rebuttal to the antimetalclub

A Rebuttal to the "antimetalclub" and Their Arguments

I would firstly like to clarify just why I am writing this so I will not dismissively labeled a “heavy metal sheep”. You have attacked both my own and thousands of others sense of musical and social value with blatant half truths, contradictory arguments, un-cited claims, overt generalization, and outright fallacies. I find these distortions disgusting and cannot let it go unchallenged even if this is never read by those who have fronted such an assault. And because the establishment of “You Tube” is rightfully not know to have a balanced sense of academically driven arguments I believe that it is my job to step up to the plate (and into the pit)for the metal community and present a logical argument as well as an appealing one-I shall however try not to mix the two. To prove my assertions all references will be sited in MLA format at the end of this argument. I will dissect your “ten reasons why metal is garbage” argument point by point and will take the liberty of assembling it into sub points as your argument was not clearly defined. I will then comment on some of your other presentational videos.1a)“[Q]uite obvious and apparent [;] the annoying fucking screaming, yelling, and growling.” Perhaps it this is a redundant point but you have over generalized to a great extreme. There is no denying that metal has heavy and gutturally driven vocals but that is generally found in only a couple of forms of Metal, namely being Black and Death Metal. There are dozens of different forms of metal and you have addressed only two in general. And even at that those two genres can have “clean” vocals in them. Would it not be fair to also include rap and emo music in that statement as well? Rap often slaughters and desecrates the English language. And there most certainly is “fucking screaming” in emo music, hence the nickname “screemo”. Furthermore, often in Metal the music is considered as important as the vocally driven content-hence the reasons why Metal is one of the only musical genres that will compose instrumentals.1b) “[I] don’t know about you guys but [I] cannot understand a fucking word they are saying. [H]ow these idiots have the audacity to call themselves ‘vocalists’ just escapes me.” Sometimes it truly takes listening to the music. Metal is a very complex form of music and so deserves more than just a mindless listen. Sometimes the passionate message behind the music deserves a more discerning listen to the lyrical content.2a) “[M]etal lacks any type of mood or emotional music. [E]veryone has to be “badass” and angry at everything.” Once again this is a gross overstatement. Metal does not conform to a standardized formula but rather chooses to expresses its content in a diverse and often complex manner according to the artist’s choice. If you bothered to actually examine lyrics in the same manner you would a piece of literature, using such elements as; foreshadowing, symbolism, theme, and diction. You would find that your statement is indeed false, not only through “Power Ballades” but even through genres such as “Death Metal”. I would like to cite the song “Angles Can’t Kill” by Melodic Death Metal artist Children of Bodom. There can be no doubt even on a surface level that this song is about a complex relationship. I can provide you with hundreds of other examples dealing with almost any form of human on human emotional relationship that you wish. And yes it is badass, that’s how we like it- and as far as your argument that anger is the only emotion in Metal I need to clarify something first. The essence of Metal is that of the essence of life. Every time you get an adrenaline rush, yell in anger, pain, shout for joy or just for the pure hell of it you are experiencing “Metal”. And yes, even anger and depression are part of the essence of Metal. Metal attempts to capture those moments that comprise the fullness of life. Instead of an anger driven form of music it is rather an energy driven form-because at its essence all emotion is a form of energy. Naturally your next question would be “If metal is about the fullness of life why does it focus on death?” the answer simply is that you truly cannot appreciate the fullness of life until you appreciate death. To say Metal is all about anger is the same as to say that emo is all about self pity and rap is only centered on sex and money (both of the latter statements may very well be true).2b) “[W]here are the love songs? [T]he dance songs? [T]he songs with real issues? [N]nothing[,] just a bunch of screaming about having sex with [S]atan. [T]hat’s real lovely.” Firstly, I would like to state that I have never heard or found any lyrical content that address having sex with Satan, while that may actually be a song it is doubtlessly so obscure that it would not even deserve a reverence as an antiquate example. Metal does address real issues, In fact it may be the only genre of music that does. Metal tackles musical and social taboos such as; war, domestic violence, political lies, religion, the universe, history, social conformism and corrosion, as well as spirituality. What could be more central and real then these and (other unlisted) issues? I would like to cite a study conducted by All Academic Research called; “Metal Music as the Politics of Youth Culture” As for as dance songs we are head bangers not disco dopes. However, may I suggest “The Toxic Waltz” by Exodus.2c) “[W]hy is it that [M]etallosers are always screaming and angry all the time? [Y]ou [are] white people [,] mostly from the suburbs. [Y]ou [have] had your life on a fucking silver spoon. [W]hat do you know about anger and pain? [Y]ou [are] fraudulent idiots.” I believe that I have already addressed the first line of the question, if I have not to your satisfaction let me know. As for skin color I don’t see what that has to do with anything. Skin color does not denote social class or cultural statues. I judge people by the content of their charterer and not their skin color. You need to provide a statistic that proves your point that Metalheads are mostly well off. If Metal has a fraudulent fan base then the fan base of rap is so deceitful that it is disgusting. Specifically because it is so hard to link music directly with social statues I can neither provide a source for your statement that Metalheads are middle class, and I cannot provide a source for my counter statement that a large portion of the rap audience is just as well off. It should however be logically apparent that the percentage population of America that is of African descent cannot be over twenty percent, and since rap is one of the most mainstream forms of music in America then there must be a large Caucasian audience. And if I use your logic that white=middle class, then rap has just as large if not larger middle class audience as Metal. (the twenty percent claim is back by the U.S. Censuses Bureau)I would like to self indulge for a moment and talk about the early history of two of the most commercially successful Metal bands in America; Metallica, and Megadeth. Both bands were formed under the most economically dire of circumstances and none of the band members excluding Lars Ulrich had parents that could be considered middle class or above. Metallica after receiving their first record deal traveled from L.A. to New York with half of the band members riding in the back of a stolen U-Haul without air conditioning. After arriving in New York they were forced to rent a room in a crack house that all of the band members stayed in, without any beds. They could hardly afford any food, in a documentary Kirk Hamment explained what they considered a baloney sandwich was a piece of baloney with mustard on it. I would also like to point out that many of the top rap starts have greatly exaggerated their past, such as; J-Zee, 50 Cent, and Eminem (who lived in his mother’s basement for a large part of his life). None of these artists have been recorded dealing drugs with the exception of J-Zee who sold marijuana once. In contrast Dave Mustaine of Megadeth throughout the first eight or so years of his career sold hard drugs (hard as in cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin ect), he even kept guard-dogs for protection. Again in contrast Dave Mustaine has never bragged about his past, or embellished upon it. Rather he has condemned it and used it as an example of a destructive lifestyle. *Most of the thrash metal bands of the eighties consisted of sixteen and seventeen year olds that had either left home or had been kicked out. My point in this is that the founders of metal-even and especially the most commercial ones have risen from places of economic suffering and pain. *(a.k.a. Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Death Angel, ect)3a) “[T]he annoying fans (a.k.a) [M]etalheads.” There is a very deep theology in the essence of Metal. I think this is shown by the fact that you seem to dislike it so much. However, this theology is what unites “Metalheads” even though they can have huge social, political, generational, and religious gaps. Metal is not a passive music and so it does not deserve a passive fan bass. Metalheads are some of the most active and involved as well as informed and opinionated people today. Again I refer back to the first two sources I cited. The Warwick study and the American Academic study.3b) “[H]ow many times have we heard this from metal idiots before? “[Y]ou don’t listen to metal? [Y]ou [are] a conformist” “[Y]our music takes no talent, only guitar does!” “[I] hate anything that’s not [M]etal.” The reason why so many Metalheads distain other forms of music is because they find great satisfaction in their form of music. A Metalhead in the process grows to understand that other forms of music dare not tread onto the same grounds and in the same fashion as Metal does. They develop a taste for it and will not except anything substandard. It is also greatly apparent that there is a standard of conformity in modern American music. If you look at any American music award show the vast majority of artist are either pop or hip-hop orientated, and even those who do represent the Metal and Rock community are often bloated and stock artists, and are always the same. Let me put it this way you have a choice between a meal from McDonald’s and a five star dinner, both at the same price. Which one do you chose? Modern American mainstream music is much like a big Mack, extremely formulated, junky, and cheep. Metal would be the five star dinner, it have a variety of highly developed flavors and essences, with allot of spice to kick it up. And even if those things are said why should you give a crap about another person’s personal preference if it does not affect you individually.3c) “[T]hese idiots sound like hitler[‘s] fucking regime and all other music is just Holocaust victims. I have addressed this in the above, but I will address Metal being compared unjustly to a form of Nazism In the many years I have been listening to Metal I have come across only one white supremacist band, and they were so obscure that they had not been given a record deal in the ten years of their existence. So any true comparisons between Metal and white supremacy needs to be backed up by specific reference, since I most certainly cannot find such a connection. In fact all the Metal songs about World War Two that I have heard hold the nazi regime in distain, or have been in support of the Allies. * *Doomsday for Deceiver, Aces High, The Mission,3d) “[T]hey find sanction on you tube and the internet because in real life[] these fucking herbs probably get hazed every day.” It is true that Metal often faces great opposition. I would strongly recommend a documentary called “Heavy Metal in Bagdad”. It is about the first Iraqi Metal band. And yes all of them are Muslim Arabians, whose love for Metal and the energy behind it pushes and inspires them to overcome immense odd and every day persecution (So much for white supremacy).3e) “[I]n my school, and probably in most schools metalheads are practically endangered. [O]ne or [two] fucking losers sitting in the corner [and] headbang to their “badass” music it’s really quite sad.”This reveals how ignorant you are to the world around you. Metal is one of the largest genres in Europe as it has been for the last four decades. It is also growing with unprecedented rates in India and South America, both weigh heavily in on the World’s population. And yes it is true that in America True Metalheads are spread thin, but we are still strong. Metal has survived for decades in America without any too little mainstream media support. This is nothing new we will survive and thrive long after other momentary forms of music have faded. This also exposes your conformist mind set-that if something is not considered popular then it is not worth your time. Metal is the complete opposite, if you do not dedicated yourself to it you are not worth being considered a Metalhead.4a) “[M]etalheads think that all of their music take endless amounts of “talent” (a.k.a. screaming and playing guitars loudly)[.]” Playing Metal does not just take talent, it takes phenomenal almost inhuman skill. It has been estimated that if a guitarist plays thirteen notes in one second (and for a normal Metal song this is a very mild scenario ) then if they are off by a mere .267ths of a second then they are off time and will throw their other band mates off. Now just imagine how accurate a drummer has to be. Now think of the racing double bass a Metal drummer has to perform with their feet while still drumming with their hands. For a band to stay in time the drummer has to reach an almost digital level of perfection while still remaining human, and the guitarist have to find a complementary melody as well as keep in almost perfect time with each other while playing literally thousands to a potential tens of thousands of notes in a three to five minuet song.4b) “[L]ast time[ ]I checked any [two] year old can scream and throw a tantrum. [A]ny dog can growl at people. [W]here [is] the lyricism? [T]he intelligence? [T]he thought? Metal is not the musical equivalent to “throwing a tantrum” in fact is a just about as far from the spectrum as you can get. Metal requires immense discipline (let me clarify that when the term “Metal is used the genera “metal core” is excluded.) and coordination as well as a very controlled blending of the musical environment. It must also be noted that a study at Warwick University ( U.K) in 2007 found that the top six percent of the smartest kids (or gifted students as the study labeled them) listened to “Heavy Metal Music” if metal is unintelligent why are the top six percent of the smartest kids listening to it?4c) “[A]s far as playing the guitar goes, bullshit. [Y]eah it takes talent[,] but there [is] nothing special about it. [I]t [is] just an instrument. It takes just as much talent to play the piano or the violin[-] if not [] more talent[,] since those [two] instruments require more emotion and feeling rather than just loud and uncontrolled blasting.” It is quite obvious that whatever experience you have had with Metal that it has been extremely limited. There are three to four forms of Metal that specifically use violins, keyboards and or cellos; symphonic, folk, gothic, and various forms of melodic Metal. Folk Metal can use countless other instruments such as the “Hurdy-gurdy” Bagpipes and any other such implementations. I would also like to point out that one of the most popular and best loved Metal bands today is Apocalyptica, a band that is comprised of three cellos and a drummer but is still compatible with some of the heaviest guitar driven Metal bands Metal is not all about guitar and those that think that have a very wrong view of it. Rather, Metal is about the passion of the music, through whatever instrument it may entail.4d) “[A]nd I [am] not saying it does[.] But even if it did take more talent th[a]n other instruments, so what? It takes an exceptional amount of skill to play the Chinese Erhu, does that mean we should all listen to it? No[.] [I]f it sounds like shit,[then it] it sounds like shit. [It]does [not] matter how much talent is put into it.” At last a point we agree on. This is the specific reason I have excluded “Metalcore” from Metal, because it sounds and is shit. Just like I believe that rap and emo music sound like and are shit regardless if the artist has any amount of talent. However, Metal truly reaches beyond talent, and delves into great discipline and devotion. In Metal talent will only take you so far, to be truly great it takes great sacrifice. And once again if that Erhu is played with great passion, technique and maybe a bit of distortion then most certainly is it worth a listen.5a) “[M]etal mostly apples to crazy white people [(] a.k.a Serial killers, spree shooters, basically fucked up people[.)]” Once again you have no basis for this claim. I could just as easily say that people who listen to rap wet their beds, or people who like emo masturbate. I would like to appeal to your common sense and have you understand that the media enjoys the sensation of Satanism in killers as it make for a “sensational” news story. This has clearly been demonstrated by the “West Memphis Three” case, where three teenagers were tired and convicted of the murder of three boys on no real evidence but rather because two of them listened to Metal and one had read a book by Aleister Crowley. Even the family members of two of the murdered boys came out against the ruling after the evidence was reviewed. There is and has never been any scientific evidence that shows that people who listen to Metal have violent tendencies. In my personal experiences there is no greater love then in the midst of a mosh pit. In the pit is a place where the person next to you will slam into you and scream in your face, but if you fall there will be a dozen arms there to pull you back up for more. Where else is there a greater display of love and peaceful human interaction besides such fellowship between random strangers on the very cusp of chaos. And I have seen people of both sexes and of all races treated equally and with respect in the most intensive of mosh pits. I challenge you to produce one article that shows someone committed a crime because they were a Metalhead.Because I have a life (meaning I work full time, go to school full time and have a great girlfriend) and allot of homework due I at this time can only respond to your point of opposition as far as 5a. However, in the words of a man of Metal I promise I will be back and will have the MLA formatted citations at the end of this rebuttal.Works citedKaman, Roger. Music an Appreciation. New York: McGraw –Hill. 2008. Spheeris, Penelope .Documentary. The Decline of Western Civilzationn II Dri. Spheeris, Penelope. DVD, 1988. Dunn, Sam. Documentary. A Head Bangers Journey (A History of Metal). Dir. Dunn, Sam. DVD, 2008. “Heavy Metal and Gifted Children.” University Of Warwick Online. 2008. University of Warwick. 26 August 2009 <http://search.warwick.ac.uk/website?indexSection=sitebuilder&q=heavy++metal> Kearse, Jon. Email to Author. March 21 2009

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