The advent of heavy metal in the 1970s laid the foundations for the formation of a new subculture of fans, commonly called "metalheads". Over time, metal music has undergone a process of evolution and diversification, and the same has happened to its fans. You can meet metalheads all over the world, with very different characteristics and much more varied than the stereotype that the average metal music fan is a stocky and long-haired male. As in any subculture, however, even metalheads have their healthy dose of "poser" - people who do not belong to a certain movement but mostly pretend to be part of it, assuming only the external aspects, without however knowing in depth the culture that cement. This article is written specifically to help you escape the infamous epithet of "poser".
Steps
Step 1. Get to know and appreciate metal
This advice, trivial only in appearance, actually establishes the difference between a true metalhead and a pure and simple poser. So do your homework and "study"!
- Learn the differences between heavy metal and nu-metal, hard rock, death metal, black metal, metalcore and so on.
- Study the history of metal. Where did it originate? Who Were the Pioneers? How has it changed over the years?
- Become familiar with the wide variety of sub-genres collected under the "heavy metal" label: black, death, doom, folk, glam, gothic, neo-classical, power, progressive, industrial and thrash, just to name a few.
Step 2. Go to concerts
In addition to buying albums, it supports artists by going to their concerts and purchasing merchandise. Pogo, headbanging, and crowdsurfing are optional (but highly recommended).
- How to pog under the stage.
- Find out how to headbang.
- Find out how to dress for a metal concert.
Step 3. Learn to play
Many people believe that playing metal music does not require particular talent, but it is only a prejudice, formed by the rejection that these people feel towards the aggressive and unfamiliar sounds of this genre. The reality is quite different: metal musicians are gifted and very experienced in the practice of their instruments. A good way to appreciate the technical skills needed to write and perform metal music is to try them.
- How to start playing hard rock and metal guitar.
- How to Become a Guitar Wizard.
- How to Produce Death Metal Growls.
- How to Play the Drums Like a Pro.
Step 4. The metalhead look
Man forewarned, forearmed: if you just stick to the mere look of the metalhead, without going through the previous steps, people will accuse you of being a poser, probably with good reason. The following list will analyze the metalhead's look, adding a couple of information on how and why certain garments and accessories have been associated with the metal subculture. But remember, the look is only a secondary aspect and it doesn't matter how you dress. Dressing in metal is just a way to be recognized by other admirers of the genre. But what really matters is only the love for metal; you can wear what you want.
- T-shirt with the band logo or plain black t-shirt. When you go to concerts, buy your favorite band's t-shirts. This is the ABC of metal fans and openly expresses your musical tastes. If you can, always buy the official band t-shirts; Sure, hot-stamped or screen-printed t-shirts are cheaper, but keep in mind that many metal artists see a large part of their income coming from the sale of merchandise. The "fake" T-shirts rob artists of their image in favor of others.
- The horns. This hand gesture was popularized by Ronnie James Dio (and you better know who he is!), Who learned it from his Italian-born grandmother.
- Black leather and studs. In the late 1970s, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford adopted the biker look to promote Hell Bent for Leather; from then on, leather garments (trousers, jackets) and studs entered the wardrobes of thousands of metalheads.
- Celtic, Saxon, Viking and chivalrous imagery. Many metalheads, especially fans of power metal, place strong emphasis on the values of masculinity and warrior honor, in blatant contrast to the consumerism and metrosexuality of today's society. Long hair and thick beards are a tribute to the ancient warrior peoples of the Vikings, Saxons and Celts. It is not uncommon to see them dressed in clothes that take inspiration from past eras, such as the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. In short, looking like a man from a very distant past is a lot of metal.
- Skinny or super tight jeans, ankle boots, band t-shirts, combat jackets. This outfit was very popular in the early years of heavy metal. The so-called "combat vests" are sleeveless jeans or leather waistcoats decorated with patches and pins of your favorite bands.
- Skinny or super tight jeans, military pants, short or completely shaved hair. This look spread between the 90s and the 2000s, as heavy metal produced new subgenres hybridized with hardcore punk, goth and industrial.
- If you are a girl, you have much more leeway in the clothing department, as looking like a Viking will be very difficult for you, as well as wearing Renaissance clothes at concerts. You can borrow various elements from the 80s, from punk and goth culture. But you just need to wear a shirt from your favorite band and that's it. Stay away from daddy's daughter look.
Method 1 of 1: The Metal Subgenera
Step 1. There are so many sub-genres in metal music, you just have to find out which one is your favorite
- Traditional heavy metal (or classic metal, or just heavy metal). In its basic meaning, heavy metal is a musical genre that escaped from rock, of which it takes the sounds of voice, guitar, bass and drums to extremes. The pioneers of metal were Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest and Motorhead. Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, the movement called New Wave of British Heavy Metal, defined by bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon, took hold in England. Fans often debate whether early metal is really metal or rather simple hyper-protein hard rock. However, it is beyond any doubt that these bands profoundly influenced all the heavy metal groups that later formed.
- Speed metal. A faster and more aggressive genre than primeval metal, although not as extreme as the trash metal, which spread around the same time. Motorhead are considered the founding fathers of the speed metal genre, while Exciter and Agent Steel are defined by many as the definitive bands of the genre.
- Thrash metal. Feeding on punk and classic metal in equal measure, thrash metal is very similar to speed metal, but with easier to spot characteristics. Guitar riffs are as fast as - if not faster than - speed metal riffs and can be very complex. The drums are hyperactive and the singing unconventional. The reference bands are Metallica, Overkill, Exodus, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Sepultura, Testament, Sadus, Death Angel and Fueled By Fire.
- Glam metal. A hybrid of classic and pop metal, glam metal was a cheery, radio form of the genre, in stark contrast to the underground thrash metal scene. The bands often tried their hand at ballads and usually the musicians showed up in brightly colored make-up, sheathed in spandex, tight dresses and black leather, with backcombed and, if possible, curly hair. Red or pink lipstick was certainly not a taboo, like nail polishes and other make-up. Among the exponents of the genre we can mention Poison, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue (after the first two albums; now they play glam metal "and" heavy metal), Ratt, Black Veil Brides, The Darkness, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, LA Guns, White Lion and Whitesnake.
- Power metal. Metal genre dedicated to speed of execution, but much less aggressive than thrash and speed metal. The power metal is structured on a rhythm guitar in power chord, a simple and fast drums, melodies and harmonies in relief. The singers have a powerful and very trained voice and often the bands also see a keyboard and a rhythm guitar in formation. The lyrics touch on themes related to fantasy, dragons, mythology, etc. Some examples of recognizable bands in this genre are Helloween, Dragonforce, Iced Earth, and Charred Walls of the Damned.
- Black metal. Extreme subgenre of heavy metal, black metal is recognized for the strong distortion of the guitars, the frequent use of tremolo picking, the scream voice that should symbolize evil if not Satan, the pounding drums and the very dirty sound. The texts are often Satanist, but the themes can also range to include winters, forests, mythology, darkness, isolation, paganism, Vikings and more. Representative groups include Venom, Immortal, Bathory, Gorgoroth, Dark Funeral, Celtic Frost, Mayhem and Marduk.
- Gothic metal. A sub-genre of both goth rock and metal, it combines the aggressiveness of the latter with the dark and melancholy sounds of the former. The bands to be recovered are Type O Negative, A Pale Horse Named Death, Paradise Lost and We Are the Fallen.
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Death metal. An extreme genre of metal music that includes guitars with low tunings, powerful drums, fast riffs, growl singing and lyrics dedicated to themes such as death, the afterlife, murder, pain, evil, etc. Death, Cannibal Corpse, Fear Factory, Suffocation, Job for a Cowboy, Morbid Angel, Tyrant Trooper, Obituary and Possessed are dedicated to this genre.
- Technical death metal. A more technical and complex version of death metal. See bands like Opeth, the latest works by Death, Brain Drill and Necrophagist.
- Melodic death metal. Death metal mixed with elements of NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal - Iron Maiden, Def Leppard) and melody. We can mention In Flames, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, All That Remains (first albums), Shadows Fall (first albums), Scar Symmetry, The Nomad and The Black Dahlia Murder.
- Blackened death metal. Mixed between death and black metal. Behemoth, Angelcorpse, and Goatwhore offer such examples.
- Groove metal. A type of metal music with low tuned guitars, characterized by heavy, intricate and syncopated riffs, powerful bass and shouted singing. The genre is driven by bands such as Pantera, Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Sepultura, Soulfly (latest albums) and Exhorder.
- Alternative metal. Hybrid genre, born from the encounter between alternative music and heavy metal, which mixes elements from the two genres to obtain unconventional solutions. There are many examples, all very different from each other: Deftones, Faith No More, 10 Years, Mudvayne, Nothingface, System of a Down, Helmet and Alice in Chains.
- Doom metal. Slow rhythms, low tunings, whispered voices and sad lyrics distinguish this subgenre of metal. The bands to be recovered are A Pale Horse Named Death, Candlemass, Saint Vitus and Pentagram. You can see in the sound of these bands the strong influence of the albums released in the 70s by Black Sabbath.
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Progressive metal. Metal dedicated to the research of executive and rhythmic complexity. Often the songs have odd tempos and the rhythm changes several times within the same song. Samples of the genre are Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Periphery, Edge of Sanity, Animals as Leaders, Meshuggah and Necrophagist.
- Death / doom. Transplant death metal sound to slow doom tempos. Paradise Lost and Asphyx practice this genre.
- Djent. More than a genre, Djent is a musical current derived mainly from progressive metal, characterized by the strong emphasis placed on groove and syncopated rhythms, to which elements of electronics and sound experiments of various kinds are added. Notable examples of the category are Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Periphery and Tesseract. One of the main influences of djent bands are the Swedes Meshuggah, who were the first to introduce some of the characteristics mentioned above into metal music.
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Grindcore. Very extreme metal subgenre, chaotic on the verge of cacophony. The singers groan and scream at the limit of the intelligible and the guitars have very low tunings. The genre has undergone the influence of hardcore punk and the most brutal fringes of metal. The names to remember are Carcass, Anal Cunt, Napalm Death, and Insect Warfare.
- Deathgrind. Subgenre that is halfway between death metal and grindcore. The most famous are Dying Fetus and The Red Chord (also dedicated to deathcore).
- Goregrind. Deathgrind form with splatter and horror lyrics. The sound is, still today, one of the most extreme in the whole metal universe, made up of aggressive and distorted guitars to the limits of noise, frenzied tempos and very fast and frenetic drums. Even the way of singing is absolutely extreme, alternating guttural and cavernous parts with other higher and screaming, with the addition of electronic effects (the pitch shifter, for example) that make them even more inhuman. To get an idea, just mention Carcass and Cock and Ball Torture.
- Pornogrind. As above, but with sexual texts. The band names speak for themselves: Torsofuck, Rotting Cock and Spermswamp.
- Cybergrind. A form of grindcore in which the sounds of the instruments are mostly generated with computers or synthesizers. Proponents of the genus include Genghis Tron and Agoraphobic Nosebleed.
- Metal drone. Extremely slow metal, also referred to by the term “drone doom”, in which hyper-saturated guitars are played on tempos ranging from Largo to Larghissimo, with minimal (if any) progressions. The songs are usually long and the focus is on the atmosphere. SunnO))) and Earth are the best known bands in this field.
- Sludge metal. The guitars and basses are heavily distorted, in rivers of oppressive riffs and feedback. The drums are strongly inspired by hardcore punk, with typical rhythms of the genre that mix with slowdowns characteristic of doom. The voice is shouted like in hardcore punk. The Black Flag were the main inspirers of the genre, as well as the Melvins. Crowbar and Eyehategod are the pivotal bands.
- Stoner metal. Escaping from doom metal, he is recognized for his distorted bass, low vocal lines in the style of Layne Staley, slow rhythms and grunge, metal and doom influences. Red Fang and Orange Goblin the recommended plays.
- Industrial metal. At the crossroads between the aggressive sound of metal and the martial rhythms of industrial, this genre combines intricate bass lines, industrial sounds, rhythmic beats and electronics. The names on the map are Fear Factory, Nailbomb, Ministry (later), Static-X, Rammstein, Godflesh, and Marilyn Manson.
Step 2. There are many other hybrid genres, often grouped together are the term "crossover"
They are half metal and half something else. The list includes:
- Nu metal. Emerged in the 90s, it combines groove / alternative metal, hip hop and grunge. It employs hip hop rhythms, bass tunings, heavy riffs and funk-inspired bass lines. The nu metal discography includes KoRn, Coal Chamber, Sevendust, Limp Bizkit, OTEP, Linkin Park, Deftones (first albums) and Static-X.
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Metalcore. A mix of metal and hardcore. It usually has low tuned guitars and bass, heavy and aggressive riffs, abrasive vocals, and the tunes contain powerful rides. It is often confused with hardcore punk. The difference is that metalcore is more intense and contains clear metal elements. The bands to listen to are Integrity, Earth Crisis, Eighteen Visions (first albums), Hatebreed, Converge, Throwdown, Unearth, Parkway Drive, While She Sleeps, Killswitch Engage, Asking Alexandria and I Am War. Bands like Hatebreed, Converge and Integrity have more harcore sounds while Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying and Bleeding Through give more weight to the metal side.
Melodic metalcore. Subgenre of metalcore with more focus on melody, it can have inflections of melodic death metal. The vocal lines often resort to scream and growl, but it is not uncommon to find pieces sung with a clean voice. August Burns Red, Trivium, All That Remains, The Devil Wears Prada and I Killed the Prom Queen are the bands to put on the playlist
- Mathcore. A more progressive and technical form of metalcore. Usually the pieces are very complex, almost crazy, in the name of executive complexity and tempo changes. Get the records of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Blood Has Been Shed, Converge and Iwrestledabearonce.
- Deathcore. The meeting point between death metal and metalcore. He sang growls, death metal riffs, metalcore explosions and blast beats. Whitechapel, Carnifex, Despised Icon and Oceano are the main bands of this genre.
Advice
- You don't have to listen exclusively to metal to be a metalhead. Many metalheads are dedicated to other musical genres, such as rock, classical music, punk, reggae or grunge.
- A good way to expand your metal culture is to seek advice directly from other metalheads. However, you risk finding someone who will tell you about it until they dry you out. With a little commitment, one day you too will do the same.
- Always remember: inside the Metal Brotherhood we help each other, giving rides to concerts for those who need it or recommending music if asked, etc.
- Avoid looking too wealthy or trendy. Metal is against consumer culture. That doesn't mean you have to look homeless to be metal; what is certain is that wearing tailored or fashionable garments for a value of 1000 euros does not help at all. The only difference between Oviesse jeans and designer jeans is the label applied to them, so you don't need to spend too much money on clothes. Not only will your look be more metal, then, but you'll save a lot on clothing compared to any other style.
- Continue to explore the music offering to discover new bands. Ask other metalheads for advice, check out the Encyclopedia Metallum website, or buy a random metal CD from a band you've never heard!
Warnings
- If you wear a metal band's t-shirt or decorative patch, make sure it's a band you like and know about life, death and miracles. A metalhead might notice you and start a conversation centered around the band in question; if you are not prepared on the subject (knowing the names of the musicians, the titles of the albums and songs, at least), then your credibility as a metalhead will go down the drain and you will lose it forever.
- Trying to adhere to a certain subculture at all costs has the side effect of narrowing your vision of the world and precluding you from further equally interesting experiences. While continuing to cultivate a passion for metal, try to broaden your interests by keeping an open mind towards all forms of art.
