I have never heard the word “family” more at a concert than when I was surrounded by several thousand screaming, black leather-wearing metal fans. In fact, I’ve never seen happier people than the ones screaming “I’ll talk you the wrong way off the ledge.” The metal genre is known for many things including their harsh lyrics and mildly grotesque imagery, but not always for the positive effects it can have on an individual. Contrary to popular belief, listening to metal is good for your mental health— it’s a healthier way to process strong emotions, and studies find that young metal fans often grow up to become more well-adjusted, happier people than their non-metal-listening counterparts. Better mental health is crucial for a healthy physical life, seeing as how the CDC, the world’s premier health institute finds that “Compared with the general population, patients suffering from severe mental disorders have a 10 to 25‐years shorter life expectancy (“The relationship between physical”)”, it might be time to set our beliefs aside and try metal.

Metal’s distinction from other genres is often simplified to “death lyrics” or “violence” or “heavy substance abuse that will kill you”, and while that’s not entirely untrue, like in a haunted house, you need to peel back the layers and mask to find the true “human” beneath it all. Metal artists are often misunderstood, and not long before, metal was seen as Satan’s hymns, the ultimate rebellion for the 70s teenager, the parent’s worst nightmare. While it may be true that their words and topics may be controversial, understanding the artists’ intent is most important– many bands take the time between sets and songs to promote a life of love.

I recently attended my first metal concert, watching Vended, Static-X, and Mudvayne take the stage. Prior to this, I had no experience nor expectations for them, and fully expected the worst. But I was surprised to find that of all the things the bands had in common, it wasn’t just their ghoulish face paint, or blood curdling screams, but the fact they all talked about love and family in some way or another. Vended paused between sets to declare that “It doesn’t f***ing matter who you f***ing are, your sex, race, who you love, we’re all a f***ing family.” Static-X’s Xero is an eternal dedication to their late frontman Wayne, whose picture they kept up as a loving memory. Mudvayne stopped several times to emphasize the importance of the metal community, encouraging people to introduce themselves to one another and release their frustrations, and even saying “If no one in the world loves you, I love you.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, the world’s premier health institute, mental and physical health are closely entwined. Bad mental health is associated with chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and strokes (“About Mental Health | Mental Health”). Maintaining good mental health through healthy emotional release and a strong community is crucial– for example, if you take a dog and leave them at home all the time, with no other dogs around and no time to run out their energy. Eventually, they’ll get lonely and sad being pent up inside all the time, just like a human would if they were unable to release their emotions through paths like metal, or have such loving communities. Another study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, a school recognized worldwide for their psychology program, found that metal actually improved people’s moods and helped people release their anger and emotions. According to them, “Listening to extreme music may represent a healthy way of processing anger for these listeners (“Extreme Metal Music and Anger Processing – PMC”)”.

It’s clear by now that metal is not what it’s been made out to be– the satanic, vicious music actually has a deeply compassionate community that helps people release their emotions in a healthy way. In a hypothetical, ideal world, metal is the thing that drags someone out of their funk and into a supportive community– or in the case of Chad Gray, saves his life. Everywhere you look in a community built upon all the evil in the world, there is love. It’s my hope that people will be able to recognize this, and give metal a chance.