do you like heavy metal music?

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As interesting as it would be to discover otherwise, I don't think people on the spectrum are drawn to any one particular style of music. I don't see why they would. I know a lot of metalheads and I know a lot of Aspies, but I've never known the two to intersect. Maybe someone else has a different perspective.

I'd say the difference would be if someone is just into metal then they enjoy it...but a metal-head would take it a step further and be interested in the 'sub-culture' and I suppose be more expressive about their interest in metal. Like a metal-head is probably going to want to go to every good metal show that comes through, someone who just likes it isn't probably going to make a point to go to every concert they can make it to nessisarily. I guess you could say metalheads are more obsessed with metal, since aspies are prone to obsession it would make sense many who get into metal would take it to the level of being a metalhead. Though there are false metalheads they are known to talk crap about classic metal bands like Black Sabbath and most of their metal collection does not actually consist of metal.

Also maybe headbanging is a sort of stim in a sense, I know I do it...but neurotypical metalheads do it to since it is one of the staples of metalhead culture lol.

Yeah I do not think having AS would make one more likely to listen to a specific type of music per say, however I can see how people with AS could get quite obsessed with whatever form of music they happen to find themselves most into moreso than a neurotypical person due to the special interests thing if one develops one in a form of music.

Agreed.

On a somewhat related note, one thing I've noticed with some of the Aspies I know - and this definitely includes myself - is that they tend to be completely obsessed with a handful of very particular bands yet don't focus as much on the genres as a whole. Like, they could typically listen to, say, pop music and yet have a total obsession over one specific metal band but not otherwise listen to metal at all. At least, I know that's true with some of my AS friends, I don't know if it could apply generally.

I have certainly obsessed over specific bands, mostly Pink Floyd that will probably always be my favorite band of all. However much of the time if i hear a band I like I will try to find other music that is similar to also listen to. So I certainly do get into genres and will listen to lots of bands contained in them...but yeah Pink Floyd isn't metal, but in addition to metal I really like psychedelic sort of music...psychedelic sounding metal is probably my favorite when it comes to metal.

You might have heard of his band, here is some of his music:

I suppose I was shooting for "metalhead = member of a herd" whereas "just into metal" may be more of an individualist. No takers for that theory I guess.
Still I find this ambiguous "outsider" thing about that metal culture interesting, sometimes it looks like a group thing and other times not at all.

There is not exactly a defined metalhead 'herd' as far as I can tell there really aren't specific social norms or rules for it...just people passionate about metal to the extent it is a rather major part of their life. Then there are people who enjoy metal but its not as big of a focus in their life so probably would not even consider themselves a metalhead....essentially to simplify it basically means someone obsessed with metal, and they vary quite a bit.

I love Heavy Metal!! ! its helped through my everyday life and give me confidences. Heavy Metal is the reason why i got into playing Electric Guitar in the first place long ago. (btw i had a solo band for a year now and i'm proud of the band i formed)

Hmm, I think I agree re. norms and rules but I still see a herd (or perhaps multiple herds) sometimes.
For argument's sake, let's say I'm into blues or '80s synthpop (which incidentally I am - both), to the point of being obsessed with it (which I'm not), and I want to "broadcast" this fact so as to more easily find and be found by others with similar interests. How? OK, so online I could use a nick like maybe "hoochiecoochieman" or "depechemode4ever" or suchlike, but remember I'm a dinosaur from pre-internet days, and I want to broadcast my obsession in real life. How? I guess a band t-shirt might do it, but why discriminate in favor of one particular band when I'm into the whole genre? What if it's Bach, or something that's not even music - say chess?

Compare and contrast with metal: grow hair long, wear lots of black ... I'm not really up to date on this but when I was at school there were even particular types of jeans and shoes that the "herd" metalheads would wear. And jackets of course. Also, patches - never liked them but they're clearly the logical solution to the problem of how to advertise which bands you like when there's many of them.

tl;dr: I submit that metal has more of a well-defined "uniform" than most other genres, and while it's true that the metal "uniform" is optional, most other genres don't even have one; therefore metal does have a "herd" aspect to it (a herd of black sheep maybe?).

Just a theory for discussion because I'm interested in this, feel free to demolish it any way you can. I like a bit of polite sparring, it often makes things clearer.

There are common metal styles, but its certainly not required as you say...but usually its more or less influenced by what the bands wear...but I guess there can be more less of a uniform of sorts, but then you have all the sub-genres and lots of variation within that as well. Seems like other genres sort of have styles associated with them for sure though. But I don't even always dress like a 'metalhead' perhaps there are metalheads that feel the need to 'look the part' constantly but I don't really care about sticking to that.

I mean in the sense that it is sort of a group connected by metal, I guess it is somewhat of a herd in that sense...but its not so much about being a metalhead just to be part of a herd its certainly about the music before anything else but there can be a feeling of being part of a group to. Admittedly I do not know a lot of other metalheads. Probably should try to be more 'social' at concerts and maybe I'd meet some....standing in the corner doesn't exactly attract people to meet.... but didn't want to spill my beer at the last metal concert so that is why and I was kinda tired wasn't up for headbanging let alone giving the mosh pit a go just wanted to hear the music.

Tell your husband that I think his black metal is really good.

Metal was my salvation at 15 back in 1985. Working at a restaurant meant I actually had money! After getting my paycheck, I'd go to a local record store downtown, straight to the "imports" section. That's where I'd fine albums like Kill 'Email All, EP - Am I Evil both by Metallica. EPs (which are truncated records) of Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Devil Childe, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Ozzy, Exodus, Ratt, Overkill, Queensryche, Halloween (different from Helloween) Yngwei Malmsteen, Loudness (cool Japanese metal band), so much good stuff. Of course there was Sabbath, AC/DC, Zeppelin, Dio, Motley Cruel, Judas Priest, Y&t, Van Halen, and tons more.

Guess I was gushing ... Some good memories come up thinking about that music. Ah, the not so bad'oold days!

I'm gonna piss a lot of people off here, but I can't stand heavy metal music. It's not really the music that turned me off to it, but the fans of it. They were always snobbish and stuck-up. They acted like they were better than you because they didn't want to fraternize with the likes of us non-rock loving people. I'm not talking about the emo bunch or the loners (as an aspie, I understand wanting to be left alone sometimes), I'm talking about the ones who act like anyone who doesn't like rock is pathetic.

Even though I love metal, I agree that some of the more stuck-up fans can be pretty annoying. I listen to what I like, and a lot of the stuff I like isn't even metal at all. And even when it comes to metal, I'd much rather listen to something good like Metallica, than some random flavor-of-the-week br00tal slam-death band that sounds the exact same as 999999999 other bands.

Unfortunately, since Metallica has some mainstream popularity, a lot of metalheads s**t on them for being "sellouts". I won't deny that Metallica has sold out a few times, but they still make awesome music, and really, the way that they have experimented with all sorts of styles and genres over the years, it's hard to truly call them "sellouts" compared to all the other bands who keep playing the same thing over and over to please their fans. I only wish the mastering on Death Magnetic weren't so terrible, but that's Rick Rubin's fault.

Sorry, I kinda got off track there.

I guess I like "some" but I'm in no way someone who will have a blast at the local pub when they have a "Metal night" or something of that nature. Too much within the genre doesn't do a thing for me. Well.. maybe a give me a good laugh. Though the same can be said about some other genres I like. Some of the more "iconic" bands don't really interest me; I have little to no interest in a band like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Manowar and handfull of those bands that for some reason seem to be that epitome of "metal" and things every metalhead should be into.

In my teens I had my black metal phase, without corpsepaint though, but I got pretty much into it. In times before the internet even. In the past I've been in a few local bands as a vocalist, so it's not that I can't say I have totally no affiliation with metal as a genre I suppose.

Over time my interest in music shifted a bit and I got into other genres as well, mostly electronic ones and my preference for metal subgenres pretty much went towards the extreme spectrum with grindcore, deathcore as well as the more technical stuff like progressive, experimental and djent. And I still don't care about those "iconic" bands. It is not to say I can't listen to something beyond my favored styles... heck, sometimes for a good chuckle I blast Dream Evil's The book of heavy metal or some Dragonforce.