Anti-Metal Attitude
By Tony
[Originally published: Issue #1, circa 1987]
Why do so many people have this fear or hate of metal? I like a lot of hardcore, but I also love the metallic sounds of WHIPLASH, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, and even IRON MAIDEN. A lot of my hardcore buddies rag on metal. They call the lyrics ‘stupid”. Some idiots even think that every metal band sacrifices a goat at each show, Now, despite the current crossover of the two musics, the lyrics are generally different. Hardcore tends to focus on topics that they deem socially relevant, while metal lyrics are less “important”. Is it because metallers don’t care? Is it because they are too doped out to know what’s going on? Or does their long hair affect their brain? NO!!!!!!!!!!!! The answer is that most metal bands view music as a form of entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with conveying a message, but there’s also nothing wrong with listening to a song just for FUN.
Black metal or satanic bands are a different case. Granted, their lyrics are sometimes disgusting or revolting, but I take them as a joke and therefore have no problems with listening to and enjoying their music. I don’t agree with their ideas, but that doesn’t stop me from going nuts when I hear EXODUS. Half of these bands use satanism as a gimmick. Don’t take it too seriously, folks.
Some people are immediately turned off when the word “metal” is mentioned. Why can’t they just STOP trying to categorize everything and deciding their opinion before even hearing it. Give it a fair listen – if you don’t like it, fine. If you do, even better. But just don’t discriminate because of stereotypes or looks. (The same goes for metallers who “fear” hardcore!)