Metal music started blaring in my house, whenever my bro came home from college. I was into Linkin Park and Green Day that time. Basically, we both gave our folks massive headaches.
I hated metal music in the beginning. Could not understand the need for anyone to scream so. Then one song would waft into my room, and then I would be hooked. And then the band was forgiven for screaming. Anyone who could sing such songs could not be that bad. That's how Unforgiven and Metallica happened. Fear of the Dark and Iron Maiden. Somewhere In Time and Kamelot. A host of other songs which I have heard, and liked but have no idea who sang them.
I grew to give metal some respect after that, though I still could not stand it if the vocalist screamed a lot. I am far from being a metal head.
Then Iron Maiden came to Blore in 2008. My bro was going, and I figured I'd visit the friend folks there, so tagged along. Was my first concert in a way. Maybe that's why I have such fond memories of it. Bruce Dickinson with his Scream for me Bangalore, singing along to Fear of the Dark, watching my geeky bros head bang and other small moments. Made my day.
The thing that struck me was the amazing power that metal heads generate. India may not have the typical metal head as personified in the western nations, but they are still looked on as being weird and having to constantly defend their taste.
Not that they care what others think. Metal music gives them an identity that binds them with other metal heads across the globe. That is what music strives to do , bring people together, and I don't thing any other genre of music has such a visible and powerful following.
I saw two documentaries on metal music after the concert. Flight 666, which followed Iron Maiden on their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour and Metal : A Headbanger's Journey, the former being a tour documentary and the latter tracing the history of metal music.
Headbanger's Journey was a really cool documentary. You don't have to be a metal head to enjoy it. Just need to have an interest in History and people. No other genre of music has had to defend itself as much as metal, and that fact that it still survives and enjoys such devoutness stands testimony to its greatness. People who have nothing to cling to, and are at odds with society, find a voice in metal, and that gives them the faith to live on . This is what music is all about. Giving the listener something to hang on to, something that one can always count on to get you through the darkest of days. Metal music does that. So I don't get why people reject it as noise.
Metal heads are a lucky lot. They have found something to believe in. The songs I like in this genre are very few. But, I will never pass upon an opportunity to go for a metal concert. The passion and the power is inspiring. Even if the guy is screaming on stage.
People should not have to defend their taste in music, or looked on differently because of it. The power of music lies in its ability to enable people to derive hope and hapiness out of it . As long as a musician is able to do that, he is good. Regardless of how much albums he sells, or whether Rolling Stone deems him great. Nobody knows this better than a metal head. They know what they like, and don't give a damn what others think about it.
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