Metal - lifestyle, phase or something else?

I wear my hair at shoulderlenght - unmodified, I do nothing to it but washing and conditioning it 3 times a week. I am rarely seen without a check shirt (t-shirt underneath) and never without jeans. In music, my passion lies with glam and arena rock. So I look like Kurt Cobain and listen to Europe. I believe I am sort of a walking paradox...

I don't like metal fashion, including everything from the Judas Priest-look to the "metal fan" look with a jeans jacket covered in too many band logos. Band shirts are okay, but I don't personally wear them. Still like the music though - otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I? I don't see metal fans as being a particularly accepting group as many here seems to. And if it is something it isn't, it has to be patient with other views on things.

As a matter of fact, I don't believe I will ever embrace something fully. I like things here and there, but I'm not one to feel connected to a movement in music or fashion. It feels retarded to just buy into a full concept with everything that comes with it.
 
I've got mixed feelings about mosh pits. I'd like to be able to see the bands in question, but being short, that's not really going to happen anyway, and audiences who stand stock still put a dampener on the atmosphere. I suppose it's getting the balance right between smashing into all and all and sundry without paying any attention to the music, and 'having fun'.

Maturin said:
, I do nothing to it but washing and conditioning it 3 times a week.
Click to expand...

Do non-metal guys use conditioner? Just a thought.
 
Well.... I don't 'look' metal any more.. but I'll use a light spray in, cus bleaching my hair needs it :)

I look business casual mostly....
 
Night Prowler said:
I actually just bought one yesterday for the first time, didn't use it yet. Gotta keep it clean for the headbanging :p
Click to expand...

So did you consider yourself 'metal' before you started using conditioner?

Perun said:
I was once called 'the most metal guy on the planet'. By a person who had a denim vest with Maiden, Dark Funeral and Marduk patches, and zebra spandex trousers.
Click to expand...

Who, of the two of you, was more metal?
 
Music-wise I'm a total metalhead, listening to it as much as possible.

Image-wise, I often used to wear band shirts when I was a teenager, but now I don't even own a band shirt :-P Always had short hair and never been into all the other heavy metal accesories
 
Well, I was never a real metalhead – I came to love the genre since I’ve always liked prog, classical, classic rock and jazz to some extent… and it occurred to me metal is the closest to these genres we will probably ever get nowadays. I also liked the fact it’s usually quite heavy on the brain, yet combines that with real heaviness, as the aforementioned genres seldom do that.

I have never been a part of the metal community. I like concerts, but only from time to time (crowds cause me panic attacks – usually at a concert there’s no problem, but then again, I usually don’t visit concerts more often than once a year or so). Otherwise, I’m more of a loner.

I somewhat have the look, but that's mostly because of the T-shirts I wear – I like the T’s. In fact, most of my T-shirts are rock/metal ones, even of bands I haven't listened to in a long time (Cannibal Corpse, Doors). But hair… I wear hair at the 70’s length at most - I think I’m ugly as is and don’t need to uglify myself more (since really long hair really don’t suit me). My wife hates the denim jackets (so those are strictly verboten, since I would like her to continue going with me to concerts) and the all-leather look feels... weird to me. So... a leather jacket now and then at most.

What I particularly dislike about the general metal community could be summed up as “go read a Metal Archives review”, that is:

58OowTR.jpg



(From my personal experience): I have met a metalhead and I was really happy about that – finally I have someone to talk to who knew most of the things I talked about. During our very first conversation:

Me: Thrash? I like, I don’t know, Voivod, Toxik…

Him: That’s sh*t. You should listen to Slayer.

Me: I don’t really like Slayer all that much. When I want something fast and brutal, I prefer Kreator you know…

…

I think you can imagine quite well how that conversation ended.
 
I like metal music, that's as far as it goes. I don't wear leather, denim jackets, studs, spandex, or anything like that. The closest I get to it is a band t-shirt and jeans.

For gigs, I must be the least metal person around, I really don't like mosh pits or walls of death - I just want to stand there and enjoy the band I'm there to see, rather than risking leaving the venue with a broken nose (seen it happen before, Anthrax at Sonisphere springs to mind).

I'm also not a metal elitist who believes in "death to all but metal". I have a large musical taste, depending on my mood - Sometimes I'd want to listen Slayer, sometimes I want to listen Pink Floyd, heck sometimes I feel like listening to Les Misérables.

:)
 
Last edited:
I've branched out into a lot of other musical genres as I got older. I still like to listen to metal but it's not my go-to music genre anymore. There's a world of great music out there to be explored. I can't help to think of all the great music I would have missed in my life, if I was still listening to the same Death/Thrash albums I did when I was 16.....Waste of opportunities and musical adventures. Experiences that also helped shape my knowledge of and gave me a broader look on music, culture, history, myself etc...
 
Had a long hair, briefly, ages ago. Never was a fan of patches, wristbands, or other fashion accessories. Like Seventh Mariner above, I prefer jeans, sneakers and normal t-shirts. I wore a lot of Dr. Martens boots back then. Used to have a couple of Maiden / Slayer t-shirts. Today I wear basically the same minus band branded t-shirts, while keeping in mind that everything is clean and nice and I'm good for any kind of occasion, save a few 'official' ones where I just replace t-shirt with a shirt or a polo shirt and that's it.

Always on the simple side :)

Regarding the music itself, in my metalhead junior years I liked heavy / power / speed metal. Nowadays I can't stand power metal or any cheesy stuff.
When it comes to metal, it's either classic British (Maiden, Sabbath, Purple, Rainbow, UFO...) or Thrash (Megadeth, Pantera, Metallica, Slayer). Also like some stuff from other genres which are nowadays categorized as "extreme", like Industrial stuff (Rammstein, Fear Factory, Sybreed), Death Metal (Death, In Flames, Acercocke), etc...

I was never closed to other music genres. I like stuff ranging from hip hop to techno to classical. Also I'm a huge Floyd fan and generally a fan of progressive music, be it rock or metal or anything else. Good blues, jazz, or R&B (like Sade) was always appreciated.

But contrary to SixesAllTheWay, metal is still my go-to music genre and when I explore music on YT it's usually a lot of metal and a bit of prog.

I'm still a 'metalhead'. I don't analyze why. Lifestyle, phase, emotional vent through music, energy, fun, whatever. It's there, I love it, I enjoy it and it's mine.
 
I'm a Prog head. There is no lifestyle except for maybe obsessive music collector. Metal is about 1/5th of the music I Listen to normally but right now I am listening to more metal than anything.
 
I don't wear Spandex. But, I dunno.

I don't talk in any great detail, other than online, to that many people about music. I stopped looking Metal, or making any connection of musical interests with how I should look, about twenty years ago. This doesn't matter to me, as music is just one of many interests in my life. I probably have more of a bookish lifestyle in terms of what I do with my spare time. Other than Maiden & Buckethead (who is barely classifiable anyway) I don't care that much about the Metal scene at all. In fact without the exposure I get to new music, bands I've heard of but never listened to etc, on this forum, I don't know if I'd follow that much new Metal at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top