Things that should NEVER be said to metalheads.

[ketmar]

1 hour ago, HorrorMovieGuy said:

I've seen people that genuinely believe metalheads are just violent, anti-social assholes

we should punch and kick such people until they understand that we are very peaceful by our nature.

[seed]

14 minutes ago, reflex17 said:

I got the strong feeling like he thought at least for a moment "could he be one?" and it's like, how do you get away from people's pre-conceived notions, no matter how brief?

 

I'd like to find a solution to this as well. From my experiences people simply don't want to get rid off the emotional baggage and their preconceived notions/prejudice about something or someone - they like them and stick to them no matter what, and in some ways, it makes them feel superior or more powerful than others in a rather bizarre way. "Oh I'm better than this person because I don't associate myself with *insert something here* or I don't do this or that". I don't know why this way of thinking exists, at least not with petty little things anyway.

 

For instance, based on my own experience, that's especially noticeable if you simply stick out of the crowd/don't "fit in the group" - far, far more often than not, people will jump to conclusion when, in reality, they've probably never interacted with you before and have no intention of doing so at any point. But they prefer to whatever they've set their mind on, and they base that on rumors and preconceptions. It's the same with any other thing, they start with a preconception and take it to the grave. Funny, being on this topic, something that Dagon (Inquisition) said a while ago in an interview popped into my mind while writing this when he talked very briefly about Satanism: Some people are like "I don't know anything about this, but I know this is hateful and this is lovely." Amazing. Truly outstanding.

[Jason]

41 minutes ago, reflex17 said:

When the whole 'school shooter' thing started going down and becoming widely reported around Columbine etc., I remember sitting around with my family watching the news and it was reported that the shooters enjoyed Marilyn Manson and Doom. I was into Doom and Manson at the time just by chance, and I remember when the game was mentioned, out of the corner of my eye I saw my dad's head turn slowly to look at me. I got the strong feeling like he thought at least for a moment "could he be one?" and it's like, how do you get away from people's pre-conceived notions, no matter how brief?

Damn. That's hard, man.

[reflex17]

By and large beliefs and preferences are held as a form of individuation at first, which then associates the individual with some facet of the group/community as a whole. Beliefs and choices can also be a last anchor of the ego, the mind by its very nature seeks to establish a small area of orderly peace among the chaos in times of sensory/emotional overload. It's an extension of survival mechanisms to have an ego and to exclude members of the community that are deemed sick, weak, or deranged. Lower insects think nothing of the individual, only what is best for the hive - on the other hand, our mind allows us to think of abstract things like larger society etc. 

 

Modern individuality has many more facets than that, and we have less need now for pure survival, so instead we pick on one another based on appearance or other choices. It helps us feel like we are part of that in-group.

 

I take a strong stance against Satanism in all its forms, but I believe in an individuals right to express themselves more strongly than almost anything. Satanism at it's core has values of selfishness and this concept runs counter-current to mine.

 

21 minutes ago, seed said:

I'd like to find a solution to this as well.

 

The only solution is to go forward with confidence being the person you want to be. It's tough to achieve particular goals or find like minded-individuals if you're not "being yourself". 

[Jason]

1 minute ago, reflex17 said:

By and large beliefs and preferences are held as a form of individuation at first, which then associates the individual with some facet of the group/community as a whole. Beliefs and choices can also be a last anchor of the ego, the mind by its very nature seeks to establish a small area of orderly peace among the chaos in times of sensory/emotional overload. It's an extension of survival mechanisms to have an ego and to exclude members of the community that are deemed sick, weak, or deranged. Modern individuality has many more facets than that, and we have much less need now for pure survival, so instead we pick on one another based on appearance or other choices. It helps us feel like we are part of that in-group.

 

I take a strong stance against Satanism in all it's forms, but I believe in an individuals right to express themselves more strongly than almost anything. Satanism at it's core has values of selfishness and this concept runs counter-current to mine.

I feel ya, brother

[seed]

27 minutes ago, reflex17 said:

I take a strong stance against Satanism in all its forms, but I believe in an individuals right to express themselves more strongly than almost anything. Satanism at it's core has values of selfishness and this concept runs counter-current to mine.

 

I agree with pretty much all you said above, but about this one part: Cool, so here's a topic where we differ on a fundamental level, and that's perfectly fine, it means we both value something else or guide us after different values. I, on the other hand, am a strong supporter of Satanism as a whole, although at the same time, there are certain ideologies, views, and practices/activities within it that I do not personally support or endorse.

[reflex17]

27 minutes ago, seed said:

 

I agree with pretty much all you said above, but about this one part: Cool, so here's a topic where we differ on a fundamental level, and that's perfectly fine, it means we both value something else or guide us after different values. I, on the other hand, am a strong supporter of Satanism as a whole, although at the same time, there are certain ideologies, views, and practices/activities within it that I do not personally support or endorse.

 

Sure, just like anything can have parts within it that are disagreeable. This process of discernment is essential no matter what your walk of life, critical thinking and idealism are noble goals to aim towards, I reckon. To have said I take a 'stance against' was maybe a strong way of putting it, I do support the notion that ideas should be heard, because there's no other way to exercise that process of discernment, after all. Along with freedom of expression I also think it's important to have beliefs and not face persecution for thoughts/practices as long as the individual(s) are not causing unnecessary harm. To each their own. I have my own experiences but hey, do whatever works, as they say.

[Murdoch]

On 11/2/2019 at 7:25 PM, Jason said:

Being a huge metalhead, I know of a lot of things I've heard people say about metal that are just ridiculous. What are some that you've heard?

One thing I've heard someone say is I've heard someone say SlipKnoT was death metal.
I've not spoken to them ever since.

 

Everyone lacks knowledge about something. I listen to some bands which can fairly be called metal. I do not give a toss which sub genre is which. It's all good music to me.

 

This seems to be a particular quirk of metalheads. Why does the fact that this person - who may well and indeed likely is not that interested in metal - did not know this particular frankly quite meaningless piece of information bother you so much? I am genuinely trying to understand the thought process here.

Edited November 7, 2019 by Murdoch

[DesecratorJ]

Listening to metal music doesn't requires me to consider myself as a metalhead and put in a bag of stereotypes, at least.

[FractalBeast]

19 hours ago, Doomkid said:

We need to bridge this gap between the metalheads and the rockers, man. Get some good vibes going. Right on, brother. *hits joint*

 

Maybe you already alluded to it, but the crossover between Black Sabbath-ish heavy metal, doom metal, "heavy rock" hard rock, stoner rock and stoner metal is exactly that.

 

43 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

 

Everyone lacks knowledge about something. I listen to some bands which can fairly be called metal. I do not give a toss which is which. It's all good music to me.

 

This seems to be a particular quirk of metalheads. Why does the fact that this person - who may well and indeed likely is not that interested in metal - did not know this particular frankly quite meaningless piece of information bother you so much? I am genuinely trying to understand the thought process here.

I'd say it depends on whether the person making the mistake likes heavy metal too, and whether they consider themselves knowledgeable about metal.

 

"Isn't Slipknot death metal?" said by someone who likes salsa and surf rock is very different from "Slipknot is death metal!" said by someone with a Pantera shirt on.

 

[Murdoch]

15 minutes ago, FractalBeast said:

 

Maybe you already alluded to it, but the crossover between Black Sabbath-ish heavy metal, doom metal, "heavy rock" hard rock, stoner rock and stoner metal is exactly that.

 

I'd say it depends on whether the person making the mistake likes heavy metal too, and whether they consider themselves knowledgeable about metal.

 

"Isn't Slipknot death metal?" said by someone who likes salsa and surf rock is very different from "Slipknot is death metal!" said by someone with a Pantera shirt on.

 

 

True to a point, but to my mind it still seems like a fairly trivial thing to get upset about. If I were having this conversation I would actually say "Well actually that's not true. Typically death metal sounds more like someone threw a bunch of musicians and a recorder in a giant barrel and rolled them down a hill whereas Slipknot has a slightly more melodic albeit still quite aggressive." Yes I dislike death metal and could not name a Slipknot song if my life depended on it so I am getting a cheeky jab in here. But you get my point. Explain and educate. If you be an ass about it, people are going to think - quite justifiably - that self described metalheads are elitist snobs and have a negative view of them and by extension the music too in some cases. And that helps anybody... how, exactly?

[Doomkid]

16 hours ago, Phobus said:

Nickelback (a band it's weirdly cool not to like even though they're insanely popular and successful) even went in the direction of old school Heavy Metal with the song "Feed the Machine", which was a definite highlight to seeing them live. Then again, they often sneak a hard rock song or two into the albums... But this was the lead single!

I never really got why Nickelback was the "cool to hate" band. I think most people are doing it just to carry on with the meme, mostly as a joke - at least I kinda hope. To actually dislike music for any reason other than the sound itself seems so moronic to me. The song "Animals" by them still gets stuck in my head at random every now and then, it's a good riff and it's catchy, they have several good songs. I can't really explain the hate.

 

16 hours ago, seed said:

Nice stereotyping.

It is a stereotype, but it's grounded in truth I'll readily admit despite being a metal lover. The clique shit in some of the old venues I played at was fucking moronic. For example, the old band I was in was a mix of death metal, industrial and stoner riffs. We would usually just wear whatever on stage, maybe a black jacket or something to at least have a hint of metalness about our appearance. Every now and then, other bands we happened to be billed with, would be total elitist pricks.

 

I'll never forget this one band, each of the guys had long, perfectly-straightened hair and they were sorta "in uniform", all wearing very similar stuff. They acted like we were total scum of the earth because of the way we looked and our willingness to step outside "traditional metal" with some music being almost like death metal and house had a baby. They played what I would describe as competent-yet-generic 80s metal. We never liked the idea that we should just be constrained to one sound.. We thought their attitude was pretty funny, people who take themselves so seriously are fucking hilarious in a sense. Just providing some evidence to back up what Phobus said. You can meet 10 awesome people, but the 11th one is a dick, and that one stands in your memory - and en masse, that's how stereotypes are formed.

[Murdoch]

8 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

You can meet 10 awesome people, but the 11th one is a dick, and that one stands in your memory - and en masse, that's how stereotypes are formed.

 

Spot on.

[reflex17]

When I was a security guard working backstage, Chad, the lead singer of Nickelback offered me a burger on my 12 hour shift. I had a rush of shyness because of the celebrity encounter and politely declined. I kinda regret the day I didn't have lunch with Nickelback lol.  

[Mr. Freeze]

1 hour ago, reflex17 said:

When I was a security guard working backstage, Chad, the lead singer of Nickelback offered me a burger on my 12 hour shift. I had a rush of shyness because of the celebrity encounter and politely declined. I kinda regret the day I didn't have lunch with Nickelback lol.  

 

lmao I ran into Per Nlisson at a Scar Symmetry show...in the bathroom. He was waiting for me to exit the stall. I wanted to tell him what a huge fan of SS I was and how cool his guitar playing was but I just kinda turned my head and made for the sink. 

[Murdoch]

16 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

 

lmao I ran into Per Nlisson at a Scar Symmetry show...in the bathroom. He was waiting for me to exit the stall. I wanted to tell him what a huge fan of SS I was and how cool his guitar playing was but I just kinda turned my head and made for the sink. 

 

Honestly he probably appreciated that more than you think. I feel sorry for celebrities sometimes, the amount of crap they have to deal with from fans must grate on the nerves of even the most patient of them. If I saw a celebrity I liked and respected, I would smile, nod and keep walking. Would just be awkward and weird to talk at length. I actually did run into someone I consider a celebrity once, a comedian/actor who worked with one of New Zealand's best comedians back in the 80s/early 90s. Nice guy, and I managed to keep the blathering to a minimum. Just. But I still felt like a dick afterwards.

[seed]

2 hours ago, Doomkid said:

It is a stereotype, but it's grounded in truth I'll readily admit despite being a metal lover. The clique shit in some of the old venues I played at was fucking moronic. For example, the old band I was in was a mix of death metal, industrial and stoner riffs. We would usually just wear whatever on stage, maybe a black jacket or something to at least have a hint of metalness about our appearance. Every now and then, other bands we happened to be billed with, would be total elitist pricks.

 

I'll never forget this one band, each of the guys had long, perfectly-straightened hair and they were sorta "in uniform", all wearing very similar stuff. They acted like we were total scum of the earth because of the way we looked and our willingness to step outside "traditional metal" with some music being almost like death metal and house had a baby. They played what I would describe as competent-yet-generic 80s metal. We never liked the idea that we should just be constrained to one sound.. We thought their attitude was pretty funny, people who take themselves so seriously are fucking hilarious in a sense. Just providing some evidence to back up what Phobus said. You can meet 10 awesome people, but the 11th one is a dick, and that one stands in your memory - and en masse, that's how stereotypes are formed.

 

Oh, I am well aware of that - if you remember, I have been criticising this particular brand of metalheads myself as well a while ago, and I still do. Those people do deserve being considered as such because of how many dumb ideas float in their minds, my reaction was to that part of Phobus' message because it seemed to imply all of us are a bunch of cunts, which we are not :p.

[reflex17]

I went to the Marilyn Manson show when they were on the Antichrist Superstar tour, one of the best shows I've ever been to. Of course the press was all out, lined along the sidewalk while we waited to get in.

 

There was one guy who split off from the crowd and started tearing up a bible in front of all the cameras and reporters and shouting and stuff - it was kinda funny for awhile, but once he had been doing that for some time I noticed most of the people in line sort of looking/talking among themselves like "yeah okay dude", y'know. The concert was already going to be in the news, no reason to get Manson banned from the city and never come back or whatever lol. 

[Phobus]

To be fair, not all metal heads are shitty elitists. I'd like to think I'm not! But the ones that are elitists are normally shitty, and I'd stand by that firmly. As soon as somebody is claiming something isn't "real metal" or similar, you've got an elitist on your hands, and I'm certain they can quickly be dismissed. Especially if it emerges that they're just parroting an opinion they've seen and have no idea of the band they're talking about.

[SOSU]

"I have a very strong magnet with me"
Magneto could kick y'alls ass :P

[Murdoch]

13 hours ago, Phobus said:

To be fair, not all metal heads are shitty elitists. I'd like to think I'm not!

 

No not all of them are and you are likely not. But there is an unfortunate tendency in human nature to respond more strongly to negativity and tar a group with the worst brush based on their experience. People who get elitist about any topic that really does not matter - metal music, comics, consoles, whatever - tend to be overcompensating for something. They have got their identity so tied up in this particular topic that any seeming slight against it is a slight against them.

[darkreaver]

I'm a metal elitist. 

 

No core. 

No mosh. 

No fun. 

 

[DesecratorJ]

46 minutes ago, darkreaver said:

I'm a metal elitist. 

 

No core. 

No mosh. 

No fun. 

 

DSP's stamp isn't it.

[DSC]

I remembered about a good one: never pronounce "thrash" as "trash".

Edited November 12, 2019 by DSC : typo

[Jason]

On 11/10/2019 at 6:13 AM, DSC said:

I remebered about a good one: never pronounce "thrash" as "trash".

OH GOD. One of my teachers a few days ago when I was talking about slayer said "I don't listen to trash metal" and I just got so fucking pissed

[hybridial]

On 11/2/2019 at 9:30 AM, seed said:

"This music is made by, and for, depressed/suicidal people."

 

All of those are 100% legit questions people asked me and things I've heard/seen people saying.

 

 

This is really the only one I've come across in that list, but yeah all of those are kinda BS. Especially given that I started out being into extremely upbeat power metal, so you know, "happy" metal exists, even if it can get unwarranted criticism for people who like other subgenres because it isn't the one they like. Honestly the most stupid things ever said to me in relation to metal have mostly been by other metal fans being judgemental asses. Probably doesn't help that I'm not that into the name bands (Iron Maiden I guess for a while) and probably the most popular band I like is Dream Theatre and most people around where I live still probably don't even know who they are. 

 

I have changed in taste a fair amount and I did go through long term issues which I think lead me to explore different bands and led to my tastes changing somewhat. But I still like spacey sounding prog metal thats definitely not super depressive, but it has led to me really getting into I guess slower, more atmospheric stuff, which generally takes influence from prog, Doom, Gothic, Death, folk and in the rare case black metal, I hesitate in ever applying one of those labels because most bands I listen to don't fit just into one. 

 

 

 

[Boomslang]

"cut your hair"

everyone fucking says that to me and i want to like, ngh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jason]

24 minutes ago, Boomslang said:

"cut your hair"

everyone fucking says that to me and i want to like, ngh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I won't cut my hair

[Boomslang]

2 minutes ago, Jason said:

I won't cut my hair

same

[hybridial]

Oh yeah, got another one, more specific to me especially in the early days but essentially;

 

So you love Dragonforce?

 

I don't even really hate them, but there was a period of time that if you brought up power metal in any fashion online, that was the only band people knew. Was more into Rhapsody, Stratovarius and Blind Guardian.