Monday, November 16, 2009

To be a metal fan in Japan

The bass guitar was helpful in learning the music theory.  




My rear pick-ups are called "Screaming Demon"

I want a bigger amplifier to play louder.

The multi-effector that I use to distort the guitar sound.


With a better amp, I would used some of these to play more naturally.
 

I haven't seen any Slipknot fan in person. This is a ticket for their live performance in '08

I hope younger people listen to heavy metal so that this genre will be more popular.


I listen to many kinds of music from jazz to heavy metal, but I have to admit heavy metal music is the best genre for me. I've been a metal fan for a long time, but what is it like to be one in Japan? There is well-known bands that play metal-like music like X-Japan, and the sound of Visual-kei bands are sometimes similar to metal music. But most of Japanese people don't call theirs outright heavy metal music especially the latter's.

In the 80s and 90s, when heavy metal was all the rage all over the world, people who listened to metal in Japan belonged to a minority. It might have been cool to listen to Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Europe, the us, or Latin America, but there has been a tendency in Japan to discriminate against people who listened to metal. Those discriminating people called heavy metal "heavimeta", and those who played metal were made fun of.

Sometimes those who played metal music on TV acted like comedians and such shows led people to think heavy metal, or "heavimeta" is funny.

Even today, Japanese people who listen to heavy metal would say "I listen to metal", instead of "heavy metal" in order not to let people associate them with the funny wordage "heavimeta". I wouldn't care about being hated for listening to metal music, but don't want to be made fun of.