Why I like heavy metal music

Heavy metal music provides a balm to my soul that very few other genres do. The storytelling, the craft, the wisdom in the lyrics and the undeniable tension in the air wrought by a general sense of resistance and rebellion against the world is hard to find in other forms of music.

On many occasions, it is the latter that drives me to put on a Black Sabbath record at the end of a busy day, merely to know that there are men like me, who understand me, and who perhaps even love me.

*Black Sabbath are a pioneering heavy metal band, often credited with birthing the genre. [Rolling Stone magazine]*

Although metal developed by adding heavy layers to already existing hard rock, the genre took an identity of its own by choosing not to conform to anything the world said was right. The general idea of rebelling against any kind of authority appeals a lot to me, and it is, therefore, no wonder that I took a liking to metal from a young age.

It provided the ideal release for all the pent-up angst and damage that I took in during my adolescent years adhering to authority and not knowing how to stand up, rebel and hold my own in a world whose only aim was to kick me when I was down and make sure I never got up.

The eminence of concept albums in heavy metal

Apart from the sentiments involved, the creativity that metal artists display attracted me immensely towards it. It is also a genre solely for those who enjoy listening to entire albums more than to individual songs. The idea of ‘concept albums’ drew me towards metal as did the vivid imagery, picturesque storytelling and grainy lyrics.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden, Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera, The World Needs a Hero by Megadeth, And Justice for All by Metallica, All Hope is Gone by Slipknot and Chaos AD by Sepultura are all concept albums that I hold very close to my heart and that have meant a lot to me in different phases of life.

*The System Has Failed is a fine concept album by Megadeth, creating an extraordinary troika with The World Needs A Hero and Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying?*

Lovers of individual songs are generally hard to find in metal, although it is safe to say even those who are not niche listeners may have enjoyed the likes of War Pigs by Black Sabbath, Enter Sandman by Metallica, Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth, Heaven Can Wait by Iron Maiden, Rain When I Die by Alice in Chains, Breaking The Law by Judas Priest, Revolution Calling by Queensryche, Khnoro Aamar Fossil (Dig My Fossils) by Fossils and Redneck by Lamb of God. These individual hits, however, are harder to find in metal than in other genres of music, and that is, perhaps what makes fans pay attention to the storylines crafted in the albums.

Art is not merely for art’s sake in heavy metal

I often feel sorry for those who have not been enamoured by the magic of heavy metal; it is like a string that entices your restless and rebellious heart, and once seduced, you are hooked for life.

Art is meant for art’s sake – at least that is the argument expressed across drawing rooms of the bourgeoisie in this country – but metal is perhaps the only genre in music that inherently feels that art cannot be left devoid of the society it exists in. It is often proponents of this genre and hard rock who have stood up against authoritarian regimes across the world and called a spade a spade when the world needed to hear it the most.

*The cover of Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled album. [Medium]*

Metal and hard rock bands have also created art based on the struggles that the world goes through and the general susceptibility of men in the face of power. General human tendencies of corruption, immorality and betrayal are concepts that are spoken about at great length, with the genuine desire to bring about a change in the world.

Although music and musicians can only do so much when it comes to bringing about tangible changes in the world, heavy metal artists have shown, time and again, that revolutions can be fermented solely by making people believe in their inherent potential. How else can one explain Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled album that famously had the cover of Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk immolating himself in Vietnam?

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Soliloquy