How To Get Into Metal

Metal is a very complex, heavy, beautiful genre, but you need to get into it to enjoy it. There are sub-genres you should learn first, a long with metal history, and more, but how do you get into metal?

First, try out less heavy music. Maybe don't even try metal at all this time if you plan for this to be your first exposure to this genre. Yes, I am talking about rock. Think Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Ac/Dc, and more. If you plan this to be your first exposure to rock music at all, consider softer or psychedelic rock like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, or Fleetwood Mac. Whatever you play make it very light or at least mild light. If you did try soft rock or psychedelic rock, though, go to the kind of bands first mentioned.

The go to heavy metal. This can include older or newer music, but old is always a good bet. Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Rainbow, or Black Sabbath are good at this stage. You can try more mellow or complex songs. Also, start to headbang a lot. It makes it complete.

Thrash metal is Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth (aka the big four). You can try more underground bands like Annihilator or Exodus as well. They have some very political songs and are influenced by heavy and classic metal. Continue to headbang. You can also try nu-metal (even though it is considered by some not really metal) such as Slipknot, Korn, Linkin Park, System of A Down, and many other bands. As long as they are heavier then before you are doing great.

Then by this this time you probably opened up to metal. Try more heavy styles like black metal or death metal. This includes Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Bathory, Marduk, and more. For death metal, try bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Opeth, Kalmah, Children of Bodom, and Death.

Remember

Keep on headbanging
If you don't like metal or a certain sub genre of metal you don't have too
Metal is a style of music like other bands
As you try learn the sub genres like heavy, thrash, death, black, glam, groove, pirate, viking, alternative, nu, others. It doesn't hurt to learn about metal history either.

I hope this helped.

Comments

I have seen a lot of pop/light rock fans immediately get turned off by metal thanks to starting with some brutal death/black metal tracks and immediately giving up. I don't think most people realize how gradual the process can be.

However... I wouldn't recommend using Limp Bizkit as an example. No one besides prison inmates should be subjected to listening to the manchild known as Fred Durst. EVER. - visitor (12/11/2016)

I transitioned with Van Halen and System Of A Down. And I was in 4th grade... - ProPanda (12/11/2016)

Wow. Even thought they basically aren't metal it is still cool. - visitor (12/11/2016)

Like I said I was in fourth grade

Now I listen to "real" metal - ProPanda (12/17/2016)

That's exactly how I got inti metal. I git into Linkin Park, Skillet, and Three Days Grace first, then metal - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX (12/11/2016)

About my metal life, I started with two genres.

hard rock - inspired me to listen heavy riffs and solos.
punk rock - inspired me to listen fast paced songs.
and additionally prog rock helped me to listen longer songs.

my first metal songs that I liked were Run to the Hills and Fear of the Dark.

and like @MetalObsessed said, of course don't listen if you don't like. I don't listen black metal. simply because I don't like. I listen thrash metal occasionally. you can choose whatever genre you like. my favorite genres are prog metal and heavy metal. after all metal has lots of genres. - zxm (12/12/2016)

Or:Kill somebody jk m8s - Nateawesomeness (12/12/2016)

Kid, It's totally people's choice, and it kinda doesn't make sense to make a post like " How to get into metal "...If people like something, they will eventually like it more and explore it or love it more.
System of a Down, Linkin Park...and some others are not even metal.
and let me tell you something, If some people like something..then some others might hate it - it's completely their choice, so labelling Death metal and black as hated doesn't make sense,
children of Bodom, Kalmah are not even hated, well some back metal bands are hated and on the other side - loved too, whether it's black, or Death, Thrash...or heavy or any other, there are all sort of opinions regarding every sub genre. - visitor (12/12/2016)

I edited the post for you guys... swapped a few words and removed examples. - visitor (12/12/2016)

Thanks. - Metaladethaxer (12/13/2016)

I listened to Painkiller first and then Hallowed be thy name, and now MASTER OF PUPPETS! All since November to December - visitor (12/13/2016)

Heavy
thrash
death / black - visitor (12/19/2016)

One easy way to get into metal - TheTopTens - Zizz (12/21/2016)

Until this year, all the metal I listened to was mainstream music, and a lot of Judas Priest and Metallica (the only bands I really liked at the time). I ended up listening to at least 30 songs by both of those bands. I would eventually go deeper down into thrash metal since I figured I liked that the best. I learned about Exodus, Venom, Annihilator, Kreator, and Overkill, and even started listening to death metal bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Possessed, and Death. I eventually listened to doom metal, progressive metal, and power metal. - visitor (12/26/2016)