Metal Reviews

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... igion.html

Do youse consider Metal a religion?

Dammit, I already submitted my essay on spirituality in Metal. Why couldn't this have emerged two months ago?? >.<

Ehhhh. Not really. This is a tricky one. I would definitely consider music, especially metal, a lifestyle for me, but a religion? Who exactly would you worship? Odin? Rob Halford? Lemmy? Furthermore, what would be considered the metal "Bible"? An album, or a set of Manowar lyrics, or something else entirely? Besides... there's a metal band or two out there for every religion at this point, and if the bands that follow a particular religion feel strongly enough about what they believe in, would that create religious denominations within metal? Would thrash, power, death, black, doom, etc. be considered denominations?

I don't think you could really call metal a "Religion", but hey, if someone wants to build a Metal Church (heh), I'd attend every Sunday.

Not who, what. Metal. The music.


Would we need one? There's already a form of worship regarding certain classic albums (Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood, etc.). It wouldn't even have to be defined.



Those don't exist already?

I woudn't mind putting 'Metal' on a census form, given my other choice is Universal Unilatalism or whateverthefuck. Kinda meh about it being a Metal Hammer campaign, though. Tezza or Zero Tolerance would be more worthy.

Maybe a better phrasing for the first would have been "Who would represent the religion?" Do we need someone equivalent to a pope, and more importantly, would we give him a silly hat?

For the second, I think there should be a list of maybe 100 or so all time classics, with the lyrics from each taken and adapted into a religious text of metal.

And what do you mean that the religious denominations in metal already exist? You may have your own idea of this, but it's lost on me. Maybe it's too early in the morning.

Why would a religion need to have a leading figure?

Anyway, different ideologies within different metal subgenres already clash to a certain extent. Remember the Black Metal vs Death Metal in Norway back in the 90s? The blacksters even blew up a stage that Deicide was playing.

I thought that was the animal rights lot? And some damage to venue =! blowing up the stage whilst the band were playing.

Nah. Not a religion. I read about it a few days back. If we consider it a religion, it will come with rules and dos and don'ts. I'm with Afro on this in that I consider it a lifestyle. If it is considered a religion, I guess Jesus Christ and the Hindu god Shiva have the perfect metal look.

Going to concerts of really bands is kinda what I imagine a religious experience must be like.

Ah, never thought of that. Some people already consider metal to be a religion, regardless of whether or not it's on a census. When Darkthrone switched from death to black metal, they literally told their fans that loved Soulside Journey to fuck off. And yet they released Goatlord a few years later, and Frostland Tapes in '08, a compilation of all the demos from their death metal days. Sell-outs.

As for a metal religion having a leading figure, I'm just saying it's an option. I guess it depends on how seriously people are willing to take it.

If metal was a religion that where would groundbreaking bands like Bullet for my Valentine, Waking the Cadaver, Trivium, and Machine head fit in!

don't lie, you love all 4 bands.

so lame