.Editorial - A Metal Enlightening
Metal Reviews

Release year: 2003
Reviewed by Ben

This past Wednesday I was hanging out with a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen in quite some time. We were talking about metal and having discussions about Blind Guardian and Sonata Arctica, and how god awful St Anger was, and then the editorials came up. I asked em what they thought might be a good topic to discuss and they said, “Hell Ben, why don’t you write about how to turn the average joe into a metal fan or something? I mean you got us into these bands that we never would’ve known about and we’re pretty normal, no one would expect us to like this kind of music.” I got to thinking about just how many people I had shown the light to, so to speak, and then I realized that this topic would be perfect for my next editorial, so voila, here it is.

The first time I was able to enlighten one of my friend’s mind was in high school. I can still remember it clearly, I was sitting there and my friend who was in the class one year in front of me just said, “What does Helloween sound like? You wear their damn shirts like every day and I’m just wondering, what are they like?” So I busted out with my walkman and let him listen to Falling Higher and surprisingly, he liked it. He asked if I had any more music with me so I let him hear some Pink Cream 69 and he liked that as well. This wasn’t a tremendous triumph for metal as he just recognized the fact that my music wasn’t all just screaming noise and didn’t actively go out and buy real metal cds, BUT it also showed me that “normal” people can enjoy this music. Since then I have turned on many of my friends to Power Metal and because of me bands like Edguy and Rhapsody now have hardcore fans that they never would’ve had before. Also, note that these friends of mine, before they met me they had no real definition of metal at ALL. To them, Metallica was the most extreme band they had ever heard and that was the end all be all of heavy metal for them. None of them have long hair, none of them wear band shirts, in fact they wear “normal” clothes and khakis. When we get together and go out to eat at restaurants and stuff as a group, I bet some people think I'm their drug dealer or something.

It’s always funny to me when someone I know first listens to what real metal is. Once, when I put on Hammerfall’s The Dragon Lies Bleeding to someone, she had her face all turned up and disgusted like before I ever hit play, but when the music started I could see her facial expression change right in front of me. First, her nose smoothed out when the guitars kicked in and then when Jocaim belts out with the “we ride” part she started smiling a bit and by the time the chorus had come around the second time I had her singing along to it. This from a person who told me my music was “That weird devil music that’s all about killing people.” I also have had similar reactions to Sonata Arctica’s Unopened, it seems to strike a chord with everyone that hears it, and most chicks I’ve played it to even seem to enjoy it a lot. It’s always best to start off a little safe, if you know what I mean. I think you will have a higher rate of success in converting someone to metal by playing them Eagleheart by Stratovarius than say, anything by Deicide. Once someone starts to get into metal then you can whip out the harder edged bands, “Hey so you really like Blind Guardian? Well I think you might like this band, they’re pretty different but give em a shot.” And hand em Damage Done. This such case has happened to one of my friends recently. He used to despise anything with harsh vocals but right now he listens to Damage Done religiously so that’s pretty cool, expanding your tastes is always a good thing.

Ok, so this doesn’t become an account of how many people I have changed over, lets go over some steps to converting your non metal friends or significant other.

First off, find out what type of music they enjoy. If they just listen to poppy radio stuff or anything in general that’s on the radio then you actually have a good shot. That means they don’t really have any musical attachments and their mind, musically speaking, is a clean slate and perfect for the metal impressions. If they have a loyal allegiance to a certain brand of music though you have your work cut out for you. If it’s rap then you’re in some trouble, I can’t help you there. Well, if it’s just a passing interest then it’s not so bad there’s still hope, but if they’re wearing FUBU jerseys with do-rags and gold chains going, “yo yo muthafuck!” then they’re a lost cause, move on.

Once you find out what kind of music they like then try and find a good metal band that has some similar nuances to their specific tastes. For example, this one girl I know just liked simple pop songs with catchy lyrics so I put on some Bonfire. They aren’t simple musically but they do have VERY catchy lyrics and melodies with tons of memorable hooks and she loved them. By the way, two bands that are perfect for introducing chicks into metal are the aforementioned Bonfire and Pretty Maids. They are a bit more accessible especially to females. Plus, when you're taking them out on a date its good to play a song like Wouldn't Miss You (Pretty Maids) or Know Right Now (Bonfire), that way you can show her that you're a cool dude and a good time for you consists of enjoying her company instead of being a crazy long hair whose ideas of a fun date consists of going into the backyard and taking part in a ritualistic slaughter of small animals. For someone looking for a band that’s a bit harder than Bonfire a good group to show them is Blind Guardian Imaginations From the Other Side era, or Iced Earth. These bands are perfect stepping stones to what lies ahead.

Just be metal. Really. Usually these people have never seen a person like me (take a look at my profile to see what I mean) and when I’m wearing In Flames and Children of Bodom shirts, that piques their interest even more. Being around someone like me or you makes the casual listener curious. “Who are those bands, what do they sound like, where are they from?” are questions I get all the time after meeting someone a few times and wearing a different shirt each time. Your being metal is something new and exciting to them and they want to see what its like. Let them.

Have patience. Depending on the person, the attachment to metal might not be as quick as it was for you. They might not have fallen head over heels for Hammerfall but give it a bit. Keep encouraging them, discuss bands with them and keep showing em new and exciting groups. After a short while they will eventually become just as eager as you to discover new groups and hunt down old classics. Much like a religious conversion (and to some it is) metal enlightening takes some time, it doesn’t happen overnight. Just remember, always have it around and playing as much as possible, even on the most stubborn of people one day you will find the band that clicks with them be it Nevermore, Gamma Ray, or Nightwish, it is bound to happen.

So that is it pretty much in a nutshell. Breaking in a metal newbie is always entertaining and fun. It is also rewarding as well, just think you’ll have someone new to discuss the vast world of metal with and hear their opinions and views that might differ from yours. One of my favorite pastimes is getting together with some friends, putting something glorious on the stereo and just having a lengthy argument over something related to metal, such as “Is In Flames sitting on the fence of selling out after Reroute to Remain”, or “Tobias Sammet or David Defeis, who is the “better” musical genius of today?” Things like that just to pass time and chill with friends. The world of metal is a wonderful place to be, invite someone you know into it and believe me they will forever be grateful.

Killing Songs :
Ben quoted
Other albums by .Editorial that we have reviewed:
.Editorial - Horny For Harpsichord reviewed by Ben and quoted
.Editorial - Why I need to take a break from writing for MetalReviews reviewed by Alex and quoted
.Editorial - USA / Germany Thrash Match: Big Four Style reviewed by Ben and quoted
.Editorial - Re: Reissues and Remasters reviewed by Ben and quoted
.Editorial - A Brief Run Through Power Metal (in 3 1/2 stages) reviewed by Ben and quoted
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