Internet Good, But People Better For Metal

In this day and age, the internet is the main source for finding new music. With the click of a mouse button and a stroke of a key, just about any band that has ever existed is at our fingertips. MySpace was one of the first sites for bands to create profiles and it was a vital cog towards getting their music out to a broader audience. YouTube was and still is a great site for reaching the masses. Bands can put their music videos or live performances on it and fans can upload their favorite songs for all to enjoy as well. We here at NWMetalHead Productions have our own channel where we have put up a few choice songs as well, check us out at http://www.youtube.com/user/NWMetalHead. Without teh interwebz I would not have found bands like Celeste (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQrU6-nhUy4), Dred (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvO-jzjhTvQ), or Mass Extinction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GezYvMREgo).  While the internet has definitely been a beneficial tool for people, including this writer, one definitely misses the personal interaction of discussing metal bands with friends as well as complete strangers. At shows people are always willing to talk about bands they have seen, local bands no one has ever heard of, or their own bands. Something I have definitely noticed over the years is that metalheads are always excited about telling others about new bands. It is a sense of pride that we all have when we are able to show other metal maniacs the bands we love. In addition, simply attending show will sometimes show you new bands that you were never aware of before. I discovered 2 bands the last couple times Amon Amarth came through. Ensiferum and Holy Grail are two amazing bands that I had never listened to before but am now in love with based off their live performances. So even though the internet is an amazing tool to find and discuss music (this site being an excellent example \m/) be sure to not simply be one of those internet elitists that rag on anyone who doesn’t know about some Norwegian black metal band that only released one demo in 1989 but is “the greatest band evar!” Go to shows, create a community, and share the metal we all love!