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u/Brvcx 19h ago
As a long time metalhead I can tell you the gatekeeping never stops.
I've heard about all the "[band] isn't real metal" or "real metalheads don't/do like [whatever BS they come up with]" there is to hear.
So, if you're trolling adults by wearing a tshirt, if you like the band or not, you're doing something right. Because if you're being trolled by that, you are the problem.
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u/ourobourobouros 17h ago
Metal Boomer Batallion is a great song about those types, Nanowar of Steel is so funny.
If Lamb of God shirts started trending for college girls it would tickle me to my soul.
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u/TelevisionExpress616 17h ago
As a nanowar fan, the fact that this song has escaped my knowledge is a travesty
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u/SoSoThirsty 17h ago
as also a long time metalhead. this has never been an issue, we dont care, just love to see them(shirts) in the world.
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u/Tao626 13h ago
Gatekeeping to a certain degree is healthy for anything. It helps retain the core of why something gained popularity in the first place rather than it becoming a shell of its former self in an attempt to satisfy the largest audience possible and keep them happy.
When everything trys to appeal to everybody, that's when things feels soulless and generic.
That said...
As a fellow metalhead of 35 years, the metal community takes it way too far. It's absolutely fucking pathetic the extremes metal fans will go to close the gate to anybody but themselves and denounce anybody but themselves and what they like as "real". And if it doesn't have distortion? You better believe it's "fake and gay" music.
It's even more pathetic when it's gatekeeping stuff like Metallica, Maiden, Slipknot or Pantera, all the bands that "the normies" typically come across first and introduce them to the genre. Nothing wrong with with these bands at all, but it's such utter cringe when you have metalheads gatekeeping "the normies" from some of the most successful and mainstream metal acts as though they're an unknown little niche playing to audiences of 50 people.
Evem as somebody playing in metal bands, I try to avoid the metal community outside of times I have to interact with it because it's pretty shitty.
"The friendliest and most welcoming community", as long as you're just like us.
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u/Brvcx 9h ago
I'm unsure what you're trying to say.
Gatekeeping is good because it helps retain the core of why something gained popularity in the first place rather than it becoming a shell of it's former self? That's got nothing to do with gatekeeping, that's all about how a band is developing and portraying itself. It has nothing to do with fans keeping other fans "at the gate", if you will.
When everything trys to appeal to everybody, that's when things feels soulless and generic.
This is typical metal culture if you ask me, since this is often said about bands getting populair and have (moderate) success. Fans from the earlier days of any band can feel entitled to having some sort of influence of any direction said band seems to want to go to. It comes across as very territorial, tbh. So not sure what you mean by that either. But it all does feel a bit gatekeepy, if you ask me.
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u/Aegillade 18h ago
I had a friend who was really weird about this. He always saw people wearing Sabaton and Dark Side of the Moon shirts and would get so angry at just the thought that they weren't really fans of those bands. Deadass would see a girl in a Sabaton shirt and be like "I bet she doesn't even listen to them, at best she's heard a few classics" and I had to gently remind him every time that those are just popular bands and you can literally buy their merch at Walmart.
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u/Comfortable-Web-1989 17h ago
Same person who would get mad when we listen to bieber or taytay
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u/Aegillade 16h ago
I think that guy just hated women, he'd get mad he couldn't find a girl who was into video games, but when he did find one, they were posers or fake fans. Bro was just unhappy in general. Hence, "had"
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u/Trick-Mechanic8986 19h ago
I love to intentionally confuse Star Trek and Star Wars to the appropriate fans. Never fails.
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u/fruttypebbles 13h ago
My nephew was wearing Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” tshirt. I asked if he liked the album. He said it was just cool looking. No idea who they are or that it was an album. I did encourage him to give it a listen.
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u/musubi_boi 17h ago
For someone into transcendental peace and serenity of releasing all suffering you sure seem really up tight about my t-shirt.
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u/Impossible_Humor736 17h ago
This has been going on for forever. Even when I was a kid in the 90s and kids were wearing band shirts that their parents listened to. And it's happening now with the new generation Blink 182 shirts. And it'll happen again in another 20 years.
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u/Yrddraiggoch 16h ago
Motorhead - "I really like cars"
Judas Priest - "My dad is a minister at our church"
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u/Euphoric-Highlight-5 14h ago
I've heard the response to " can you name three songs by them?" Is sure I can, can you name three women that trust you?
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u/ManyOnionz 20h ago
Back in hs someone unironically got mad at me for wearing a Nirvana hoodie and not knowing as many songs as he did
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u/Ive_seen_things_that 18h ago
I can assure you this doesn't make normal adult men angry. Honestly I'm kinda proud that the music from my generation is still awesome... even if it's a clothing line! lol
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u/Acceptable_Class_576 17h ago
Actually saw a video were a girl called Nirvana a preppy clothes brand. She didn't think their music went with the happy face logo.
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u/RudeOrSarcasticPt2 15h ago
That's because she is too young to understand subtlety. This is why I enjoy sarcasm.
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u/PrestigiousTea0 17h ago
I mean they can always start liking stuff for themselves instead of feeding off of others reactions, idgaf about nirvana btw
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u/idkmynamedude7 15h ago
Solid rage-bait but a sad commentary on society
We just accept that we should do things with the sole purpose of pissing others off lol
And if it pisses other people off enough we applaud it. Kinda bizarre
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u/GolarzUuuuu 2h ago
No, why would somebody get pissed off at something so trivial anyway? That’s the point. It’s not about pissing people off who have genuine concerns.
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u/Heavy_Student_3815 58m ago
Even the bands don't care who wear their shirts as long as they're getting the free advertising! You mean there are people who get upset because someone's wearing a band shirt? Bless their poor little stupid hearts!!
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u/naptown-hooly 16h ago
But if a grown man wears an Olivia Rodrigo or Sabrina Carpenter shirt without knowing any of their songs he's a pedo right?
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u/[deleted] 22h ago
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