150 Follower Special: How I Got Into Music

So, like some tradition that came with being a TopTenner, every 50 followers I get, I just benchmark it with some independent post about knowing me. And this gives me another take on unoriginality! Hahaha! But anyway, since many users here love talking about music, and about the bands/artists that got them into listening to music, let me give my story. Unlike other users here who are rock/metal fans who used to get into pop back then, I'm not like that. Back when I was like three years old and under, my parents always played classical music which I found enjoyable by a bit, but not as much as I would like to play it when I'm bored. I mean, like it's better if it's just there, but I won't really look for it.

And when I grew older, I go to preschool using a car, and of course, there would always be radio playing. Back in the days, I mean, 2004, rock was still popular in the radio, and in the local radio station that my parents used to play, it's a bunch of local music artists who have songs being played. And there were those awesome rock songs in Filipino! There were those rock songs that I were able to completely listen to, and there were those songs that I wasn't able to listen to because my parents or relatives would change the radio station. But one thing was certain: I found most of those songs awesome and worth playing again, but sadly, I never had the opportunity to search them up since I didn't know the artists and the song titles.

Yes, that story meant that I really was a rock fan since childhood, but I never knew that it was rock. All I knew was that the songs were awesome. For like two years, and that meant 2004 through 2006, I also got the opportunity to listen to the radio and it had songs in English. The songs were either one of these three genres: pop (90s/2000s pop), grunge, or nu metal. Though the pop songs back then were kind of enjoyable to me, I never really got into them. My musical preference really leaned towards grunge and nu-metal. Hell, this is when I even heard of Nirvana and Limp Bizkit! I mean, I just simply loved the songs by them and am kind of familiar with those even until now since I felt like I heard of those songs like 10 years ago! It's just that my parents and relatives were trying to avoid playing those songs without me knowing back then! But yeah, I loved some rock songs more than anything even back when I was still six. And a kind of sad story, too.

So the next year, the first Transformers movie was released. And you know what that means! Linkin Park's "What I've Done" was featured! Ever since that, and also how I was able to get the song on my dad's phone, then I was able to play it anytime! So this was the very first song that I treated as my favorite. Though it took me long before I found another song by them, since I wasn't that much into music, I wasn't able to find any song that I enjoyed, and if I did through the radio, I never get to know the title and look them up. Anyway, the next year, I found Linkin Park's "Numb" on the phone of one of my cousins. And that's not because of him being a rock fan. He just happened to have it along with other popular songs back then. But after that, I got so into a bunch of Christian rock worship songs like Hillsong when I kind of got an obsession with it for two years.

Still, I wasn't that into music that I'd really talk about it and look for songs that I could relate with anyone. After some years, I went back into listening to Linkin Park, and yes, that was four years of only listening to that band. I mean, it was so hard for me to get into songs by other bands since I didn't get any suggestions from anyone. And not to mention that I was pretty much narrow minded back in the days. Well, maybe before 2014, which was the year Linkin Park released their sixth album. I'll talk about that later, but anyway, I just liked some popular and new wave songs of the 80s like Toto's "Africa" or some songs by Survivor like "Eye of the Tiger" and "Burning Heart". I even listened to some 2000s songs by Vertical Horizon and Red Hot Chili Peppers and overplayed them back then. Yes, that was how picky I was in music. I never looked for new bands and songs that weren't by Linkin Park.

Anyway, all of that changed in June of 2014, when Linkin Park did release their heavy album entitled "The Hunting Party". At first, I felt reluctant since I got used to listening to their songs which were not from their first two albums. Weird, isn't it? But I realized that since I often got stressed due to school work during those times, I got more into Linkin Park's heavier stuff, which means I started getting into their first two albums and the latest album, plus some other songs like "Given Up" and "Blackout". When I searched them up on the Internet, I realized that those heavier songs they had were classified as either alternative metal or nu metal! That surprised me since all I knew was that Linkin Park was classified as an alternative rock band which wasn't metal. It may seem very weird for many metal fans who hate this band, but this band got me into other metal bands. You still want me to proceed with the story? If you want to, then continue reading.

For some time, I had feelings of discontentment with the aggressiveness of even the hardest of Linkin Park's songs. Not only that, but since I've heard all of the songs by Linkin Park, I wanted to try out on newer bands. Even though I loved this band, it seemed like it's time to try listening to something new. This gave me two options: a similarly-sounding or lighter Taking Back Sunday, or a more aggressive Metallica? During those days, since I wanted to get relieved with stress in school and that I easily got pissed at my classmates in group projects, I chose heavier and more aggressive music, so of course, now you knew my choice, then what song got me into them? It's the overrated "Enter Sandman". Yeah, the first things I tried listening to was the iconic songs from the Black Album, and tried out on some playlists, making me realize that the Metallica of the 80s was the best. I got into thrash for a bit, getting me into Megadeth and a bit of Iron Maiden.

Now, you'd ask, why do I prefer a different type of metal music now, knowing that I got into thrash metal first? There came a time when I got into DragonForce, where I kind of lost interest in Metallica and those kinds of bands. This was during October 2014, when I also came across TheTopTens, which helped me in song recommendations from certain bands. I also made remixes on Linkin Park and Metallica songs during that time since I knew their songs pretty wll, and I was like a one-timer on this site. Concurrently, this was when I also heard of Lacuna Coil, when I heard of Megadeth's "A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)" remake featuring Cristina Scabbia of the said band. This band was the first band that I liked which had a female singer, since I'm not that into Evanescence.

And also, since I love checking Loudwire Polls, I found this year-end poll called the 4th Loudwire Music Awards in early January 2015, where I found eight bands with female vocalists in the category of "Rock Goddess of 2014". I tried listening to all of the bands, and surprisingly, I liked seven out of the eight bands listed! This is why I liked bands with female singers, almost regardless of genre. After months of listening to their music, I was able to find more music to listen to, from Amaranthe to Nightwish to Rammstein to Arch Enemy. And while finding new music, I was able to revisit the songs I was able to listen to during my childhood! Just....why did my relatives hide the music I enjoy and take them from me? Anyway, at least I found the songs and artists that they hid from me, and they will never take those away from me again.

So when I started making an account here on this site and joining the community back in June 2015, I was at the height of hating the songs that terrorized me everyday. Songs get shoved down on my throat on a daily basis, and it totally sucked. Thankfully, I was able to continue finding awesome music through this site, and I was also able to review the bands I love through blog posts. I've had my phases of having Metallica and then Nightwish as my favorite bands, but I think now...uh....I like another band? Its name is Amaranthe. Or maybe my second for now would be this folk metal band named Dalriada that sings in Hungarian. Anyway, at least now, I get to enjoy the music I like, and at least I get to find and appreciate metal songs mixed with pop, dance, electro, rap, folk, jazz and classical elements in them. I just love the energy it gives off. And well, thankfully, songs don't get shoved at me unlike before, and if the radio does in some stores, I don't get annoyed as much anymore. Not to mention that I found the perfect radio stations for me, though there is no metal radio station in my country. This basically explained why my taste in music is pretty strange, and why I love metal songs, especially when combined with elements of other genres. Well, I can't exactly call myself a metalhead, though most of the songs and bands I like are technically considered metal. So now, this is me, VelitelCabal, and how I developed this kind of a music taste, and also how I am a person who is so into listening to music.

Comments

Wow. *applause* - WonkeyDude98

You read everything too fast. Haha - visitor

I'm a fast reader. The same time it takes some to skim through minorly I can read big chunks of. - WonkeyDude98

Awesome post, dude! Linkin Park and Metallica are both amazing bands! - AngryByrd

Nice post - bobbythebrony

*clap* *clap* *clap* Bravo! - visitor

Nice. - RiverClanRocks

Cool. I got into music by listening to The Beatles - Martinglez

It's actually good you didn't know what genres the songs you listened to back then were. The more you focus on what genre a certain band/song is, the more likely you are not to like it. Just enjoy the music. Nice post, anyways. - IronSabbathPriest

There are these bands where I can't tell the genre of their songs, but I just enjoy them. - visitor

My childhood with my dad was rock ss well. I grew up liking rap from my brithers so I like rap and rock/metal so far. And how long did it take you to write that? It was awesome! I read the whole thing! - FerrariDude64

Well for me, I had to search things up myself since my parents hide those songs from me. They just showed the softer Linkin Park and the 80s/90s stuff. - visitor

My first Linkin Park song is What I've Done too. But certainly Papercut is my favorite. - 05yusuf09