"My name is Kieron. And I have an addiction to heavy metal."
*droning voices* "Hiiii Kieron."
That particular comparison can stop right there though, because rather than being here to talk about my "problem" and work through it as I might in Metalheads Anonymous, I'm here to revel in it. To rant and rave and share my passion for the wonderful world of heavy metal music.
Which brings us to today. Here I am finally taking the plunge and getting some of this down on paper, or rather digital paper (which is a good thing considering how bad my handwriting is). Here I'll be exploring new bands, reviewing albums, discussing genres and styles, and no doubt throwing a good few rants in about various related things.
Why am I doing it? Well, aside from being the kind of addict with this much to say, here's hoping it might provide some insight into the big world of heavy metal music for newcomers and some interesting reading or chuckles for veterans. And hopefully spread the word on some great music.
*droning voices* "Hiiii Kieron."
That particular comparison can stop right there though, because rather than being here to talk about my "problem" and work through it as I might in Metalheads Anonymous, I'm here to revel in it. To rant and rave and share my passion for the wonderful world of heavy metal music.
I sit with Artillery's "By Inheritence" playing in the background as I write this, my first attempt at a blog, and at sharing my obsession with all things metal with the world. That's got to be a good sign, right?
Let's start with some introductions:
I'm a 23-year old English heavy metal obsessive. And I really do mean obsessive. I hum along to Rage (not Against the Machine) in the shower. I get withdrawal symptoms if I go more than a day without listening to some, and I'm constantly seeking out more of it. I put together CDs of it and send it out to friends, as well as boring them to death with talks of bands and albums they've never heard of. Then there's my rather hefty aggregate review scores list...
I'll probably go into precisely why I love it so much in another entry. For now here's a little scene-setting recap of just how I got to where I am (musically speaking).
I was a latecomer to the world of music, I only really started to look into it around age 13 when I heard so many others in school talking about it, and my first steps were faltering, as I'm sure is the case with many. Some of the CDs I got in those early days I stand by (The Blues Brothers have some great tunes, end of), others I'm somewhat less proud of; I plunged myself, among other things, into rap, pop and dance music *shudder*.
But one thing I tried out stuck with me: I listened to my dad's Greatest Air Guitar Album Vol. 1, and I loved a lot of it. In particular there was one track I adored, one that created such a thick, pounding atmosphere: Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I didn't even know what a "riff" was then, but I loved it whatever it was called, and I craved more.
My grandmother (epic granny or what?) sent me Metallica's Master of Puppets and I was instantly hooked. There'll be time for a proper review of it another day, but suffice to say it totally blew me away, and has since remained my all time favourite album. Not just for the nostalgia value, I truly believe I started with the best.
Through friends I found others, metal and otherwise: Black Sabbath, Rhapsody, Magnum, Within Temptation, Deep Purple, Pantera, Rammstein, Rob Zombie...and the inevitable "nu metal" stuff. This was around 2002 remember, and since most of my musical exposure came from friends in school it was inevitable I would come into contact with it. Again, this is something for a more detailed entry later on, but for now I will say this: some "nu metal" I like, some I don't. I don't think it's metal, but that doesn't make it bad music, and I still to this day dip into my Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Disturbed albums without shame.
So anyway, those bands above formed most of my musical diet up until around age 17, when I discovered the wonders of finding music via the internet. This opened up a whole new world for me. I looked up discographies on metal-archives, listened to new bands on Pandora, found out about the different genres, and my musical collection exploded as I went through university. My passion for this music has only grown with them, and the more I find the more I'm reminded why I love it so much.
Let's start with some introductions:
I'm a 23-year old English heavy metal obsessive. And I really do mean obsessive. I hum along to Rage (not Against the Machine) in the shower. I get withdrawal symptoms if I go more than a day without listening to some, and I'm constantly seeking out more of it. I put together CDs of it and send it out to friends, as well as boring them to death with talks of bands and albums they've never heard of. Then there's my rather hefty aggregate review scores list...
I'll probably go into precisely why I love it so much in another entry. For now here's a little scene-setting recap of just how I got to where I am (musically speaking).
I was a latecomer to the world of music, I only really started to look into it around age 13 when I heard so many others in school talking about it, and my first steps were faltering, as I'm sure is the case with many. Some of the CDs I got in those early days I stand by (The Blues Brothers have some great tunes, end of), others I'm somewhat less proud of; I plunged myself, among other things, into rap, pop and dance music *shudder*.
But one thing I tried out stuck with me: I listened to my dad's Greatest Air Guitar Album Vol. 1, and I loved a lot of it. In particular there was one track I adored, one that created such a thick, pounding atmosphere: Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I didn't even know what a "riff" was then, but I loved it whatever it was called, and I craved more.
My grandmother (epic granny or what?) sent me Metallica's Master of Puppets and I was instantly hooked. There'll be time for a proper review of it another day, but suffice to say it totally blew me away, and has since remained my all time favourite album. Not just for the nostalgia value, I truly believe I started with the best.
Through friends I found others, metal and otherwise: Black Sabbath, Rhapsody, Magnum, Within Temptation, Deep Purple, Pantera, Rammstein, Rob Zombie...and the inevitable "nu metal" stuff. This was around 2002 remember, and since most of my musical exposure came from friends in school it was inevitable I would come into contact with it. Again, this is something for a more detailed entry later on, but for now I will say this: some "nu metal" I like, some I don't. I don't think it's metal, but that doesn't make it bad music, and I still to this day dip into my Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Disturbed albums without shame.
So anyway, those bands above formed most of my musical diet up until around age 17, when I discovered the wonders of finding music via the internet. This opened up a whole new world for me. I looked up discographies on metal-archives, listened to new bands on Pandora, found out about the different genres, and my musical collection exploded as I went through university. My passion for this music has only grown with them, and the more I find the more I'm reminded why I love it so much.
Which brings us to today. Here I am finally taking the plunge and getting some of this down on paper, or rather digital paper (which is a good thing considering how bad my handwriting is). Here I'll be exploring new bands, reviewing albums, discussing genres and styles, and no doubt throwing a good few rants in about various related things.
Why am I doing it? Well, aside from being the kind of addict with this much to say, here's hoping it might provide some insight into the big world of heavy metal music for newcomers and some interesting reading or chuckles for veterans. And hopefully spread the word on some great music.
Up the horns! \m/
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