What has metal taught you?

[Jim Necroslaughter]

Listening to metal properly is a skill that can be honed.  Besides Classical, I am positive that there is no other type of music that requires paying close attention more than metal.  The dividends are much higher when you pay attention and follow every moment of every song.  Your mind can't wander if you want an optimum experience.  It takes time to get good at it.

Because of all this, I have realized that metal has actually taught me the importance of being in the moment and not letting my mind wander.  I would even say it has actually increased my attention span.  In fact, I had a thought last night, that if we could measure attention span, this would be an even better way to measure the potential for learning than an IQ test.  But I digress.

What has metal taught you?  Metal has better taught me to live in the moment and to concentrate on one thing at a time.

[Muaddib]

Metal has taught me to transcend materialism. When you listen to something like Morbid Angel's Immortal Rights during the sunrize, or when you listen to dead horse and look at people scurring away to their important busynesses, it seems so unimportant and redundent in comparison to the sense of magic and wonder metal provokes. It also taught me being true to myself and have much moe respect to nature and strenght.
Metal also intoduced me into thinking of sound-scapes and structuralism in music, and to keep on learning and gaining strenght.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

Outstanding.  And if I can somewhat paraphrase:  metal has taught us about PERSPECTIVE.  Metal conveys a God-like perspective and, thus, influences our priorities accordingly.  Metal trains us to transcend our narrow, individual perspective.  And by conveying information in the form of music, metal teaches us and trains us about things to the extent that we FEEL IT.  We don't just learn these lessons intellectually, with our head.  Metal (and Classical) actually makes us FEEL its wisdom in our hearts and our guts.

I think this lesson dovetails with what you say here:

Metal also intoduced me into thinking of sound-scapes and structuralism in music

Me too.  I have no academic understanding of music, but metal has taught me how to understand music more intellectually, even though, at first, metal is simply a gut feeling.  By returning to the same pieces over and over again, and by reflecting on them, you learn that music can be and should be more than just wallpaper.

I would also add that metal teaches us the same lesson about music that Arthur Schopenhauer teaches us about music (i.e. music is the will, itself).  I suppose to call this merely a "lesson" is understating it.  Metal and Schopenhauer reveal to us what music REALLY is or can be.

EDIT:  To further illustrate what I'm trying to say:  If it wasn't for metal, I think it might be harder for me to think of Kraftwerk as anything more than dance music.

[Leperchaun]

I have no academic understanding of music, but metal has taught me how to understand music more intellectually, even though, at first, metal is simply a gut feeling.  By returning to the same pieces over and over again, and by reflecting on them, you learn that music can be and should be more than just wallpaper.

I got introduced to (real)metal by the early works of Manowar, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Death and Immortal - they sounded good through the "gut feeling" to me. As I have heard a lot more metal since, I've of course become more discerning/analytical listener, but I still find all of the aforementioned artists as enjoyable as ever(even if I haven't listened to them too much lately).

Gut feeling still remains as the fundamental determinant for me to separate good metal from bad, but it's elating to have some conceptual understanding to be able to tell that why some metal is good/bad. Developing theoretical understanding of metal is something I'm working on, as I'd like to be able to write good metal reviews - maybe not as extremely sophisticated as the official reviews of this site, but better than the blather that saturates Metal-Archives.

[Parasite]

Im much more sensible now than i was maybe a few years back.  I find my thought process much clearer, having better focus on the things that matter to me in life.  I find listening to metal very therapeutic actually.  Now this may contradict what i just said, but i have definently unleashed the Lion within me.  Use your fist and not your mouth.

[Wolfgang]

"but better than the blather that saturates Metal-Archives."


What is this, 2005? The site has become much better about the reviews they approve and plenty of Hessians or otherwise valid metal fans have been writing reviews in the last few years. It's not even close to what it used to be.

[JSPAG]

If there's one thing Metal taught me it was to be very skeptical about appearances and aesthetic. I understand Black Metal to some, is a very aesthetic form of Metal. Regardless, I look to dissect every form of Metal that is presented to me on many fronts. Through auditory first and aesthetic later. If a band doesn't present to me my objectives, beliefs and standards I'm seeking, I dismiss it offhand as pandering to a certain crowd. Metal that panders to those who are not deserving of being pandered to, I almost immediately move on to those forms that do.....

I'd also like to add again, Assuck needs to be in the DLA. If no one is willing or able to do so, I would be more than happy to submit my opinions in a cogent and honest fashion.....Grindcore and Death Metal have quite a bit to say about our modern times. I understand these forms don't really give any solutions, but social commentary leads to such things....

[scourge]

It is safe to assume that nobody else is going to write such a review. Just taking some independent initiative shouldn't be considered a heroic act these days, but in a society of stale bureaucracy, overspecialized experts, and consumer conveniences, that's what it has come down to.

[Bacchant]

It is interesting to know that others have had similar mind elevating experiences with metal. I feel metal has also "taught me the importance of being in the moment and not letting my mind wander", thereby paving the way for more intelligent interpretation of large scale classical works - such as the great Beethoven symphonies which previously eluded my grasp. I believe that this same lesson also helped me become a more penetrating reader of difficult books: classics in philosophy (Plato, Nietzsche), epic poems (Homer, Dante), and others, like Euclid's Elements. I'm not saying that metal has allowed me to "master" any of these works literary or musical, but it at least cultivated my mind to the point where it could operate on the material and get something of value from it (again and again).

[JSPAG]

It is safe to assume that nobody else is going to write such a review. Just taking some independent initiative shouldn't be considered a heroic act these days, but in a society of stale bureaucracy, overspecialized experts, and consumer conveniences, that's what it has come down to.

So right you are. Irregardless, I'm a bored "overspecialized" combat vet who is well versed in the art-form that we all admire. I don't beg, and I never ask twice....

[we hope you die]

Aside from what has already been mentioned, metal has taught me the value of quality over quantity. When I was younger I felt the need to listen to everything I could get hold or any name that was recomended to me. I've slowed down now. why accept average music?

[Conservationist]

- Love experience, not net results, but work toward a goal
- Look at life through history/science, not emotion or social pressures
- Sodomize the weak
- Work toward strength
- Reverent worship of power

[Walt]

- Reverent worship of power

Can you explicate on this, why power? How power? To what end?

[Humanicide]

- Sodomize the weak

With broomsticks and tire irons!

Metal has helped me through many a tough time in my life. Thanks in part to a certain Blasphemy interview, I now like lifting weights a lot more than I used to. Working out in general was partially inspired by metal. I've learned how to play bass and guitar better through my listening of metal. There's so much I can thank metal for, and all it asks is that I listen. What more can one want?

[Parasite]

Nothing beats black metal powerliftng! i should have mentioned this aswell, every second day i lift weights, and hit the bag with some bestial black metal playing in the background!