June
2001:
How has your relationship
with metal changed over the years??
How Has Your Relationship With Metal Changed Over The Years?
By Michael De Los Muertos
While I believe I have always been a metalhead, I began to
acknowledge that distinction during the mid- to late 1980s. If you had
told me at that time that, 15 years later, metal would be very close to
being the most important thing in my life, I would never have believed
it!
At first my relationship with metal started out like most people's
relationships are with music -- that is, it was entertainment. Probably
all people who get into metal start out on this level at some point.
People who like pop music generally stay at this level forever, because
for most people music IS only entertainment, a way to fill otherwise
silent moments. Only the true devotees of a musical subculture -- be it
jazz, opera, blues, or metal -- really get beyond that level.
It didn't take me long to get over the "music as
entertainment" phase. Of course the music was always compelling,
but as you get deeper into it you begin to see the many other facets of
it. All of the things that today appeal to me about metal -- its
rebelliousness, its individuality, and its depth -- started to grab on
to me in college. While it was still far from being the most important
thing in my life, for the first time the sense of "being a
metalhead" was important, and understanding the music on a deeper
level than most people even knew was there.
What has really changed my relationship with metal, especially in the
last few years, is the realization that it is a far larger realm than I
could hope to exhaust in my lifetime. Before I really knew about the
depth of various genres -- power metal, black metal, doom metal, etc. --
it seemed for a time like there wasn't much farther I could go, and
while I'd always have my favorite bands and favorite albums, there was a
finite limit to what I could discover within metal that was really new.
Thankfully, I came to realize that there IS no limit. There's so much
good stuff out there, you can't hope to hear it all, or even all the
representative examples of it, if you devoted your life to it. This was
truly a liberating thought: that I really COULD have a lifelong
relationship with this thing I love so much, and that it would always
serve up something new and interesting to challenge me and tempt my own
imagination. When I reached that point, metal became the driving force
in my life. Family, friends, job, home -- all of those are vitally
important. But none of those things could, by themselves, define who I
am. Metal can do that.
As a result, my relationship with metal has grown much deeper, much
stronger, and much more firmly rooted. As if there was any doubt about
it before, now I can truly say that I'm a metalhead for life. I can say
with perfect conviction that the only way to get me to stop listening to
metal will be to put a bullet in my head, and until that day comes, my
relationship with it will continue to be a very sacred one. Now, merely
15 years out from my awareness of its presence in my life, metal has
become the engine that powers my writing, my personal relationships, and
almost every waking moment of my life excepting the comparatively scant
hours where I'm forced to tend to certain necessities (like a day job).
I can only imagine where metal will take me in the next 15 years, but
I'm certain if I'm asked this same question again at that time, the
answer will be just as much of a revealing journey as it is now. Long
live metal!
Living For Metal: This Is Me and Who I Am
By EvilG
My relationship with metal, in terms of how it's changed over time,
is not something I have really analyzed that much. It's become such a
part of my life that I don't think I can separate my
"relationship" with it from who I am in order to examine how
it has changed…but I'll try.
I remember when I first started listening to metal in 1983. At the
time I was not aware of just how important metal would become and how
much of my life would eventually revolve around it. At that time metal
was cool, metal was in, so I was exposed to bands like Judas Priest, Van
Halen, and Motley Crue. They seemed forbidden, evil, interesting and so
very, very cool….I had to get into it. Thus began my relationship with
metal. Soon enough I was buying the band t-shirts, reading the
magazines, growing my hair long, playing guitar…many of the trappings
of being a metalhead. The bands I listened to not only interested me
musically but they spoke to me and to my frustrations. I began to
realize that this "music" was reflecting myself, my beliefs,
and my individuality more and more. No longer was it just
"music", it was a reflection of me. This took root in the late
80's and was not something that happened after listening to metal for
just a year or two. When you are a young teenager you are quite
impressionable. I was no different in that regard. Many teens in the
80's were into metal. The regard in which I consider that my
relationship with metal was different is that after being a metalhead
became no longer "cool" (somewhere between 1990-1992 for where
I live and for my "generation") I still stuck with it while
many people around me changed by listening to non-metal bands or by
changing their image to look like everyone else in the
"normal" world. Listening to metal was never about fitting in
for me so I never questioned myself or who I was. I knew then, while I
saw others change, that metal was something I would have forever while
they would not. I knew that it was not a fad and that it was not just
music but it was who I would be forever. It was clear to me then that
heavy metal and who I was had become inseparable. No fad, person, woman,
friends, job, school, etc. will ever change this. This is me and what I
am and if for any reason me and that doesn't mix, then I will not
compromise who I am and what I believe in for it.
Since the late 80's until now my relationship with metal has only
strengthened. Never once has there been a time where I thought I would
grow out of metal. As an adult I still find bands every month that
remind me of why I love metal so much. Why I have come to feel the way I
do, I do not know. I think everyone in their life eventually finds
something that makes them tick or that they seem to live for. For some
it's religion, for others it might be mountain climbing or even their
career. For me it is metal.
"Living For Metal - You Keep Us Going
Living For Metal - We Hear You Roaring
Metal Is Our Life"
How has your relationship with metal changed over the years??
By Rick
My relationship with metal. This is a toughie. I considered myself a
metalhead way back in 1983 when I was listening to Quiet Riot. How has
that relationship changed over the years? The only way that my
relationship has changed is that it has gotten stronger. Back in the
early days I was still trying to figure out what a metalhead was. Was I
a metalhead (or headbanger as was the common term back then) because of
the way I dressed? Because of the people I hung out with? Because of the
music I listened to? In the early days when metal was more popular with
the masses it was easy to be a metalhead. Metal was everywhere. I felt
that I was one with this music. When my friends drifted away from metal
I was pulled more and more towards it. It became my closest friend.
Always there in the good times and the bad times. If there was one thing
I could always turn to it was metal. As I got older I was told that I
would "grow out" of metal. I would listen to country music or
pop music as my musical tastes "matured". That never happened
for me. For awhile it was scary as I had no metalhead friends and I
almost believed the things that people were saying about metal being
only for kids. My friends listened to pop music and rap and often made
fun of the metal that I was listening to. I even tried to like some of
this music. After a short period of this I came to the realization that
Metal was the only music that moved me, that made me think and feel and
most importantly made me happy. My journey to the dark side was
complete... wait now, wrong movie.. Since then I have never had any
doubts about metal. It is the one constant thing in my life. Over the
years I have been accused of being everything from a hippy to a Satanist
because of my love of metal. I just chalk those uneducated arguments up
to ignorance. Metal has become as much a part of my life as Oxygen. And
the last I heard humans die without oxygen.
Joe's Rant!
Well, I’ve done a lot of thinking about this month’s topic and
I’m still not sure what to write because in all honesty, I don’t
think my relationship with Metal has changed much since I first began
listening to it back in 1983. My taste in sub-genres may have fluctuated
as I was introduced to more and more styles, but as the years have gone
by Metal has proven to be my one true love. If there’s been any change
at all, it would have to be that I love it more now than I ever did.
Probably a strange comparison, but to me Metal is like that one perfect
woman (a soul-mate, if you will...), that is supposedly "out
there", but is rarely ever found.
I’m not saying that Metal is all I need to make my life
"whole" or "complete". To achieve that I also need a
good woman (Liz Hurley! I'm available!!!), a well paying job (preferably
playing in a Metal band, haha...), a place of my own that doesn’t
suck, a dog or two, some new music gear, and a 1972 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340
(Actually, I wouldn’t mind owning a whole garage full of antique cars,
but I don’t want to seem greedy.) Musically speaking though, Metal
fulfills all of my wants and needs. Very rarely does my ear wander to
other genres, and when it does I usually only listen to a little ‘80's
Rock that I liked as a kid, or Classical. But those styles are more like
casual friends or acquaintances, so listening to them is more like
hanging out on a Saturday afternoon than actually cheating on my beloved
Metal. After some quick catching up, I’m always drawn back to the one
I love and who’s always been there for me.
Considering how good Metal often makes me feel (especially when
things aren’t going right), why would I give up something that affects
me on an emotional, intellectual, and sometimes physical level??? I know
that bimbo Pop and trailer trash Country could never satisfy me the way
that Metal does, even after all these years. Those styles of music are
superficial and without depth, revealing nothing in terms of soul, thus
leaving very little for a listener to truly appreciate. After all, only
fools walk away from the things that help to feed their souls... And I
know a good thing when I’ve found it.
“How has my relationship with metal changed over the years?”
By Nathan
My love for, dedication to, and involvement in metal did not change
much for many years (with the exception of just getting stronger). But
it significantly changed has over the last few months. In fact you may
have noticed my absence from reviewing the last couple months. Don’t
worry, metal has not left my soul, and it never will. My love for this
kind of music is as strong as ever. But my priorities have changed over
the past several months, which have affected my relationship to the
metal scene, rather than the music itself. I have become increasingly
busy in my personal and work life. Things have happened to me that I
would never have imagined would happen. At least not this soon. It’s
all good stuff and I couldn’t be happier! Although I cannot go into
any detail here because there are many people that just don’t need to
know. But all of these things have affected how much time I spend
reading about metal, surfing the internet for metal sites, keeping
up-to-date on bands, checking out concerts, and even reviewing CDs for
Metal Rules. And I’ve hardly bought any new CDs this year (well,
compared to how much I normally spend on music). I am a pretty die hard
fan when it comes to the bands I like. I feel compelled to buy a band’s
new album even though it might suck. But the time has come for me to put
certain bands to rest and concentrate on those bands I really enjoy the
most. I just simply cannot spend the time and money anymore on bands
that are just becoming mediocre. Bands like Amorphis, Fear Factory,
Machine Head, Sepultura, Dream Theater, Entombed, The Gathering,
Anthrax, Megadeth, and Suicidal Tendencies. And then add to that bands
that are starting to piss me off because they are on the verge of
becoming total shit, such as In Flames, Slayer, Pantera, Overkill, and
The Haunted. Maybe I’ve just been listening to too much challenging,
thoughtful, and inspiring music like Dim Mak, Opeth, Cryptopsy, and The
Morglbl Trio to really appreciate the boring directions all those other
bands are heading in. But whatever happens to me in the future, I will
always be metal at heart. It has been a huge part of my life for 15
years. There’s no way I’d ever let that go.
How has your relationship with metal changed over the years??
By Pete
These days, I like to think I still have as much passion for metal as
I did in my "younger" years, although I'm not as consumed by
it as, say, back in high school. But I also remember that back then, you
could turn on the TV and see an Ozzy video, or turn n the radio and hear
Judas Priest's "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" so it was more accessible
back then. I would eat, sleep and breathe metal back then, spending lots
of time in record shops and buying whatever I could get my hands on.
Later, I would move on to play in a metal band and host a metal radio
show at our local university. These days, I'm a little more selective in
my CD purchases. I get to jam occasionally, help out on the Metal-Rules
radio show and assist EvilG in contributing to this website, which in
turn keeps me involved in metal.