One of the Wonders of the World is Going Down...

Warning: Entering 'bitter old asshole' mode

It's a rule of human nature that a new, young generation has a certain need to distance itself from its parents' generation. And perhaps all the much more so when you're a young metalhead.

You wanna see parents who will never really understand what their kids are doing? Look at parents who tried raising their kids on classical music, but whose kids ended up metalheads. (Real-life experience talking here.)

It might sound like I'll be speaking on behalf of kids today. But... not really.

See, a new general cultural trend or evolution isn't necessarily positive for the sole reason that it's new. And there are certain aspects of Gen Y and Z's consumption of music which I think is potentially harmful to what I see as pretty significant aspects of listening to music, and maybe especially metal.

With that, I will occasionally sound like a bitter old asshole this time around.

Anyway...

Metal music tends to concern itself more with the physical music medium's lyrics and artwork, and, case in point, the immediate, immersed listening experience than virtually all mainstream music.

Sure, we've all had, for example, Motörhead being the sonic backdrop while shooting the shit over a bunch of beers. But in general, metal – much more than jazz, blues, country, certain electronic (sub)genres etc. – tends to rely just that bit more on its lyrics and visuals to be able to deliver the full experience.

Granted, Motörhead isn't the best example. But if I hadn't been reading the lyrics of, say, Pantera back in the day, I probably wouldn't have loved the band – or, by extent, the entire genre of metal – as much as I do today.

And as for the whole artwork aspect, the entire subgenres of death and black metal – nor by any means power metal, for example – would have been remotely the same if the artwork had been different. Hell, try taking Eddie out of Iron Maiden's covers, or Snaggletooth out of Motörhead's.

Wouldn't really work, right?

The category of music that's worth a thorough exploration just so happens to hold a shitton of awesome metal albums.

Academically high-brow as this may sound, the exclusivity of the material-physical listening experience is some of what can be identity-defining about experiencing music.

And sure, it's not like I'm not aware of the benefits of digital music. Having a conveniently transportable digital medium can be a practical way of infusing one's life with music. (Not to mention a wonderful way of blocking out other people's screaming kids in public.)

And apart from the fact that a lot of music, like Motörhead, can easily make for a rad backdrop rather than deep listening, it's not even all music that'd gain any considerable territory by deep listening. Some music – metal or not – is simply more aimed at consumption rather than immersion. A lot of music, by its own, handicraft nature, isn't necessarily very rewarding to dive into from the deep end.

HOWEVER...

The music that IS worth a thorough exploration damn well also deserves it. And that category just so happens to hold a shitton of awesome metal albums. I'm thinking, for example...

Blackwater Park. World Coming Down. Rainbow Rising. Chaos A.D. All Shall Fall. Stained Class. Altars of Madness. The Crimson Idol. Ænima. Storm of the Light's Bane. The Great Southern Trendkill. Individual Thought Patterns. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son... (Feel free to add to the list yourselves; it makes for wonderful procrastination.)

Again: I have nothing against online or digital technology in itself. On the contrary, it's what keeps me alive. And since I'm pretty much doing like Manowar and living on the road, I'm mostly listening to music on YouTube anyway these years.

As a civilization, we can't afford to lose the immersive listening experience just because music has become digital.

But I like to think that this is legit in my case because I've earned my chops. I've got a +3000 unit album collection stowed away back in Denmark, and believe me: I would sit down and listen to music for hours every day back before the world started demanding too much of me.

If there's any condensed message here, this is it:

As a highly evolved civilization, we can't afford to lose the immersive listening experience just because music has become digital.

Therefore, kids...:

Sit down. Turn off your stupid smartphones just for once. Put on a fucking album – one of the above mentioned wouldn't be a bad way to go. Turn it up, and listen to the music.

Read the lyrics. Study whatever artwork might be worth studying. Try to actually experience the music instead of just letting it blow through half an ear on your way to flipping burgers.

Take your goddamn music seriously.

And no, there's no upbeat ending remark this time. It ends right there.