Heavy Metal as a Lifestyle.
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 5:43 am
For starters, excuse me if this belongs in an off-topic sub-forum.
There's one thing that often comes across my mind, especially now-a-days with the advent of "armchair metalheads" that I encounter both online and in real life. I'll elaborate further on what an "armchair metalhead" is.
You see, when I was younger, I remember I would often read online (showing how much younger I am than the average member here) that "music isn't a fashion, only posers dress metal" and other such crap from supposed "metalheads" online. When really, I believe it is quite the opposite. I think if you are truly passionate about Heavy Metal, you do not have short hair, you do not dress like everyone else, and you do not preach such politically correct bullshit as "you can dress however you want and listen to Metal!" - I think the way one dresses and acts separates the REAL hardrockers (I hate the term metalhead, I use this term instead thanks to Swedish friends) from those who are just "casual fans" of Metal.
Now of course, I also believe in individualism, so I think even if you are true hardrocker and dress 80s, you don't necessarily have to dress exactly the same as every other Muskelrock or Keep It True attendee, as that is also posing as well. Additionally, I do not think that all hardrockers have to act a certain way, drink beer, do drugs, or have some sort of belief system, as again I think part of the Heavy Metal lifestyle is again, being an individual.
But this brings me to "armchair metalheads", the type of idiot who doesn't have their own taste, and just copies whatever is "true metal" according to some "underground" celebrity like Fenriz (not trying to diss him, just those who copy him without having their own taste), or the latest fad webzine, acting like they've known about bands like Manilla Road for their entire life when in-reality they've only known about them since after Mark's untimely passing. These "armchair metalheads" just go with the general consensus when it comes to what is "true metal" or not, and revolve pretty much every aspect of their taste around online clique elitists. And ironically, many of these self-proclaimed "true metalheads" will cry about "gatekeeping" whenever they encounter someone with differing opinions to theirs.
Speaking again about the fashion, I truly believe that mainstream Thrash Metal bands that normalized dressing casually on-stage helped diminish the "cool" factor of Metal overall, with Metal fashion changing from spandex, bright leather jackets, and spiked-wristbands, to lame shit such as camo-shorts and t-shirts... which is pretty much unpleasing to people who aren't already into Metal. I don't really think young kids are going to see a band that dresses casually and go "wow those guys look cool, I want to listen to this music", but they would instead if they saw bands with interesting dress codes like Silver Mountain, Running Wild, Judas Priest, Kiss (don't like their music, but obviously many 70s kids were into them for this reason), Mentors, etc.
Hopefully this post makes sense, it's definitely some half-asleep half-awake rambling about some of my personal beliefs revolving the current state of the metal scene.
There's one thing that often comes across my mind, especially now-a-days with the advent of "armchair metalheads" that I encounter both online and in real life. I'll elaborate further on what an "armchair metalhead" is.
You see, when I was younger, I remember I would often read online (showing how much younger I am than the average member here) that "music isn't a fashion, only posers dress metal" and other such crap from supposed "metalheads" online. When really, I believe it is quite the opposite. I think if you are truly passionate about Heavy Metal, you do not have short hair, you do not dress like everyone else, and you do not preach such politically correct bullshit as "you can dress however you want and listen to Metal!" - I think the way one dresses and acts separates the REAL hardrockers (I hate the term metalhead, I use this term instead thanks to Swedish friends) from those who are just "casual fans" of Metal.
Now of course, I also believe in individualism, so I think even if you are true hardrocker and dress 80s, you don't necessarily have to dress exactly the same as every other Muskelrock or Keep It True attendee, as that is also posing as well. Additionally, I do not think that all hardrockers have to act a certain way, drink beer, do drugs, or have some sort of belief system, as again I think part of the Heavy Metal lifestyle is again, being an individual.
But this brings me to "armchair metalheads", the type of idiot who doesn't have their own taste, and just copies whatever is "true metal" according to some "underground" celebrity like Fenriz (not trying to diss him, just those who copy him without having their own taste), or the latest fad webzine, acting like they've known about bands like Manilla Road for their entire life when in-reality they've only known about them since after Mark's untimely passing. These "armchair metalheads" just go with the general consensus when it comes to what is "true metal" or not, and revolve pretty much every aspect of their taste around online clique elitists. And ironically, many of these self-proclaimed "true metalheads" will cry about "gatekeeping" whenever they encounter someone with differing opinions to theirs.
Speaking again about the fashion, I truly believe that mainstream Thrash Metal bands that normalized dressing casually on-stage helped diminish the "cool" factor of Metal overall, with Metal fashion changing from spandex, bright leather jackets, and spiked-wristbands, to lame shit such as camo-shorts and t-shirts... which is pretty much unpleasing to people who aren't already into Metal. I don't really think young kids are going to see a band that dresses casually and go "wow those guys look cool, I want to listen to this music", but they would instead if they saw bands with interesting dress codes like Silver Mountain, Running Wild, Judas Priest, Kiss (don't like their music, but obviously many 70s kids were into them for this reason), Mentors, etc.
Hopefully this post makes sense, it's definitely some half-asleep half-awake rambling about some of my personal beliefs revolving the current state of the metal scene.