Assuming my memory isn’t failing me, I can think back to a
specific age when I first glimpsed a sight of what was to become my raving
obsession with music. Of course, I used to listen to songs on and off before
that too, but this one moment in my life changed everything I perceived about
music. The band was Linkin Park, and now, in retrospect, I wonder how I was
ever obsessed with such a mediocre, main-stream, sell-out band. Whatever the
reasons, my first exposure to the genre called Metal (or Noise by most people)
had a long lasting impression that would remain with me for the rest of my
life. The raw sound of distorted power chords being belted out on drop tuned
electric guitars appealed to me and invoked a sense of power in me that I had
never experienced before. I had found where I belonged.
As time moved on, so did my tastes in music. I progressed,
from the land of wannabe social rejects (whom society surprisingly accepted
with open arms and stuffed wallets), onto the more brutal and serious tones of
Thrash Metal. I discovered Metallica and Megadeth, two of the four bands that
pioneered modern Thrash Metal. Their songs were more than just pleasing tones
to listen to; they were anthems that defined generations. This was also when I
had just started learning how to play the guitar, so it was like quenching my
thirst with gasoline. I’d spend hours listening to Metallica, and learning a
new song on guitar, not realizing how time was flying by me. Our ‘Superman
versus Batman’ debates soon turned into ‘Metallica versus Megadeth’.
Now that the flood gates were open, there was no turning
back; Metal had become a way of life for me. I discovered the dark arts of
Death Metal, which many people (my parents included) believe is anti-Christ. In
fact, my parents actually went through this phase where they believed I was
delving into Satan worship! It is safe to say I wasn’t. What really fascinated
me about the genre were the ultra-fast guitar riffs, the machine-gun like
double bass drums and the down tuned guitars which lent a different tone of
brutality to the whole mix. Where most people just heard loud noise, I could
appreciate the beauty of the music. Bands like Children of Bodom and Killswitch
Engage were the new kids on the block. Looking back, I realize now that my
taste in music actually evolved to match my increasing proficiency with the
guitar. Once bands like Metallica no longer provided the challenge I wanted, I sought
newer, faster bands like Children of Bodom.
But as always, Death Metal also finally caved, and gave way
to my current obsession with Progressive Metal, Math Metal and Metalcore. Bands
like Dream Theater, simply put, blew my mind away with a wide array of complex,
technical music that I had never experienced before. Bands like Periphery,
TesseracT, Cloudkicker, Meshuggah, Textures and Animals as Leaders left me
wondering which world I’d been living in all this time. The people who had
earlier thought I listened to loud noise, were now certain that I’d gone
completely insane, listening to pointless drivel. But it takes a good ear to
appreciate the off-time signatures, polyrhythmic undertones and the djent style
of guitar playing. When you have to count out how many beats are to a bar just
to follow the song, you definitely know you’re losing it! But it’s oddly
satisfying to be able to understand such music which confounds most people.
It’s been a long journey, getting from there to here. But
given a chance, I wouldn’t change a thing. Music has been a part of me, the one
thing that has always stood by me no matter what, even in the toughest of
times. It has shaped me and molded me into what I am today, and for that, I am
eternally grateful to the numerous artists whose creativity helped fuel mine.
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