Metal is not always highly regarded - at least here in Italy - and It took me a lot of time to convince my parents that there was nothing evil in it. One thing that helped me is that I started from really "calm" genres - punk, hard rock - and than gradually switched to heavier styles, but nothing extreme. Now my parents accept it peacefully, 'cause they see Metal makes me happy. And my mom also likes some power ballads.

The real question is: how did your parents react when they discovered what kind of music you listened to? Or did themselves introduce you to metal?

Ah good post this one! Im glad you started it Lewis.

The problem is most of our parents where bought up in the disco/Blues world, so they see heavy metal as an angry form of music with no incentive to dance too.. It takes alot to convice them!

Mine are not too bad but any hint of death/black vocals they hate that and tell me to turn it off. I can understand people not liking growled vocals, but there are various messages and lyrical content beyond just growing, its just how the artist wants to express the music.

I think we have such tread somewhere, maybe in old forum
Well, as far I remember they don't care and never have cared, my farther dont care, mother well I am happy she dont understand English so good and dont understand metal philosophy so, generally I am free , they dont care

My dad heard me listening to metal back when I was 12 and then walked in my room to tell me it's shit and put on some Aerosmith. I just put it back on again later and at some point he gave up on trying to change me.
My mom's a bit more open. She actually has some appreciation for stuff like symphonic metal and even tried to listen to metal with me to see why I like it. She doesn't like most of it but is still supportive. One day when she heard me growling along to Arch Enemy, she told me I should join a band. And both my parents have no problem with me going to concerts as long as I stay safe and keep my grades up and all.

My parents are ok with me listening to it but they really hate it. They have never once stopped me listening to it. My mum listens to the pop crap thats on the radio and I tell here I don't like it so we made a truce that we both be respectful to each others music taste.

My parents thought I was getting into drugs, turning to Satanism, and dating "dirty, long-haired scumbags" lol. None of which was or is the case, my boyfriend's hair is clean lol. They would trash my shirts, my music...everything. When I used metal to get me out of depression, it seemed like they were putting me back into depression!!

And then...winter last year, I let my mom listen to something that sounds happy and uplifting...some Edguy. To my surprise, she didn't bash it right away, but said, "who is this?" Then I let her listen to some Dimmu Borgir (instrumentals only) and she kind of liked it. The only band she hates is Megadeth and she especially hates Dave Mustaine because he's the frontman of my favorite band haha. Although she loathes Megadeth, she bought me tickets to go see them for my birthday in December! I am so lucky! As for my dad, he's sticking to Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix and that's it.

As of now, they don't seem to mind much.

Written by DragosteaMea on 21.04.2013 at 23:56

And then...winter last year, I let my mom listen to something that sounds happy and uplifting...some Edguy.

lol Edguy is one of those "safe bands" with parents When I needed to go to a Kamelot concert, I made my mom listen to "Don't You Cry" and "A Sailorman's Hymn" and told her every Kamelot song was like those...

Written by Malphas on 21.04.2013 at 18:28

Mine are VERY close minded and when i was listening to metal they came to me and held the cliche speeches about it being the devil's music and if i listen to it i'm gonna start taking drugs and join sects and become a satanist and a murderer and...rofl yeah that's really what they were telling me, they forbid me to listen to it and ordered my brother to delete all music from the PC (yeah i got an older brother) so basically they tried everything they could to stop me from listening to metal, but i just didn't give a fck and still found ways to listen to my music. As some of you mentioned, your parents accepted it because they saw that it makes you happy...that would really be a good thing, my parents don't give a damn about what makes me happy, because they don't see me as a human being with needs and feelings, they just want me to be/live the way they think is right (or simply put, be exactly like them)...yeah ignoring them seemed to work and after a few years they gave up because they saw i still do what i want lol. They still don't like the idea of me listening to metal, often mock me and tell me to turn it down but at least they are not as annoying as they were back in the day "forbidding" me to listen to it lol. Oh and yeah if i told them that i plan to go to a concert, they would tie me up somewhere in the house...probably with chains, just as they were literally threatening me and dragging me out of the house to get me to a barber back when i had long hair lol. And one more thing, i got a "Death" t-shirt once, and my mother burned it the same night while i was sleeping

it sounds to me like its the time for you to leave that house dude...

My Dad is happy for me to play it but doesn't really have any interest in it. My Mum (possibly through more exposure) has gained a bit of interest in it (along with other stuff), and has preferred albums and bands, like Metallica-S&M and some Iron Maiden, and some less liked stuff, like Megadeth and pretty much all more intense stuff. And anything with extreme vocals is an automatic no-no for car journeys and the like, which is fully understandable. But overall they're far more receptive to it than would've been expected

Well, my mother dont like it, but she only ask me to turn down the volume. My neighbors once tell her that music its dianolic and stuff, she didnt pay attention to them. Jajaj even my older brother say that music its for people that uses drugs xD

They do not like it and consider metal to be harmful for mental health, especially when it comes to extreme styles.

My parents don't care too much, My dad likes Shadows Fall and some other cool thrash bands. My moms not a fan at all.

I play it in the car a lot, Our last trip I play The Sword's Warp Rider, and everyone was digging it.

Even though my mum and dad never liked metal they were glad at the time when I got into it that I listened to proper music (as they called it) in stead of top 40 drivel (which they called and still call top 40 music) because it showed I wouldn't let myself be forcefed by the media. Btw my mum was a huge French chansons fan and my dad is a huge blues and jazz fan and they always despised the stuff that was played on the radio. They only time they ever switched on the radio when I was living at home was to listen to the news at the hour.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 23.04.2013 at 01:45

Even though my mum and dad never liked metal they were glad at the time when I got into it that I listened to proper music (as they called it) in stead of top 40 drivel (which they called and still call top 40 music) because it showed I wouldn't let myself be forcefed by the media. Btw my mum was a huge French chansons fan and my dad is a huge blues and jazz fan and they always despised the stuff that was played on the radio. They only time they ever switched on the radio when I was living at home was to listen to the news at the hour.

There is a lot of wisdom here. For one, most parents consider everything that isn't 'popular', or radio driven to be bad. It has more to do with orthodoxy and tradition, and clinging to the past. The irony is that a lot of people in this thread have parents that probably underwent the same treatment from their parents. The Beatles were once considered evil, and drug music. Mozart was considered to be of satan, because anyone who could play a violin like that had to of been evil. I don't like The Devil Wears Prada, but I agree with the notion behind the band name. My mom once said to me that my music was full of anger. But, like I told her, her opinion speaks more for her own internal emotions than it did mine. Meaning, if guttural growls insinuate fear within someone, they automatically consider the music angry. On the other hand, being I listen to guttural growls, people who yell toward me find themselves confused because expressed anger doesn't effect me like it does most people. In other words, you can scream and yell at me all you want, I remain calm and collective.

The bigger question is, do a lot of you younger people only listen to metal to get at your parents? I find a lot of metal heads, especially younger people, are attracted to whatever their parents hate- in other words, their angst drives them to become what their parents detest. One comment suggested that their parents merely want him/her to be like them (their parents). I can assure you, the older you get you will realize that you are more like them than you once thought. Being an individual has less to do with being unique, and more to do with being secure in ones own skin.

As i already mentioned somewhere in other threads, my dad is huge Sabbath fan. My mom is against metal( as always and will be).

Well, my dad came to know about Sabbath's new record coming out and he was not pretty happy about it and contemplate that it gonna be a satisfactory record which will hop around in young metal kids. Even though he checked out the new song,, he saying "just like a guy who discoverers Slayer or Deicide and feel fucking happy about it, this mediocre record will have a face value in young blooded fans". So go away and let it flow.

I (strongly)remember once i got beaten up by hockey stick for listening Suicidal Tendencies and invigorating my friends to check this freaking band. She heard it and then .....................i was beaten up much worse than a puck.

Both my parents basically don't give a hoot about it... They think it's great that I have strong passion for something and leave it at that.

Written by Stoned Crow on 23.04.2013 at 04:16

The bigger question is, do a lot of you younger people only listen to metal to get at your parents? I find a lot of metal heads, especially younger people, are attracted to whatever their parents hate- in other words, their angst drives them to become what their parents detest. One comment suggested that their parents merely want him/her to be like them (their parents). I can assure you, the older you get you will realize that you are more like them than you once thought. Being an individual has less to do with being unique, and more to do with being secure in ones own skin.

That's a valid point and also why a lot of young metalheads are seen to "grow out of it" at some point. When I was younger, my dad even asked me "Do you just like it because I don't?". It was when I matured and still listened to it that he realized it was just what made me happy, not some fad or act of rebellion, and he left me alone about it. When I was younger, my family (parents and brother, all of whom listened to top 40 shit back then) used to insult the music I listened to but now they've given up since they know I can argue with them in metal's favour forever.
I also find it funny how so many of the people who whine about their parents not liking them listening to metal are the same ones who say that if they ever have children, they'll force them to be metalheads. One would hope they could learn from their parents' mistakes and be a better parent when the time comes but instead they continue the cycle of narrow-mindedness.

My parents listen folk music and only thing that my Dad said (when he first heard what i whas listen) is wtf is that,will the house roof survive that!?
Now they are used to this

Mother *terrified, distasteful look*

Daddy *nods head to music* "Just be careful what you listen to, and Pink Floyd's better." *sticks out tounge*

My mother refuses to let me touch the radio in the car, but my dad plugs my iPod in and we rock out XD

Written by JaciLeigh on 23.04.2013 at 19:34


Daddy *nods head to music* "Just be careful what you listen to, and Pink Floyd's better." *sticks out tounge*

Hahaha, sounds like my dad! He is a big 70s prog fan, and when I play Ayreon or some other prog metal, he says "Nice, what is this? But Pink Floyd is still better!" lol

I remember when I was 13, I came home from me second or third guitar lesson after learning the opening riff to Walk by Pantera. I told my parents I wanted to go get their greatest hits and my Dad was like "...shit..." About a month later I came home w/ The Art of Balance by Shadows Fall and Follow the Reaper by Children of Bodom... they were none to pleased. They got over it pretty quickly and just told me not to let my younger brother listen to it.

They always complained about my metal side, actually they thought I will grow out of it, but then they got hopeless.

Written by JaciLeigh on 23.04.2013 at 19:34

My mother refuses to let me touch the radio in the car,

What's wrong in that?

Doesn't Christina Augerla, Cyrus or beebs fuck that up?!

Quote:
What's wrong in that?

Doesn't Christina Augerla, Cyrus or beebs fuck that up?!

She listens to crappy pop music and *shudders* disco, and I like to have it on the classic rock channel or plug my iPod into it.
I can't stand her music

Quote:
Hahaha, sounds like my dad! He is a big 70s prog fan, and when I play Ayreon or some other prog metal, he says "Nice, what is this? But Pink Floyd is still better!" lol

My dad and I love classic rock from the 60s and 70s. Led Zeppelin's my favorite band (although I'm leaning towards some others lately XD)

When they first found out I listened to metal when I was about 13 or so, my mom went online, printed out all the lyrics for the bands I was listening to sat me down and read back it back to me to stir up my christian sensibilities. The specific song she read was 'Around the Fur' by Deftones, which at the time I was to naive to know what the song title meant but she was like 'do you know what this means? oh come on, don't lie to me!'. You must also know that not only is she christian, but a classical music teacher which pissed her off even more. Besides that, she would regularly go though my CDs and throw away whatever she felt like.

Needless to say, my mom is mentally unstable (I'm being serious).

My parents are the ones that introduced my sis to it, and thus indirectly me as well. She was more the musician and actually cared about music more than I did at the time. Once she showed me a couple of bands, my folks showed me a couple of their bands and I got hooked. They have no problem with it.

My grandma is the one that has issues with what I listen to, and even she listens to Metallica, Dio and Iron Maiden. She's really cool otherwise, she just doesn't care for the really dark side of metal I oh so enjoy, and has the infuriarating opinion that everything that can be considered metal by my definition is this. I've taken to bringing Cds whenever we have our movie nights. Stuff that'd normally fly under her radar, but stuff I also think she'd enjoy like Crimson Glory, Sabaton, Savatage, Sleep, Voivod, Iced Earth, etc., just to disprove her opinion.

MY parents kinda didnt give a fuck about what i like and what i do (all until i get my work on time and dont end up dead) so i never had problem with them when it comes to metal...although i never blasted it through high-volume on speakers (i usually listen to it on headphones)...

Written by JaciLeigh on 23.04.2013 at 19:34



Daddy *nods head to music* "Just be careful what you listen to,

why would he say something that weird? As if listening to some music can be dangerous.

My dad introduced me to metal.My mom listens to whatever is on the radio. So my dad was thankful that I started listening to metal.