What is Heavy Metal?

Forgoing the usual content of this blog, I've decided to write an entry that takes a more generalized look at Heavy Metal, the role it has played personally in my life (and undoubtedly many others), and what exactly it has to offer in society. Starting off with some background information, I've been a fan of this music since 1993 when I was merely a 3 year old child. Though I didn't become a rabid follower of Heavy Metal until roughly 10 years later, I've been devoted to it ever since and have never once come close to considering another form of music as my favorite. In 2004, I began to play Electric Guitar as a hobby due to my interest in Heavy Metal music and have also stuck with all things Guitar related ever since.

Skipping over many small details of my time as a Metal fan and Guitarist, I can safely say that 2007 was the year that I truly learned how powerful this form of music can be in the context of life itself. Up until April of that year, I had mostly listened to and performed Heavy Metal music merely for enjoyment, entertainment, and to challenge myself in a variety of ways in terms of playing the Guitar. After a fateful day in April of 2007 in which my life began to drastically shift away from that of childhood, I never saw Heavy Metal music the same way ever again. 

That sunny Apri day, I arrived home from school and upon feeling about as empty as I ever would emotionally, I listened to Control Denied's "The Fragile Art of Existence" album. For the next hour or so, I took in the furious yet melodic guitar riffs of Chuck Schuldiner that were mixed with Tim Aymar's melodic singing of some of the most introspective lyrics I would ever hear. Though the emotional burden and emptiness I felt did not suddenly leave and would not for nearly 2 years, the music I was hearing and taking in gave me a sense of clarity about myself and what was happening to me.

Over the next 6 years right up to the present day, amidst re-occurrence of hardships and tough times, I've had this same experience happen to me time and time again. Even at this present moment of typing this while at likely my lowest point I've ever been in life, I'm currently experiencing the same feeling (while listening to the hidden track after Sylosis - Enshrined in particular). The musicians, bands, albums, songs, lyrics, etc. have all differed over time and the message conveyed to my mind, body, and soul has differed at times, but the music has always been consistent...Heavy Metal. It is with these thoughts and experiences in my mind that I rhetorically ask in a general context...what is Heavy Metal?

To non-fans and non-musicians in particular, Heavy Metal is sometimes considered terrible noise, an annoyance, and merely a means of rebellion amongst it's listeners and followers. Frequently, critics refer to the genre by terms such as "the Devil's music", "Screamo $hit", "depressing music", etc. Furthermore, in the media and other well-known outlets, Heavy Metal has occasionally been characterized as a main cause of numerous school shootings, murders, suicides, and other violent or tragic acts. To those who do not understand Heavy Metal, it's as if the music and/or lyrics influence an awful lot of negative acts in society and must not be accepted as a mainstream form of music in order to limit such a supposed "negative" influence. To those people, Heavy Metal is the lowest form of music on earth and must be censored or removed completely from society.

As for myself, I can personally testify against such ridiculous outspoken claims and make a case for why they are not true and why Heavy Metal does indeed have value. For starters, I have no problem admitting that it's because of Heavy Metal that I'm still alive and breathing right now. If not for this form of music, I firmly believe that I would have taken my own life sometime between the ages of 17 and now. Even through all of the times that I felt like everything in my life has been hopeless, that there is no answer, that I have no purpose in life, etc., listening to Heavy Metal has guided me safely in stabilizing my own thoughts and emotions when I felt that I was beginning to lose control of myself. Even though I pay more attention to the music and instrumental aspect of the genre, some of the lyrics in Heavy Metal songs are so amazingly ambiguous, introspective, and thought-provoking. It is when hearing these lyrics that I remind myself that other people in this world have faced the same obstacles that I have and overcame them. In terms of violent acts, I have never been influenced by Heavy Metal music to commit an act of violence. In fact, the only time that Heavy Metal ever related to violence at all in my life was during a day in 2008 when listening to Death's "Human" album therapeutically calmed me down out of the extremely angry state of mind that I was in.

Thus, I can now conclude this entry by answering the question stated in the opening title. Heavy Metal is a not just a form of music; it is a way of life, and to many listeners, a lifeline and guidebook throughout the journey of human existence. In times of sadness, grief, heartbreak, etc., Heavy Metal offers a clarity, support, and understanding that no other form of music (and sometimes other human interactions) ever can. For it's musicians, Heavy Metal offers a creative release and outlet unlike any other. There is no greater satisfaction than expressing thoughts, words, and emotions and channeling all of those into new music and lyrics. Though there will always be a few outliers, it is safe to say that Heavy Metal provides it's followers with something greater...something that prevents them from committing tragic acts, giving up in life or ending a life entirely, etc. 

Ultimately, my reason for writing this isn't really something I can convey. There have been plenty of writings in the past that support why Heavy Metal is a not a negative force in life and is in fact an asset in society when all of its facets are considered thoroughly. This writing is merely a small personal take on a subject that has been argued to death since the first condemnations of Heavy Metal very many years ago. I suppose that it is through facing yet another difficult period of my life that I can still take solace in the fact that this music is here for me and is still keeping me going when nothing and no one else can understand how I feel. My hope is that in sharing this, I can help to spread the good name of Heavy Metal in 2013 or at least provide other fellow listeners with a voice that understands how they feel in life and lets them know that they are NEVER truly alone no matter what the circumstance is...