No Life 'till Leather

Tattoos, lots of black, big boots, long hair and bottles of Jack Daniels. The cult of metal is certainly a difficult one to understand. From its somewhat dark roots with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple to its arena sized pomp and cocaine fuelled excess of the 80’s. Punk, new wave, grunge and rap have all come and gone, and metal remains strong, another world where countless lost boys and girls find the family they’ve never had. It is often viewed as a very masculine brotherhood, a place where aggression and passion are key, and as a result over the years it has come under intense scrutiny. As I mentioned in my first blog, metal has come under fire for apparently being to blame for numerous crimes, and in countries such as Norway, where black metal is most associated, there have many instances where violent and anti-religious crimes have taken place. That said, there have been studies that applaud its frank and real representation of human emotions, apparently meaning that a heavy metal fan is more in touch with their emotions than the average person.

This week I have used a range of sources, websites and blogs because there is such a wealth of information to anyone wanting to find out more about the history of one of the most lasting cultural phenomenons of the 20th century. It is the ultimate music of 'the other', the allienated youth who don't want to be their parents, who feel disconnected from the world. The collectibilty of the items available to metal fans, the jackets and patches, the merchendise etc, is all geared toward someone who either needs or wants to fill their lives with a hobby. And it isn't just a fad, as Rob Zombie, musician/director extrodinaire states in the documentary Metal: A Headbangers Journey "metal fans love it forever"

The above video is the whole reason I have chosen metal fans as my focus for the blog this week, because even though BBC 4, one of the most respected branches of the BBC have regular nights devoted to metal, and many bands such as Metallica, Kiss and Opeth have played with huge symphonic orchestras, metal is still an open secret. Many of the most famous bands of the genre, such as Metallica and Iron Maiden, have sold over 100 million and 80 millon records respectivly, making them some of the most successful artists of all time, yet if you were to ask a normal person on the street who they were you may not get the answer you would expect. Metallica's back catalogue offically sells better than The Beatles, and yet most people would struggle to name one of their songs. Numerous battles with the PMRC and FCC show that the powers that be in America obviously view the music and lyrics as a threat to society and moral values, another reason for the metal community to feel threatened and therefore become tighter and more strong. The sense of community in metal is what makes it so powerful to the fans and what makes it such a huge family, the music is a very uniting factor, something that many groups of 'others' don't lay claim to.