Why did I choose metal?
I didn’t….
It chose me.
By 1987, I’d had it with music. Rock was kinda cool, but I needed more… I had played all of my Parents’ Beatles, Zeppelin and Stones’ records. Kiss had long since taken the makeup off, and the likes of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple just didn’t really cut it anymore.
I needed something else….a new ‘fix’…
Well….I got it….
One night a mate of mine played me Motley Crue’s ‘Shout At The Devil’. I had never heard anything so intoxicating….so dark and so evil…
I LOVED IT!
Soon after that, I heard Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ on the radio. It stopped me in my tracks…“What the fuck is that!??” I thought….it was the greatest thing I had ever heard in my life (up to that point, Van Halen’s ‘Panama’ was the greatest song ever!)
I had to hear more. Somehow I managed to get enough $$ together to buy Appetite For Destruction – a record I can honestly say is my favorite album of all time.
And so it began…
The late 80’s was a golden age for hard rock and heavy metal. The album & singles charts were littered with ‘hair bands’, our TV screens were filled with the videos of the bands I was becoming obsessed with. In the pre-Internet era, I had to rely on fellow metal heads at school to let me into their tape trading circles…..yes kids, this was how it was done once upon a time…no computers, no bloody iPhones….just patience, excitement, passion….and a shitload of blank tapes!
From there I began my metalmorphosis: a never ending quest for new heavy music. The brief was simple - the heavier, the faster, the nastier, the angrier….the better.
But there was one band in particular that completely changed EVERYTHING!
One word.
METALLICA.
1988 saw the release of their fourth album ‘…And Justice For All’. An epic slice of heavy metal played with speed, precision and articulated rage.
This was it. This was the ‘one’.
Never before had a band or an album spoken to me quite like this. It was the first record that I connected with on every level. Night after night, I poured over James Hetfield’s lyrics – tales of war, injustice, corruption, power, frustration, hatred - it was all there. I still love and adore ‘Justice’ as much today as I did almost 25 years ago. It changed my life forever, for the better.
From then on the metalmorphosis brought many great bands to my ears attention – Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Machine Head, Iron Maiden, The Cult, DevilDriver, Dream Theater, Fear Factory, Korn, Lamb Of God, The Haunted, In Flames, Testament… the list is endless.
I can’t think of a day when I didn’t at least even think about metal, let alone listen to it. It has remained a constant throughout my life – for 25 years it has been my friend, my savior, my pacifier.
I love the fact that metal is now bigger than it’s ever been. It has defied time, logic and trends. Metal is a survivor. It feeds on the passion of the bands and the fans that keep listening to them, keep buying their physical albums (we metal folk don’t care much for the digital stuff), buying concert tickets and of course the merch….the ultimate metal accessory - the badge of honour if you will.
“Do you choose what I choose? More alternatives. Energy derives from both the plus and negative”
Metallica - ‘Eye Of The Beholder’ - 1988.
-Simon M
