I really like heavy metal music, and now I’m going to convince you to like it as well. Okay I probably won’t be able to do that but I’m going to at least give it a shot. First off, let’s define what metal is: It’s anything a metal musician says it is. Clear as mud, right? Sometimes it’s more about the who than the what, I’ll get to that later. When you say the word metal most people think of a couple bands, most of whom I don’t much care for. Metallica always comes up, Slayer sometimes for those a little more in the know and worst of all crap like Puddle of Mud and Drowning Pool (what’s up with nu-metal and small bodies of water?). I respect Metallica for what they’ve done, but I’ve never cared for them myself. Slayer is okay, not my thing really but they are plenty talented. The others… they just suck, simple as that.
Metal is way bigger than that though and I think most people just never make it far enough to get that. I didn’t used to get it either, but my friends did so I developed an ear for it and now I can’t stop. Here’s the thing to know: “Metal” doesn’t define what the music is so much as remove any limitations. It doesn’t have to be fast and loud all the time, but it’s a genre that allows for any amount of fast and loud that you want and I think that’s fun. That’s the other thing about metal, it’s a lot of fun. Yeah it’s goofy sometimes (often) and way too on the nose with a lot of the lyrical content, that’s part of the joy. Does any of that sound familiar? Metal is just a big Broadway musical turned up to eleven with some heavy classical influences. In fact I’d say that a lot of metal is literally just a mash up of musicals and classical, though people never believe me. I think that’s part of why I like it though, I grew up watching old musicals with my mom and sister and even worked at a dinner theater for a few years. That’s right, I can recite “Chicago” line for line to this day, what of it?
Here’s another thing about it that nobody believes: It’s really pretty music. No, not always, but often it is. Devin Townsend is a master of this, he makes lovely metal and I think his work is a great intro to the music for a lot of people. The first song I ever heard by him was “The Way Home” which is admittedly one of his lighter songs, but metal it is. Go listen to it and tell me it isn’t at least a little pretty to you, I’ll wait. Don’t worry, there aren’t even any scream vocals, we’ll work up to that. The coolest thing is that most people wouldn’t even identify that song as metal, at least not at first, but it is because Devin Townsend is metal. Like I said, sometimes it’s the who not the what, and Devin put himself in the pantheon of metal gods long ago. To make my arguments go even further it’s worth pointing out that he has made two literal musicals in the “Ziltoid” albums. They are stories about an alien invading Earth for our ultimate cup of coffee, it’s silly as hell and a ton of fun. I’m a fan and could keep gushing, but I’ll move on.
Let’s get a little heavier, but I’d say even prettier, with some Avatar. No, not the blue alien people or the show about whatever air bending is, the band predates both. “Night Never Ending” is a gorgeous song, just sublime in my opinion. Avatar would probably be considered “extreme metal” for the most part, but that song shows it’s okay to take it easy sometimes. Like I said, the genre of metal just removes the ceiling, it doesn’t necessarily raise the floor if you know what I mean. It’s part of their first concept album that is also pretty much just a musical. “Feathers and Flesh” is a story about an owl declaring war on an eagle because she believes he brings the daytime and she dreams of, fittingly, a night never ending. Goofy? Absolutely. Fun? You better believe it. It’s also a freaking brilliant album that draws influence from a bunch of different styles and genres, you have surf guitar with blast beats and scream vocals over blues riffs. Just awesome. Avatar does seem to love turning different styles into metal, which is one of my favorite things. Ever wonder what Lynyrd Skynyrd would sound like it they were full blown metal? Listen to “Let it Burn” and wonder no more. Feeling a little cowboy? “Avatar Country” has you covered. I’ve often said all music is just waiting to become metal, and I’m pretty sure I’m correct about that.
Leo Moracchiolli has a YouTube channel all about turning pop and other genres into metal, and it’s almost all better for it. Here’s “Elastic Heart” by Sia made into kick ass metal, and it’s great. I have a soft spot for Sia already, but this makes it even better. He also knows how to have fun with it, and you can’t tell me you didn’t smile watching him dance around with his daughter. Metal is great family music, you heard it here first. Mr. Moracchiolli is a crazy talented musician and could probably do well playing any style, but I think his talents are well used doing what he does.
Like I said, it isn’t all pretty. Cannibal Corpse is anything but, and that’s okay too. It’s no different than people who love zombie movies to me, sometimes we like to look into the darkness just because we are curious, it doesn’t mean we are all drinking out of skulls at home. Though that would be extremely metal if you did. Even in that world I think there are things to appreciate, but I acknowledge that it’s much less accessible. The song “Bleed” by Meshuggah is a crazy song written by and for math nerds. I’ll be honest, it’s a little dense even for me, but holy cow that drummer is good. I wouldn’t sit around and jam out to it myself, but I can absolutely appreciate it for what it is. Crazy fast, crazy technical with razor-sharp precision. There’s something cool to that, like watching a really talented running back do what they do. I may not be a huge fan, but I can recognize skill when I see it and I respect that.
It’s kind of a shame that metal is so inaccessible to most people, but I guess that’s part of what makes it fun. It remains kind of a walled garden that only a few of us get to play in, but I suppose it’s just that we are the only ones that want to. For what it’s worth, it’s a very welcoming scene, metal heads are really warm and open people most of the time. Some of them look scary, but I challenge you to go to a metal show and come away feeling anything negative about the culture. You may hate the music, the style and everything else, but I really think you’d see the joy that it brings and the camaraderie among the fans and artists. I don’t expect you to run out and buy an Iron Maiden shirt while throwing horns in the air now, but I hope I’ve given some insight into a community that most people avoid. Maybe I’ve made a new metal head or two, here’s hoping.
High Altitude Liberty 