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Metal is the voice of a rebellion

Metal+is+the+voice+of+a+rebellion

By John Lee Hurt.

Everyone has a music genre they click with, and for me, it’s always been metal and rock. Over time, electric guitar rifts, drum solos and plucky bass guitars have become my safe haven.

With a new album coming out in 2019, Slipknot has filled my playlists in anticipation. Slipknot started as a group from Iowa, wearing jumpsuits and custom made Halloween masks, screaming and head banging about a plethora of subjects, from childhood abuse to rebellion and drug usage. Their fans call themselves “maggots”, and I’m proud to be one.

As a teen, Slipknot became my refuge because I felt isolated. Much like the masks they wear on stage, I was constantly wearing a mask, and no one at the time knew. In their music, I felt a kinship to them, because their hideous masks represented how I felt. In my darkest days, Slipknot became my lighthouse.

Metal has been an outlet for many disenfranchised individuals over the years. In the spirit of true rebellion, Dee Snider wrote one of the most prolific rock rebellion songs. Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was a smash hit, helping to propel metal to the forefront of rock culture.

Before Dee, Ozzy Osborne was the king of the emerging genre. Ozzy is now known for his mumbling speech and show on History Channel, but in his day he was the embodiment of Metal. His all black attire was “frightening”, and became the staple of this rebellion. You can’t talk about the 60’s and 70’s social rebellion and not mention Woodstock. At Woodstock, the band self-dubbed Mountain performed “Mississippi Queen”, exposing thousands to emerging metal.

It became that sound, the voice of a rebellion. It became the hope. So next time you’re feeling down and out and want to cut your life into pieces because it’s your last resort, or you feel like you’ve been left behind, just play your ace of spades card, don’t stop believing and walk through the fire and flames. You’re not alone, there are millions just like you. In the words of AC/DC, we roll tonight to the guitar bite and for those about to rock, I salute you.

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