Heavy metal takes talent, experience

October 23, 2006 —

Since its propulsion into the mainstream amidst the debauchery of the 1980s, metal has been dismissed as a credible form of music, and now many find it to be the archetype for everything that is wrong with modern culture. Some cite the aggressive, occasionally violent lyrics. Others mention the "sex, drugs, and rock n' roll" attitude of the stereotypical metal band. Yet more suggest the cookie-cutter version of metal that was pumped out at such an unrelenting rate as their main rationale for claiming the music has no artistic value. This assumption could not be more wrong. The fact of the matter is that in the current state of metal, many of these stereotypes no longer hold any significance, and the genre as a whole deserves more respect from critics and fans alike.

In its infancy, metal - born in the late 1960s in the dreary factory towns of England - was an expansion of the progressive rock movement of that era, using power chords, extreme amp distortion, a twist of the occult, and a gothic nihilism not seen before.

But due to the low marketability of such shocking and disturbing music and the stain the genre received in the 1980s from so-called "hair metal" bands like Moetley Cruee and Poison, metal has since been labeled as less of an art form, and more of a novelty reserved for the under-educated cretin looking for nothing more than three minutes of noise.

Further, due to the soaring popularity of hair metal, the marketing machine behind it was churning out carbon copies of the same archetype by the end of the 80s. This led to the belief that little effort goes into making such a style of music.

This could not be further from the truth. In fact, metal has produced some of the most talented musicians to ever pick up their instruments. Early bands such as Black Sabbath, as well as Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden each feature some of the greatest guitarists and drummers of all time. On top of that, their songs featured a complexity in modern music that hadn't been seen before.

Many of today's modern metal acts feature much of the same complexity. Bands such as Between the Buried and Me and The Dillinger Escape Plan feature some of the most intricate and well-arranged music on the market today. Expanding on the complex compositions linked with early Metallica and Slayer, this new breed of metal band has taken a cue from their predecessors while leaving their own unique mark on the genre, something any good artist would do. A typical song from either band will take its listener on a rollercoaster ride, flowing from an intricate guitar riff and drum pattern, to a classical jazz solo, to a funk beat, and then back again.

It takes a vast knowledge of music theory and years of practice to even begin thinking of producing such music. Many will still be turned away from the aggressive vocal styles and the sheer brutality that many modern metal acts pride themselves on, and that's fine. All that I ask is you respect the genre, rather than pan it simply because you can't always tap your foot to it. The music being produced by these bands is anything but simple, and it demands to be taken seriously.