Metal Power
September 1, 2006I love heavy metal.
I don’t know why, exactly. The pulse pounding bass. The heart thumping percussion. The crunching guitar. The deep, steel-grinding vocals. Something about it just tears into me like a um, two ton, um heavy thing.
Since the mid-70s I’ve been listening to stuff by preference that would adhere to the above description. My choices have varied quite a bit over the last three decades. Early on it was Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and Kiss. Then it was old Def Leppard, early Metallica, and Queensryche (still all time favorite today.) It progressed through grunge (didn’t stay there long) and now centers around bands like Savage Circus, Distrubed and Nevermore, as well as the ever present Queensryche.
Today I was listening to the latest Distrubed album (10,000 Fists) and I just started pondering my taste in music. I do listen to other stuff (no joke, I actually like Celene Dion) but time and time again I find myself falling back to metal. In all it’s different incarnations. Power. Thrash. Death. Grunge. Heavy. Whatever. Not too far back I had a conversation with ol’ Lutece (who is an avid musical afficianado) about classical music and how it’s considered by many to be ‘the greatest music ever written.’ I’m not going to argue as in many ways I can actually see that, I’ve been listening to classical myself alot recently. But time and time again, I always come back to the pulse.
What about everyone else out there? Is there one form of music that you always fall back on? Do you know why? Is it childhood nostalgia? Is it aesthetic choice?
I feel music is very, very personal. Mine is for sure even though I can’t necessarily tell you why.
No wonder you are not particular about sound quality! You listen to heavy metal, which is little more than random noise, and impervious to the nuances of quality sound. Turn it up loud and it all sounds fine, especially since your hearing has been numbed/damaged. Bang your head against the nearest solid object and it sounds even better. Bonus point for hurtling your entire body into something or someone!
Cheers,
Wayne
Random Noise? Some people would say classical music is random noise or jazz is random noise. It’s all in the development of the ear. I can pick up extreme subtleties in the best of metal just like I can with classical and jazz.
Thanks for stopping by and maybe I’ll bring you a CD with some true head banging metal on it for ya.
I’ll give it a shot. But if I damage myself you are held responsible.
Saw a Gilbert and Sullivan show at the Arts Center tonight. Couldn’t understand a darn thing of the operatic singing, but we enjoyed it anyway.
Wayne