Matt Heafy, frontman of Florida titans Trivium, reflected on how the community surrounding heavy metal is built around loving and supportive fans, rebuffing the common misconception that the genre itself mainly attracts “angry” people.
It’s a fallacy that has plagued extreme music from the outset. Given the sonic brutality of and dark aesthetic of metal itself along with the voracious passions of the fans, it’s somewhat understandable for civilians to approach the genre with caution. That being said, any outsider who has had even tangential brushes with headbangers will generally tell you just how wonderful and warm the community is.
As reported by The Guardian back in 2008, a research team from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh conducted a survey of 36,000 metal fans in the UK and concluded that metal fans “tend to be creative, gentle people, at ease with themselves.”
In an interview with EMP conducted at this year’s Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany, Matt Heafy echoed these sentiments, saying (transcription via Killer Guitar Rigs):
“People that don’t know metal are always like, ‘Why is it such an angry genre? Why is it this? Why is it that?’
“But I feel what’s beautiful about metal is, for all of us, we get to confront the bad things in life through the music, and it’s a therapy session.
“And when we come out of it, we’re happy, we’re feeling great…
“I love it, that’s the spirit of what music is. And that’s why when I was 12 years old, I was drawn to metal. And ever since then, it’s all I’ve ever done.”
As far as Matt is concerned, this spirit of altruism played a significant role in Trivium’s decision to begin streaming their live shows free of charge, taking to heart the words of fans who told him that this kind of access provided a necessary lifeline during tumultuous periods in recent years.
TRIVIUM TOUR DATES
– SAT, AUG 26 O2 ACADEMY OXFORD OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM
– MON, AUG 28 ‘VICTORIA HALL – STOKE-ON-TRENT STOKE-ON-TRENT, UNITED KINGDOM
– TUE, AUG 29 02 ACADEMY LIVERPOOL – LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM
– WED, AUG 30 02 ACADEMY SHEFFIELD SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM
– THU, AUG 31 NX NEWCASTLE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UNITED KINGDOM
– SAT, SEP 2 02 ACADEMY EDINBURGH EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM
– SUN, SEP 3 STYLUS LEEDS, UNiTED KINGDOM
– MON, SEP 4 02 ACADEMY BRISTOL BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM
– WED, SEP 6 LEAS CLIFF HALL FOLKESTONE, UNITED KINGDOM
– THU, SEP 7 02 GUILDHALL SOUTHAMPTON SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM