How I see myself as a Metal fan in Malaysia?
Like in any other places all over the world, Heavy Metal will always be regarded as the music for the mischievous sprite and Malaysia included. The functionality of the media and press in this country offered no help what so ever in aiding the curiosity of the conservative, uninformed and anxious society with the very much-needed explanation despite their roles as propagators of truth and conscience. As far as I am concerned, Heavy Metal in Malaysian will always remain as an underrated and second-class form of musical entertainment in the eyes of any normal Joes and Janes, despite the cultivations of a comprehensive amount of creativities and innovations within the local Heavy Metal scene through out the decade, showed by these underrated musicians and enthusiasts. Maybe it is for the better.
As fans of everything heavy and extreme, some Malaysian heavy metal fans were very much open to be a subject of ridicule and the prejudicial judgments of the society in general, especially during the height of the Black Metal/Satanism controversy, which resulted with the music being banned right there and then by the local religious authorities sending parents and teachers into an uncontainable frenzy and restlessness.
As dedicated I am in wanting to defend heavy metal, I cannot put the blame unjustly to the local authorities, parents and teachers. The fears were indeed legitimate but the manner they tend to use in resolving the problem was just another hands off approach. There were no thorough and detailed studies being conducted. There were minimum confrontations. The conclusion was made solely via assumptions, hearsays and the exaggerations and misleading flights of the imagination puffed out by the local ignorant and biased medias. If it was really a life, moral or belief threatening situation, they have all the rights to put a ban on the music, hell, I would even give them my support, but the question remained unanswered, how threatening the situation was? Were all the rumors true? One rotten apple does not make the whole barrel inconsumable, thus banning the consumption of apples in general would make the lawmakers appeared absurd, unintelligent and ridiculous.
Heavy Metal will always be related to a psychological form of entertainment. Heavy Metal fans do not condone to these heavy, brutal, unlistenable and extreme form of entertainment just to be solely entertained. It was and always will be a form of psychological therapy, in some ways or another, listening to a music resented by the rest of the society gave them psychological prowess and autonomy, elites in their own little world, thus the reason why Heavy Metal is so much a tribal music. In order to understand these kids who worshipped Slayer or those frostbitten Norwegian bands in the likes of Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal and Darkthrone who often in their earlier formations championed satanic and evil imagery for shock values, the authority should have studied the reasons why these kids were listening to these kind of music in the first place. They will be in for a surprise to find out that most of the kids did not even give a fuck about no lyrical contents. These bands could have sung about lollipops, candy bars and teddy bears, but with that awesome kind of voice, they could have sung about eating Pizza under the eclipsing winter moon, I would still be listening to the great music!
Like in any other places all over the world, Heavy Metal will always be regarded as the music for the mischievous sprite and Malaysia included. The functionality of the media and press in this country offered no help what so ever in aiding the curiosity of the conservative, uninformed and anxious society with the very much-needed explanation despite their roles as propagators of truth and conscience. As far as I am concerned, Heavy Metal in Malaysian will always remain as an underrated and second-class form of musical entertainment in the eyes of any normal Joes and Janes, despite the cultivations of a comprehensive amount of creativities and innovations within the local Heavy Metal scene through out the decade, showed by these underrated musicians and enthusiasts. Maybe it is for the better.
As fans of everything heavy and extreme, some Malaysian heavy metal fans were very much open to be a subject of ridicule and the prejudicial judgments of the society in general, especially during the height of the Black Metal/Satanism controversy, which resulted with the music being banned right there and then by the local religious authorities sending parents and teachers into an uncontainable frenzy and restlessness.
As dedicated I am in wanting to defend heavy metal, I cannot put the blame unjustly to the local authorities, parents and teachers. The fears were indeed legitimate but the manner they tend to use in resolving the problem was just another hands off approach. There were no thorough and detailed studies being conducted. There were minimum confrontations. The conclusion was made solely via assumptions, hearsays and the exaggerations and misleading flights of the imagination puffed out by the local ignorant and biased medias. If it was really a life, moral or belief threatening situation, they have all the rights to put a ban on the music, hell, I would even give them my support, but the question remained unanswered, how threatening the situation was? Were all the rumors true? One rotten apple does not make the whole barrel inconsumable, thus banning the consumption of apples in general would make the lawmakers appeared absurd, unintelligent and ridiculous.
Heavy Metal will always be related to a psychological form of entertainment. Heavy Metal fans do not condone to these heavy, brutal, unlistenable and extreme form of entertainment just to be solely entertained. It was and always will be a form of psychological therapy, in some ways or another, listening to a music resented by the rest of the society gave them psychological prowess and autonomy, elites in their own little world, thus the reason why Heavy Metal is so much a tribal music. In order to understand these kids who worshipped Slayer or those frostbitten Norwegian bands in the likes of Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal and Darkthrone who often in their earlier formations championed satanic and evil imagery for shock values, the authority should have studied the reasons why these kids were listening to these kind of music in the first place. They will be in for a surprise to find out that most of the kids did not even give a fuck about no lyrical contents. These bands could have sung about lollipops, candy bars and teddy bears, but with that awesome kind of voice, they could have sung about eating Pizza under the eclipsing winter moon, I would still be listening to the great music!
Thanks for the post. That is interesting.
It does seem that society likes to scapegoat styles of music as the source of social problems. People like easy answers.
I have heard that metal fans in south east asia tend to be from wealthier families. Is that true?
Matthew Celestine
June 26, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Well, not really. Most of them were from the middle class group. Well, at least they were those who could afford tape players or turntables back in the earlier days. Haha.
Albinaini
June 26, 2009 at 9:31 PM