Opeth frontman says metal fans are “closed-minded”

Mikael Åkerfeldt's assertion that metalheads “don’t really want to know about what they’re getting” seems to make zero sense in a world where people download albums before buying them, or at least hear them on YouTube or via label-sponsored streaming on SoundCloud. In fact, metalheads have always wanted to hear the album before buying, even when they had to do it with CD players and headphones in record stores (as in the 1990s). It seems as if metalheads are picking albums for reasons that Åkerfeldt just doesn’t understand.

http://www.deathmetal.org/news/opeth-frontman-says-metal-fans-are-closed-minded/

 

Generally speaking, metal heads can be a very close minded lot.

 

Generally speaking "X Heads" are close minded, regardless of the X.

If someone identifies as "I like the Grateful Dead", that's different than self-identifying "I'm a Dead Head". The implication being that the phrase "Dead Head" rejects non-GD music. Just as Metal Head includes rejecting non-metal.

Liking or preferring a kind of music is one thing. But being an "X Head" means that one measures all music in relation to X. An X head will hear Goodnight Irene and ask "is it X, if so how X is it." rather than evaluate it on its own terms.

So, yeah. X Heads tend to be close minded.

 

Ancient Chinese man say "**** ***".

 

They CAN be especially closeminded in their music taste. But in the end any music genre has it's fans that are closeminded where it comes to other music. It is just that the stereotypical metalhead is easily spotted and makes a bit more noise

 

I love metal, always have always will but I wouldn't say I'm closed minded. I'll listen to any type of music and if I like it I like it. I play guitar so for me, if its got a great riff or solo I'll like it whether it fits into the metal genre or not.

 

I really appreciate this post. I think when the identity politics of music get involved, the music itself gets marginalized and becomes only an accessory. I think you're very right about the "X heads."

Btw, everyone at the Opeth show I saw last year was very open to absolutely anything the band did. But they were open minded enough to embrace the new album and show up, so I guess they may not have been the ones he was talking about anyway.

 

I find metal heads to be quite open. In fact, everyone not the genre is pretty closed minded towards us. We look scary, yes. We look like we'll crush your skull in for no reason, yes. But every metal I've met and spoken to that look scary was an absolute delight and very open.
I find metal heads to be very individual and unique. They are not conforming sheep at all. I don't see that as closed mindedness at all. It's refreshing to be honest.

Edit: Opeth = LOLz

 

Why do you want to look like that? Do you enjoy looking intimidating? or are you really just over-compensating for being pussys?

(Just slinging shit man don't take it too seriously),

But really, why the violent fashion statement?

I love heavy music, and metal is where real guitar music has managed to survive, but I hate it when attitude supersedes the music, and that seems to be the case in a lot of instances.

 

I'm 6'5 and have a pretty solid frame. I don't need anything to intimidate anybody, I just need to be walking behind you.

I don't think we have a violent fashion statement. Just black band shirts really. The occasional bullet belt and I guess a handful think it's cool to go all spikes. A group of dudes with long hair, smoking ciggies all dressed in black just intimidates peoples I guess. Though like I said you go talk to that group and they'll probably be your best mates for 5 minutes.

 

Size doesn't intimidate me, I know Kung fu! lol

I've always assumed the fans just ape what the bands are wearing...

Black is a'ight, I like black... are there any metal bands that just dress in a non-pretentious manner, like t-shirts and jeans?

Also, a lot of album covers seem to have really morbid stuff, images of corpses, bloody things and what not. Are there any modern metal bands that don't have that kind of stuff on the record covers?

 

There's tons of bands that don't dress in all black. They just happen to suck live. There's a sense of atmosphere with all black and morbid stuff.
As for album covers, yeah again there's tons of positive and nice stuff. Depends what you want to listen to really. I think if you're seeing the morbid covers you're looking at that type of music. I personally don't listen to much of the positive junk but I know it's out there. Hell, there's meant to be a Christian death metal scene.

 

So the way they dress is in direct relation to how good they are? That doesn't make any sense.

Well now you've shifted from one sentence describing images to the next that seems to be talking about sounds. Do you often confuse those two things? Who said anything about positive and nice?

Why? Is negativity important to you? Other than the content of the lyrics,( I don't really care for lyrics anyway) what makes the music positive or negative? To me music is either good or I don't care for it. The meaning of the music, instrumentally speaking, other than being a rock combo (Guitar, bass and drums) is in the realm of the abstract IMO and can't be qualified in terms of positive or negative, do you disagree?

Well it's not really surprising, I mean if you sing about the devil and what-not you must be christian, after all they invented the devil. And they are pretty much a death-cult so whats the diff?

 

I don't think people that conform can be called sheep by default but honestly, metalheads are really conforming to their own subculture. It does not matter, and they still can be just as individualistic as anybody else, but they are not more individualistic or unique by wearing a black shirt, growing their hair out, drinking out of horns instead of glasses etc. etc. On the contrary: it makes them just as conforming as a mainstream person. They just conform to the group they affiliate themselves most with.

 

What makes him say that is that that kind of music originally was focussed on opposite themes, from blasphemy to gore and agressiveness. That there is a christian death metal subgenre shows there is more diversity than just all dark and morbid stuff. But when it comes to open mindedness, I have to say these christian focussed bands are not really regarded positive or with open support by the more typical metalheads. They are regarded as an annoying and hilarious perversion of the kind of music they love. Generally unworthy of serious acceptance.

 

Hmmm.... usually I'd agree but Vivaldi's Four Seasons is pretty straightforward positive.
EDIT: I should really say the first work of The Four Seasons since it's really a bunch put together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA"]Four Seasons ~ Vivaldi - YouTube

 

Well thats an easy one, diatonic major chords sound happy or "positive" I suppose; If it's major seventh, you're falling in love; minor chords on the other hand tend to strike us as sad or serious; if it's a diminished chord, it's a little tenser; if it's an augmented chord, it's mysterious; If it's augmented eleventh, it's bebop.

Thats the formula we've been programmed with in western music anyway...

There are other kinds of formulas, but they come from cultures largely ignored in the west. Usually outside the 'equal tempered system',
unless you've got a really hip ear, those other formulas tend to sound 'out of tune' to us.

BTW Music from the classical era bores me to tears. :coffee:

 

If they were to swap lyrics and cover art, would anyone be able to discern the two?

 

Yes, I've seen that the ones who are actually into death metal will detect the difference. Good death metal goes hand in hand with not dismissing the classical themes of the genre most of the time. Yes, good remains subjective. But the atmosphere of the music is important and generally the lovers of a genre don't like a completely opposite theme. Makes sense, most gospel lovers would not appreciate an antichristian subgenre in their music neither.

 

It would be a great joke though, gospel with some cookie monster vocals. :smilielol5: