times I confess I have a little elitist in me with some of my opinions, but I do the best I can to curb it whenever it crops up. However, I am not like the guys that look at metal through tight-fitting nostalgia goggles, claiming that everything past the 1980s is trash. I am not like the guys that look at older metal bands and laugh (I admit I do that sometimes, but not for spiteful reasons). I am not like the guys that bash Grunge and say it was the cause for the “Death” of classic metal, and I am most certainly not like the guys that don’t say some styles are not the “True” metal & if you listen to them you’re not a “True” fan. Even in these plague-ridden times, it is shocking that you can still see these opinions anywhere metal can be found.
Let me just say this: I get why some metalheads aren’t fans of more modern metal & more modern styles. It’s definitely different and not like what the classics are, but that what makes it so good! Sometimes, differences from each decade really make a difference, and in turn brings in new generations to enjoy this new material. Hell, it might even tempt them to see what came before, and headbang to that stuff too! Different times of metal, not to mention different styles of metal, is what makes it so special. It’s the uniqueness of each genre & subgenre that has allowed it to thrive for so long, and I’ll even stick my neck out for Nu Metal if the situation calls for it. In short, differences in metal are what unite metalheads more than divide!
As for those who think they know what the “True” metal is? You don’t know what the “True” metal is. You know what “Your” metal is, and that what you think the “True” metal is. You try to push “Your” metal on people, and in the process look like absolute ignorant buffoons. This can also be applied to the anime community or any other community as well, but I won’t get into that here. The point is that there’s no real “True” metal out there in the world. If there is any “True” metal in the world (Dare I say, in the universe), it’s the metal in our hearts. The metal that drives us. The metal that makes life worth living. The metal that speaks to our souls, and most importantly.......the metal that makes you......you! Never let anyone take that away from you.
In conclusion: Heavy Metal is for everyone. Doesn’t matter if you’re young. Doesn’t matter if you’re old. Doesn’t matter if you’re a man. Doesn’t matter if you’re a women. Doesn’t matter if you’re somewhere in between, and it sure as hell doesn’t matter what way you swing (Or don’t swing). Metal is for all of us, and Never take it away from anybody. As Freedom Call so eloquently puts it........
Metal Is For Everyone
And that concludes part 2 of the return of Power Metal Pandemonium. Again, I’ve been sitting on this for a while, and it seemed like a good time as any to finally say my piece. Thank you very much for taking time out of your day to read this, and again to everyone that doesn’t like it when I tag you in posts, I’m sorry. Join me in the 1st week of August, when we’ll take a trip on the high seas........with the dorkiest band of pirates you’ve ever seen!
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Here’s a rant I did in defense of Grunge last year. It’s rather.......angry:
Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 14: In Defense Of Grunge (aka Grunge Didn't "Kill" Metal)
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