Why Heavy Metal Music is Popular

 

Heavy metal music still remains popular around the world, and in this piece, we look at some of the reasons why. It can be a little controversial for some music fans, but for others, they just cannot get enough of it. 

Heavy metal music falls into the rock genre. It has intense, powerful and virtuosic styles and a live performance is quite the experience. Some of the most famous brands include Iron Maiden, Metallica and Judas Priest. To give you an understanding of an immersive experience, check out the bravewords piece “breaking the law” at Bloodstock Open Air 2021.

The genre first came to prominence in the United States and the United Kingdom in the late 1960s. The three founding pioneers were Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. At the time, the music was very controversial, as it was very aggressive. The 60s was a revolutionary time for music, especially in the UK that saw the Beatles and the Rolling Stones rise to prominence as well as other genres such as heavy metal. 

Many fans of the music like the high energy and the aggression that it entails. It is perfect for a workout in the gym or a long run, motivating you to push further. It is more popular in some places in the world as opposed to others. For example, heavy metal is very popular in Finland whereas, in more conservative places like India, the music is not appreciated. However, recent trends show changes occurring on the Indian subcontinent especially when it comes to popular culture. Western music is gaining traction as well as sports such as football. Another emerging trend is gambling – sports and casinos, and there are even portals to help players find the best resources for online gambling in India. Comparison sites like Asiabet, assist with setting up an account, provide valuable information on welcome bonuses, and advise on the legality of playing, as well as the many offerings of the sites they propose for interested players to see and pick. This major cultural change within Indian society could be emulated with different types of music such as heavy metal. 

Today is the greatest time ever to distribute your music with a plethora of streaming platforms available for people to listen to. On Spotify, heavy metal is very popular with Iron Maiden having over 6 million streams per month. 

Sometimes the genre has been criticised for misogyny and lyrics pertaining to the occult. Nonetheless, the music is meant to test boundaries and is a reflection upon society. On numerous occasions, heavy metal artists have had to defend their lyrics in court. Take the example of Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider. In 1985 he was asked questions about the song “under the blade”. The senate hearing alleged that the song was about sadomasochism and rape, with Snider stating it was just about throat surgery. 

There are many times heavy metal bands have heard the wrath of parents over the lyrics in the songs. Infamously Judas Priest was involved in a lawsuit because of subliminal messages in their song “better by you, better by me”. It was alleged that the band carried some responsibility in the horrific story of a group of young men committing suicide in 1985. They were accused of having hidden messages for the audience to kill themselves. Ultimately, in the end the case was thrown out. 

In the modern world, heavy metal is still alive and well, with many festivals hosted in the West for fans. One of the largest festivals is Wacken, hosted in Germany to some 80,000 fans. Moreover, there are a lot of events for fans, with a convenient list of heavy metal festivals.

The optimised way to play heavy metal music is as loud as possible with large speakers blaring out the powerful instruments and vocals. An experience at a concert can be very intense especially if mosh pitting, it is not for the faint hearted. 

Perhaps heavy metal is past its golden age, just like many genres as electronic music dominates today. It is argued that the 1980s were the best decade for the music genre with huge bands like Black Sabbath, Def Leppard and of course Iron Maiden. Just like with the rock genre, modern bands do not quite hit the heights of their counterparts decades ago. But heavy metal has a unique element that will always be popular for decades to come.