The softness of metal | Hacker News Reader

The softness of metal

psyche.co

55 pointsNaOH20 comments

Almost every big-name band now, metal or not, will have an 'R U OK' moment somewhere in the set. Metal has (for me) been the only gigs where it actually feels authentic.

Tall fat & autistic, I've spent my whole life trying to make myself small and not "in the way". A concert is the only place where I stand up straight, naturally, without even thinking about it. I can't stand the idea of sweat (mine or other peoples) yet I'm perfectly happy drowning in it in the middle of moshpit, grinning ear to ear with the person next to me, knowing we're experiencing the same thing. You help each other up when you fall, and you embrace each other when it's all too much.

Anyone that's been to a Devin Townsend concert will be familiar with the sight of a hundred big burly bearded blokes bawling their eyes out and hugging each other.

Therapy WISHES it had the effectiveness of metal.

Still remember headbanging hypnotically to Townsends "Grace" about 13 years ago. Metal has always been my main emotional catharsis.

I've always found moshing to be a primal dance, and felt some of my most inner confidence at metal shows.

Now in my mid 30s, starting to see some of my old idols pass -- from Alexi Laiho, Brent Hinds, and Ozzy, it's been rough

Ocean Machine has some of my most emotionally affecting songs (the entire second half the album, basically), and it bugs me no end that he only started playing them live after I stopped being able to go his shows.

Lemmy. The man, the myth, the legend. Like with Ozzy, there was no stage persona. I’ve met him on a street the day after the gig looking exactly as he did on stage the day before. If you listen to stories about him, you’ll find the obligatory drinking and excess. Sure. But immediately after you’ll find a lonely man who deeply cared about his team, who was probably too smart for the business and who added warmth to even simple human interaction. Ozzy was the same and it’s no coincidence his most vulnerable songs were written by Lemmy. Having met both, I miss them in this world.

I go to a lot of small power/symphonic metal concerts in Berlin, usually 100-200 people, small venue, 3 bands, 30-50 Euro entry, 5 Euro beer. Everything is so direct. The band is right in front of you - and quite often the earlier bands stand with you in the audience for the later ones. Very few people hold up their phones. It's one of the most retro experiences of people being present and in the moment.

If I compare that with the hoops my wife had to jump through to go to Taylor Swifts Eras tour - the fanclub joining, the late night ticket queues, the hefty price tag - all to sit in the back of a massive stadium with poor sound, observing a tiny dot in the distance that might or might not be Taylor swift I couldn't be more happy with my choice of genre.

Metal would have the same problems if it drew Taylor Swift size crowds. You find it fun because its small and shows manage easy at this scale. Not the fault of taylor or pop music.

The parent seems very aware that he's lucky he happens to be into a kind of music that isn't very popular.

He could go to Metallica to experience the Taylor Swift size crowds, but he doesn't.

I don't know ehat sized crowds Metallica is pulling today. He said it himself he happens to be into a more niche form of metal/lesser known bands. So am I, but I don't hink it's anything special.or specific to metal.

Example recent video (from my Youtube recommendations): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ6WtkEbXiM

Wow that's much bigger than I had expected. The amount of younger faces is especially surprising. I used to think younger fans have become quite bifurcated into various substyles these days.

Anecdotally my friend who works at the bar at a music venue said the rock and metal fans are always the chill-est and easiest going.

Could argue it's because it's kind of a dead genre now. I know there are thousands of new bands esch year snd huge shows, but whens th last time you felt like the pace.of development in the 80s or 90s? Both the fact that new forms of metal were being developed every day and that people tended to be passionate enough anout it to end in physical fights.

I imagine it's the same with eg hiphop, with the various infamous shady and criminal acts associated with Deathrow in its heydey. Can anyone say if similar things haopen today or that element has died down?

That's possible, but it's more likely the decades of consistently laudable values that underpin metal's dominant sentiments. The true sentiments, behind the costumery of black clothes and aggressive stylings.

As young metallers we listened to Black Sabbath and Slayer warning us about the horrors of war and the people who take advantage of it. Sepultura telling us about racism and how it completely screws people over. Metallica and Megadeth are as full of philosophy and psychology as any contemporary music, and almost literally warning young generations about various 'monsters' of the world, like commercialism and greed and power. Korn pioneered being open about childhood trauma. Rage Against The Machine (if we may call them on the fringe of metal), well, need no introduction. Nor Devin Townsend. Fear Factory and Porcupine Tree about the relationship between humanity and technology. I could go on all day.

I am really proud of the influence that the metal genre of music has had in forming my personal set of life values.

And this is normal. It's why metal gigs are, by-and-large, chill and safe, and always have been.

Well yes, but today all the heat and fire of the 80s and 90s has died down. Back then there were actually physical fights between subcultures and some criminal gangs formed around specific bands or scenes. I think all that has mostly died down by now, arguably an indication of lessening passion even though by count and quality there is no shortage of new bands.

New york hardcore for instance used to be involved in some gangs and criminal enterprises. Things were definitely quite vital at one point in time.

Well, feeling rather bamboozled after clicking the link to discover that the article has fuckall to do with Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell, or materials science in general.

The hardness of guessing what headlines are about.

Same, I thought it's about how surprisingly easy steels are to cut, and also how some softer metals are harder to cut and so on.

Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas!

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