Headbanger’s Brawl is a weekly column where Metal Insider’s Bram and Zach take a moment to debate and analyze two opposing sides of a topical issue occurring in the world of metal and/or the music industry.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you know that MARCH IS METAL MONTH! Duh! But anyway, with it being the end of the first week in March, Bram and Zach decided to share what they think is the best way to celebrate the most metal of months.
And remember, check back throughout the whole month to read interviews with participating bands and to find out what awesome prizes we’ll be giving away.
Zach: Unfortunately, March Is Metal is not a nationally recognized holiday, so taking the entire month off from work to drink beer and mosh to metal music with your buddies in your basement probably won’t fly with your boss. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your work filled month unbearable and celebrate all things metal!
Here’s what I’d do: Each morning as your on your way to your job, class or whatever the hell you do at 8am in the morning, blast some music from Tool and/or Mastodon (both bands’ mix of heaviness and experimentation is surprisingly awesome music to listen to when waking up). Then once you arrive back home after a long days work, blast some aggressive classics like Pantera or Slayer, break open a beer or two and do whatever the hell you want! Want to go berserk and do a one man mosh pit? Do it! Want to be a lazy ass and just lay on your couch? Do it! The key is to do whatever the hell you want to do while you use metal as your soundtrack.
Then, on the weekends, rather than just sitting around on your ass while listening to your favorite band, throw a barbeque with your friends and play music from a new band! Use the free time to have a mini-listening party and discover new music!!
Bram: What do I do to celebrate the most metal of all months? It really depends on the mood. Generally, I’ll follow in the footsteps of some of my favorite Norwegian black metal bands and burn down a church in the name of my sweet lord Satan. Too extreme? I’ll show you too extreme: I spend all of March listening to my favorite funk metal band from the ’80s and early ’90s, Extreme.
Truthfully, I’m somewhere in between. I’ve never burned down a church, and don’t have any plans to, unless it’s this one. And I haven’t seriously listened to Extreme since “Play With Me” was in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. However, March usually IS Metal Month for me even without EMI, since SXSW is smack dab in the middle of it. I’m down generally down there inundating myself with the world’s finest metal bands converging on Austin. This year will be no different, and if you’re a fan of any kind of genre of music, that’s a good way to spend the month. If you’re not near Austin or don’t feel like going to Spring Break for the music industry, there’s always local music to look forward to, and there’s tons of tours everywhere. Taking in some live metal is pretty metal. Amirite?
Think you know a better way to celebrate the most metal of months? Tell us below in our comment section!
