Having "a look" in metal.

I just don't understand this look. When did wearing nerd glasses and having coins shoved into your earlobes become a cool look for a band?

I received the new SKIES CD in the mail to review. This is the band photo:

what kind of "metal" is it?

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

what kind of "metal" is it?

Supposedly metalcore/melodeath. Haven't heard it yet.

Quote :

When did wearing nerd glasses and having coins shoved into your earlobes become a cool look for a band?

Because painful accessories and/or not being able to walk under magnets is cool. Add looking nerdy and you have quite a juxtaposition. And having so many people doing it promotes individuality.

A new term has been coined-up for that image: hipsters

Initially I thought it had something to do with hippies but it's actually something along the lines of the grunge image meets emo image.

For a more extensive explanation see here:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster


As for the apparition of the 'hipster' image in metal - I have seen it promulgated primarily among metalcore bands and I noticed that to some extent the revamped version of Trivium also sport this image now.

Without digging myself into a hole, I wear glasses and I have a clean cut and shaven look. I don't sport any tats nor have any piercings. This is not because I follow any particular dress style or style of metal - in part, it is the way I am I never really cared for any particular image and in part also because I have an office job (I work for a multi-national American-based law firm) so I don't really have much choice outside the conservative corporate suit & tie image.

Still none of that has ever prevented me from enjoying metal to the fullest, attending concerts, hanging out with bands. In all my metal cred has always been intact, anyone who meets me knows my ardent passion for all things metal.

Alex Dee Rokket wrote:

Without digging myself into a hole, I wear glasses and I have a clean cut and shaven look. I don't sport any tats nor have any piercings. This is not because I follow any particular dress style or style of metal - in part, it is the way I am I never really cared for any particular image and in part also because I have an office job (I work for a multi-national American-based law firm) so I don't really have much choice outside the conservative corporate suit & tie image.

Still none of that has ever prevented me from enjoying metal to the fullest, attending concerts, hanging out with bands. In all my metal cred has always been intact, anyone who meets me knows my ardent passion for all things metal.

I'm mostly talking about the look of bands, not really the look of fans.

Meet the hipsters...

arachnoplasma wrote:

So true, though.

You know, it's not just in the United States but even in Australia you'll come across that same hipster image as shown in the second picture.

Their look fits their style.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Their look fits their style.

Like I said, when did it become cool to look like a geek, regardless of style? Goofy glasses. The only thing missing is the pocket protectors.

ultmetal wrote:

Alex Dee Rokket wrote:

Without digging myself into a hole, I wear glasses and I have a clean cut and shaven look. I don't sport any tats nor have any piercings. This is not because I follow any particular dress style or style of metal - in part, it is the way I am I never really cared for any particular image and in part also because I have an office job (I work for a multi-national American-based law firm) so I don't really have much choice outside the conservative corporate suit & tie image.

Still none of that has ever prevented me from enjoying metal to the fullest, attending concerts, hanging out with bands. In all my metal cred has always been intact, anyone who meets me knows my ardent passion for all things metal.

I'm mostly talking about the look of bands, not really the look of fans.

i really dont care what the bands look like to be honest. Its the music that matters. Look no further than those really dumb early manowar images.

ultmetal wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Their look fits their style.

Like I said, when did it become cool to look like a geek, regardless of style? Goofy glasses. The only thing missing is the pocket protectors.

Lots of non-metal genres/subgenres utilize this look. It's called "hipster".

And this style isn't really metal.

The only thing I support about the hipster movement is that it's helping bring back beards.

ultmetal wrote:

I just don't understand this look. When did wearing nerd glasses and having coins shoved into your earlobes become a cool look for a band?

I received the new SKIES CD in the mail to review. This is the band photo:

LET these kinds of bands attract fans that look exactly the same and stay away from me.
They have no sense of what metal is supposed to be. It sure isn't looking like you belong in GLEE !

EDIT:
That rhymed..I should copyright those lyrics.

exact33 wrote:

i really dont care what the bands look like to be honest. Its the music that matters. Look no further than those really dumb early manowar images.

Agree 100%. I honestly don't care what the band looks like, what they SOUND like is the only thing that matters. The way a band portrayed themselves seemed important to me when I was 15, but now I look back and really can't figure out why I ever felt that way.

i'm with exact & detuned on this. however, personally i'd rather see the geeky Weezer look, than the transvestite look of the 80's.

ultmetal wrote:

Like I said, when did it become cool to look like a geek, regardless of style? Goofy glasses. The only thing missing is the pocket protectors.

Scott, your description of the band ZAO on your site: Also, despite their tough sound, their image is still the nerdy modern punk/harcore image with the goofy sweaters, short geek haircuts and baggy pants--basically they look like the guys who always got beat up in high school. I don't know why, but a majority of the bands on Tooth & Nail and Solid State have this ridiculous look. Some have even adopted the name Geekcore. (Ah, I think that is a trend that I will avoid like the plague.)

Blame it on ZAO brother

mc666 wrote:

i'm with exact & detuned on this. however, personally i'd rather see the geeky Weezer look, than the transvestite look of the 80's.

The "transvestite" thing of the '80s is kinda exaggerated, IMHO. Only a couple of bands, like Poison,Motley Crue, PBF, Tigertailz, VVI and Twisted Sister had it, with the latter looking clownish and parodic more than anything else.
Apart from those, I really like the look of '80s and early '90s hard rock and metal bands.

I used to dig the hipster look for some reason. This thread made me reminisce for a while....oh man I've changed so much in the last five years.

Actually "hipster" isn't a new term. Between the beatnik movement of the late 50's/early 60's, what would eventually become the label of "hippie" was known as "hipster".

Anyways, what if a band looked like Poison of 85' but sounded like Slayer ?

ultmetal wrote:

Put some red "flowerpot" hats on these guys and they'd look just like Devo in the "Whip It" video!!

I don´t care what the band looks. I care of the musical output.

Remember reading an interview where Jimmy B Brown of trash metallers, Deliverance, said something like this "We went on stage wearing what ever we had on, when the boys of Stryper where using 20 $ for hair and make- up". ( Quote isn´t word for word, but the idea is the same ).

There are too much bands that care more of the image; clothing and hair and other, and are releasing 2nd rate garbage.. and there are bands that are what they are and put out first rate stuff.

I could type a long, tedious post, but I won't. I'll just keep it short and direct.

A metal band needs to look the part: METAL. This pic Scott posted doesn't look metal (and ToB is right; their style probably isn't real metal, anyway). Without knowing what they were purported to play, I'd think they were a boy band. The only guy in that pic who looks somewhat metal is the one on the far right. My guess is he's the drummer. Other than that, the fact that they're all in black just kind of leans toward the possibility that they may play hard music of some sort.

Long hair isn't mandatory to be and to look metal. It helps, but it's not mandatory. Dress? Absolutely necessary. A metal band needs to dress 'metal'. Don't wear stuff not associated with metal and/or the metal image.