Ha, I remember when I wore my first band shirt. I bet you just love Venom and think they’re the greatest NWOBHM band to come out of the movement. Must be a pretty big metal fan. You really know your stuff, huh poser?
I remember when I was 13 years old, and still liked bands…..but then I grew up.
Listen, when you’ve been in the metal scene as long as I have, you learn true metalheads don’t give a shit about the bands you like. The true metalhead judges based on what bands in the genre you have a strong, irrational hatred for. There’s no place for “liking things” in our scene.
Oh, so you only listen to bands’ demos and first albums? That is soooo kvlt of you, will you please sign my battle vest, right next to the Possessed demo logo patch? Pretty please?
Wait, you say you actually do like bands’ albums past the ’80s debut? La-di-dah Mr. I Liked to Hear Everything in the Mix. You’re so enlightened, so open-minded!
It’s comical to think about it. Picturing someone picking up an Iron Maiden record for the first time, listening to all the riffs, lyrical content and melodies, then having it completely change their life from that first spin. You think that is the “ah-ha” moment, the moment you realize you’re going to be a life-long hesher? Nope. It hits when you realize how much your negative opinions on the East Bay thrash metal bands affect other metalheads.
Have you ever seen those metal fans who like, seem to genuinely enjoy the genre, even listening to different bands from different subgenres? They never tell you how much they love death metal, but hate Cannibal Corpse. They never say how much they love Manowar, just because they know it annoys people. They’re pleasant to be around, and it’s fucking weird.
True metalheads have a duty to keep posers who have a passion for metal out of our scene. Save that energy you burn “liking” bands for the next time you see someone way younger than you wearing a Slipknot shirt. When you make him feel bad for it, he’ll grow up to hate 98% of the genre, yet be a legend in the metal community, and he’ll thank you for it.