.Editorial - Drawn To The Beast
Metal Reviews

Release year: 2006
Reviewed by Ben

What exactly is it about fans of heavy metal that separates them from most other individuals in society today? Why are we drawn to a music that to most people seems strange and archaic? It is because we truly ARE individuals and not followers. I wouldn’t necessarily go so far as to say that metal fans are outcasts from society despite all the anthems that abound with the whole “fighting the world” theme. What I do believe however is that most metal fans are generally people that do think a bit differently than your average person. We are a part of a sub culture of society just like any other yet (at least in the US) we are so far spread apart that it can often times feel like we are isolated in our joy.

I’ll be honest. You can spot me from a mile away and instantly tell that when I go home I rock the fuck out to some old fashioned metal quite often just based on one swift glance at my massive frame. Granted a giant Indian with hair down to his back side is something that most people generally remember for a while after the initial encounter yet I sport the colors of a metal fan pretty blatantly. If you were to peek into my wardrobe you would see these things: black band shirts, a black leather jacket about to come up on seven years of use, six year old Harley Davidson boots, a denim jacket adorned with my sweet Angra back patch, and a few pairs of old worn jeans that are the most comfortable pieces of clothing I own. Every shirt that I wear is of a band whose catalog I admire. For every logo that emblazons my chest I have anywhere from ninety to a hundred percent of said band’s discography chilling on my racks in the one room mansion that is my studio apartment. I truly am a fan of the bands that I wear on my shoulders each and every day. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect every metal loving person out there to dress like me. I know countless fans and even musicians who have little or no band merchandise in their closet and that’s fine by me. Verbal beratement of people who don’t wear black band shirts everyday is stupid. What I will rag on someone for though is the people that wear band shirts for any of these two reasons: because they think it’s “cool” (ie the five hundred Misfits shirts that I see all the time from hipsters at the mall) and people that purposely go out of their way to get shirts with the most offensive slogans or graphics that they can find just to get a rise from someone. Yeah man you’re a hard ass with your “Jesus Is A Cunt” shirt when you barely crack a hundred pounds soaking wet standing all of five foot tall. It’s people like that which make it harder for other metalheads to get laid when you’re talking to a chick that thinks you’re friends with the guy that has a chick split in half on the back of his t-shirt and is walking around with a look on his face that seems like he‘s trying to find the nearest infant to punch.

Speaking of dealing with the fairer sex, here’s a funny story. The other day one of my friends came over to my place and we were chilling watching some metal DVD’s. He’s not a metal fan but he doesn’t complain about the constant music video rotation on my TV. His phone rang and these two co ed college cuties wanted to know if we wanted to head over to kick it with them and watch a movie. “Sweet, I’m down let’s roll,” was my instant reply and was halfway out the door before he had put his phone back in his pocket. He however spent a good half hour primping himself in the mirror messing with his hair cos one of the girls over at the apartment is one that he’s looking to bang and I rib him a little bit saying, “Oh man, I better change out of my Judas Priest shirt and put on my dress clothes. What do you think, Lilitu or Sonata Arctica?” Eventually we head on over and right away I find myself engaged in a cool conversation with his potential “friend” and before long we’re hitting it off really well much to the chagrin of Mr. "I painstakingly take care of my goatee and five o clock shadow." Here I am in my ten dollar Wal Mart jeans and concert shirt with my long hair, dirty and unshaven, and I’m cock blocking my companion who couldn’t find the balls to just be himself. I related this story to some of my other friends and we had a good laugh over this. You know why I managed to pull off what my friend couldn’t? Because I am myself and nothing else. There is no off switch for my personality, what is presented is what is true. This is a common theme amongst many metal fans. The music that we listen to is something that we are passionate about and that comes off in our personalities. For one, most metal listeners are unique thinkers that have no qualms in speaking their mind and standing out. And in a sea of sameness and the bland those that are real and exude individuality are the ones that will be remembered and admired.

Perhaps the most emotional reason why metalheads are the way we are in terms of our cognitive abilities and our devotion is because of HOW we listen to the music. I’ve been listening to heavy metal for over half my life now and I can say that these bands have been through everything with me. From the soaring peaks of success to the seemingly bottomless valleys of plight, heavy metal has been the soundtrack to my life. When I was down and out I would put on some Motley Crue and let the music transport myself into a realm of power where I ruled the world. Then there were the times were everything fell into place in my personal life and I would plug my headphones in and blast some Iron Maiden and the feeling of elation that already soared through my being would be amplified a hundred fold and I would feel so goddamn good that I thought I would explode from the sheer awesomeness of it. We listen to heavy metal to become powerful and that shines in the people that I have met that share this same interest that I do. Whether it's a cop on the beat playing Blind Guardian to get him through the shift protecting his neighborhood, the accountant with short hair and glasses who goes to the local rock club on the weekends to hear some good tunes, or the restless teenager who cruises the streets at one AM with his friends smoking Marlboro reds and blasting Anthrax from his beat up rusty truck, heavy metal is a source of tremendous personal power. This is one of the reasons why I can’t understand how certain people listen to music that makes them feel even worse than they do, that they willingly want to let music make them hurt inside. When life decides to take a huge dump all over you you either man up and forge on that much stronger or you can let despair overtake you and wallow in self pity. I’ll take the first option every time.

I barely scratched the surface of the heavy metal mentality with this editorial. There are so many facets to analyze and discuss that I would spend more than a handful of months on this topic. Whatever your reasons are for listening to metal they are yours and yours alone and be proud of them whatever they may be. But if you see me working my magic on a chick and you’re wearing that Cannibal Corpse shirt with the guy who has his burnt wang lying in a pile of maggots and entrails, at least wait until she leaves before coming over and asking me what my favorite death metal band is. I have needs man.

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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