Having "a look" in metal.

I have a problem with the term "hipster". It comes across very negative and almost insulting. Many times, I feel it's used as an insult. My problem with this is it makes us older fans of Metal look like bitter old washouts.

There's nothing wrong with a younger generation developing their own styles in terms of look and sound from what came before them. That's all WE did when we established ourselves as Metal fans. People who were from the generation before us, who may have been into Hendrix, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Cream, looked at us with our leather, denim & Iron Maiden/Judas Priest inspired look and probably thought we were little know-it-all douchebags who were nothing more than "hipster" wannabe's...which is the same way we look at bands like SKIES.

Well, for their sake, I hope the music is good, because I don't see this band having a large contingent of groupies following them around the world.

I care about how a band looks specialy when i go to see them live. Most of the times i look more metal then they do but again its hard to look more heavy metal then me , but still they need to look cool because if not i prefere to stay home. They have to give a heavymetal show on stage and they can not do that with short hair and alternative or modern dresses. Those people dont life metal and they are not really part of our movement.

We have a movement? I listen to all types of music, so I don't consider myself part of anything other than being a fan of music.

S.D. wrote:

We have a movement? I listen to all types of music, so I don't consider myself part of anything other than being a fan of music.

Yes, you are a fan of music and thats cool but some of us are fans of metal only, we dont listen to other type of music like alternative, pop, soul etc...and we are part of a movement being into heavy metal fan clubs, dress heavy metal 100% when possible (at work its hard for some of course), buy only metal records, go to metal concerts, have only friends being 100%into metal etc....We that follow this rules are part of a heavy metal movement. Its more then music for us, its a way of life, its a 24 hour dedication hard to explain in words. If you dont feel it, then you dont understand what i am talking about (and my english is not very good )
You have two type of metal fans. The ones that like the music only, they dont dress metal but buy some metal cds and go to some concerts (I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THEM) and then you have others that like the looks, the attitude and the way of life. They are the metalheads, the metalians, the heavies&hardrockers!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE KEEPERS OF THE HEAVY METAL FLAME

Sole Survivor wrote:

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.

THIS. No need to worry about what they look like unless their look is so immensely counter-productive that it undermines all sense of creativity and musicianship. I can't really think of an example of that, but I'm sure someone will pop in here and make some lame remark that will dovetail on this concept.

I usually say not to judge a band by how they look (take The Black Dahlia Murder for example) but these guys....

I'v lost faith in humanity

I'm on the fence on this one. Yeah, probably the most important element of a band is their musical output, not their fashion styles. Generally though I'm not sure the younger generation of bands are even aware of genre conventions and if they are tend to dress the part such as most thrash and black metal bands, young and old. This "hipster" look seems to be some kind of fashion statement of the youth-an almost subliminal/subconcious emasculated "ironic" look. To us older folk it looks riduculous, much like our "long hair jean jacket patch on the back hesher" looked strange to our parents and elders.
Smurf poo, I don't understand this younger generation anyways, with their declaring themselves bi-sexual at 13, etc. I'm sure every one has said this about each succeeding generation, but this generation Z born form the mid-eighties on is SCREWED UP. Most of them can't formulate an opinion of their own,are apathetic and just plain weird.

A band's look never mattered until MTV told us it did...

Aside from the long hair, this is not very "Metal" is it?

The band in second picture from the top can not be a metal band!!

They are LAUGHING at the photo. And everyone knows that metal musicians don´t laugh!!

I don´t want to be overly critical.

If someone likes metal bands to look like "metal" ( what ever that means ) it is perfectly ok by me, because it is one´s own choise.

I´m not a fan of labeling things.. there must be gazillions of labels made by people ( or bands, or record companies ) to categorize musical styles.. trash metal, power metal, symphonic metal, white metal, black metal, grind core metal, mega metal, psycho metal, scitzo metal, animal metal, love metal, hate metal, moon metal, bronze metal, dibbai dai metal, green puke in my pants metal... what ever metal. And every band must look like their fellow label mates.. and have the look of their own style. A Norwegian church burning metal band just isn´t "real thing" if they don´t have the penquin image and the burning flares in their hands.

I know it is about industry, about selling a stylished product and an image to the fans. Pure and stripped music is hard to sell.. so you have to create an image of the band to sell it.

Am I right or wrong? I guess both.. I don´t need to be right thought. I just love the music and I listen to the music I love.

metalheaded wrote:

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.

lol you tough guy metal heads are so fashion conscious.

mc666 wrote:

metalheaded wrote:

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.

lol you tough guy metal heads are so fashion conscious.

Not everyone can be as tough as you mc, some of of have to fake it.

Sole Survivor wrote:

animal metal ... green puke in my pants metal...

These are my two favorites!

I don't like all the labels either, but I can understand wanting a band to appear consistent with the style of music they play. Ultimately, to me I want the music more than the look, but I would avoid a band that looked like this like the plague. The word poser comes to mind...

I don't mind every generation having a look. I'm not offended by the look. I don't think it's over the top outrageous, like my parents thought of my look when I was young. I just find it odd that the NERD look is what is cool now. These look like the type of kids that got beat up in high school and were hung from the flag pole by their tighty whities.

QuothTheRaven wrote:

These are my two favorites!

Dippai dai metal is propably my fav. genre.

QuothTheRaven wrote:

I can understand wanting a band to appear consistent with the style of music they play.

That is something I also understand.

krokus wrote:

but some of us are fans of metal only, we dont listen to other type of music like alternative, pop, soul etc...

I consider myself 'metal'. I dress it, assessorize it, and I love it. However, I listen to all types of music (about 20% of it is non-metal/hard rock). Also I dress it not to fit in or to become part of a movement, but because I love the look. Like others, it mostly comes down to the music with me. If a band wants to dress like demonic clowns (black metal), nerds (metalcore), drag queens (glam), vampires (goth), etc. it doesn't bother me. However, if I don't like anything about the music, it doesn't matter if they dress like me, I won't listen to them. However, I do like having a look that reflects the music because it helps with blind buys but many times the album cover takes care of that.

Quote :

lol you tough guy metal heads are so fashion conscious.

You know it, bub.

S.D. wrote:

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.

Neither can I.

I prefer to not even know what a band looks like, so I have no preconceptions, and only base my opinion on their music.

might as well post a good example of people who dont "look" metal but are.

I generally don't care too much about image, but I definitely don't want to see Napoleon Dynamite on stage with a guitar. There's nothing cooler than a guy wearing coke bottle eyeglasses.

I like Devo. But I don't think that look works well with metal.

I'm sure those holes in their earlobes serve a good purpose. They took the term "d*ck in the ear" a little too serious.

ultmetal wrote:

I don't mind every generation having a look. I'm not offended by the look. I don't think it's over the top outrageous, like my parents thought of my look when I was young. I just find it odd that the NERD look is what is cool now. These look like the type of kids that got beat up in high school and were hung from the flag pole by their tighty whities.

Perhaps that's a good thing, though. Dunderheaded metal fans (or whatever other stereotype you please) aren't the ones hanging the nerds by their undies on the flagpole any longer because the nerds are the ones into metal. That's the way it should be anyway - nerd culture is more underground than metal culture was in its heyday. I just think this is full circle, that's all.

Nerds of the world unite!