Mirk: In your opinion, what is the difference between Metal and Rock and any other music genre? And why are the fans of artists in Metal more dedicated than other fans?
Anastasia: We metalheads have an unmeasured passion. For us music is not to pass time but a real lifestyle that we proudly show. We live our music as a real religion. Metal does not care if you are a man, woman, white, black, beautiful, ugly, fat, skinny, straight, gay, cool or loser. Metal unites us all. It’s just love and passion. Metal like Rock and all sub-genres is rebellion, not wanting to be like the mass. We enjoy not being like the others!
Candice: As a newer metal fan, I have actually thought about this quite a bit… I never expected to get into metal. I actually always found it really overwhelming. To an inexperienced ear, metal can be really hard to digest. It’s loud and the vocals are not necessarily the most important part…
Metal draws from and builds on so many other genres. I think metal is music for musicians or for passionate music lovers. Metal is so technical and intricately layered… The more you listen to metal, the more you can hear and differentiate those layers and hear the technical intricacies. I’ve been lucky enough to listen to VINTERSEA during the writing and recording stages of their albums and was so mesmerized watching the songs build and evolve.
I spent the first two years of Riley and I’s relationship writing down the names of songs and bands that he played me or mentioned loving. I knew nothing about metal but it was clearly very important to him so I wanted to at the very least to be able to identify and tell apart his favorite bands and songs. I started with Devin Townsend and Periphery, moved my way into TesseracT, then Jinjer and Ne Obiviscaris, and the deeper I got, the deeper I wanted to go. I can honestly say I was so overwhelmed the first time Riley played me Behemoth and now sometimes I’ll request Behemoth songs in the car… and as much as I’ll always still have a place in my heart for other genres, now that I have experienced the heavy, I’m not going back.
Francis: The main difference I see between rock and metal is that the latter is heavier, you have several types of genres within the metal but all have a heavy sound that makes you want to head-bang at some point. More than dedicated would say that not being a style of music in general not as massive as Pop or what you always hear on the radio, it is more valued.
Karolina: Hmm I don’t really know. Maybe because Metal and Rock music mean something more. Metal bands don’t usually sing about parties and girls. They sing about something that can touch you. Personally, I love to read the song lyrics and try to understand the meaning. I know metal love ballads that can make you cry. The sound and lyrics of metal bands make this music different and special.
Panni: Actually, it depends on the band/artist a lot. The difference can be the sounding, the instruments, the thing that they want to explain through the music. The metal fans are like a family. We came from very different places, situations and we found ourselves in this kind of music, that’s what makes us belong together. I found many friends in this community, and i think we are the best so far: helping each other all the time we need, sharing love and enjoying the music together. And also the metal musicians care a lot about their fans, more than others do.
Shannon: Metal and rock are different from other genres because metal is a movement of sorts because many people don’t accept metal. Between all of the sub-genres of metal and rock, there is a song for pretty much every emotion, situation, and religion. No other genre evokes as much feeling, whether it is complete and total aggression or whether it’s a happy, upbeat song, the emotion and mood is so high that so many people can relate to it and there is really a song to please everybody. I feel like the fans are more dedicated because metal is a genre that isn’t really accepted, like I mentioned before, so the fans are all the band has to feed off of.
Vale: I think that there can be a real connection, a kind of chemistry, between the singer(s) and the fan(s). And if the singer can convey his power, his energy, his feelings, into deep, to the person who listens, the bond never will break it…
Vera: First, Rock and Metal are absolutely heavier and faster. Metal and Rock are the only genres that have guitar solos and everything goes faster!… In many Metal and Rock songs, the lyrics are quite brutal, which would be odd in the Pop world. Growling is normal in Metal and Rock… For many people who listen to a special band, that band means the world for them and they are the biggest fans… Metal fans are so dedicated and loyal to the bands they love.
