Welcome to the first installment of "From Hell's
Heart..". This new section is an editorial/opinion column written
by the Metal Rules!! team. Each month we'll pick a new metal-related
topic and share our thoughts, feelings and ideas on it. The first column
is aptly entitled:
Why Metal Rules?
(Feb. 2000)
EvilG's View
Why does metal rule? For someone not a part of the metal
scene this is something that is beyond words. To them, metal is just
another type of music. For us true metalheads, it's not just another
type of music, just another CD you happen to like along with all the
other shit you have. Metal is an attitude, a individualistic way of
thinking and viewing the world. Sure there are sheep, even in metal,
those who blindly follow whatever a band does no mater if it has turned
into crap. To me metal is bigger than any band - my loyalty is to metal
and then to those bands that remain true to metal. Metal is also the
only type of music that combine those elements that sound like you feel.
There is the anger, the aggression, the hatred, the power, then there
are the tender and reflective moments. To me no other form of music even
comes close to summing up the human experience like metal does.
Philosophical emanations aside, metal is definitely not
the kind of music that just anyone can play. Sure there are simplistic
metal bands, but I believe that some of the most creative, honest, and
talented musicians in the world are playing metal. Probably the only
other type of music that requires as much skill to play properly is
classical music.
For me, metal takes a place in my life that many others
fill with religion. No, I don't in actuality pray to "the gods of
metal" but one definition of religion is "A cause, a
principle, or an activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion"
- Well I know that heavy metal is a cause and a principle that I have
pursued with devotion. Why do you think I started this whole metal-rules.com
thing? Almost every waking thought I have is about metal, I can hardly
listen to any other form of music nor do I have ANY desire to do so
because as juvenile as it may sound to some - "METAL RULES!!"
"Some
have eyes but still can't see. Their plastic noise is anything but
music to me. Mechanized and computerized. Switch off your brain and
make sounds that dehumanize."
(Kreator, 1989).
Joe's View
Why does Heavy Metal rule? That's a question I've asked myself
numerous times, but have yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. It
feels somewhat strange to love something so much and at the same time
not really know why. So far, the only reason I've been able to come up
with is... "I just do!".
As with any other art form, music is subject to the scrutiny of the
personal tastes of the listener. Most people can say what they like
about a particular style of music but no one can really explain why. Why
do I prefer Metal over Country, Hip-Hop, Blues, etc... The same reason
an art fan might prefer Monet's work over Van Gogh's, DaVinci's, or that
of any other artist... There's just something about the work that
appeals to your own unique sense of taste. And if you spend too much
time trying to figure out why, you'll only succeed at driving yourself
crazy. So while I can't explain the reasons for my deep love of Heavy
Metal, there are a few things about the genre which do add to its
appeal...
For starters, the key element of Heavy Metal is the guitar. And for
as long as I can remember, I've have always preferred guitar-driven
music. I can still recall listening to stuff like KISS, Eddie Money, and
Meat Loaf when I was a wee lad back in the late 1970's. Granted, it
wasn't Metal, but it sure beat the hell out of Disco!!! And from a
strictly sonic perspective, no other instrument can match the
skull-crushing strength of an overdriven electric guitar. Simply put,
it's pure sonic power. And when accompanied by pounding drums and
thundering bass, it becomes a devastating force that few are able to
embrace.
In terms of playing ability, the technical skills of most Metal
musicians is far beyond that of the average Pop/Rock musician. Anybody
can take the raw energy of the electric guitar and produce uninspired,
angst-ridden noise (Bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit suddenly spring to
mind.), but to successfully harness and control that power to create
music that's not only aggressive, but melodic and intelligent, takes
true talent. Also, being a guitarist myself, I find it difficult to
believe that anyone can possibly feel any sense of musical fulfilment by
writing and performing simplistic songs that are basically nothing more
than mindless drivel. Do people (I won't say musicians, because they're
not...) like Snoop Doggy-Dogg and Puff Daddy (who simply talk over the
beat of a drum machine) really feel the same sense of pride and
accomplishment that I feel when I compose what I think is a killer riff?
I think not.
In an age where doing anything "unpopular" is usually
frowned upon by the average person, it takes a great deal of integrity
to do what one wants in the face of guaranteed condescension. To choose
to be true to one's self and risk being labeled an "outcast"
is a huge middle finger in the face of the established societal norms.
(And we all know how much society likes people who refuse to conform to
it's expectations.) But it's this sense of integrity that truly makes
Metal great. Because it's not only music listened to by a few rebellious
natured individuals... It's also a roar of defiance to anyone who thinks
we can be "converted".
Rick's View
Why Metal Rules? Metal Rules because its the THE best
music under the sun. Metal is much more thought provoking and powerful
than the pop pablum that is fed to all the eggheads who don't know the
difference between Britney Spears and the hum of a microwave. To these
poor lost souls music is nothing more than background soundtrack to
their endless babbling about clothes, fast food and mommy’s car. To
the hardcore metal head, Heavy Metal is much more. Metal is a way of
life. The music sucks you into its world of power, chaos and blackness.
Being a metalhead changes the way you look at the mainstream world. You
are often counted a freak because you listen to the evil, Satan spawned,
blasphemous noise of Heavy Metal. Fear Not!! They know not what they say
as their music knowledge consists of cookie cutter sounds made by pretty
boys and dancing girls who are hired more for their ability to be
marketed than their musical prowess. As a metalhead I can tell you that
there is nothing as godly as the awesome sound of a distorted guitar
shredding away as the vocalist wails, the bassist thumps and the drummer
just bashes his drums into a pile of smoking wood and twisted metal!!!
Yes!! GODLY!!! The lyrical content goes way beyond the childish
derivative junk that every one of today’s manufactured, commercially
driven, surgically augmented pop acts spew forth on a daily basis from
thousands of radio stations more worried about the price of the
companies stock and pandering to the big record conglomerates than
playing good music. And metal is THE best music! Not just any moron with
a guitar can play metal. We've all heard Korn, Coal Chamber, System of a
Down and those other rap crap bands try their best to make songs but
only end up making us want to throw up our lunch. True metal is made for
the love of the music. If the bands were in search of the almighty
dollar they would sit home and write sappy pop songs not the epic tunes
and dark odysseys that we all love so much!!
Nathan's View
Metal rules for several reasons…reasons obvious to us metalheads,
yet unknown to radio-lovers. First of all, people form metal bands for
the love of the music. For some, it is a full-time job. But most metal
musicians make the music their number one priority. Therefore it is an
honest form of music, as opposed to all of the radio-oriented bullshit
on the market. Furthermore, metal has integrity. Forty years from now,
people will still be listening to Black Sabbath, Forbidden, Arch Enemy,
Napalm Death, Iced Earth, and tons of other metal bands. No matter how
old the music gets as time goes on, it will still hold the power and
glory it had when first released. And there are many forms of metal to
be found…thrash, death, power, doom, black…you name it. Variety is
necessary for any genre of music to survive. And metal has no limits or
boundaries. Metal bands can take influence from any other category of
music and incorporate it into their style, and actually make it work. It
could be jazz, blues, folk, classical, funk, tribal, or (god forbid) rap
and industrial. Rarely do you see the reverse situation. Plus, metal
bands have the ability to experiment…to satisfy themselves first and
foremost, without regard to what will sell and what won't. Radio bands
cannot, for fear of losing that oh so precious airplay. Another example
of metal's integrity is the fact that this music exists because of the
brotherhood between us metal fans. We are into this stuff because we
love it! And we are quick to spread the word about our favorite bands
and to turn others on to great music. We do so by word of mouth, tape
trading, letters, email, fanzines, concert going, and through web sites.
And we do so at our own will and from our hearts. There are many
metalheads that practically kill themselves just to get a fanzine out,
or to keep a web page updated. These people do it for the love of the
music and oftentimes without monetary compensation. Now this is
dedication. You don't find this extreme effort being made in other forms
of music, do you? It is our dedication to metal that separates us from
the radio-listening folk and makes us, fellow brothers and sisters of
metal, very unique.
And let's face it…metal rules because of one simple equation: Metal
= Heavy! It is an extreme form of music. But it is also an emotional
form of music. Whether you are feeling happy, depressed, lonely,
victorious, angry, evil, pissed, energetic, proud, insane…whatever,
there is always a metal band that complements those feelings perfectly.
On top of this, metal musicians can attain extremely high levels of
musicianship and skill. Some of the world's best guitarists, bassists,
and drummers come from the realm of Metal. On top of that, ALL of the
world's best vocalists are Metal! In closing, metal is a way of life. I
am sure we'll all still be thrashing together when we hit our 80's and
90's! Put on a metal shirt, grab your guitar, or your air guitar, and go
running down your street singing Iron Maiden songs at the top of your
lungs!
Waspman returns from the grave to present you with his
view
Why does metal rule? Sitting here listening to Running
Wild's "Chains & Leather" I can't help but think that
metal rules for pure ass-kicking power! Bang your head, thrash
around, mosh, do whatever the hell you want, but just make sure you
metalize it! But really, metal is more than that. Much more. Why does
metal rule? It rules because no other musical style can give you the
feeling that metal does.
Think about it. Think back to when you ripped the
cellophane wrapping off of your favorite metaler's new CD. Since I'm
listenin' to it right now, let's say that it's Running Wild's Under
Jolly Roger. You press play and hear waves gently lapping…suddenly
Rockin' Rolf gives the command and cannons fire! The guitars and drums
kick in on a classic galloping riff and we're off! From that point on,
you damn well know that you're in for a ride. Simply put, you
can't beat the rush of excitement that hits you when a metal album
shifts into high gear. No other form of music can cause that level of
feeling. What, you think that the newest Foo F@#ckers album is gonna do
that for ya? Or maybe Korn's Follow Us Down The Shitter? Thought so. I
know my metal-rules buds would whole-heartedly agree.
Don't get me wrong, there are some really bad
(and Waspman means really bad) metal bands out there. I'm sure we'd all
like to forget the fact that dreck like Pyogenesis is allowed to exist
in the metal realm. Still, for every shite band, there is a killer one.
Queensryche gotcha down? Throw on some Dream Theater. Got a problem with
Ancient (and you should!)? Then kneel before the power of Bal-Sagoth.
In fact, that's the other beauty of metal. Variety.
Yeah, I know, that particular trumpet has been sounded countless times
by many others, but the point is worth repeating. Metal is diverse, and
it should be. Granted, there are some real MF's out there that should
crawl into the ditch and die, but that's only because they aren't metal
in the first place. Where else but in metal could you get bands as
diverse as Trouble rubbing elbows with Amon Amarth? Where else but in
metal could Hammerfall tour with Lake of Tears? Metal is a self-feeding
style of music. All of the various sub-genres create their own style of
metal that gets fed into other sub-genres for inspiration. Heavy metal
perpetuates itself through its diverseness.
It's like the caption on this site says: "It's not
just music, it's a way of life". You can't like metal on a casual
basis, and that in itself tells you why metal rules. It is the only
music that can inspire such insane loyalty in its followers. Live it.
Breathe it. Feel it. If you don't, Rockin' Rolf and the metal-rules crew
will kick your ass!
Pete's View
Why does Metal Rule??????? Well, as Mambo # 5 plays on
the radio for the 8th time today, I'm reminded why "Metal
Rules".....When I see Ricky Martin 'shakin' his bon-bon' on TV, I'm
reminded why "Metal Rules"............Need I say more???
There's nothing like the sound, the aggression, the
feeling of euphoria that comes from Heavy Metal. Attitude, aggression,
melody, you can find it all. But you won't find it on radio 8 times a
day, or on video channels in heavy rotation, as it is not the "in
thing" or "what's hot!!' It's individual and that's what makes
it unique. Whether it is found in the groove of Sabbath, the fire of
newer bands such as Iced Earth, or the sweet, sweet duel harmony of
Maiden........Damn...Metal Rules!!!!
DethHeads' View
Metal rules for so many reasons: First you you have your
nature lovers, who love looking at fucking panda bears etc, look no
further then BLACK METAL! All the Nazi fascist skinheads (Malevolent
Creation), philosophers, horror fans, artists (how do you think we see
all those terrific fucking POWER METAL artwork), dungeon and dragon
people (power metal), bikers (motorhead, manowar), satanists
/ atheists, wiccans etc. truly find a place in this realm of musical
ecstasy as a fucking PURE practicing religion without the god damn ethic
bullshit. There are no fucking limits no matter what your lifestyle,
it's open to everyone! All the gays out there go for the GLAM METAL,
HAHAHA. It's for people who want too live out there lives the way they
see fit, fuck society. THAT'S METAL. If your into metal, and are a
metalhead, then as you already know society doesn't fucking matter.
Power, death, Speed, Thrash, Heavy, Symphony, classical, Dark,
industrial, gothic, Satanic, Gore, grind, whatever your into, this METAL
defines you as a individual. It is a form of music that only the truly
dedicated can appreciate. What other musical form can let you dress up
like you would on Halloween! That's my piece of shit for today. Rot up
the Ironing board, and ROT out the weak, pour some gasoline on the open
wounds.