John Romero and Both Shawn Green headbanging while making games.
Went to a metal concert yesterday. I thought I’d share some tips on how to enjoy metal.
First of all I like metal because it is music that you have to actively and truly listen to, to experience and enjoy it. If not it will seem like noise to you or it will be too hard or brutal. The secret is that it must be listened with your stomach, balls or heart. Any other way is just fooling yourself. If you listen with your head, you are having an intelectual experience instead of a musical one. To listen properly, the most important thing is to listen LOUD. I cannot emphasize this enough. A good speaker system with a subwoofer is minimum. These are my speakers (apparently Sigvatr has the same ones).
Speakers might be very good but they will never come close to a live concert. That’s when you really feel the music. You feel the vibrations, the percussion beating your heart, the base guitar in your gut and the voice of the singers ripping your soul apart. This is listening to music as it is supposed to be listened to. Because listening is not hearing stuff nor is it something intelectual where you think about it.
Listening to metal is primarily a vibrational experience.
Second point. This is important for matters of discussion.
There are no songs in metal.
A lot of stuff that is out there can’t be called a song. You name a song a lullaby or something written by Mariah Carey. In metal there are pieces instead of songs. Metal pieces.
Third. Take note that as with everything:
There is good metal and bad metal.
For example Cradle of Filth is crap. But Moonspell is awesome. Simple. Every metal band where the singer sounds like a pussy or barks instead of growling is crap. They are missing the point. Which brings me to the fourth point.
Metal is about the dark side of humanity.
There are so many definitions of metal that it gives me a headache. It’s not about painting your face in blood or heavy guitars. This is why Black Sabbath is the granddaddy of metal. Not because they started playing heavy riffs, the music is just there to color the message. The music is about darkness. About embracing the darkness within you. Getting it out instead of hiding. For centuries the dark side of humans has been suppressed by religion and institutions. Nowadays it is simply denied by culture. We do not remember that we are beasts within. Metal teaches us that we should not suppress, hide it or deny it. We should embrace it. And once you do this it will become your source of power. It is great energy that can be used – actually for good.
We are predators and each of us could easily kill and do other horrifying things if given the right circumstance, even the Pope. Or as John Rambo put it “If you’re pushed, killing is as easy as breathing”. This potential is in us. Political and military leaders know this. That is why they manipulate people into joining an army and going to war. But instead of using this power for actually killing we can use it as a source of creative energy.
I’m not going to beat around the bush. I make games in which the soul purpose is to brutally kill other players. And thousand and thousands of people play these kind of games every day. My belief is that it is far better to spend time virtually killing than joining a real army and serving someones political agenda under the disguise of patriotism and freedom. So my message is: ride hard, live free, no war, heavy metal, video games, rock, drink and fuck.
Couldnt be said better.
First off, Holy crap. I have those exact same speakers.
Altec Lansing MX5021 all the way.
Secondly, Its good to see someone else appreciate Metal the way i do.
“Every metal band where the singer sounds like a pussy or barks instead of growling is crap”
Totally agreed.
Thirdly, Moonspell now have a new fan. Me
Fourthly, Again someone who agrees with my views on Violent Video games.
Is it not better to do it virtually than IRL? (In Real Life)
I dont care what people say, Anyone who kills and makes it likea video game. Or just plays them. NO CONNECTION.
That person was already screwed up, video game or no video game.
Got any more metal recommendations MM?
all mentioned bands are utter and complete crap.
best blog entry so far
I always get this feeling when listening to In The Presence Of Enemies Part 2 by Dream Theater.
I don’t really like metal that much, i rather listen to progressive rock pieces, but this one really got this “energy” you talked about
Nice essay, Michal
Anyone remotely musical can listen to metal with their head and have both a musical and intellectual experience. If you rule out your head you will probably dismiss some of the best music, let alone metal, available. Listen to any pieces by Necrophagist, Spawn of Possession and other bands of that ilk. The listening experience is amplified by intellectual appreciation of sheer compositional excellence.
Good eve.
i dont give a shit about metal i want link dead out!
I dont know what MM looks like so can you guyes point him out in this picture.
This is what I’m listening to lately:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=043CC61CF07E4BF6
link-dead plz aight
“link-dead plox aight”
This is all part of the production of Link-Dead… aight.
Wow. I now understand what metal is all about, and what i’ve been missing..
yeah what about slayer or pantara old skool sexyness
Metal is boring as hell, please don’t put metal into Link Dead, that will totally kill the mood, electronic music is the way.
Sorry about my poor English, I’m Spanish.
metal is awsome but ive been listining to metal for so many years it bores me
i found an awesome post-metal band , theyre called exxasens
very relaxing, though very cool and loud aswell : )
http://www.myspace.com/exxasens
AHA i found the perfect song for ya mm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-hL71InBIg&feature=PlayList&p=0085FCA6DBCA22F3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4
Please put some Brutal Death Metal into Berserker!
meh: Yup I know that band :].
Avis: If Cannibal Corpse begs us maybe we’ll put some of their stuff in Berserker.
I’ve been listening to metal a lot in my day, but I switched over to something different recently. EMB/Industrial/aggrotech
like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fhh9mOWNSs&feature=channel_page
I *always* listen to this piece when I put on my bundeswehrs and make a midnight run
“You feel the vibrations, the percussion beating your heart, the base guitar in your gut and the voice of the singers ripping your soul apart. This is listening to music as it is supposed to be listened to.”
very true
“Every metal band where the singer sounds like a pussy or barks instead of growling is crap.”
no, I can’t argee. I do like some of the bands with growling, but…
just listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vqPGI8ev7I
“Metal is boring as hell, please don’t put metal into Link Dead, that will totally kill the mood, electronic music is the way.”
there is electronic metal too.
Cannibal Corpse sucks.
to be fair, I’d love to see some of The Berzekerk’s stuff in Berserker game (like that, not too heavy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCj5LKAWW4c). but I won’t be able to play cuz of unstoppable headbanging
oops, a typo in the band name ;x
lol pointless but pointfull at the same time. look ive tried listening to music with all the things mm said…. i now have stomach cramps a bad heart and my balls hurt.
anywho i think this whole post is silly because in the end its all about preference and if you dont like metal you dont like metal simple as that mate…. not saying your pushing it on people just saying for every person their opinion will change and no taking it in through the the anus or anywhere else will stop that.
besides ….none of this black sabbath we all know TOOL is the mac daddy.
>Mereteg:
>to be fair, I’d love to see some of The Berzekerk*er*’s stuff in Berserker game
Oh hell yeah, that would be great
MM, you could have cut the crap and written “If it’s not in your blood you won’t understand”, as Stormwarrior states it in their Heavy Metal (Is The Law) cover.
No more posers needed.
“I dont know what MM looks like so can you guyes point him out in this picture.”
MM isn’t in that picture, those are ID Software employees. (or should I say gods?) They made DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein, etc.
So true. Although metal sounds brutal on a set of these: http://www.sony.com.au/product/ht-ddw7000
The music will level your house, and burn the rubble.
Anyway MM looks like the guys that we cannot see the face
Clawbug: hah yes. Some are just born under the sign of the hammer others are destined to lead a pitiful life.
Underline are you not reading other comments or the caption?
Those are the guys that Made DOOM, They are not MM.
Least Danijel noticed