I love Rock’n’Roll. I love its its younger darker sibling Heavy Metal. I am something of a closeted metalhead. No longer!
It ain’t real music without guitar — Hey Ho, Hinder
From a ‘pure music’ standpoint, I love the guitar riffs and frantic drumlines. I have a particular soft spot for female vocalists (Halestorm, In This Moment) for the contrast they provide to the heavy instrumental.
Shove your kiss straight through my chest — In This Moment
From an entertainment perspective there’s nothing more wild than a metal concert. The energy of everyone involved is off the charts. The gratuitous pyrotechnics are just the icing on the cake.
But it’s not about the actual music. Music never is, is it?
It’s about the meaning behind the sound. The lyrics most obviously, but also the ‘shape of the song’.[1] Rock speaks to my soul.
Life’s too short to run it like a race. So it’s never gonna matter if you win first place — special, Shinedown
I find aggressive music weirdly uplifting. Dark songs can lift me into a good mood and keep me there. It doesn’t make sense, but neither do I.
We won’t surrender
Till we get what we’re lookin’ for — Daughters of Darkness, Halestorm
Anyway. Let me loop back to the concert point for a minute.
Metalheads are nice people.
Obviously, not all of them[2]. Every group has its own fair share of arseholes. But for the most part metalheads are just…chill. After all, you can never understand the idea of ‘friendly violence’ until you’ve witnessed — or indeed joined — a mosh pit. If nothing else they’re[3] certainly the least judgemental crowd I’ve found.
My point being rockers understand music more than most. They understand the power it holds. The power to bring people together.
Seas of raised horns are evidence enough for that.
Rock sees no race, no religion, no colour, no creed. Just humans.
Humans rockin’ out. I don’t know about you, but I think this world could use a bit[4] more humanity. If that happens to come wrapped in epic shredding? All the bloody better!
[1] Look, I don’t know. It makes sense in my head, okay :c
[2] us
[3] we’re
[4]*fuckton