Heavy Metal

This is one genre that I'll admit having a substantial lack of experience with, but just this past weekend I ended up attending my first metal concert so I feel it's something worth talking about. Most genres of music aren't simply just a unique sound, they carry an entire subculture with them and Heavy Metal is no different. I know a handful of people that are part of the scene and I made a few new friends over the weekend who are obviously also very much in it, and from all of them I've gathered a few things about the culture. First and foremost, there are certain aspects of it that are depicted correctly, but there are also some misconceptions. Metal concerts, at least the one I went to, are definitely rowdy, just as they're often depicted as, but they aren't just all out chaos. Moshing does happen, but there are certain unspoken rules to it. I recall one instance back in college of having my throat damaged during a mosh session at my fraternity house, and one man I met at this concert said that definitely isn't typical. He told me that if someone goes down in a mosh pit, there will typically be several people quickly coming to make sure they're alright. He also told me that swinging at the throat is typically frowned upon, but I would chalk my case up to everyone being particularly intoxicated at that event in college. However, another common assumption is that there is quite a bit of drinking and substance abuse at Metal concerts. While this is true, again, it's something of a controlled chaos. Like in any venue, those that are causing too much trouble are kicked out, and while the debauchery is tolerated, there is obviously always security around to make sure things aren't getting out of hand. Of course this concert was at a popular site in Madison, so I can't say for sure if the same is the case for house parties or private concerts of any kind. Another misconception is that "metal heads" are all dark and imposing. Yes they look intimidating, and some of them are, but many are actually, as my new friend Jake put it: "total teddy bears". Throughout my night as I talked with people at the show, I found that he was right. They dressed outlandishly, but they were quite friendly when you actually talked with them and there's a strong sense of community. I've found this to be the case with many groups that are perceived as "tough", Bikers in particular. I still recall an instance when I was in Colorado with my family and we were admiring some local wildlife when some huge biker guys strolled up. They bore all the trademarks; leather, tattoos, all of it, but then one of the men pulled out some seeds from his pocket and they began carefully feeding the squirrels. To say that it was funny would be an understatement, but that occurrence taught me that there is so much more to people than their appearances. This is very much the case with metal heads as well. Of course, it's important to remember that with some people, appearances are a good indicator of their personality so caution is never a bad idea, it's just wise not to be assumptive. Then we have the aspect of the actual music itself which also has some accuracies and misconceptions in it's depiction in popular culture. Heavy Metal does have a very rough and guttural sound to it, but it isn't necessarily just mindless screaming over a distorted guitar solo and a heavy drum beat. If you just do a small bit of research into the genre, you'll find that there is quite a bit of technique to it and a wide variety of subgenres. For one thing, vocalists aren't just yelling into the microphone. That method of singing actually requires strict control of the throat and vocal chords otherwise it would absolutely devastate anyone's voice, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The instrumental aspect of it is typically very intricate as well, with a spectrum of different ways to create unique sounds just within this one genre. Subgenres include: thrash metal, death metal, black metal, doom metal, power metal, prog metal, and many others. I couldn't tell you the specifics on what makes each unique but I would suggest digging into it a bit if the subject is of interest to you. There's also a fairly long history of heavy metal. Before I looked into it, I thought it was just a trend that came about in the 1980s but then I learned that the genre merely became more mainstream in the 70s and 80s, but it's antecedents lie in the late 60s and it's precursors go all the way back to the 50s, making it much older than commonly assumed. Being perfectly honest, it's not really for me. It's not that I hate it, there are honestly very few pieces of music that I would flat out say I dislike, but there are some that I just wouldn't listen to on a regular basis and Heavy Metal is one of those. I appreciate the culture, will enjoy some Ozzy Osbourne every now and then, and enjoy the company of the handful of friends I have that are all about it, but I would say that's where my relationship with the genre will stay. Rock on.