All metal is not the same

It was one of those nights. I went to a meet up for Sydney artists at a website I belong to. I didn't know anyone, but hey, bowling! The thing is, I didn't end up chatting to artists and people with things in common, which is why I went. Instead I got cornered by a lawyer, but I was polite and answered those basic questions like "where do you come from, what do you do" (idiot couldn't even say my name properly!). I mentioned I was a country girl, and it was like, "oh, so you listen to country music?!" And I said, no, I listen to mostly Metal... And got a look of dense incomprehension.

The first thing said was "How can you listen to that? Its just noise!". Then they asked, "Isn't it all just screaming?". I tried to explain metal to that person, but how do you describe colour to the blind? I was at a loss...

I tried, but this person was so closed off, so set against metal that they kept asking stupid questions and repeating how bad metal is and how they disliked it. It was like watching the Bill Murry movie Groundhog Day (which I happen to hate) because this person kept repeating themselves. I am not talking about intelligence, or knowledge when I say "stupid" questions, but ones that were irrelevant. They had a strongly held concept on what they thought "metal" was (what "music" was), and weren't really listening to my answers, except to find things to pick at. I doubt they had even listened to Metallica, and that is as mainstream as it gets! They asked my my favourtie band, and I said Opeth and how it was a death metal band. When asked if there is any light metal I mentioned melodic death metal (with orchestral music + metal) and nu-metal/hard rock... but they quickly swung back to the death metal questions. They got hooked up on the concept of "death" ("so all other metal is alive?" and other idiotic questions), and then asked "What, there are different types of metal?". I asked what the guy listens to, and he said "whatever is on the radio - I don't really like to listen to music". GRRRRRR!! By this time I wanted to bitch slap the guy! but he wouldn't leave, and whenever I turned to talk to the chick on the side of me, this lawyer dude interrupted. From the start it was a one sided conversation... As in this person started talking at me, not to me. When they are so set in their views that they are right, and therefore you must be wrong. They kept asking me about metal, but didn't want to hear about it.. Nor would he let me steer the conversation to other areas of conversation. So I kept toddling off to the bar, on an empty stomach, and by the end of the bowling session, was on my way to being pissed. However, I got two strikes, and kicked the lawyer's butt at bowling! And at least he didn't talk too much about law and being a lawyer! LOL

Anyway, I am writting this today because I am sick of getting this kind of reaction when I mention my music... I don't force people to listen to what I like, hell, if i have people in my car, i have easy listening mixes for the non-metalheads. I have a swathe of other artists I like and I let my friends choose the CD or radio station. So this isn't me being antisocial and forcing my music tastes on people. This is people asking me about my music tastes and then either being outright antagonistic, or depreciative, or asking questions and then picking apart the answers. It makes me mad, but it makes me tired too. There seems to be this association of metal as ...... God, I've even lost friends over my taste in music... for fucks sake, its MUSIC! I haven't taken up Satanism or anything, so I don't see why some Christian friends felt they had to cut off ties. I just find that there are so stereotypical reactions and thoughts against metal, and people who have these rarely are open to changing their views. Yet most have never really listened to metal. I think they would be shocked at the variety! Metal isn't just one style of music, there are so many sub genres... I mean there are the main strands such as Death Metal, Thrash, Black Metal, Nu-Metal and old school classic Heavy Metal, but so many branch off from that, or meld genres, or take on aspects of entirely different genres... Folk Metal is a good description to this, or Metalcore. I say I love metal, I am not saying something small, like I like American Rap. I am saying I like nearly 20 sub genres of music in this genre, and they are all quite different.. And if I played some next to each other, you can tell that they are different!! Like if i played Opeth next to Morbid Angel, next to Eluveitie, next to Iron Maiden, next to Heaven Shall Burn, next to Emperor, next to Kittie, next to Slayer, next to Norma Jean - for example, you would notice just how much contrast where is in metal.... Oh, and not all metal bands do the growled vocals... It really pisses me off when people assume this! There is also melodic singing, some of the best singers I have ever heard have been in metal bands!

Here is a basic rundown on the two main types of vocalisation in metal:

A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, unclean vocals, among other names, is a vocalization style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal music genre, but also used in a variety of other heavy metal subgenres.

The style is sometimes referred to as Cookie Monster vocals, tongue-in-cheek, because of the similarity with the popular Sesame Street character of the same name. Death growls are sometimes criticized for their "ugliness". However, death growls are just as much an aesthetic to death metal as an instrument, particularly due to the percussive nature of this kind of singing; its harsh, brutal nature meant to decorate death metal subject matter.

The term clean vocals is used to describe melodic and clear singing styles. It is most notably used to refer to heavy metal music, as an alternative to harsh, screamed or growled vocals, which are mainly seen in extreme metal bands, and occasionally in some hardcore punk bands. Subgenres of extreme metal that don't focus on clean vocals, and rather put emphasis on the death growl or scream include death metal, black metal or metalcore and some doom metal. They can range from operatic vocals to simple melodies to harsh yelling, which would only be considered clean vocals when compared to death growls. For instance, the American thrash band Slayer screams most of their vocals, however, they are considered clean vocals by extreme metal enthusiasts.

Clean vocals are most often employed in the genres of NWOBHM, progressive metal, thrash metal and power metal. -Wikipedia







Anyway, I guess I'm over my rant now. It has made me introspective, although I still want to bitch slap the lawyer!