The Culture of Heavy Metal

My life as a metal head

I'm unsure if my past relatives ever imagined their races becoming intertwined with others like they have. I am of Irish, German, Italian, and Lithuanian heritage. Although this may sound like I would have a very cultural life, I don't know too much about my nationalities at all to be honest. The most cultural aspect of my life is one that is often the subject of controversy, and that is the life of a fan of heavy metal music , also known as a “metal head”

Heavy metal is a genre of music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple are considered three bands that helped pioneer the genre. Metal is the most misunderstood genre of music. There are so many misconceptions on the subject, it's absurd. Many view most fans of metal as Satan worshipers, which is completely blasphemous. They are stereotyping millions of people based on the actions a few individuals. There are literally dozens of sub-genres of metal, and new ones being invented constantly. Some of the more popular ones are death metal, power metal, progressive metal, black metal, and thrash metal. Most of these genres sound vastly different from each other. Another major misconception is that metal consists of primarily loud growling and screaming. That is only a small portion of the music, and there are just as many (if not more) metal bands with soothing, beautiful melodies and harmonies.

Metal is not just a genre of music, however. I consider it a major cultural part of my life. Listening to metal has allowed me to learn information on the cultures and lifestyles of many countries far off, usually in Europe. For example, I've learned a massive amount about Norse mythology that I more than likely would have never learned on my own. Also, listening to metal has allowed me to meet dozens of new people of all different races and parts of the world, and they're all extremely nice people. I sit around for hours with my...