I'm
talking about metal music. I love it. I've been a fan of the scene
since I was 14, so that's 20 years now. Just yesterday I lost myself
in the latest Gojira and Fear Factory albums, and right now I have
the new Baroness album playing.
As
a young teenager of 13, I was listening to the likes of Michael
Jackson and Madonna. It wasn't until I went over to a friends house
that I discovered something different. He had these posters plastered
all over his wall, of guys will long hair sticking their middle
fingers up! The band was Guns N' Roses. I had never heard of them. I
was 13, and I was a fan of 'pop' music. He stuck on their (now
legendary) album Appetite For Destruction and
I was instantly hooked to 'that' sound. It was loud and angry and had
a purpose. Just what I needed as a teenager. It's that moment that
kicked off my love of loud rock and metal music.
It
wasn't until about a year later that things turned a little darker.
Guns N' Roses were great, but they were more heavy rock. Metal was
about to enter my life. I was watching the Freddy Mercury tribute of
1992, and this band called Metallica came on stage. They blew me
away! With their monstrous riffs and pounding grooves, I was
completely awe-struck. This was even better... so Metallica became
the soundtrack to my teenage years, and I first saw them live at
Donnington in 1995. Off the back of discovering Metallica, I was
introduced to bands such as Megadeth, Sepultura, Pantera, Rage
Against the Machine, Korn and Machine Head... who filled my teenage
years with meaning, drive and determination. There's no bullshit with
'metal'. It's honest, emotionally driven music that doesn't give a
fuck about anything else. It gave me strength in some very difficult
times in the late 90's. If it wasn't for metal, I may not have made
it. It was (and still is) a huge part of my life.
Metal
music inspires me because it has strength, depth and a 'can do'
attitude. It doesn't waffle off into self-pity or despair. It doesn't
have that horrid 'pop' ethos of style over substance either. There's
nothing 'fake' about metal. It is what it is... take it or leave it.
So this has been a great influence over the years, giving me strength
when needed. I guess, for me, it's a belief system. It kind of makes
sense, as you're already aware of my 'Fuck it' and nihilistic
foundations. Metal fits well with my genetic make up. For some reason
it strikes a chord... and no other music comes close.
When
2000 turned up, the metal scene was having a shit time. Nu-metal was
in full swing, which was a bit too commercial and accessible for my
liking. One of the attractions to metal was not just the sound, but
also the fact that it's controversial and pisses people off! I love
the fact that some people I know can't stand metal. I feel like I'm
part of a special club. That's what you get when you're a metal
fan... it's like being in a big family. Where everyone looks out for
each other. If you're a metal fan, you're part of the alternative
scene... which has the most incredible array of good, honest people I
have ever met. Like I said, there's no fakery, no bullshit. You
become part of something that's 'real'. For me, that's been a
life-saver. Literally.
Of
recent years, the metal scene has re-established itself and is back
on course. The bands I am into at the moment include Gojira,
Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, Fear Factory, Deftones, Mastodon and
Baroness. To name a few.
20
years on... I still love this music. I'll never grow tired of it as
it has so much to offer. I look forward to being in my 70s and going
to a metal festival, because I know I'll be looked after, and it will
drive me to exist well into my 90s. It gives me fuel. It gives me
that fire in my belly, to grab life by the balls and get on with it!
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