I was told almost twenty years ago that I would grow out of metal by the time I hit college. Instead, I've found myself looking deeper into the underground and for more extreme stuff while at the same time branching out musically. I still love metal, especially death doom and black, but I also love jazz, classical, world, and indie rock. I don't really see that changing anytime soon.

If you are false, do not entry!

Sometimes we all need a break from the original music we love, and branch out into other styles, and broaden and diversify our tastes. But at the end of the day, we still love metal! As I've grown older I've maybe become harder to please, more; not necessarily "jaded" but less easily impressed merely by a band being fast, aggressive, extreme or noisy, whereas at one time that was all it took! There is so much variety in metal, so many different genres that are wildly different, that whether you like Sadistik Exekution, Iron Maiden, or Cathedral (I like all three) it all still counts as metal, even though these bands have nothing in common with each other.

I've been getting into more progressive and melodic stuff over the years. I still do listen to some really aggressive stuff, as the last album I bought was the new Napalm Death. I would say, however, that I've become more discerning as I've gotten older. I love metal just as much, but have gotten a lot pickier as to what bands. I like discovering new bands, but have a much better idea of what I like to hear.

I love metal, always will. That being said I have had a falling out with most of it. There's a specific section of what I like and the classics I grew up on, that's about it. Why waste time with shitty music?

If you don't stand metal, then you're not a properly ''metalhead'' Anyway, is just a tag. Enjoy whatever kind of music do you listen. Don't waste time trying into something that you don't like anymore.

Death Metal will always be "home" for me. That said, over the years my love of Metal had waxed and waned. For about a year, I was all about Hardcore Punk. In 2009, I listened exclusively to Folk and Country music. Both times, I came back to Metal.

I think everyone should try to expand their musical palette.

You've done nothing wrong. Getting tired of something to which you are exposed for a long time is really normal; I don't think you should be concerned or afraid and you certainty shouldn't be worried about losing your "metalhead" identity. As you have found out for yourself, you can listen to metal and still like other types of music. There's nothing weird about that. As for my self, I highly doubt that I'll ever "get out of metal" since It has had a huge impact on my life and It has been a part of myself for many years. Besides, there's no way I will ever get bored or tired of metal since there's so much variety. Metal has now come to be an umbrella term; there are countless different sounds which are classified as metal, yet have very few or no similarities at all with one another. I can listen to music which is extremely similar to pop music like some of the more popular ballad-driven power metal bands or listen to an album consisting of 4 songs filled with inhuman grunts, growls and shrieks and distorted to hell, each having a length of 20 minutes and I will still be listening to metal. Metal contains anything from soothing synths, to blasting and violent drumming, happy guitar melodies, depressive chanting, folk elements, shrieks, operatic singing etc. etc. You can find anything that you would find in other genres of music, in metal. Despite the fact that there is enough variety in metal to keep you interested throughout your whole lifetime, some people might still lose interest in it; just like you. If that is the case, so be it! In the end of the day, metal is just a tag and as others have mentioned you should be a music fan first and foremost. I hope that you get hooked with metal at some point in the future and re-discover the awesomeness hidden in its underground; if not, continue to enjoy other genres which offer more things to you and satisfy your needs. Music is a personal choice and no rules apply to its listeners.

Lately (the past couple years), I've found myself distancing from extreme metal a little. It's not that I don't enjoy it; I just enjoy it less, especially compared to newer music I'm getting into. I'm starting to appreciate clean vocals a lot, and I just don't find the same enjoyment in death metal et al that I did in my younger teen days (as opposed to my current older teen days). In fact, I think these are steps away from more complex music toward simpler music, just because I want to be able to enjoy it more easily, I guess. I'm getting more into various genres of electro, pop, etc.

When I'm high, though, bands like Cynic are fucking amazing. ;)

This is a good topic and I can relate, but not so much the metal genre in its entirety but sub genre's and bands. When I got into metal it started off with Metallica. I moved on to Emperor immediately thanks to a friend in her freshman year who hooked it up with "Anthems..." I got into other bands such as Zao and later more BM bands such as Crimson Moonlight and Sanctifica. Entering adulthood and the Navy, I branched out into more "mainstream" BM such as Cradle and Dimmu, reworking my way into the realms of extreme metal. What deviated me from my extreme and BM side was folk metal discovery with Korpiklaani and Finntroll. I am starting to get back into my blackmetal roots but it will take time.

Don't force it. Life is too short. Enjoy what you like when you like it. \m/

I get in and out of metal all the time. Well, I never get fully out of it, but sometimes I get burnt out of it and have to listen to other genres for a while. Last summer there was a period of about a month where I was only listening to singer/songwriter stuff like Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Man's Gin. About a month ago all I was listening to was various genres of electronic. I guess I'm the type of guy who has phases where he gets really into something and listens to that almost exclusively for a while. I'm always listening to a lot of different stuff, and I really don't care what genre it is as long as its good.

I mean there are metal bands that I'll always love, but I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't so obsessed with the genre in 10 years. People change and so do their tastes. As much as I love metal, I don't really identify with the culture, and I only have about 4 friends who are into metal, none of them who I would describe as full on 'metalheads'. In the end its about the band and not the genre anyway.

I was once getting "out" of metal too. Then I listened to Bolt Thrower and it all went away.
But really though, I get bored very easily. I can't listen to the same bands or albums over and over again. Mostly I listen to a huge variety of albums for a limited time, then let them be, listen to some other stuff and get acquainted with new bands and then return to the classics. That's how I keep myself entertained and interested in metal. What metal has that so many other genres lack is diversity.

i'm still pretty much a psuedo noob, i can't say i've been listening to metal my whole life because i can't, oddly enough music didn't really grip me till i was like 15, been jammin metal for about 10 years now though and can't get enough.

I really don't understand...How do you stop loving something that never changes? I could put on Vulgar Display of Power right now and still love it as much as I did when I was 5.

I'm almost 37, been listening to extreme metal sine I was 13. I went through a few phases over the years, but I always come back to metal. I pretty much listen to metal probably 99.9 % of the time, not really interested in other styles of music except some classical or electronica once in a while.

Because you're the one who changes, perhaps?

If you quit listening to metal, or any genre really, in a sudden manner, I'll believe that you're not much into music in general. One cannot lose a passion overnight, in such a case it was probably just a teen listening to rebellious music to scare his parents or to impress his peers.

As for me, I've noticed a definite change in my musical diet over the last few years, especially since I graduated from school nearly four years ago. While my ever-growing passion for anything doom/stoner/psychedelic makes me dig deeper into the underground in this realm almost everyday, I kind of lost the motivation to keep on searching for new (and old) stuff in most of the other metal genres. At the age of 15 I thought that I'll eventually own all the classics of heavy, thrash and death metal. Damn, I was so naive. I couldn't care less about things like that now and I merely hope that Ancestors can realize their already scheduled European tour in April. They've been asking for donations on their official pages across the internet and that worries me a bit.

This is actually happening to me right now. I've been into metal for roughly 4 years now, and can definitely still enjoy it, however it's definitely taken a backseat to skramz and other hardcore/emo combinations in recent months (Touche Amore, La Dispute, pg. 99, etc.).

That being said, I still can't fucking stand emo which sucks because most of these bands tour with emo bands. I really want to see La Dispute next month when they come to Philly, but I really don't wanna sit through Balance and Composure.

Little offtopic but felt the need to mention it ^^^.

I wouldn't say im getting out of metal or anything, but I find myself listening to metal way less since I am discovering lots of great non metal bands that I've never heard before and really getting into alot of them. I also am alot pickier of what metal I listen to now, usually just listen to what I would consider classic metal albums, as opposed to just throwing on any old thrash album with half decent riffs. I almost never listen to any black or death metal anymore which I used to really like, although I sometimes throw on the occasional classic death metal album. I doubt I will ever get completely tired of metal since even if I get tired of a few metal subgenres theres just so much different styles and bands that I would still enjoy even if I got sick of 75% of the bands I like(d).

It makes perfect sense to post it here...

I'd recommend just some less extreme metal. Branch out! Try some doom, melodeath, death/doom, more alternative styles of bm, folk, and prog. Perhaps you just need something not usually found within the boundaries of metal heavier than thrash. There's melody and atmosphere aplenty out there.

I can understand that someone gets a bit weary on Metal for sometime. Metal is always larger than life, full of intense emotions and great drama, combined with escapist topics that have nothing to do with daily life. Going into mid-30ies, I'm not that angry anymore that I have to listen everyday to Black/Grind/Death. It's the same with movies: When you are a kid or adolescent, you prefer Blockbusters and Horror, later you learn to enjoy Independent- or Woody-Allen-movies or whatever. For myself, I can appreciate Metal even better after some breaks from it, when I've been gone into some Classic Rock-/Jazz-/Indie- or Punk-Stuff.

THIS

oh joy, more failures

I'm always in the mood for some metal, but I like to listen to other stuff because after listening to other stuff, my "lack of metal" meter will fill up and when that happens, I'll enjoy metal more.

Nobody listens to only one genre. We all like variety don't we.

That happened to me one time when all I did was to listen to metal for one month, almost 12 hours a day. I took a little break for about one week listening to soft music and then I was beginning to crave for metal again.
I agree that listening to other genres can help you from not getting bored in metal. I listen to classical rock, jazz, instrumental, rap and a little pop but still, no other genre like metal can really fuck my ears and give it a fuckin eargasm.

This has pretty much happened to me. I got into metal when I was 14 and listened to mostly that for a while, but in the past two or three years I've been discovering a lot of new music, and gradually bit by bit I've spent more time listening to other genres than metal, to the point where I've gone weeks without listening to a single metal album. I still enjoy metal when it's on but rarely have the desire to listen to it these days. I chalk this up to being a very different person now than when I was 14, I have a very different mindset, different circle of friends, different lifestyle and of course moved out of the family home and now have my own place in the city. Mostly these days I listen to stuff like garage, hip hop, grime, dubstep, reggae, dnb and dancehall, music that I used to enjoy when I was younger but was embarrassed to admit it as I thought you couldn't listen to that stuff and still be into metal at the same time. These days I have short hair, don't dress metal (apart from a couple of old band shirts, no need to let them go to waste) and couldn't really give a fuck what anyone else thinks of my music taste so listen to whatever I like openly, and I'm a happier person for it.

That said, the other night I dug out a few of my old death metal albums and had a nostalgic listen which was good fun. I don't regret that period of my life at all, accept that my life is different now. I know a few people who got out of metal then got back into it a few years later, so maybe that'll happen to me as well. We'll see what happens.

As others have said, it's totally fine. I had a phase when I was younger and had to be metal 24/7 but that was stupid. I certainly didn't belittle other genres or people's tastes in music (like some metal fans like to do) but I pretty much wouldn't touch anything unless it was metal. Yet, I got over that and realized that I was restricting myself from some awesome music. Now some of my favorite artists aren't even metal at all.

My interest in metal has returned stronger than ever this past year but I can't really get into my old favourites. Styles that didn't do much for me in the past are now ones I can't get enough of.

I would never completely dismiss metal as a whole, perhaps trying out a genre that you weren't that fond of in the past might now appeal to you now.

I totally symphathize. I need to take a break from metal sometimes, which I always listen to the odd non-metal bands (and by odd, I mean odd - I have some random tastes). It just makes it more of a rush when I go back to it.

Why get soft when you can get hard?

^^

What exactly do you mean? That you are a tough guy just because you listen to metal or what?

It makes sense to post in a metal forum if you don't like metal? Well, time to go post in a getting punched in the face by a fat guy in drag forum.

Honestly, I see very little difference between Shadows Fall and the plethora of populist pap you'd be listening to otherwise.

This thread is about music, not porn.

Hmm, think I have to sign up for those who "got out" - at least to some (greater) extension. After more than two decades of listening to metal in general, since quiet some time I reached a point of satisfaction. Years and years I spend looking for new bands etc. (back then via tape trading, later the internet...) and always feeling the need of discovering more. So I think I must have listened to hundreds (if not more) bands over the past 24 years and buying many, many CDs.

Somehow this interest totally stopped - one of my main interests was just, well, gone... But honestly - it felt totally great. From the vast amount of bands I own stuff from I nowadays only regulary spin 6-7 different bands and the rest of my "musical diet" consists of other genres.

I still surf around here on MA and read reviews for fun as the "scene" (so to say) still is sth I'm interested in. Talking about metal (either here or with my friends) is a thing I still like (that's why posts of me pop up in the rec thread every now and then).
But the actual need for new metal music is gone. Ok, some songs I occassionally hear samples from (youtube or whatnot) are surely ok but the "need" I formerly often felt to check out band xyz more in deep - nope, nothing...
Again - this really feels good. Metal once was my biggest interest, possibly even more than just this - now it is just some "place" I like to visit now and then. You could say that I reduced it by myself to just music instead of sth bigger to which I made it up formerly. Still I love looking around my CDs and travelling back in my mind to the period where I spun band xyz the most but putting them in the player - probably not...

But well - this is just my "way" of it. There are other people (people - not friends) I know who completely got off metal and even feeling embarassed now that they once in their life listened to such crap. Thi is sth I can't understand. Not liking it is one thing but feeling ashamed for once doing so is totally stupid. Ok, but that's another story

So, basically I wanted to say: yeah, it happens and why worry about it if it comes from yourself. It's just natural that certain things will lose priority and will be replaced with others. Happens all the time - so why not in musical interests, too?

Ok, end of story...

There was a point about 2 years ago (I was in 10th grade) where I got rid of all my non metal music for some reason. I can't rationalize that idea now or understand what made me do it but I guess I thought I shouldn't listen to it because I liked metal. That idea quickly changed and now in my 7000 track music library maybe only 70% of it is metal. It feels good that I got out of listening exclusively to metal and I can now appreciate pretty much all types of music unlike when I only listened to metal.

For the most part, metalcore,nu-metal,deathcore etc.., are the only genres of music i dislike

I can relate to this since I lost touch with metal for almost 15 years. I got into metal in 82 when I was 7 and soon got obsessed with it like I get with everything I get into. From that time until 91 or so, metal ruled my life and I was just going more and more extreme in my tastes as well. I hit the wall in 91 with bands like Suffocation who I dug like hell but it was like "OK, what's next?" and there was no answer for me. I started to listen more to stuff like jazz, funk, Hip-Hop, 70's soul, reggae as well as classic rock, noise-rock, indie etc. (my interest in those genres faded as well, in retrospect, I think I was tired of the sound of the distorted guitar) and metal slowly disappeared into the background until it was practically nowhere to be found in my listening habits outside of a few albums I dug for nostalgic value... I was still checking out the ''scene'' but it was from the position of an outsider or hipster-asshole who wanted to keep up rather than a genuine fan.

Fast forward to the early 00's and I just had this urgent need out of nowhere to hear some sloppy early german thrash metal. I'm not even kidding, that was *exactly* what I wanted to hear and I realized that I really loved metal. It took me about 2-3 years to fully realize it but it was there; it was like a long lost feeling that just got back, something that had ALWAYS been there but pushed so far back that it was barely recognizable. I've been digging metal since then again even if I wouldn't call it my favourite genre or anything-that is jazz-and it makes up about 10-20% of my listening time...

Anyway, the GREAT thing about metal is that there exist absolutely no substitute (no, punk doesn't work); if you want the metal-vibe, you *need* to hear metal. The reason why so many people outgrow metal is pretty obvious:they get into it primarly for the angst- aggression- or rebellion-factor and when they lose that feeling-which most people do with age-metal obviously has nothing left to offer. I *thought* I was one of those guys but I wasn't, I realized that I loved the riffs, song-structures, tempos and just sheer *sounds* metal has to offer-the asskicking was just a bonus. I will never get out of metal again-ain't nothing like a set of great distorted riffs arranged for maximum impact...

It's really all about the riffs. I just love a good riff, and that is usually metal's focus. I really love metal because I love guitar riffs.

Death to false.

So does the most diverse genre around not have enough to offer or

Yes I did, for about two days. I spent those two days listening to Happy Hardcore (EDM, not mallcore stuff).