Individuality and Happiness as a Metalhead

Human beings enjoy reminiscence.  We like to remember the past and, more often than not, contemplate what we could have become.  Heavy metal embraces this aspect of human nature, but puts a strange twist on these ideas.  Roots, as I have previously explored, are extremely important in the metal culture; the roots of the individual become just as important as the roots of the music itself.  I have been confronted with the antagonizing question, “why do you listen to such angry music?” numerous times.  The source of this happiness from such “angry sounding” music is not necessarily traceable, but it does beg to be explored.
My comments here may seem very contradictory or hypocritical, but take them with consideration.  Metal isn’t angry, but it is the sound of anger.  There are always exceptions, but individuals don’t listen to metal because they want to be angry, they listen to metal because they are angry.  A metalhead uses the music as a catharsis from the real world.  An escape, where the listener controls everything except the notes ringing in the background.  Again, these ideas are different for every listener, but I know I am not alone in these ideas.  Metal music becomes a purging experience of powerful emotions and painful ideas.  This may seem like a scapegoat explanation to the angry sounds of this music, but this truly explains the ideals of heavy metal.
Throughout its history metal has been under accusation of corruption.  The minds of the youth are often susceptible to brainwashing and are heavily influenced by surrounding culture.  In the wake of school killings and teen suicides the metal community came under attack.  Angry music breeds angry youth.  Wrong.  I cannot negate the fact that individuals that do monstrous things sometimes listen to heavy metal, but serial killers have also listened to country, rap, classical, and even Latino music, but the media simply chooses to not exemplify these situations.  Heavy metal is angry, but only because it becomes the ultimate release of that anger and hatred.  We all have days that we don’t like the world, and metal simply embraces that emotion to remove it, again a purging of negative emotion.
This may explain the draw that metal has to certain demographics of individuals.  Broken homes, drug problems, poverty, alcoholism, suffering, etc. gets poured into this music and is essentially released in the powerful aggressive form of a guitar or screaming voice.  My answer, now, to such a question, “why such angry music?” is simply, a smile and to say, “either you feel it or you don’t.”  Metal flows through the veins of its listeners and the community of angry individuals purging our woes in a pit or banging our heads in the car is what makes metal unique.  Loud, angry, and aggressive, musically.

Stronger than all,
Keep it Metal.
Chris Fox