When most people hear the words, "Heavy metal," they probably think of crazy, satanic-punk kids who do nothing but cause trouble. Others may think of bands that promote aggression and violence. On the other hand, some may think of the bands that have grown to be their heroes in a world where they've been criticized for trying to express themselves. I'm here to tell you that heavy metal bands are actually a lot better than most people believe, and that what you've probably heard about them, is in fact not true.
1. "Heavy metal bands are satanic."
Though there may be some questionable bands out there, the majority of heavy metal bands are not in fact satanic. There is actually a category for Christian metal, and it's also known as white or heavenly metal. While other bands may not "place" themselves in this category, they still might have members that have a certain faith or follow a certain religion. Lead vocalist, Austin Carlile, from the band Of Mice & Men recently posted a photograph on Instagram picturing himself being baptized. In his caption he stated, "I was finally baptized, after taking 28 years to realize God's work playing out in my life and that I had to get out of the middle of the road to fully follow him."
2. "Heavy metal lyrics only talk about drugs and anger."
False. Heavy metal bands often have some of the most inspiring or meaningful lyrics compared to other genres of music. Lyric content often talks about love, hope, freedom, societal issues, relationships, etc. What I've come to notice is that most people don't even give the music a chance, mainly because they say that they can't understand what's being said. Then I think, why not look it up? If you can't understand rap, I bet you'll look it up, but you wouldn't do the same for a heavy metal song, so I did for you:
"Rap Song" by T-Pain
"Me and you, yo' momma and yo' cousin
Baby we can make love to a rap song
A milli, a milli, a milli, a motherf**ker I'm ill"
"Greens Avenue" by The Amity Affliction
"There are things that I've said there are people I've hurt,
there are moments in time when I've been down in the dirt
and I know that it's hard to let go of our pasts
but in each one of us there is hope for fresh starts."
If that doesn't speak for you, then I don't know what will.
3. "Heavy metal band members don't care about their fans"
I have never seen anyone more dedicated to their fans than these band members. There have been bands that have stayed connected with fans, there have been band members that defend fans even if it means going to jail, and there have been bands that have gotten tattoos in remembrance of a fan they'd met who passed away. There have even been band members that have stopped performing during a concert in order to calm a crazy crowd down to stop them from getting hurt. Do they still sound satanic to you?
All in all, there are many more misconceptions about heavy metal bands and their members. But I'm encouraging you to give them a chance before you jump to conclusions and judge them before knowing anything about them. These members are passionate about their music and their fans, and that's something I've seen first hand.
