Aaah, stereotypes… Metal fans are not spared, far from it! What are the most common misconceptions about heavy metal fans? How do we respond to our detractors?
The whole team at our online store has got together to help you fight the stereotypes that affect you as a metalhead. 🎸
Metal fans are said to be dirty, noisy, drug addicts, stupid… The list of clichés is long. These prejudices about rock fans are often unfounded and meaningless.
In this article, you’ll discover the 20 most widespread clichés about metalheads, as well as rational answers to counter those that attack your image as a hard rock fan…
Let’s get started! 🤘
This week, we caught up with Kris, a huge fan of metal music, to discuss the most annoying stereotypes faced by rock and metal fans. He also shares some tips on how to deal with them. We’re off! 🤘 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
Shot #20: “A metalhead necessarily plays an instrument”
Of course, the number of rock and metal fans who play an instrument has increased over the years. This is partly due to the availability of a wide range of affordable instruments on the market and the ease of access to free online lessons. However, this doesn’t mean that EVERY rock fan plays an instrument…
Shot #19: “They’re society’s outcasts”
For some people, the image of metalheads boils down to marginals who need to cut their hair and get a real job… Of course, there are metal fans who can be idiots, people with problems or just plain bullies… But that happens in every community!
Many metal fans are also intelligent, hard-working individuals who hold good jobs, pursue studies and some are even business owners.
Shot #18: “Metalheads don’t exist anymore”
“I thought they disappeared in the 70s or 80s…”
Well, rock and metal are still very much with us. Unlike most “pop music” trends, which disappear as quickly as they appear, metal has endured since its inception. The proof is in the growing number of rock concerts and festivals that attract ever-increasing numbers of participants. The flame is more alive than ever. 🔥
Shot #17: “Black people don’t like metal”
This is simply absurd…
We’ll come back to this a little later, but rock itself is a symbol of inclusion. Metalheads come from all walks of life, and the “black” community is just as present in rock culture as any other community. 🙋🏾♂️
Shot #16: “Metalheads have no talent”
Kris confides that it’s really annoying to hear someone define metal as “crap” with talentless musicians. Especially when that same person praises pop stars who don’t compose their own music and use all sorts of studio tricks, like autotune, to get on the radio and appeal to the general public…
As Ole’ Nessie used to say: “Try learning to play the guitar, stupid. Then we’ll talk. ✌️
Shot #15: “Lyrics are meaningless”
As Dick Rivers so aptly put it, “Some of the most powerful and provocative lyrics have been written by metal musicians”.
It’s perfectly normal for someone totally unfamiliar with rock music to be unmoved by the lyrics of certain songs. You have to understand the codes: rock music is a real art. Just as rap isn’t understood by everyone… 🎼
But here again, the hypocrisy is blatant. People listen to “Gangnam Style” in Korean, they sing it, they dance to it. Nobody understands anything and nobody minds. 🤷♂️
Shot #14: “They all look the same”
“It seems like all metalheads look alike.” I often hear this remark too…
We all have long hair, leather pants and denim jackets with patches on the back…. NO! Metal has been around long enough to say otherwise. Fashion evolves, and so do metal fans. Certainly, certain dress and hair codes endure. 💇♂️ But everyone has their own style, choosing haircuts, skull tattoos or not. And metal fans can have very different styles, whether it’s a 16-year-old high school student or a 60-year-old company director, it’s easy to understand that their style can sometimes be very different.
Shot #13: “They’re dark and angry”
Listening to metal makes you calmer, the science says…
A recent study conducted by the University of Queensland in Australia has concluded that metal music has a positive influence on nervous people, as it helps them channel their emotions appropriately.
The study brought together a group of 39 regular listeners of hard rock music, aged between 18 and 34. Participants were asked to describe events in their lives that made them angry. Next, they listened to music of their choice for 10 minutes or remained in silence for 10 minutes, then were monitored again. The doctor in charge of the study said: “We found that music reinforced positive emotions. While silence stagnated the bad vibes. People felt calmer listening to the music of their choice, whether it was violent or not”. 🧘🏼♀️
Ask any metal fan for confirmation: music relaxes. Just as a sportsman needs sport, a metalhead needs metal. It’s as simple as that.
Shot #12: “Their parents must disown them”
I don’t know about you, but my parents love the fact that I listen to heavy metal. They can see that I’m happy. Whether I listen to rock or classical, they don’t really care…
Shot #11: “Metal fans are dumb”
We’re sometimes described as having little or no intelligence compared to fans of other styles of music… Let’s let a study speak for itself once again!
After collecting average scores from various higher education institutions over a number of years, computer applications developer Virgil Griffith has come up with some rather interesting results.
Taking various factors into account, the study concludes that individuals with above-average intelligence mostly prefer rock bands, while rap and pop are at the other end of the scale. However, once again, there are intelligent and less intelligent people in all walks of life, so it’s not a question of competition. Reducing a group of fans of one style of music to the status of idiots is simply absurd. 🧐
Shot #10: “They’re all drug addicts”
Kris, what do you have to say about this?
-Ahah… huge cliché. Drugs are everywhere. Much more in everyday life and in the offices of La Défense in Paris than at a rock concert. I’ve been a metal fan since I was 15, I’m now 31, and I’ve never touched it. ⛔️ I think this cliché is fuelled by a few rock stars who have abused drugs. And so people associate music with addiction to illicit substances… Sad!
Shot #9: “Metalheads are dirty”
No, no, we don’t wash our hair…. Personally, I wouldn’t feel right coming out of a rock concert without being drenched in sweat! That’s rock ‘n’ roll. And would you say to a footballer coming out of his match: “Ah, but you’re dirty, you’re sweating…”? Never! It’s the same for us. 🙄
Shot #8: “All rock sounds last 11 minutes”
It’s not quite a stereotype, to be honest. Not all sounds are 11 minutes long! Lots of albums feature 3-4 minute tracks that can play on the radio. But I just think that’s because rock bands make music for themselves and their fans, not to please radio stations and the general public. And when you like it, you don’t count! That’s the difference with pop music. 🥁
Shot #7: “It’s just a phase, you’ll grow out of it”
It’s funny how people who tell you this end up coming out of their “trendy” music phase faster themselves than we come out of metal/rock….
Metal accompanies most people throughout their lives. That’s certainly why we find ourselves at festivals with 15-year-old kids and biker-look grandfathers, with a cohesion almost to tears. 🤘
Shot #6: “Rock stops at Metallica”
People often say to me, “Ah, you must be a Metallica fan…” Or people consider the word Metallica as the name of a musical genre in its own right, not as a band.
It’s obviously a lack of culture and it’s a shame. I have a lot of respect for Metallica, but fortunately, metal isn’t limited to them. Rock is extremely rich and varied. 🖤
Shot #5: “It’s all screams”
I challenge anyone with common sense to say that. I invite such people to read the lyrics of the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd or even Nirvana. And then we can discuss it. 😃
Shot #4: “Rock causes violence”
As we mentioned earlier, listening to metal makes you calmer. The violence aspect is very similar to that of drugs. Hitting an electric guitar is fun, not violent! Ahah. And those who don’t understand the nuance, stay away from us. ⚡️
Shot #3: “We can’t understand a word they’re saying”
Even if some of the rockers’ lyrics are very well written, I have to admit that when we’re with friends, at concerts or festivals, we don’t always try to sing along and listen to the lyrics. Sometimes we’re there to let off steam and have a good time, and the poets who ask us, “What the hell is he saying?” don’t matter to us. 👀
Shot #2: “Metalheads only listen to metal”
It’s true for some. And sometimes that’s just as well! But not always. Personally, I listen to all styles of music. But it’s true that I always come back to metal several times during the day, it’s in my blood. 🩸
Shot #1: “Metal fans are satanic”
I’m 30 years old. I’ve been attending metal concerts since I was 16. I have around 70 metal concerts to my name, in France and abroad. I’m friends with a lot of metalheads, and I’ve never met a Satanist! In fact, I don’t even really know what Satanism is. And it doesn’t really matter to me or my friends. I think I can even speak for all metalheads. We just like our music, your devil story doesn’t concern us. 👹
Defy metalhead stereotypes too
We’ve just spent some time together listing the 20 biggest myths about metalheads. Now you know exactly how to contradict each of these preconceptions and respond with hindsight the next time someone attacks you and our community. 👊 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
After all, what defines us best is certainly our difference. It’s how we keep the bad vibes at bay and recognize each other. And for that, nothing could be more badass than having a true metal fan style.
