Mind This Metal Mind 

Heavy metal often termed as "Loser's Music" and tagged as bad and evil form of music since its inception in late 1960s. The society has been skeptical about this form of music, and always tried to look at its bad aspect than explore into its bright parts. Heavy metal fans are often known as Metal Head or Head Bangers. Dropped-jaw and mockery has been the well established remarks when one tells Heavy metal as their choice of music. Heavy metal being choice of music is no offence. It's just like choosing an ice-cream flavor; or like choosing to wear Armani suite or just another casual dress.

Heavy metal is unique in itself because of its large number of sub-genre viz.Thrash Metal (aka Speed Metal),Power Metal, Hair-Metal (aka Pop-Metal aka Glam-Metal aka Butt-Rock),Death-Metal, Doom-Metal, Black-Metal, Grindcore aka Metalcore aka Noisecore , Melodic-Death Metal(aka Swedish Death Metal), Progressive Meta, Nu-Metal (aka Crap Metal).I have named only common and well known sub genre as there may be lots of other sub genre depending upon the country. I am mainly fond of Thrash metal because of the speed and I love speed .One of the sad thing is, there are such a large amount of band and sub-genre, it's very hard to keep track of all of them. One heavy metal's best band or song or subgenre may be unknown to other fan.

Heavy Metal, I would say is not just thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness, with some vulgar, anti-god lyrics. In fact, it's the lifestyle, a way of thinking and exploring, fighting with well established facts and revolutionizing human mind. From the beginning, heavy metal was all about avoiding the safe and stupid in favor of the unsafe and exciting, pursuing adventure over security, kind of like the wanderers and explorers. It proudly continues that tradition today

Bat can be a good analogy for heavy metal. Those unique creatures are the must research animal in earth with no attention, whatsoever. People are too busy to fear then as they have seen in movies- the cannibal bats with sharp teeth sucking human blood. However, 70% of bats are insectivores, and rest are frugivores . Same thing applies for Heavy Metal it just requires people to Borden their mind and procure some knowledge about it. Heavy Metal has been associated with negativity, devil, sadness, pain, stress, frustration and anger just by instinct without any research.

As far as lyrics of this genre is concerned, it is the freedom of speech which Heavy Metal has been utilizing to the fullest. Metal fans are accused of being social misfit, misogynist, however, I have found that head-bangers are always good to girls and polite gentlemen. And the only reason some of the metal-head get involved in drugs is the peer pressure, and their friend are Mozart-huggers or something similar.

The majority of research into the emotional and behavioral effects of popular music has focused on heavy metal. Overall, the popular belief that listening to certain musical styles causes a variety of behavioral problems is not supported.

While a number of researchers have associated heavy metal music with depression or anger, these effects do not occur when heavy metal is the listener’s musical preference. A study of more than 1,000 gifted students aged 11-18 found that heavy metal music is used for cathartic release and to dissipate negative emotions, particularly among those with low self-esteem.

As far as academics and intelligence is considered, Metal-heads have mixed response. Interestingly, college students whose musical preferences are alternative, rock or heavy metal actually obtain higher IQ test scores on average, particularly on questions where abstraction is required. Some studies have also found high intelligence among adolescent heavy metal listeners.

However, some other studies have found that adolescents of both genders who listen to heavy metal tend to have lower grades in school. Metal-head are often called as boneheads, which I find quixotic. I would give some explanation for this, head-banggers are people with research mind and they don't suit the pre-defined "who mugs better" education system. They have new concepts and ideas which the pervasive education system can't take into consideration, and label them as stupid. Metal-heads have habit of not taking things for granted; they are always open- minded. They tend to have their own definitions and theory for everything. They are the master of interpretation and misinterpretation, which obviously don't suit the well established education methodology.

Those who prefer heavy metal music are more inclined to be reckless sensation seekers who take risks. This is a personality type rather than a direct effect of the music—sensation seekers have less reactive nervous systems and so it takes more intense stimuli to generate a sensation of happiness or excitement. Risk seeking doesn't mean cutting their hand or hitting the cop with metal rod, it can be in any sense, like, playing extreme sports, saving people out of fire, experimenting on their answers in exams, or putting money in risky projects.

Metal-heads are often kept in the category of troubled children; but I would say they are actually trouble seekers. I mean to say, by human nature, people find easy to take the well defined path to success. They are habituated with the quotidian routine in their lifestyle- same well known road marked with zebra crossing and automatic signals.

On the other hands, Metal-heads are trouble seekers as I said, they explore into new things. They don't want themselves to confine themselves to fixed- ideologies inherited from their ancestors. They are keen on exploring new ideas and concepts. No research on heavy metal and neurology relation is its living example. The research are conducted to suit their future job requirement ; not for finding new things.

I now backup things mentioned above with some logic. Human has hearing range of 20 Hz to 20000 KHz. And heavy metal is the only genre which touches the highest and lowest mark of audible sound. Simply, as mentioned above they want  to experiment with things not just be contempt with what they have.

The loud, confrontational aspects of heavy metal have led to friction between fans and mainstream society in many countries. Due to the hedonistic nature promoted by the music and its occasional anti-religious sentiments heavy metal as a sub-culture has come under attack in many Islamic countries like Malaysisa, Egypt, Morrocco where, in the most extreme cases, even wearing a black T-shirt can be an arrestable offence.

Heavy Metal is far ahead of any genre in terms of symbolism. The "devil horns" (forefinger and pinky raised)hand sign first popularized by Ronnie James Dio has become a common sight at many rock concerts. Actually,its shadow looks like a goat and people think it is devil sign.Now almost every Metal band have their personalized symbol and gestures and this has been copied to other genre as well. During the 1970s and 1980s, flirtation with occult themes by artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Iron Maiden led to accusations of "Satanic" influences in heavy metal by fundamentalist Christians. One popular contention during that period was that heavy metal albums featured hidden messages urging listeners to worship the Devil or to commit suicide.And every sensible person can tell that was circumstances and not Heavy metal.

Heavy metal music is closely related with tatoos. And with all due respect Vinchi, if he makes potriat of some girl its masterpiece and when some head bangger makes some photos of girl in his body it is obscenity how can that be, afterall art in any form is art.Can't there be a masterpiece made in form of tatoos?

Every now and then Heavy metal has been targeted for being anti-god. But, I must remind you that all top researchers of today don't think there is god. But who knows that heavy metal fan will be first to find the god (if it existed) before others due to absence of one track mind.

Physics says everything in creation vibrates at certain frequencies. Heavy metal, though, thought to be full of negative vibes has greater significance in Physics as well as religion. Isn't there possibility that these vibes may activate our Kundalini and we become able to see the god or 11th dimension.

To conclude, Heavy metal should be praised for its open mindedness and the great effort of singers and artists. The heavy metal is genre for iconoclast not stereotypes.

Don't bang head too much, man you will get stiff neck!!

~ST