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demultiplexer
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 3:17 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:38 am 
 

Deliberately vague topic title because I'm interested not just in the yes/no answers, but also what metalheads think metalheads are stereotyped as and/or 'should be'.

I never go to concerts (first one scheduled for March next year, I've been a metalhead for 20+ years now), I don't have tattoos or eh.. a beard? I don't know, I feel culturally very far away from 'mainstream' depictions of metalheads.

---- skip if you don't care about some random guy's history ----

So, growing up in my early teens I was a pretty awkward kid who didn't really know what he liked and was fairly influenceable by peers. I was okay with pop music for the longest time, and due to childhood piano lessons I could appreciate romantic-era and earlier classical music. My real musical tastes started to form around music that I simply found interesting, which was very broad - from electronica (boards of canada, aphex twin, etc.) to experimental (wevie stonder) to enya to Air and even some Linkin Park (hard to ignore if you're from that era, sorry). But I had this one friend who had this air about him of just... knowing what's good. In my mind, he was the music oracle and he was all about metal and industrial music. So I followed him down that rabbit hole, found out I wasn't quite aligned with what he liked and as his influence waned my musical tastes stabillized on black metal.

But I still really enjoy a lot of aspects of metal. I love the nitpicking over genres, the gatekeeping, the nerding out, the overly esoteric review writing style, the atmosphere of perpetual sadness and looming evil. I'm not joking, this is what makes my day. I'm pretty sure the reason for this is that in music, metal is basically the only place where this combination of (negative) emotions is given form, and I'm convinced the only way to be a reasonably well-balanced human is to be able to have an outlet for all of your emotions. Happiness and joy is socially acceptable to exude publically, but the rest is - outside of family - usually a solitary affair.

Moreover, I really like the super-broad musical range of metal. Not an original thought, but metal is so all-encompassing as to be a useless genre. I can find everything I want musically inside metal and rarely need to go outside (although I regularly do, just because i have so many other musical touchstones outside of metal). I'm amazed that after so many years, entire this-should-be-niche subgenres are springing back into life through one or two acts that just blow everything that came previously out of the water. WWI and WWII metal is suddenly a thing again, and better than ever. There's awesome atmospheric black metal being produced just in the last 2 years, stuff I couldn't have dreamt of 5 years ago as a huge Summoning fan. I've also just found Ne Obliviscaris, which is a trip. Almost all other music becomes boring with this in mind. There's really only jazz and experimental music that has a similar pace and depth of innovation, at least in my opinion. And I'm not saying that to shit on pop music (although I condone that as a tradition in the metal community - tradition is important!), I just get so happy listening to ridiculous violin-versus-guitar handoffs accompanied by 200bpm double bass hits and the best bass guitar ever. Crazy stuff.

----- end of boring stuff -----

So, do you fit in the stereotype? Are you more like me, just a guy happy to listen to such cool music and happy to be alive in a period of such a wealth and availability of this music?

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FirebathDan
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 2:32 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:39 pm 
 

Not anymore. For me today, metal is just a genre of music I enjoy (one of many), not a lifestyle or anything to do with identity politics. If you saw me on the street, you'd say "average guy".

20-30 years ago, different story.
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:00 pm 
 

Beards are not metal, that's just for for baldies with a complex.
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LilTito
Metalhead

Joined: Thu May 13, 2021 3:10 pm
Posts: 694
Location: Croatia
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:05 pm 
 

I haven't been for a long time, no. I don't go to concerts, mainly because i don't like it, secondly because there is not much shit happening where i live (i did almost go to Imperial T. and Mgla this summer tho..), i don't really buy band merch, i don't usually buy music (i bought some CDs recently after like 6 years), I don't have long hair, wear black, have poor taste in footwear etc. etc.

Metal is still one of my favorite genres in music and I honestly couldn't imagine my life without it. Particularly, extreme metal is this cool combination of pomp, musical virtuosity, unconventional sounds, interesting lyrical themes, fantastic cover artworks and, as a european; it appeals to me that bands come from literally everywhere and anywhere including my neighboring countries, which is kinda rare speaking of talent from other genres.

However these days i see metal as just another music genre and i don't think much of it.

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LongHairIsSoFuckingCool
Edgy Metal Noob Catchphrase Dispenser

Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 3:22 am
Posts: 547
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:59 pm 
 

Metal helped me through high school, so probably.
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HighwayCorsair
Knows a guy

Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:40 pm
Posts: 700
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 5:39 pm 
 

I don't have long hair or tattoos but I wear almost nothing but band shirts. Does that count?
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Ezadara
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:32 pm
Posts: 609
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 5:41 pm 
 

When I was 15 or 16, yeah, probably, inasmuch as a 'stereotypical metalhead' exists. I rocked the long hair, wore a painted-up leather jacket pretty much everywhere, owned tons of CDs and band t-shirts, went to shows all the time, and was pretty involved in the local metal scene. Back then, probably 75% of my listening was metal-- it was the first genre of music I really got 'into' at that point between childhood and adolescence when you start really forming your own artistic tastes, and it helped me understand what it meant to appreciate music on a meaningful level that I hadn't when I was younger. I don't think it was ever particularly fundamental to my identity; if you'd asked me an open-ended question about who I was, it wouldn't have come up, although if you'd straight up asked me at sixteen if I was a metalhead, I probably would've agreed.

That was years and years ago though. Eventually I cut my hair, mostly because I liked the way I looked with short hair better and it was so much less of a hassle to take care of; I wasn't really into the leather jacket look anymore, and frankly started to find a lot of my band tees embarrassing (I was/am a big BDM fan, the merch tends to be pretty tasteless); and while I do still love metal, it constitutes maybe a fifth of the music I listen to. It'll always be the genre that helped me learn to appreciate and love music, though.

I also don't go to shows as much anymore. I still enjoy them, but man, I just find metal shows exhausting these days. I'm in my late twenties, standing around and occasionally getting jostled for a few hours shouldn't be this strenuous!

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CreepingDeath16
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2021 12:49 am
Posts: 863
Location: Hyperborea
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:16 pm 
 

I don't think there is a stereotypical metalhead anymore, not at least like there was in the 80's and the 90's. That has probably a lot to do with metal getting older, becoming more commonplace and the "fanbase" being now of a wider spectrum of age and other demographic factors. Band shirts and long hair seem to be the more lasting elements, and even the latter has grown significantly less prominent over the years.
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Frank Booth
Can Bench 450

Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:29 pm
Posts: 1516
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:21 pm 
 

In favor of: I wear a lot of band shirts and black in general, I go to a fuckton of shows and have for a long time, most of the shows I go to are metal, I have a huge physical media collection, and I'm a huge fan of horror movies and vintage trash, sleaze, and kitsch culture.
Against: I have short hair and no facial hair (can't grow a beard to save my life + the likelihood of eventually being fit-tested for a full-face respirator at work), I listen to a huge array of genres, I stick to metal shows mostly because it's where my friends are at and it's by far the nicest and most fun vibe around here, conspicuous hesher culture outside of the shows where I would expect it annoys the fuck out of me and is dorky as hell, and I consume media from a wide variety of genres and a lot of the things I enjoy would probably surprise people.

In short, probably a typical semi-white collar metal dude.

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CoffeeCat
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2022 9:09 am
Posts: 338
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:46 pm 
 

.
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praey
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:33 am
Posts: 925
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 7:06 pm 
 

I think I'm a stereotypical metalhead in many ways. About 80% of the time I'm wearing a band shirt, I go to shows 10 to 15 times a year, I buy band merch online once or twice a month, and probably 85% of the music I listen to is metal. On the other hand, I have short hair, am clean shaven, and have been told by several people that I look more like a guy who would like rap or country music than metal. I would love to grow my hair out, but for most of my adult life I haven't been able to do that due to my career. I also don't care for the "politics" of the metal scene and find it really cringey when people take the music or the "metal lifestyle" too seriously.

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Oxenkiller
Veteran

Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:42 am
Posts: 3613
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 7:07 pm 
 

I definitely used to be. Long hair, ripped jeans, denim jacket, black t-shirts, studded wrist bands= the classic 80's metalhead look. And I was into most everything loud, fast, heavy, and aggressive (which included punk, which was my second favorite music genre.) So I had the musical tastes as well. And add to that all the wild debauchery of those years- the booze, the bong hits, and the general lifestyle, and you could say that yeah, I was a stereotypical metalhead.

But then, Pressure to find a professional career in an office, coupled with a general broadening of my musical tastes as I got older and moved past my mid-20s, made me look and dress more conservatively. I'm pretty much a lightweight these days as far as booze- it's down to just a couple beers with my buddies once a week now, pretty much, and I gave up weed smoking long ago.
So if you saw me on the street you'd probably just think, "Corporate Drone," unless you caught me on a weekend sporting a Dark Throne or faded Iron Maiden shirt.

So...short answer, not really so much, anymore.

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MalignantTyrant
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 3:27 pm
Posts: 1647
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 7:20 pm 
 

I haven't had a single sip of alcohol in two years, don't have a single tattoo and I keep my hair buzzed. I don't have any facial hair, either...

Eh, not very metal I suppose.
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kazhard
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:42 pm
Posts: 837
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 7:35 pm 
 

Well it depends really, I’m a bit of a dirtbag and I’m proud. As far as being a stereotypical metalhead… I don’t know. Yes I have long hair and I wear bands shirts on a daily basis but no I’m not a Kvlt kid who kills kittens and scare off elderly folks. Make of that what you will.
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doomicus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 5:58 am
Posts: 1261
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 7:54 pm 
 

I reckon so, leather and all.
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Slater922
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:24 pm
Posts: 2343
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:22 pm 
 

HighwayCorsair wrote:
I don't have long hair or tattoos but I wear almost nothing but band shirts. Does that count?

Same thing for me.
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LithoJazzoSphere
Veteran

Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:11 pm
Posts: 3576
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:57 pm 
 

Nope, never was, probably never will be. I've gone to a fair number of concerts, but probably less than average. Been listening to pop and all kinds of other genres alongside metal for the whole time. I sometimes wear band T-shirts and hoodies, a leather jacket, boots, and black jeans, had long hair for a few years but gave it up. Have a lame beard going right now, but historically couldn't grow enough of one to even bother trying. No tattoos or piercings, don't drink or smoke or use controlled substances. Metal is just another great genre of music. I listen to more of it than almost any other, but I don't deify it.


Last edited by LithoJazzoSphere on Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Nocturnal_Evil
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:00 am
Posts: 668
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:01 pm 
 

Honestly, I'm somewhat stereotypical, but don't really mind it. Not entirely stereotypical though. I've got the long hair and arsenal of black/band oriented clothes (because metal/alt fashion is generally super cool looking), and absolutely love going turbo-nerd over subgenres and stuff. However, I hate the idea of getting tattoos/piercings, and really hate the try-hard edginess of some metal fans, and am borderline straight-edge. I also really don't like going to concerts either, which I think bucks the mold a little bit.
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oldmetalhead
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:30 am
Posts: 839
Location: Helltown, United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:13 am 
 

It was definitely a defining part of my life in the 80's, when I was younger. Growing older, getting married, having kids, blah, blah, I have remained a metalhead, just more reserved. Still is and always will be my favorite style of music.

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GuitarGuyNack
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:14 pm
Posts: 72
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:55 am 
 

kazhard wrote:
Well it depends really, I’m a bit of a dirtbag and I’m proud. As far as being a stereotypical metalhead… I don’t know. Yes I have long hair and I wear bands shirts on a daily basis but no I’m not a Kvlt kid who kills kittens and scare off elderly folks. Make of that what you will.


This sounds a bit like me.
I have long hair (that I get harassed about at work) only wear black band shirts and only listen to metal. On the other hand, I'm the guy everyone at work comes to for help. So i guess mostly?
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ChildClownOutlet
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2011 4:52 pm
Posts: 1579
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:01 am 
 

Stopped wearing band shirts years ago. Hell even when I did I kind of rolled my eyes at the whole patches and leather jacket shit(guys wearing that in the hot California weather made me gag, deodorant wasn’t a thing for them.) Stopped going to concerts a while ago. Life kind of got in the way but metal will always be the top genre no matter what.
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RainyTheBusinessPerson
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2016 10:50 pm
Posts: 184
Location: Southern Hemisphere
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:09 am 
 

TL;DR - It really depends on what types of stereotypes, if they're more how we see our communities or if they're outlookers see us (which means an amalgamation of almost anything that isn't bright and poppy, even subcultures that have nothing to do with music!). If it's a surface level stereotype then no, but otherwise then I guess I am.

Tricky to answer, I'd be quick to say no. I kinda don't feel like I'm a stereotypical anything, I'm a lover of all niche things and I have a variety of interests that have not much to do with each other, and you wouldn't be able to guess any of that based on just a surface level encounter (I consider a stereotypes to be a very surface level thing, a first glance type of deal, since everyone has nuances that you can find if you get to know them properly, not necessarily just by looks, but mannerisms in general). The most telling thing about me is that I have mostly band t-shirts, and few pants and cargo shorts that you would associate with death metal fans. But besides that, I can't say I am stereotypical.

On the other hand, I did mention how much I love niche stuff, I feel fairly enthusiastic about the things I'm into, and I love talking to people who are also enthusiastic, and I notice a lot of metalheads are like this. Not a lot of people out there care about the history of things they like, they don't have release dates and stories about these things memorized, they don't care about things like a track order in an album, they might not even listen to full albums. They may not be interested in discussing the things they like, nor analyzing it, looking at it in a deeper way than it was ever intended. But well, I do care, I am interested, and the reason why I'm so integrated into metal is because there are a lot of people who are just like this (other niche media have them too). You could consider a lot of the stuff I've mentioned to be stereotypical metalhead traits, and honestly, these are things that often come first into my mind when I think about metal fans, which might just be stereotypical, even if not surface level like the other stereotypes on might think of. I guess there are stereotypes for people who are into it (non-surface level and usually more accurate) and stereotypes for outsiders who just aren't familiar with anything and will often pigeonhole a bunch of subcultures that have nothing to do with other (which results in amusingly embarrassing nonsense). Surface level stereotypes (the most common ones and what I usually think of when the word stereotype comes up) are based on looks mainly, more accurate stereotypes are based on traits and behaviors that are commonly spotted in metal communities. In the case of the latter, I'm fairly stereotypical.
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thewrll
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:33 am
Posts: 713
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:30 am 
 

Opus wrote:
Beards are not metal, that's just for for baldies with a complex.


Way to tell us that you can't grow one, stfu.

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Benedict Donald
Veteran

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:36 am
Posts: 3066
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 11:39 am 
 

Like many others, I'd say no, but certainly was in the 80s during my adolescent years. In those days, I only wore band Ts, had long(ish) hair, wore a denim jacket covered with patches, etc.

I still attend gigs but haven't purchased a concert T (or any merch at a gig) in over 30 years. And I rarely wear black....simply too hot when the sun is shining.
No desire for that whatsoever.
I loathe tattoos and piercings...always have. Not sure that beards at solely 'metal' as seemingly everyone wears one these days. But not me...not a fan of facial hair at all.

I'd like to say that this is all due to professional reasons (spend a lot of time in DC with charities and political groups) but I lost the desire to "live the culture" before college.

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mirons
Metalhead

Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 12:59 pm
Posts: 660
Location: Latvia
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:05 pm 
 

More yes than no. I haven't had long hair for 10 years now (going progressively more and more bald for the last 15 years or so), don't have a single tattoo, but I have a foot long beard, wear band shirts on a daily basis, go to gigs fairly often (once in a month on two, on average), around 90% of all music I listen to is metal. I also drink regularly, but that's not specific to metalheads at all.

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1271
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:07 pm 
 

At the moment no, people are always really surprised when I tell them I'm a metalhead. But I'm gonna be growing my hair out and buying more merch, so I'll probably be more stereotypical.
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Lagartija
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:27 am
Posts: 2042
Location: Catalunya
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:14 pm 
 

Pretty much, and proud. Long hair (while it lasts), tattoos, piercings, band shirts and leather jacket. Things have been very quiet on the concert front since the pandemic (next up is Mgla in December) but that didn't really bother me as I went to so many for several years that I pretty much saw everything I wanted to see (damn you for splitting up Bolt Thrower!).
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lordcatfish
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:44 pm
Posts: 1461
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:37 pm 
 

I have long hair (considering getting it cut) and wear band shirts quite often (although not always metal), but that's about it. I don't have any piercings or tattoos, don't drink or smoke or anything like that, and find going to gigs less appealing as the years go by (used to go to around 20-25 a year, now it's around 7-8, and again, not always metal).
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draconiondevil
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:21 pm
Posts: 710
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:41 pm 
 

The funny thing about this is that people who aren't into metal don't notice any of this stuff. I have long hair and wear band shirts all the time and a lot of people have been surprised that I'm into metal. They just don't notice the shirts or think about them in the way that metalheads do.
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jimbies
Noose Springsteen

Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 2:52 pm
Posts: 4145
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 2:46 pm 
 

In high school, I had long hair (dyed red at times) to the middle of my back. I wore a lot of leather and denim jackets as well as band shirts. I even had a pentagram ring (LOLOLOL). No piercing and no (visible) tattoos. I have one tattoo that is on my upper left arm which is not associated with metal at all, and I truly wish I wasn't even there.

Now that I've gone bald, I don't have the hair anymore, and do not dress like a metalhead in the slightest. People that didn't know me 20 years ago are often shocked I listen to metal.

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Hexenmacht46290
Has a GED in Gamercide

Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:30 pm
Posts: 772
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 2:57 pm 
 

I have long hair and beard, because I don’t have work rules telling me not to, and because it’s what I want. Actually, wearing band shirts gets people who don’t have the metal ‘look’ to start conversations with you, because they give infernal hails to the band on your shirt. I wear band shirts all the time. Almost all my other T shirts are black. Before you say that it’s “toxic masculinity,” or something like that, I have a reason for that, it’s the color of shirt I want to wear. It also doesn’t change color, when saturated with sweat.

I don’t have tattoos. If I got one, how do I know I wouldn’t think it’s lame, years later? I’ve changed my mind about things. Even worse, in my country, tattoos are pretty acceptable, among lame normies. When you go to the courthouse, to pay your citations, some asshole behind the desk, has forearm and head and neck tattoos. What in the fuck? You’re telling me to obey the law? Looks like tattoos aren’t some badass outlaw thing after all. Teachers have them, snitches have them, preachers have them, office working people with university degrees have them, keyboard warriors have them. Why would I want a tattoo? To fit in with everyone else, in the cookie cutter mold? Maybe I should give money to preachers, and get social media accounts too. Aren’t most tattoos supposed to be offensive, or intimidating? Because none of them really are. Because most people have them, and most people are weak posers.* I want to stand out, therefore, I don’t have any. Should a get a tattoo that says “fucking Slayer(but only their old stuff)?”

Maybe tattoo artists should do background checks, to make sure you really are tough enough, or non-mainstream enough, to get a tattoo, to preserve the art form’s purity. But they won’t do that, because they like money.

I used to do the stereotypical metal head thing, and hate non metal music. I was against rap, for the longest time, because I was first introduced to the genre, by hearing it blasted on boomboxes, by assholes who wanted to fight me. Eventually I realized, that most of my country’s modern pop is just labeled as some kind of hip hop, by ignorant music critics, who just label singers as that, because of their race, when they don’t really sound like that. I think gangsta rap has value, because it’s practitioners, like me, live in a society. They understand the laws of the street, which are the laws of nature. And it’s similar to true metal, hailing and killing. I don’t get the newer stuff, probably in the same way that some black metal fans hate black gaze.

Nowadays, I don’t go around telling everyone how much I hate pop music. I barely know it even exists. Until I make the mistake of listening to some of it, in which case, I come on here and make a post about how I hate it, and gets offended at me.

*I’ve worked with people who ended up committing murders, and I also have a lot of coworkers, who have gang tattoos, which are supposed to be kill markers, or commemorating assaults, or bloodshed. A lot of people have these tattoos, and aren’t a threat to anyone, other than their livers, or other call of duty players.
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Ace_Rimmer
Metal freak

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:30 am
Posts: 4606
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 3:16 pm 
 

I wear band shirts now and then, go to concerts when I can, drink on the weekends, and have a couple tattoos. But I shave my head so I don't have that going on.

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pressingtoplead13
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:05 pm
Posts: 740
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 3:23 pm 
 

I used to define myself as a metalhead and loved that in high school i was the death metal dude. I suppose in terms of death metal I look the part, long hair, facial hair, jeans, black band shirt, but I've never felt like I fit into any over arching stereotype. I avoid the spikes, leather, and vests, eyeliner, no tattoos at the moment although i'm not against them, and I opt for more casual logo band t-shirts as opposed to the outright gore shirts like Cannibal Corpse, Mortician, and Exhumed that I loved to shock people with in high school.

I could care less if i'm stereotypical in appearance or not because their is much more to my personality than what meets the eye. People compare me to Roman Reigns and Jason Momoa alot, i guess if you slapped a Morbid Angel shirt on them, i'm stereo typical.

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JCP524
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 12:37 pm
Posts: 77
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:37 pm 
 

This thread is interesting. It seems to conflate being into metal as being a masculine jock type.

In my experience people into metal are usually socially awkward nerds.

Jocks like rap and maybe country music.

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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
Veteran

Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 6:38 am
Posts: 2973
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:46 pm 
 

I'm black (I hate saying/writing African-American) so I fail the first 'stereotypical' test I suppose. Hair's been long and short through the years for various reasons (I'm in my 30's now) and never really to cultivate any metal look. Since I am an all-round music head, I could never forge my look around one style. But I own dozens of band shirts, mostly in black, and wear them often.
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pressingtoplead13
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:05 pm
Posts: 740
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 7:15 pm 
 

JCP524 wrote:
This thread is interesting. It seems to conflate being into metal as being a masculine jock type.

In my experience people into metal are usually socially awkward nerds.

Jocks like rap and maybe country music.


I would agree, I would probably be considered the masculine jock type and I feel like most of the metalheads I see at shows are more "nerds". I'm not trying to say that in a mean way, but just based on general appearance and interest, they seem to be great people, just different interests than me, and what In my mind a "Metalhead" was supposed to be.

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Lee Harrison
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 30, 2022 6:28 am
Posts: 1433
Location: Italy
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 7:48 pm 
 

Not more when aging im more mature and cynic…

No more dream and no more church burned anymore..
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MorbidEarth
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:39 am
Posts: 506
PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 7:52 pm 
 

I was a stereotypical metalhead to some extent in my teenage years. Back then, I often wore band shirts and although my hair was never really long, I did try to keep it at a length that was long enough to swish around while head banging at concerts or listening to metal at home. These days, I rarely wear band shirts unless I’m at a concert. I don’t have long hair or any tattoos or piercings. I don’t have any facial hair either. I do tend to wear black quite often though so I’m at least dressing in metal colours on a fairly regular basis.

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Twin_guitar_attack
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 4:27 am
Posts: 1649
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 5:14 am 
 

I guess until my mid 20s I was, although never had long hair. Practically everything I listened to was metal/metal adjacent, had a cut off, then a patched faux-leather jacket, all my holidays were to metal festivals, went to metal gigs 3 times a week and drank pretty heavily at gigs, got band related tattoos, exclusively wore band shirts/hoodies and jeans.

Now though metal is just one genre among many I listen to, still the most but not my much. Money is tighter now, and I've put on 100lb in the last 5 years, most of it over the pandemic, so I don't go to as many gigs because of the cost/being so unfit - and I don't really wear band shirts cause none of them fit me anymore and I've replaced them with more ordinary clothes. I don't buy cds/vinyl anymore, due to apathy/cost/living in a flat where the neighbouring flats don't like it anyway. TBH music is more just something I have in the background now when working or reading, shuffle playlists more than I do listen to full albums.
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ironman8008
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 5:18 pm
Posts: 206
PostPosted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:12 am 
 

I cut my hair due to the military service and never had it long again.
Never had tattoos/piercing.
I have maybe 15 t-shirts/long sleeves/hoodies which I barely wear.
I haven't attended a concert for more than 3.5 years (since my twins were born).
But I do follow huge amount of YT channels and podcasts dedicated to metal. I have like 100 LPs and a nice sound system to give them a spin (I always make an attempt to listen an album in entirety).
So yeah, I maybe not a typical metalhead living the metal lifestyle but that's life and I'm fine with that. That's a natural and logical evolution of the median human being in the western society, I believe. We have more commitment now, less time and money dedicated straight to the music purposes.


Last edited by ironman8008 on Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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