When Metal and I met - Part II

Hello everyone,
Hope you all have read Part I on "When Metal and I met".
Now lets get started on on the second chapter of "When Metal and I met"!

Alright, its time to rewind a long way back. We are going to travel on the twisted road of the history of my musical life now.

           I lived the first 8-9 years of my life in the city of Bombay, and after that I moved to Bangalore (HeadBangalore) and I have been here ever since. Back then, when I was a little kid aging about 5 or 6 years, I got the opportunity to actually pay attention and listen to music on cable TV. I think it was a music video of some Hindi pop band or a Bollywood filmi hit. And after that, it became a habit for all of us to watch music videos on Channel V or MTV or any other channel for that matter. And yes, it was routine for me as well to watch music videos of Hindi pop bands or Bollwood hits everyday. And for about roughly 4 more years, that was all the music I knew.

           Then I moved to Bangalore when I was in the 4th grade, and I came here with my sister and parents to live here with my grandparents. And this place was vastly different from Bombay! A major major factor was the language. Nevertheless, the people here loved the local national Hindi music too. So music-wise, the change wasn't significant. A year later, my dad moved to Florida for a couple of years roughly. And when he visited us every half yearly, he would bring goodies like cookies,chocolates,gadgets,clothes,sunglasses, and so on. So one time, he bought me a CD player along with an album on a CD by Backstreet Boys (a very popular pop band back then, and even now). So this was the first time I was exposed to "Western music". Strange enough, I loved it! And I think, for nearly a year I listened to nothing but the Backstreet Boys. After a while, my dad exposed me to some of his own collection of music. Some of which included bands like Boyzone, Westlife, Beatles, Pink Floyd, BeeGees (hated them all along), Dire Straits, Eagles, Santana, Britney Spears, etc. So basically, it was more or less the pop era for me back then. These were basically songs which were dominated by vocals and had a basic instrumental and percussion rhythm style to go along. But I had no idea what rhythm,vocals or percussion even meant back then! So till about 8th grade or so, my music was pop dominated.

         Now, having reached the 8th grade, my personal life was a little fucked up, but academics wise I was doing well. And it was in the 8th grade, that I was somehow introduced to rap music. I loved rap too! It was new to me, and I liked the idea of people rhyming with words and speaking/singing in a mono tone over a basic rhythm. (Now, don't worry if you didn't really understand any of that, its not important). Rappers like Eminem and Jay Z were huge back then. And I really dug their music. The sorrowful and angry lyrics had fitted perfectly into my life (But the monotonous singing somehow did not depict the full effect of the lyrics).

        Sometime during the 9th grade, I wanted more than just rap. Rap got a bit too monotonous, and you can probably understand that. I wanted more out of music. More feeling, more expression, more attitude, stuff like that. I managed to listen to rock bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Limp Bizkit for a while, and then out of nowhere, over the Internet, somehow I was introduced to the band LINKIN PARK. This was no ordinary band. This was the band I listened to for nearly 3 and a half years straight. Unbelievable, considering the fact that I hardly listen to them anymore. I thought, for sure, that LP was the band I would stick to, until death! Now, what makes LP different? Well, they mix rap and singing over a rock-like rhythm including instruments like the guitar, keyboard, violas, cellos, and a scratch-disc. And they have these vocals which vary from soft to harsh in a fairly melodic way. Interesting, isn't it?! Well, I thought so. And these guys came out with 3 fantastic albums which grew popular in no time! Let me tell you, they're the perfect band to listen to in your early teens.

       Although I cannot forget that it was around the 9th grade that I was introduced to metal. And let me tell you, I DID NOT LIKE IT! I was introduced to bands like Reveille, Metallica, and Godsmack. I liked listening to Reveille (an extremely unpopular band that deserved more credit, honestly). Reveille was a rap-metal band (sort of like Limp Bizkit), but with much heavier and darker rhythms, and aggressive lyrics. Lyrics by Reveille like "Curiosity has taken its toll; Empathetic- into the darkness i fall alone" seemed catchy to me. And the first music video of Metallica that I watched was probably "I disappear" (lovely song and video by the way), but no, I did not like it at all. The deep voice, the heavy guitar rhythms, the heavy drumming, the headbanging was all too much for me. So, meanwhile I stuck to listening to LP and a few other rock bands like Nickelback, U2, Papa Roach, etc for a very long time.
     
        So this was when the metal era for me had just about started. But sadly, I have ran out of time and it's time to call it a day. On my next post I am going to elaborate on how metal slowly made it's way into my life and narrate a few real-life incidents that brought several changes in me. Lots more to come; People, music, stories, art, emotional moments, addictions, and more Metal! So stay tuned y'all.

Stay metal metalheads! (And the rest, take care)

Quote: Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest- "Each country has its own character, but heavy metal fans all over the world have a lot in common. It's fantastic."

When Metal and I met - Part I

Hello everyone,
I've come here to write about something very near and dear to me. It has been a while, I was going through a bit of a dry spell and I got caught up in all kinds of work. Anyway, here's a little something for y'all to read during your leisure.

Well, I believe that most of you readers would know what to expect from this, after having read the title. And by metal, I do not mean copper or aluminium. I guess I'll start with a brief introduction about metal (for the genuine metalheads, you can skip the following paragraph and proceed).

I am a metalhead, and I am damn proud to say it! Who or what is a metalhead? A metalhead, what I believe, is a person who responds to Metal instinctively and positively. For those of you who think metal is merely a genre of music, you're only partially correct. In my opinion, metal is a Culture. I'm not going to look up the definition of metal in wikipedia or whatever, I'm going to try and put it in my own words. Metal, to me, is freedom. Metal is liberation. Metal is complete expression of emotion. Metal is inspiration. Metal is passion. Metal is a way of life. Metal is a way of style. Metal defines identity. Metal unites us. I can go on and on and believe me, I've not even started running off my mouth. So what exactly is metal?? Well, it is a genre of music primarily. (Now I will look up wikipedia and quote some of those lines in here, just for clarity). ---- " Metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues, rock and psychedelic rock, (which are genres as well) the bands that created metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo." ---- I would agree with most of that, except for a few things. It doesn't necessarily have to be too loud and does not necessarily promote masculinity. In fact, I damn well think that women should also try listening to metal and give it a genuine shot (It's good for you, believe me). The female metal crowd's growing in size, which is fantastic to see, and as it gets bigger......we'll wait and see. The rest is history.


Alright, I think I've given you a fair insight into metal. Henceforth, I will refer to metal as a genre and a culture. Little intelligence is needed to interpret it when I'm using ''genre'', or when I'm using ''culture''. And every now and then, I might even personify Metal.


I'm sure you've been waiting for us to get down to the point of this post. So, When did Metal and I meet?
Honestly, I don't remember. Haha. If I had known that metal would shape my life in such a massive and important way, trust me, I would've saved that entire day on videotape. But it was a long time ago. Probably in school...9th grade I guess. 


There are several interesting stories on "When Metal and I met" that I will share in my upcoming posts, including ones of meeting new people, discussing bands, music, artwork, warpaint, addictions, and lots more.
I'm going to cut this one a little short and end it here. 


But stay tuned! I'm only getting started on pouring out some of my "metal" stories of my life.


Stay metal metalheads! (And the rest, take care)


Quote: Corey Taylor of Slipknot, sending a message to Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit
"You might have a lot of money and be famous, but the next time you talk shit about Slipknot and it's fans ...we will kill you."