Gamerforlife wrote:I've got no problem with it. I've got a more realistic view of metal (and most things in life), and this is no more ridiculous than some of the ridiculous shit we already accept in the metal genre (banshee shrieks and wails, cookie monster growls, opera, pirate metal, the absurd and disturbing shit we see in black metal like violence and pagan worship, mosh pits, ridiculous looking head banging, people dressing like something out of a goth movie, people dressing like vikings, throwing up devil horns like we're followers of Satan, guys with absurdly long hair and too much eye liner, middle aged guys looking like members of a biker gang, writing songs devoted entirely to drinking beer or killing orcs, etc, etc.)
Some of that I admittedly find ridiculous too. A couple of caveats though:
What's wrong with pagan worship? Yes, I am disturbed by the violence associated with black metal in Scandinavia, but pagan worship I find no more odd than any other religion.
Mosh pits came from punk and have since spread to the hip hop community, so we aren't the only ones doing this.
As for people dressing up funny and wearing too much eyeliner, I point this back to the days of Hair Metal and say that much of what we have still isn't as weird as Twisted Sister, and they were doing it for various reasons, but I always thought it was a joke at the masculine image. To a lesser extent today, sure, but it still questions that morale.
What's wrong with dressing like a biker gang? I've known old guys that do that. It's just a part of the related fashion, and not everyone who listens to metal does it, just like not all Sonic fans dress in animal outfits and go to furry conventions to hook up with guys in skunk suits.
The "devil's horns" bit actually has a large variety of meanings, depending on the culture, and its popularity in metal actually has an interesting history tracing back to various bands, particularly Dio and his Italian heritage. The symbol was also used by bands ranging from Parliament Funkadelic, KISS, Frank Zappa, and Coven, along with the Beatles on the cover of Yellow Submarine.
And what's wrong with beer? Must forms of music have some kind of associated drug...why can't beer be that one? Or would you prefer more Cannabis Corpse?
As for vikings, yes, I enjoy Amon Amarth, but I admit that some of viking metal I find tremendously silly. It's hard for me to take a band like Finntroll seriously. And then for Pirate Metal, you have Alestorm...I mean, really? But Hell, what about bands like GWAR, Lordi, or Mushroomhead? Then again, how are these any weirder than some of the stuff we see in pop music? Am I to believe that I was supposed to take Katie Perry's breasts shooting whipped cream as something serious?
But, I will give you that some of the rest you mention is pretty hokey and should be laughed at. In fact, Brian Posehn has done just that:
Metal By Numbers.