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Pg.2 METAL-AN ACCOUNT
- Imlisanen Jamir
There is no denying the fact
that certain extreme metal gigs can be quiet brutal but don't you think that
parents should be happier that their kids are working out their problems in
the mosh-pits of the concerts than going out and hurting other people and
ultimately themselves. It acts as a medium through which they can express
their freedom to be themselves. It is a non confirmatory statement towards
the established norms of society. It acts as a means of rebellion through
which they can choose a world and a lifestyle of their own. Metal fans have
a sense of pride in belonging to a community that encompasses the total
scheme of their existence. The general view that society has of heavy metal
fans is that of being dead end kids with no hope of a happy life, but the
thing is; nobody listens to heavy metal to feel unhappy. They listen to it
in order to feel empowered and alive. There are certain aspects of our life
that only we as individuals can understand and maybe for us metal heads,
heavy metal is one such aspect.
There is also a section of society that tends to tarnish the name of metal
by calling it unsophisticated music or deafening noise. I just fail to
understand as to how certain people can just put down the name of an art
form that truly deals with the real problems that exists in this world. The
effort that goes into the workings of a metal musician's mind and the
creativity of the musician are qualities that have to be appreciated. Metal
music when compared to classical music is always thought of as something for
the disoriented with problems in their lives but there is no way of denying
the fact that heavy metal is the one form of music that truly derives its
sounds from classical music. The influences of Wagner or Beethoven in metal
artists are quiet obvious. Classical music is always associated with
education and university while heavy metal is never brought even close to
these words. However do we realize that one of the greatest classical
musicians in history like Johann Sebastian Bach or even the great composer
Mozart never went to college. This just goes on to show how society without
knowing anything about the real meaning of metal music goes on degrading it.
Another aspect about metal that has provoked a lot of controversy is its
alleged links with Satanism. There is no denying that there are certain
bands that do believe in Satanism but is it fair to brand the whole genre as
satanic; because that is exactly what many social groups seem to be doing at
the moment. Most of the mainstream bands that have been accused of Satanism
have confessed that their dark imagery is just a way of getting a better
exposure, and if that imagery shocks a lot of people; then its just another
way of showing rebellion, which is after all the main attitude that rock n
roll in general has always propagated. The string of incidents that happened
in the 1990's where some of Norway's oldest churches were burnt down by
black metal artists has done a lot to instill the image of satanic metal
bands in popular culture. But this trend has died down and while there are
some bands that still propagate the satanic ideology, the general scene of
black metal has started to lose touch with its pagan roots. And I use the
word pagan here because even though the media uses the word Satanism while
referring to these incidents, the main aim of these people were to remove
the traces of Christianity from their native land and go back to their
ancestral pagan roots. However, in spite of this, I nor any other metal head
can neither defend nor stand up for these extreme actions that were carried
out.
In spite of all this opposition that heavy metal has had to endure, the fact
remains that the fan base for this extreme form of art remains strong and
unmoved. For them it remains a spiritual force which helps them to leave
their problems behind at
least for a few moments and enter a world of peace and tranquility. No
matter what anyone has endured during the course of the day, for a metal
head, the music will always be there to provide a cushion of comfort from
the sorrows and frustrations
of our daily social life. So when people decide to slander this form of
music which means so much to our lives; they not only condemn us as a
community but they also put down the only solace that most of us have from
the cruelty of this world.
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