Tips on corrupting people to the whim of metal

[Silverdream]

Metal needs more fans. We should breed like rabbits in hopes that our children will love metal, but we should also convert poptards and punkfags and other genredouches to the dark side.

I find that a combination of constant exposure and easing people from the softer stuff to the harder stuff is most effective. That's how I started listening to metal.

[Keldoclock]

You can't *make* people like something, but a good way to have your friends have a good opinion of metal is simply to not play shitty metal near them.

[BFenix]

Most people I know that don't like Metal are somehow afraid of it. Society generalized Metal as a genre where there is only growling and screamo stuff, upholding concepts that are "bad" like hate, war, satanism, etc... It's obviously wrong to such thing, Metal is much more than just that.

One of the best remedies is making people try it first and then judge it. I did it with a friend of mine. Started to show him the "softer" bands and genres and it naturally awakened in him. Now he's into Meshuggah.

Try it my brothers, we are all messiahs of Metal.

[Ross_Varn]

I guess so. Occasionally Pandora will decide to play something that isn't screamo faux punk metal, if that even exists.

I'm certainly no metalhead, but for some reason I really like Trivium, with stuff like Forsake Not the Dream. Are these guys even metal? Are there more bands like this?

[Nitewatchman]

I like finding people that think metal is eviland whatnot, then playing some manner of heavy Christian metal and listening to them call it devil music.

It gives me teh lulz.

[Zupponn]

Christian metal. Stryper.


The really funny part is that they actually weren't bad.

[Bragallot]

I always address these lies society put in people's heads about Metal first. I also play easier or more accessible (like Paradise Lost), not overly complicated (like UDO or Accept) stuff around them not to alienate them 'cos I can perfectly understand bands like Carcass are almost impossible to like on first listen especially if you haven't listened to any other metal yet. Or sometimes I would utterly confuse them by playing a band that is harsh and rough at one point, and seriously melodic at other points. Rage is great for this.

Oh, and Iron Maiden. Almost everyone likes Iron Maiden, they're a good band to get people into the genre. Though the best way, and I really mean this, is the bands I call stepping-stone bands who have kinda broken into mainstream, some of them pseudo-metal bands. After a while people who listen to this stuff would get in touch with more real metal 'cos they realize there's more than they know and they outgrow the more mainstream-orientated metal bands (not saying all of these are bad, far from it and I believe they serve their purpose, many metal fans are simply too paranoid about anything that breaks into mainstream). Getting into metal takes time for most people, especially for the more extreme sorts. Hell I know I had to play Paradise Lost's Gothic 6 times before my ears were able to hear how good it was.

Since metal has blended with almost every other genre out there it's also always possible to find a band who mixes a genre they like with metal. For example a blues fan could like early Black Sabbath, rap / hiphop fans could like Disturbed. You can then borrow them an album, though I recommend copying one.

Honestly I don't really care that much about 'recruiting' people, though it's definitely fun when fe my dad starts playing my Fear Factory or Dio records. I just expect nothing and I've noticed that when you simply open a door for people to discover something for themselves they are more prone to like them than when you put a band up their face and tell them it's good likely because they can feel more like it is 'their' band then than when someone else has introduced them to it, you see.