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I sit here some days and sift through comments on Metal Martyr, Blabbermouth, Metalsucks.net, etc. and I see so much ignorance when it comes to metal fans these days. This is where I get most of my ideas from like the Pointing Fingers Part 1 and Part 2, I Only Listen To Underground Metal, and What Is Real Metal.I see closed minded children spouting off at the mouth before even taking time to think about what they are saying. So here is a little advice I’d like to pass on to young metal fans. I think most readers, especially the ones around the same age as myself can agree with me on this stuff. And kiddies, just cause you’re younger than I am doesn’t mean you listen to cooler shit than I do. Live and learn. As you mature you will understand.
First, don’t be afraid to listen to other music besides metal. There is a lot of great music out there. You’re just depriving your ears and mind of some really good stuff. Just don’t call shit like The Mars Volta and Avenged Sevenfold metal!
As life moves on faster and faster, life changing events happen. You’ll find yourself maturing and even though you’re growing up that doesn’t mean that you have to stop listening to good music. Your beliefs will change on a lot of things and you’ll see some of the metal heroes you have come to idolize say and do some pretty stupid stuff. Take it with a grain of salt and remember the great things they have done as opposed to the stupid things.
Idolize… oh yeah, that brings me to this. Don’t idolize ANYONE, I don’t care how cool you think they are. Be a fan but don’t idolize, because then you become what you hate…a pop music fan that idolizes and cries whenever they see their “Idol”. They are just people too.
Don’t forget where you come from. Your roots are your soul.
Be cool to the people that are cool to you. Sometimes you can even be cool to the people that aren’t cool to you. They will see that you’re a good person and stop judging you on your outward appearance. Once you get one to see the real you it’s like a domino effect. They’ll spread the word that you may dress a bit different but you’re really a cool person. If you’re a dick to them all the time they are going to treat you as such and assume that we are all like you. Thanks, but no thanks.
Be responsible for your actions. Don’t blame the music. If you have problems on the home-front seek help, not retribution.
You don’t have to look metal to be metal. When you’re young you want to be just like all your metal favorites. I’ve known many people that you would never think that’s what they are into. People think the same of me all the time. At almost 32 I try to keep a mostly professional appearance (No suit and tie) when working and I relax a bit when I’m not. I don’t wear a loggers chain on my wallet but I’ll throw on the checkerboard vans and my Dickies jacket with the Lamb Of God patch on it when I leave the house. Gotta represent somehow.
Lastly…”You can’t be something you’re not, be yourself, by yourself, stay away from me. A lesson learned in life”… Ok, so those aren’t my words, but thank,s Phil Anselmo for helping out. But yeah. Be yourself. Don’t be a poser.
If anyone has anything they want to add, feel free to add it in the comments.
861 days ago
Scott..?.what.. my Metal-Head friend..
does your age have to do with how you feel?
I’m almost 47..and I wear what i want to wear.. regardless of my age.
I probably dress more metal or Even “Goth ”
as some has referred to me as.
I haven’t even been listening to any Metal much recently…but i wear what I feel……i guess.?
“Metal” is a Mental attitude i suppose,
but one Doesn’t have to try and Dress
like a Metal- Head…to have to like or enjoy
Banging your head…LoL
I think
it’s really do to one’s sincerity to a genre….?
IdFk..?.I May be Older than most that have posted here,
But I Still listenin to new Music & genres
all the time.
To me… its the Only True way to appreciate what YoU like with somekind of passion.
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861 days ago
All I’m saying is that I try to keep it tasteful when I buy a band t-shirt. I can be passionate about something without wearing it on my sleeve all the time.
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850 days ago
i can understand what your trying to say, it is all to often that the youth try to separate themselves form the older generations, and in part that is what metal is, adapting itself to the times, only in the past two years have i come to love truly heavy metal, and appreciate the metal classics, but to say that any genre of music is not metal you have to look at where it came from and the heavy, crushing, cookie monster growling, syrine shreaking music of today came from your oldies like pink floyd, black sabbath, judas priest, ect. the bands that progressed from blues, folk, and acid rock, so you can’t dismiss those bands that aren’t the most insanely heavy and monsterific as the ones nowadays and to attack this aricle as some other young people have done just shows lack of respect and pure immatureity cussing and yelling at your computer screen is all that your going to accomplish, if we want metal to be long lived we have to realise our roots as Scott said, or we will let the music we devote ourselves to become a stupid corprate machiene, which is already happening, don’t get me wrong i am totally down with the incredibly dense bands that are out recently, despised icon, red chord, white chapel, ect. and although i am into that stuff now, when i was in grade school i was into stuff like the oldies i listed earlyer, if you want to call yourself metal know your roots for shure, and about listening to other music i can totally agree, its easy to get burnt out on the same cd after you listen to it twelve times in a row, we shold take the time to appreciate music in gerneral as an art form, or means of expression, thats all i have, keep your heads bangin and your fists’ clenched metal rules!
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850 days ago
im 19 years old by the way so i guess i would consider myself in the younger generaiton, though i don’t think that makes a differince in the ability to listen to and appreciate good music period, i guess the only thing negative i have to say about the blog is that new metal, not nu-metal, is still decent even though it seems that all the bands are doing the same thing and being super heavy, its just getting crowded, but still desreves a listen or two, thanks
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817 days ago
the way you people describe the metal look pretty much fits what look like except i wear mainly red or white not always black. young, yes, i have long hair, yes, but im me pure and simple if i wanna listen to fucking scooter i will! being raised by an ex-hells angel i was brought up listening to zz top, meatloaf and thin lizzy but my mother listened to such as the vengaboys and don mclean so i was brought up listening to mixed genres but fuck it i love metal if there was a flag to fly by god it would be fifty feet up by now but i dont always show the metal appearence i can look socially acceptable if i like and i usually do.
by the way nice quote of pantera
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710 days ago
[...] Check out this link for more info. Tagged as metal + Categorized as music [...]
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654 days ago
I am a young metalhead, only 15 years old, but I enjoy all classic metal. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, etc. I tend to avoid new bands since they usually suck. I do enjoy music out of metal, like Frank Zappa and some other bands i can’t think of right now. I used to not dress in a metalhead way, but it started by buying a couple maiden t-shirts and ended up with me wearing a battle vest with band patches on it and wearing a leather jacket. Well anyways rock on!! \m/
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528 days ago
ONE WORD….SLIPKNOT….\m/>
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527 days ago
I’ve got a Motorhead hat and a few assorted shirts, most of them either purchased at shows/on sale. Most of you have me totally beat, oh well. Clothing was never a big deal to me anyway. Frankly, I don’t give half a damn what I wear…
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527 days ago
99% of my shirts are from shows, that’s all I really have though.
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522 days ago
Well I’m 15 and love metal music in general. But apparently I’m not allowed to listen to other types of music without becoming “untr00″ or a poser but yeah, I like punk/hardcore, ska, country, some R&B (from the 50’s little richard etc) and some rap but then i get accused of being an emo. I don’t listen to emo music or even have hair for that matter which is typically what emo is. And at gigs I end up talking to the older generation of metalheads because we have more of a similar music taste (like krisiun, malevolent creation, saxon, witchfinder general, sabbath, slayer etc) than all the younger people who i go to the gigs with. But what im saying is that just constantly listening to metal forever can’t be done. You have to broaden your horizons in music, not to all these new “metal” bands like avenged sevenfold. And when these newer “metal” fans come up and say i don’t like metal because i dont worship trivium they have never even heard of mercyful fate. Most young metalheads are elitist twats but there are a few who have a varied taste in music. And these are the ones that don’t consider themselves metalheads, although we all wear our slayer and priest shirts.
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510 days ago
Pretty good advice, but part of being a metalhead is doing whatever you want.
Also, I like Avenged Sevenfold, but they aren’t technically metal.
My favorite bands are mostly metal, though, like Iron Maiden, Sabaton, Judas Priest, Slayer, Testament, Etc.
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493 days ago
Good advice. Take it to heart, kitties.
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407 days ago
ok well im 16 and i accidentally stumbled upon this article looking for pictures of immortal and i gotta say most of this is true…..for some i myself dont act like that at all well for the most part i listen to classic metal like king diamond,megadeth,Danzig,and others but i also listen to things like strapping young lad(one of my favorite band) and i listen to the devin townsend project which is out of this world and ts hardly considered heavy metal i suggest if you havent heard of him look him up and i also listen to black metal which is one of my favorite genre of music and not just the mainstream stuff but bands like burzum,immortal,mayhem,naragoroth,etc and that whole dont idolize ppl i can some what understand where your coming from but i think its ok to look up to ppl for what they have done like i look up to devin townsend because not only do i like his music but because hes an excellent guitar player and i relate to him when i read his lyrics and i just dont listen to metal i listen to industrial and psycho and pink Floyd and zeppelin and the cure and even some piano music hell i even have the song im blue on my psp cause it cheers me up but what im trying to say is that not every young metalhead is like you described but some music is just not acceptable like bring me the horizon or any thing related to that
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404 days ago
Good advice :D I’m a 16 year old girl who loves metal(although people are suprised when I tell them that since I don’t wear clothes that people associate with metal) but recently I have started to listens to classical music like Mozart and Bach and I found that I really enjoy it, so don’t feel restricted to only one music style people ;)
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238 days ago
I’m 15 and I play guitar and a little bit of piano and viola too. When you play an instrument it’s really important to listen to many kinds of music, that way you are going to be able to judge and appreciate music.
I don’t wear leather or chains but I do have some band shirts like Megadeth, Helloween, Rata Blanca… anyway being a metalhead is about loving and feeling the metal and not just trying to prove something.
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228 days ago
words to live by.
Follow what you love in your own way. you dont need to be decked out in metal gear to be a hardcore metalhead. It’s what you do that makes you one.
though the one thing i refuse to agree with in this article is that it suggests that i stop idolizing Chuck schuldiner. Which i simply cannot do.
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224 days ago
“though the one thing i refuse to agree with in this article is that it suggests that i stop idolizing Chuck schuldiner. Which i simply cannot do.”
I can respect that.
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