IntoTheDarkness Sheds Some Light On The Metal World

[Editor’s Note: NO CLEAN SINGING was originally founded by three metalheads who go by the names of Islander, Alexis, and IntoTheDarkness. In this post, IntoTheDarkness tells you a little bit about himself, and below that, Alexis introduces herself. Islander hasn’t yet written anything about himself, other than what you can read into what he writes on this site — and this photo.]

Why is there such a separation within the metal scene? Why is it that if someone likes more than one distinct type of metal, he or she gets ridiculed? For example, if you’re someone who likes both death metal and deathcore, you are suddenly no longer a true metal fan.

It’s even worse if you’re me because I like a wide range of genres that include death metal, tech death, viking metal, folk metal, black metal, prog metal, post hardcore, deathcore, and even the occasional exception to the NCS rule. Not to mention, I do not look the part of virtually any metal scene so I am considered an outsider. Why does it have to be this way? What is wrong with liking both deathcore and death metal? I feel like they both have their pros and cons and which one I prefer to listen to depends largely on my mood. You see, I am a fan of the music itself not the scene that comes with it.

If I could do away with the bumbling douche bag hardcore dancers that think they are badass or the tool who thinks he is all that because he listens to only the classic death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse or Obituary, then I would. In fact,  I think that the metal scene would have not only a larger fan base but more success as well if the metal community would stop passing such harsh judgment on each other. Most of this judgment is passed on the people who like anything with a “core” attached to it.  Most of this judgment occurs because of the scene that is associated with the genre. Much of this scene consists of 15 year old idiots who like to wear uber tight pants combined with artificially straightened hair and eye make up. They must think that having what looks like a mop on top of their heads is some “sick-ass shit.” Regardless, the point is that I do not look anything like that and yet I am still judged for liking some deathcore bands. Why? To most of the population, deathcore is still metal, so what makes deathcore “unmetal” besides the stupid scene that goes along with it?

I believe that people within the metal community should like whatever genre they want to because they like the music and not because of the scene that is associated with that particular genre. Therefore, I thought I would conclude my rant with a list of my top 25 metal bands, in which I will include the genre of each band to show the variation of my tastes. AKA I don’t just like deathcore, unlike most of those scenester kiddies. So without further ado, here it is:

1. Gojira (Death Metal/Groove Metal)-The best band in the universe, bar none.

2. August Burns Red (Melodic Metalcore)

3. Ulcerate (Technical Death Metal)

4. Pelican (Instrumental/Post-Hardcore/Drone)

5. Between The Buried And Me (Progressive/Technical Metalcore)

6. Necrophagist (Technical Death Metal)

7. Swallow The Sun (Melodic Doom Metal

8. All Shall Perish (Deathcore)

9. Animals As Leaders (Experimental Progressive Metal)

10. Gorod (Technical Death Metal)

11. Permillisecond (Technical Death Metal)

12. Whitechapel (Deathcore)

13. Scale The Summit (Progressive Metal)

14. Amon Amarth (Viking Metal)

15. The Faceless (Technical Deathcore)

16. Molotov Solution (Deathcore)

17. Suffocation (Death Metal)

18. Dark Tranquility (Melodic Death Metal)

19. Revocation (Death/Thrash Metal)

20. In The Midst Of Lions (Deathcore)

21. Nile (Brutal Technical Death Metal)

22. Ensiferum (Viking/Folk Metal)

23. Amorphis (Melodic Metal)

24. Behemoth (Blackened Death Metal)

25. Dissection (Black Metal)