Metal4Africa.com » The Soapbox » A Challenge to My Faith in The Myth
A Challenge to My Faith in The Myth
January 27, 2012Write comment
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Metalheads, generally, are an interesting breed of people. We like the fact that we are outsiders. We absolutely adore the fact that most people don’t get it. One of my greatest metal moments happened the other night. I was talking to my dad about if Nazi party scientists where involved in the Manhattan Project and the effect that American nuclear regulation on third world countries post-World War Two, and then the conversation shifted to Devin Townsend. No idea how or why, but it happened. So I played my dad some Strapping Young Lad, and the disgust on his face was evidence enough that at least I was doing something right. I played him some Ghost just afterwards and he asked if I can give him that album, so he can listen to it at work – so as dads go, mine wins.
We love being open about our opinions. I have never met a “closet-case” metalhead, only the vocal variety. We pride ourselves on placing value in friendship, brotherhood, and acceptance of that which is considered as against the grain… You know, “They can’t stop us, let them try! For heavy metal, we will die!” sort of thing.
Yet, at the same time many of us represent a walking contradiction; opposed to individuality on a fanatical level and we can be the most mean spirited hypocrites (I can feel the backlash for that statement already, but hear me out). We don’t like people who think differently than we do. It’s true. Can any of you deny it?
Nothing makes metalheads happier than being an elitist club/cult. At gigs, there are many of us who stare at and judge the people who look different from us. It’s like as if when in numbers we take a cold vengeance on the “others” who we may feel represent those who have chastised us when the situation was different. Lots of my non-metal and my metal friends have told me that they do not feel comfortable at metal gatherings. The non-metal people who are there to support a friend’s band or their significant others are lepers in our eyes.
“Those damn hippies with their damn white shirts. Who are they to disrupt this gathering of nine hundred shades of black!”
Then there are those who pass judgment on the “false” metalheads as well, like as if they themselves have breathed heavy metal from the day they were born.
“Damn posers, wearing Slipknot t-shirts or metalcore shirts. They better not core up the place! They should fuck off so we can listen to the five thousand melodic brutal technical death metal bands, or grim kvlt frostbitten black metal or raging, more-metal-than-a-metallurgy power metal.”
Meanwhile, the next time we walk in a public place or go support one of our friend/significant other’s band and someone looks at us funny, we feel affronted.
“How dare they! Fuck them! I’m an individual as well! I’m a metalhead and proud of it! I’m open minded! They should be too!”
Let us not forget bands and the “music police”. As Sabretooth stated in their interview here, people don’t see them as metal enough, due to their clean-singing vocalist. We listen to bands and discriminate, saying they are not metal because their songs have a melody, clean vocals and a catchy chorus. Yet, if someone says they are not into death metal, we freak out.
“How dare they! They just don’t get it! It’s all about *insert string of your own personal beliefs*. Fuck their interpretation of what metal they want to play!”
One of my favorite activities to do at a gig is go to the bar during a band’s set and see the music police. Do it next time. Or just look back from the front of the stage. The large, faceless masses standing there with their arms folded; judging every single note of every single song, and working through every single member. If you’ve ever been at a metal gig with these music police, you learn certain phrases, like ,”the band is good but their * sucks”, “they could be better if they only change *”, the scowl (Yes, it is actually audible when done correctly. Used mostly when they disapprove of the use of *) and of course the standard “Well, they suck”. You know something is wrong when you have more people evaluating you on a scale from one to ten than headbanging.
I feel that we have actually become the people we were trying (perhaps too hard) not to be. We were supposed to be inclusive of the misfits. We were the place where people could just “be themselves”. We can’t and you, my dear and beloved reader, know it.
Religion has always been a touchy subject and my philosophy is to each his own. If you love Jesus or Allah or if you are a pagan that sings hymns to the moon, or if you reject the idea of religion altogether and forge your own idea of what your morality should be, that is your choice. How many metalheads are open about their religion? Very, very few. Unless you hate Christianity. Then you are as vocal about it as any person on a soapbox can be. I know many Christian metalheads who just keep to themselves, because our sub-culture is not open to Christians. We chastise them, yelling “How dare they?” over and over again. “You hypocrite,” the metal children of the village yell. “How can you believe in god?! How dare you make a Christian metal band?! We don’t care, we are metalheads and we are open-minded!”
To quote a rather big and important metalhead in the cape town scene, “The metal brotherhood is a myth”. But I believe in that myth. I believe in the power of metal music, and I believe in the people. Tomorrow, I am going to watch some bands and I am going to enjoy it. And I will try to be a metal brother to everybody there. And you, dear reader: I hope that you do too!
Great article!
Amen brother!
well written article! I hate to agree that the majority of the metal community act like this.
Excellent article!
Well-written and well-articulated!
I’ve known for a long time that ”the metal brotherhood is a myth”, but my mind seems to do its best to block out that knowledge. I want that myth to be truth. There are times when it feels like the myth is truth, and I savour those moments. Since we humans aren’t perfect, our ideologies will rarely (if ever) work out perfectly. Yet, it’s comforting to know that there is still something we can do in this situation, and that is to be a metal brother or sister to other people.
Omw! I got chills all over when I read this. THANK YOU!! We metalheads need to hear this more often. I say, to hell with who’s wearing the more hardcore band’s shirt. And to hell with the critics. Tomorrow I want to see everyone in the moshpit with me.
\m/\m/
what an amazing read this was. you must must publish more awesome material like this. just hope the rest of cape town and africa’s metalheads can read this also
The article is good but the title sucks. It could be better if you only change the font…
Sorry, couldn’t help myself
Very well written! I feel exactly the same. It seems to me like the metal scene is a scene that is overly exclusive to some and to others a critics dream. Theres no freedom anymore. You HAVE to listen to the most heaviest band, you HAVE to wear the most hardcore clothing, you HAVE to sport long hair, you HAVE to be able to play shred sweep arpeggios, you HAVE to bash religion, etc. Lol. Oh and you cannot be seen watching local bands perform at gandalfs’ roar. ‘Thats just not metal’ What has happened here? For myself, as a local black metal artist, to express my religious beliefs, to share my liking for power and heavy metal bands and even easy rock like the eagles or the shadows, to be friendly with others and not to mention having short hair after cutting is just out of the fucking question. Its just too much work to be a ‘metalhead’ today.
Ps. Enjoy M4A tomorrow, brothers!
I agree. No brotherhood in metal. People in the Cape generally stick to their cliques/small groups and do not give a shit about whatever else is happening around them. Metalheads from here are no exception to their society’s norm. It is a little sad to see someone go alone to ROAR etc and be ignored the whole night by those around him. To a lesser degree, I’ve ignored those around me too when with my friends. Brotherhood is a myth here. You will see tomorrow a random guy or two feeling like he’s in a commercial rock concert or whatever, where people generally have nothing in common, despite us metalheads pretending we are a community. I feel particularly sorry for them because despite their mates not liking metal, they’re willing to go to gigs alone and are subconsciously hoping to make metalhead friends there. Rather we stop pretending we give a shit about each other, or claiming tolerance towards non – metalheads, and accept the norms that we’ve set for our community. \m/
anonymous strikes!
I agree with you on the music front but not with religion. Respecting all religions is very apathetic to fellow humans and yourself in order to get along with everbody. In both Christianity and Islam their way is the only way and you deserve eternal torment if you reject it. Thus in just being Christian or Muslim you are disrepectful and intolerant of the views of others. if you say that you are “Christian but I believe this and that”, you are not christian you’ve got your own thing going. Everyone has a right to believe in what they want but the same goes for saying “fuck you, I hate you for it”. If being open minded means not having anything that is against what i believein , then thats not what i want to be. Being tolerant of intolerance is useless in any case. Yes I am judgementa,l but that does not mean i am a hypocrite. The fact that you all can be bothered to comment and write about this is proof that the metal brotherhood is alive and well!
“The Brotherhood” seems to my mind a little bit like religion. It only exisists as long as there are human beings out there who are committed to keeping it alive. This article is PROOF that there are still plenty of genuine metal heads out there, and those who believe in the values which metal claims to uphold. I find that very encouraging. We saw further proof at SummerFest’12 this weekend past that we CAN be who we like to say we are. Well done to the author for having the courage to speak his mind, and well done to all those people who came to SummerFest”12 with their white shirts, and open-armed attitude towards all the non-metal people who came to explore our (sub)culture \m/
Great article, I agree with the fact that there are too many metalheads trying to judge the other metal heads. It all comes down to the fact that they are scared of seeing other people like them because a lot of them feel that they are the only people that stand out and feel threatened when they see other metalheads that stand out as much as they do. One of the biggest problems though is the way people stereotype people that listen to metal. I have friends that get chased away at some metal events because they “dont belong there” because they are not dressed like everyone else. I was chased away from a metal4africa once by a group of girls who said that metal chicks dont wear corsets and that there is a dress code. But to me, metal is about who you are and not what you are supposed to be, you dress the way you want and believe what you want, if you listen to metal then thats what matters. It began is everyone being one big group of friends not judging each other and sadly it has turned out more judgmental than “normal people” would judge us. If people are going so far out of their way to judge other metalheads because of their own personal “views and issues” then maybe they do not even belong with all the others, because metal has NEVER been about judging, especially if it is your “familly” as metal should be. Metalheads should be able to feel comfortable at events and around thier own crowd, but there will always be those people who will try to make you feel like and outsider. But as Manowar says, “hold your head up high, raise your fist up in the air, Play metal!” \m/
Saying that there are metalheads who are judgemental is judgemental.I agree that chasing people away for who they are is disgusting. If people are going so far out of their way to judge other metalheads because of their own personal “views on judgment” then maybe they do not even realise that judging is impossible not to do. Accept and welcome everyone to metal! But metal is a place where stepping on toes is part of the freedom and acceptance. Are you going to complain when Rage against the machine is judgemental towards capitalists? or lamb of god against religion ? of fucking course not! I concede that my use of the word “tolerance” was ill chosen.
Saying that there are metalheads who are judgemental is judgemental.I agree that chasing people away for who they are is disgusting. If people are judging other metalheads because of their “views on judgment” then maybe they do not even realise that judging is impossible not to do. Accept and welcome everyone to metal! But metal is a place where stepping on toes is part of the freedom and acceptance. Are you going to complain when Rage against the machine is judgemental towards capitalists? or lamb of god against religion ? of fucking course not! I concede that my use of the word “tolerance” was ill chosen.