Unflinching engagement with death, violence and destruction
Just like the Old Testament.
A Church of England vicar has told the Anglican community that it could do worse than learning to relax and taking a few cues from heavy metal. The Reverend Rachel Mann writes in the Church Times that the outpourings of Black Sabbath and their musical descendants demonstrated a "liberative theology of darkness" enabling …
"Most metallers look like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, but stick them all together in a festival (Donnington) and everyone gets on like a house on fire."
I experience this first hand everyday of my life. It is amongst metallers and the music that I feel relaxed and myself, I cannot want for a better group of people.
Compared to other brands of music with gun/knife violence, autotune singing, regurgitated pop drizzle, gang warfare, ho's and pimps or techno-techno computer programmed crap, Metal is pure talent oozing out for the enjoyment of fans and although they mosh the hell out of each other in a pit, they always pick up the fallen and take care of the wounded.
I never see that amount of understanding and respect for another in any of the other styles of music out there
There is a big difference in enjoying heavy metal and EXULTING in devil music and even worse, as a priest, encouraging others to do likewise.
Not all heavy metal songs invoke the devil, far from it, but judging from the article linked, this one reverend has no qualms about revelling in such blasphemy...
I myself usually play metal of some kind when pwning n00bs on line. It fits the mood. This is one thing I personally find metal most suitable for... But I avoid blasphemy like plague. I believe God (and the Devil) exist... call me deluded or not.
There are certain things you just do not invoke in vain, imho.
Else the Budgerelephant will smite thee!
on a side note, AC/DC = not metal. AC/DC does not deal with the devil, satanic rituals or all the other stereotypical crap that people think metal deals with, AC/DC deal with getting pissed, getting laid, people/things called Jack, and getting pissed. again.
Listen to a lot of lyrics. Lots of things are sung about. Quick think here.
Motorcycles (pretty common)
Steam Trains (What else did you think Princess of the Night was about)
Aircrashes (same band as above)
Dragons
Knights
Music (yes - lots)
Women
Good vs Evil
Lots based on Arthurian Legends and similar AFAIR
War
Sat down with my record collection I could find a lot more.
The Christian "rock" music I've heard in the past is pretty much the worst thing ever devised - "Jesus wants you as a sunbeam" just lacks the punch as a vocal lead in to a guitar solo. Christians in the Metal scene must really be hiding their lights firmly under a studded bushel as I've yet to hear anyone express even mildly christian leanings, although a loud "have you found Jesus yet?" might well clear you a space at the bar.
I dunno, Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain is famously a born again Christian, as is Alice Cooper. And I'll agree with the others - I was at the Sonishpere festival at Knebworth a month ago - 60,000 metal fans, an amazing atmosphere, no trouble at all. Give me a large group of metal heads over the Stella'd up hip-hop / dance / trance / whatever boys any day.
Hey - a lot of dance crowds are perfectly lovely. There are beered-up sub-sections of all these tribes (a lot of whom are more into the drinking itself than whatever musical genre or subculture they're attaching themselves to) who flail around and behave appallingly and give the rest a bad name. Metallers get a bad reputation/are thought of as scary but are often great - same goes for other types. Generally, avoiding snap judgements and sweeping condemnation is a good thing across the board, especially if you've already stuck your neck out to say it's wrong to judge... innit.
So, Download (at Donington with 3 Ns) is a Rock festival, not especially Metal, viz this year's lineup including Them Crooked Vultures, AC/DC, RATM and Aerosmith. Led Zeppelin wasn't metal either, nor was/is Deep Purple, which the article didn't mention, but I'm sure would have given half a chance.
Perhaps you meant Bloodstock? That's in Derby, with one B.
There are a lot of sub forms of music under the rock umbrella, but the all the music discussed above is rock music, there is Heavy Metal, NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal - eg Iron Maiden), Heavy Rock - eg Led Zep, I would also class AC/DC as Heavy Rock.
They all appeal to the same people, few Maiden fans would hate a good AC/DC track and vice versa.
You have your favourites, but you generally don't hate other similar music types.
I remember the NWOBHM years very well, and you did not class it as different to the older bands or the more melodic heavy rock bands, it was all good music - better than the New Romantic waffle* which got the most press.
* Excepting some Duran Duran as they were actually rock musicians - remember Powerhouse?
Yes there was a split to some more extreme metal music types (eg Death Metal), but we don't talk much about them.
So basically we al listened to music played to a high standard, based on lead electric guitar, electric base, a singer with a decent range, and all displaying good musicianship.
I think Rock in the 70s and 80s was where the talented musicians went.