Intro to the Head Banger's Paradise

Brian Evers

Professor Curry

English 101-Freshman Composition

24 September, 2014

Intro to the Head Banger's Paradise

Throughout history, mankind has been drawn to the idea of music, from what probably began as a Neanderthal pounding a couple of rocks together, to today’s massive, lush variety of sounds that are brought together to form beautiful pieces of art. Often, music is so passionate a subject that conflict will arise, and rivals will strive even harder to work the magical machinery that is music, trying to create the most captivating of pieces. Consider a type of melodic Darwinism; natural selection in music where only the best survives, and so all must strive to perfect their work.

This love and passion to play, and be heard, this desire to express oneself is the founding basis of many forms of music, but is exemplified in heavy metal. Though it hails from many origins, including rock, classical, jazz, pop, and many more, heavy metal is simply a music of passion. This is often what separates heavy metal from other genres of music. Whether it’s merely a group of friends having a weekly jam session, or bands long known and successful, all pour emotion into their music, rather than trying to top the charts or make the most money. This isn’t to imply that money and fame weren’t factors, funds enable a band to play more and fame means they can play for more. The purpose of heavy metal is to release all the stresses of life, and lose oneself in raw emotion, usually the intense and cleansing rage. However, this cannot be applied to all subgenres of heavy metal, just as stereotypes do not define a people. Heavy metal has grown and evolved greatly since its humble beginnings, developing from its split from rock and roll to the head banging intensity of today, with more than a few stops in between that have expanded into the beloved subgenres of the head banger’s favorite tune.

Heavy metal was developed with many influences, the foremost being rock and roll....