I have 2 gigs of Spongebob Squarepants on my hard drive and my life isn't so bitter. I like metal because I love it. I don't have many friends who are into it and the people I know are equally engrossed into metal like me that I know aren't really my friends. I spent more time with non metal people than with metal people but I still have my music player running with Morbid Angel or At The Gates. A metal fan is a metal fan. Having a an angsty period of life don't really help you get into metal. It brings them much more closer to ganglife.

For me it was just when I became a teenager but for the most part there was not big change it was because I started to not like pop as I grew older.I also very much liked alt rock in my younger years so that could have triggered it as well,but then again I was listening to at the time I got into metal was nu-metal not true metal,but now I listen to underground stuff but I did not start until I turned 20.That was also because I was bored with What was going on with mainstream metal.

I do not think I will out grow the genre of music anytime soon.I always will liked Heavy music because that what i like since I was five.


Also ,only other culture that interest me is Goth culture and that is also misconception as a teen or "grow out of" group.

Seems we can't get enough of these socio-psycho metal generalizations thread, eh? I have been to too few metal gigs to be able to say much about it, but in my experience, the people attending the gigs, whether cherubic pre-teens or middle-aged veterans, had a whale of a time, their and my euphoria went through the roof when the headline act arrived and we shouted our throats off gleefully. When the gig was over, everyone without exception had big smiles on their faces. Doesn't sound quite the outlet for bitter, negative emotions, does it? I am using the example of gig because that's where I get to see how metal affects a large number of metalheads at the same time. Speaking for myself, it never makes me feel bitter but I should clarify that no music makes me feel bitter or resentful or any such thing, bad music makes me irritated and I turn if off, that's all. If you are mature enough to marvel at the wonders of music without being emotionally affected by the lyrical content, there's no reason why you should grow out of a genre you supposedly enjoy a lot.

Every metal gig I go too is made up of about 50% young people, and 50% older veterans. I have no reason to believe that people who are really passionate enough to consider themselves metalheads will somehow "grow out of it".

I think it comes from the fact that the younger metalheads tend to be the ones in denim and leather, the ones that you can see on the street and say "That guy likes metal." Plenty of older people listen to metal, you just don't notice them as much.

That and the trendhoppers.

Metal culture sucks. That's why. Metal music, on the other hand, is great. I find metal culture to be completely un-metal (doesn't make much sense does it?). Screw your long hair. I'll keep my regular short hair thank you very much.

The only reason why I listen to metal is because I like how it sounds and I like to play it myself. Its a more complicated music genre than people outside of the metal community realise. Music doesnt have much of an emotional connection with me. In Simple terms, I like it- I buy it. I dont relate music with everything I do either. Meaning, Just because I listen to metal doesnt mean I need long hair, studded jackets, bullet belts, etc. Of course I have the endless ammount of Band T-shirts but thats about it. Just because I listen to such empowering music doesnt mean I need to walk around like im some tough guy with a bitter attitude. I understand the relation between emotion and music but I think some people take it too far. The only reason I see people growing out of metal is either bc they were never die hard fan. Or they just grew up, got married, had familys and dont have the money or time to waste on music anymore (not that it happens to everyone). When your young and your a teenager your just finding yourself and discovering who you are. You may end up liking metal for a little bit, you may hate it, or you may end up hooked for life. Your also not done growing up so acting bitter and angry and what not may come with the maturity level of that time.

I used to be a huge sports fan but I simply stopped caring when at a certain point I realized I was just wasting my time.

I think certain interests respond to or reflect in a complicated fashion certain drives one has, which demand a certain connection to some system of activity (whether sports, music, fashion, etc.) in order to provide fulfillment--- a sort of mutual exchange of willful energy. When I was 13 I discovered UK82 punk rock (stuff like Skeptix, Varukers, Discharge, Chaotic Dischord, English Dogs, etc.) and really got into it because it was the most aggressive music I knew of at the time. After a while, something compelled me to seek out faster and heavier music and I got into grind, brutal death, goregrind and noisecore. My interest in punk shifted from a 'current' enjoyment of it to one that was nostalgic, because I had developed emotional associations with and connections to it.

My desire for the most extreme and violent music possible topped off with the discovery of harsh noise and power electronics. I really do think my teen angst, along with a desire to distinguish myself as apart from other kids into more mainstream punk and metal music contributed to this obsessive quest for brutal and perverted music. After around age 17 I started to mellow out a bit, became less anger-prone and somewhat more of a 'balanced' person. During this time my interest in noise shifted gears: I went from feeling fueled by its aggressiveness to examining its technique, its subtleties, the way it creates certain atmospheres. I slowly began to delve into ambient/dark ambient stuff, which I would have previously dismissed as too 'soft.' An interest in black metal and doom metal, both of which I had written off as cheesy and monotonous during my goregrind days, sparked when I realized the diverse sounds and atmospheres these genres are able to sustain-- and these remain my two favorite genres.

Ever since then (for about the past 7 years) I have been discovering all the good music I overlooked in my rather narrow quest for total aural torture-- thrash and old school death metal, prog rock, krautrock, post-punk, psychedelic rock, etc. Basically, in my case the drive to receive a reciprocal flow of aggressive energy from music has become much smaller, and been replaced by a more complicated one (or several) which seeks total emotional experiences, music that creates spaces and conjures visions, music that pushes the boundaries of formulae, music that terrifies and music that awes, music that is intricately composed and/or technically interesting, music that reflects certain historical or geographic situations, etc. I still like punk for the nostalgia and noise for the dynamism, but I pretty much never listen to goregrind (except for early Carcass) or brutal death anymore--- there is just not much in them that responds to the drives that guide me.

Is there anyone else here who listened to metal as a teenager, then got out of it for several years as an adult and then back into it again? Because that's what happened to me. I'm 32 years old and began listening to metal again about 4 years ago after about a decade of indie rock and crappy electronic music. Now I hardly listen to anything else, other than some classical and traditional music.

Yes. I was completely dissalussioned with rock music in general from 1996-2001 (even though at the time I was in a goth metal band on CM). There were some things here and there, but mostly the electronica and trance scene interested me then.

Right, this describes a lot of my feeling, too. There is a fair amount of camraderie among metal fans, even in a rather piss-poor "scene" like this one, and the feeling at a gig is usually a positive one. Anyway, in my case, it's more than just sound that's drawn me to metal .. it's the fascination with the occult, with esoteric ways I suppose you might say, with horrific content or supernatural beings. I have been drawn to this stuff since I was old enough to start thinking for myself, and it will always be a part of me .. thus, so will metal.. I believe that as much as my tastes mayy evolve, I will always have at least some metal albums in consistent rotation, so long as I can continue to listen to music.

Hmm,oh well we will see what happens to me but I highly doubt that it is going to happen that I will grow out of it.I could be like a few posters here,listen to other music as well but still will listen to metal.

Well, I didn't really grow up with metal .. I grew up with jazz and classical music and just a very little bit of old rock 'n' roll. The first "rebellious" music I really found was rap in the 80s, but that phase passed over quickly, thankfully. At any rate, I don't see why metal should be a limit for anyone ... one doesn't have to exclude other forms of music from your arsenal to be a metalhead; I have no idea why people would think otherwise, really.

Hey you are right but that one reason some ,stop listening to the music because if they said they like other music ,a asshole will tell then they are not cause they not metahead for not listening to just metal.

Also I was reading some suggesting that getting married can also make someone grow out of metal.That kinda of sound strange ,if they married someone why should music taste change just because of it.

I've heard that before. Actually, a friend introduced me once to one of her exes who'd gotten married and "settled down" but was apparently a big metalhead. Turned out he was a real smug bastard who didn't have a clue what he was ttalking about but wanted to make it seem like he was some kind of metal expert anyway even though he had "out-grown" it and was a "calm guy" now (he was a drunk). The funniest thing was when he adamantly maintained that Witchfinder General never recorded a second album. "what would you know about it? They were before your time!"

I went through a period from 1992 to 1999 where I rarely listened to metal, and even then it was mostly Godflesh cicra 88-94. I was pretty sick at what punk became and grind felt rather stale in these years. Then I heard Nasum's Inhale/Exhale and I was hooked anew - been back on the grindwagon ever since.

Somewhere along the way - I blame indistrial music - I got into UK Drum-and-Bass, became a DJ and now make Drum-n-Grind for my own personal enjoyment.

Ignored rhetoric always rules...FACT!



Sorry, just lost my mind for a moment.

Agreed. I got into metal well before my teenage angst phase, and my love for metal has only grown as the years have gone by. My teenage angst phase is loonnggg behind me, and metal still makes me happier than anything else on earth.

Well personally I'm not really part of a metal group at school or such but more of a loner (heck...maybe the reason why I joined this site.....oh wait, it was because this was a good source for reviews).

I got into metal(when I was 18) because I tended to find the music quite nice with some more "powerfull or testing" sound to it. It was sort of a retreat from the pop culture and if you would thus say I chose the metal themes over the happy over-simplified pop stuff you might be correct.

But seriously...
If you've listened to Kamelot,Pain of Salvation,Arcturus,Dream Theater,Therion,Tool who would wish to change that for music such as the Spice Girls, Rihanna,Britney Spears, Usher or stuff like that
It's just better quality music

I also listen to other kinds of music besides metal such as alternative and prog. so how does that fit into your theorie of an outlet of bitternes ?

That's interesting. I had gotten out of metal long before I got married, but I began listening to it a few years after the wedding. My wife doesn't share my love of metal, for the most part, but she appreciates a few artists like Tyr and Finntroll. The night she came into my computer room looking for the Tyr "Eric the Red" CD I was shocked.



It seems like the early-to-mid 90's was when most of us got out of metal. The whole industrial and grunge thing really killed the scene for a few years there.

For me it was Opeth and Emperor that got me listening again. Maybe if I had heard "In the Nightside Eclipse" in 1994 rather than 2004 I would have kept listening to metal.

Well, I would concur with that but in my case, it is more the fascination with how even such horrific content can find musical expression. It went completely against the conventions of whatever music I had been brought on and I was hooked in no time. I mean I don't buy into occult or gore as such though at the same time I am not repelled by it at any level but it is fascinating to discover the variety of sounds musicians use to convey an occult or gore theme.

Yes. I never entirely stopped listening to metal but I stopped trying to find new bands and music. I was very disillusioned with the metal scene early-mid nineties because of the death of thrash and the direction a lot of death metal seemed to be taking (Cannibal Corpse and Deicide). Instead I expanded my tastes to a lot of other rock genres.

It was getting my my latest computer and getting online again that has rekindled my interest in trying to find new metal. However I don't consider myself part of metal culture. Being a metal head is no longer a defining part my life now.



In my experience getting married and having kids (especially kids) will tend to mellow one out.

But you don't necessarily have to turn to stuff like that for pop. There's better pop and I know of people who don't have a taste for metal but have taken the time to hunt out less heralded pop artists/albums. It's not only metal fans who seek out for stuff that's not popular but great and all that.

Metal culture PWNS

Everything about it is kickass: Long hair, leather jackets, motorcycles, beer parties, etc. etc.

I don't really care about the culture behind the music. I'm very nihilistic in most senses of the word. I'll listen to the music because I love it, but I couldn't give a shit about the culture of that brand. Why bother? It can be interesting to read about, sure, but not something I'm going to follow specifically.

So it is more of the lifestyle of the music then the music itself that people grow out of.

Different sides of the same coin. Both equally stupid.

But you are still listening to the music.

This has pretty much been my sentiment ever since my transition from metalhead to metal fan took place earlier this year. I lost the leather jacket, lost the band shirts and just stopped hanging out with metalheads in general. To be frank with you, getting drunk is fun once in a while...but I just can't be around people who make it a daily/weekly ritual.

Am I the only one who finds it annoying when people assume long hair = Metalhead?

Of course guys having long hair is not exclusive to metal culture, but it is a big part of the look.

There is a difference between being a metalhead and being a drunk. I dress in band shirts and jeans, wear my hair loose and long, and go to concerts with leather and studs. And yet, I only get drunk very rarely.

I never said being a metalhead and being an alcoholic were the same thing. What I was saying is that since many metalheads put an emphasis on drinking as a means of recreation regularly, it comes off as a bit of a turn-off for me. Since I'm not a big drinker, it's hard to convince my metalhead friends to want to do anything else like go see a movie or something. It's not just my circle of metalhead friends I'm basing this off of...but also through friends of friends and seeing metalheads in a lot of public situations. I'm not a total douchebag and won't alienate people simply because of what they enjoy, but every person has their limits.

Yes, I still like the music but I'm not interested in the non-musical aspects any more such as the rebellion, the image, the belonging to a group.

Other people that I know have stopped listening altogether. I can't pretend to know for sure why but my guess is that it was the non-musical things that attracted them to the genre. For me it was the opposite. I started with the music and got into the culture later.

I see what you mean. Really, I'm only a "metalhead" in that sense at concerts. I wear band shirts often, and I have long hair, but I don't do much with the "culture" of it except when I'm at a gig. And even then I don't get totally smashed, just buzzed.

I live for my metal, but I don't act like the typical metalhead in everyday life. I don't like to "go drinking" as it were, and would much rather that movie you mention.

I love the music that i listen to because it makes me feel upbeat about life and cheers me up a bit i dont have a terribly good outlook on life, and is some what emotionally intact with some of the music, i dont drink ever, i dont smoke, i were regular jeans and tight ish t-shirts, gel my hair shave often, lol, if you like it you like it, if you dont then thats fine, all my mates pretty much hate it, lol, but i love it

Oh, if you've read some further you would have noticed that I also listen to other music so I do try to find out what is good music

That's basically the only thing I care about with regards to music...if it's good or not.....culture's and image behind it can be shoved aside for that reason

I beg to differ. People listening to metal; long hair, leather jackets, army boots, and **** like that is the equivalent of a black kid listening to rap (who will sags his jeans, wear clothes that are too big for him, bling, etc). It's very....sheepish. Not once when I started listening to metal did I think about growing out my hair and dressing like the typical metal head. If you want to prove that you're a metalhead, do it by sticking to metal ideals and actions.

If you want to prove you're a metalhead, you probably shouldn't be one in the first place. I've had short hair for most of my life, but have to admit there is something about growing it out. It does feel wilder and somehow more metal, although having long hair certainly doesn't make you more metal. There's a reason metalheads started to wear the clothes and look they way they do, and it wasn't merely to conform to the crowd. Saying the fashion is stupid and doesn't play any role in metal is totally ignorant.

Why? When I was younger I was so dedicated to metal I would eat, breath, drink, and shit metal (the last one hurt). I wanted everyone to be able to tell just by looking that I was a metal head.

I don't see why that is a negative.