Metal Gods
Metal Gods Judas Priest still performing live

Why Metal Music Isn’t Dead, Contrary to What Some Might Say

Out of all the musical genres available to the general public, lots of them have obsessive fans. Not many of them, though, can top the level of fixation shared by Metal Heads. From arguing endlessly about what genre of metal something belongs to, to fighting over which metal band is best. There are a LOT of enthusiastic opinions about metal music. But one of the most common feelings among metal fans is that the metal genre is dead.

For some reason, lots of people think it’s cool or fascinating to like something that is out of style. There has always been a drive for many people to feel this way. Somehow they think that belonging to a small group is better than a big one. But if that were actually the case, if metal was a dying genre… how could it be so active?

Why Metal is Alive and Kicking

If a TV show was still on the air after fifty years, everyone would call it a smashing success. But for some reason, people keep wanting to say metal is dead. Even though it has been around for well over fifty years. There are more subgenres of metal than most people even know exist, and new ones are still forming. There is marked growth in the metal genre, with new bands coming together all the time. Not to mention some of the classics are still performing many decades later. 

Metal Gods
Ozzy still touring… as in, he never stopped

There’s not really a good answer to the question of why people keep trying to kill their favorite music. You can speculate and theorize, but it all comes down to individuals. Some people like to think they belong in an exclusive club. Some people just don’t want everyone else to like what they like. Lots of people are under the impression that if LOADS of people like something, it’s inherently bad. But that kind of logic doesn’t make any sense when you take in the subjectivity of music. Every band, every song, every note can be looked at from a million perspectives. So how is anyone claiming to have absolute knowledge that metal is dead?

Looking Back…

Indian Metal Band Kryptos

Metal is a genre that grew out of rock. It has since enjoyed just as much success as its spiritual progenitor. All the factors have been in place for years to show this to be true. Metal bands are still packing stadiums in countries all over the world. More subgenres are being created each day it seems. Metal is alive and well, just ask the people still making metal music. So the next time someone tries to convince you that metal died in 1991, 1986, or 2004… ignore it. Metal lives as long as someone out there is interested. So if you were interested enough to read this article, Metal lives. Congratulations, you’ve done your part.

Japanese metal group Baby Metal

Jon "Flash" Schmitt