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Gifted Children Find Heavy Metal Comforting
An anonymous reader writes "The Daily Telegraph is reporting that intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures associated with being talented, according to research.
Researchers found that, far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders."
Hmmmmmm...
"Gifted children" eh? These "head bangers" that wear the helmets...
Part of me wants to respond in an incredibly cynical manner to this as most "intelligent teenagers" are smart enough to be aware of much of the bullshit associated with growing up and being aware of wider sociopolitical, environmental and other issues and they need a release for the anger. Other cynical parts of me want to say they are also smart enough to be able to recognize the top 40 drivel that is being disseminated by the recording industry.
However, stepping back from the cynicism, I would note that this was always my experience with the punk scene. Specifically, most people I knew in the scene were incredibly talented, highly intelligent and for the most part more articulate than average. I always wondered how it was that we seemed to find one another, self assemble and take part in a scene that was a retreat of sorts from lives and upbringings that were in most cases not "Leave it to Beaver" or "The Cosby Show" type lives.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
If you are having trouble being gifted, try eating heavy metals rather than listening to heavy metal. That way you won't be gifted very long.
Especially uranium. Where would we be without it?!?!
Let's see... I'm 41, have loved metal since I was 14 (Motorhead is the greatest band EVAR) and am the smartest guy on slashdot...
The evidence is overwhelming.
Trolling is a art,
Yeah, I love listening to mercury
I used to chew on lead sinkers from fishing. After a few hours a very tranquil feeling came upon me. That buzzing of the ears still hasn't left...
The first step is admitting that you have a problem. The second step is admitting you never plan to get rid of said problem. Metal for life!
First post = troll. Cleverly worded post designed to enrage others = flamebait.
It's entirely true. I first dug into Metallica and Black Sabbath when I was about 13, and I find myself hooked on Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, and Symphony X now.
Hard rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal all usually talk about social and political issues in a manner that is both musical and lyrical, and it's a lot easier to dig into and associate with than the lamenting dorks that populate alternative and indie rock nowadays.
~ C.
Dirge rock for the win!
Look for the ones with AC/DC and Metallica shirts. Also look for signs of Aspberger's syndrome in their interaction with hippie teachers, redneck neighbors, Daria...
Consider that some heavy metal is very intellegent music. Sure, when most people hear "heavy metal" they think Slipknot, Korn, Marilyn Manson and the ilk, but I can get into some Iron Maiden (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is singularly the greatest metal song ever, and not only for it's music), Metallica (80's era) has some great political meaning, and Tool is fun to listen to and try to contemplate the possible meanings of the song. Or am I the only gifted nerd who thinks so?
If creativity is the field, copyright is the fence.
I thought'd it be math rock.
Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'll leave through the side door.
From the article:
The researchers surveyed 1,057 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth - a body whose 120,000 student members are within the top five per cent academically in the 11-19 age range.
Asked for their favourite type of music, 39 per cent said rock, 18 per cent R&B and 14 per cent pop. Six per cent said heavy metal and a third rated it in their top five genres.
So no, not 'many adolescent metalheads', but a few happen to be gifted, compared to the rest who listen to other types of music.
Also from the article:
The heavy metal fans in the study had lower self-esteem and more difficulties in family relationships and friendships.
So, if anything, one could hypothesize that gifted teenages that listen to heavy metal are more likely to have shitty self-esteem and quite possibly being perceived as asshats by family and friends, and listened to heavy metal as a way to 'cope' with the anger.
Just you wait until they start playing those tracks backwards....
"We'll need 2000 crickets, 4 cans of Easy Cheese, and the fluid from 18 glowsticks for this plan to work...." - ph0n1c
Talented teens have trouble fitting in?
Troubled teens turn to music for comfort?
The only surprise to me is the preference for metal. I'd have guessed hip-hop (probably represented by the 18% 'R&B' in TFA) to be tops with today's teens, followed by techno.
6% - Heavy Metal
14% - Pop
More of them listed the Britney Spears genre than the Angus Young genre.
I'd say there might be some flaws in this "study".
I was the same way in the 90's. I found the wave of impressive metal tunes rather impressive, almost nourishing. The emotional content was almost meaningless - but the intricacy and drive behind the chords made up for the annoyance with the manipulative and occasionally insipid emotional content of the songs.
It's hard to find music that holds a lot of interesting 'content' per second of sound. Perhaps in a signal-to-noise ratio, where crooning voices or cheap noise effects, metal just held the greatest signal for what I was listening for. Later, I found fast ska and electronic music of various sorts to hold even more of that same value, with less of the cheap emotion of metal.
Nowadays, my time spent listening to actual music is very little, but when I do, it is dominated by highly creative video game remixes. I find that the video game remix community consistently outperforms most other music both in terms of variety and interest per minute spent listening. But really, I don't listen to much music, when I can be listening to a nice science podcast, BBC documentary, or just considering my own thoughts in this short, wonderful little life I have.
Ryan Fenton
Asked for their favourite type of music, 39 per cent said rock, 18 per cent R&B and 14 per cent pop. Six per cent said heavy metal and a third rated it in their top five genres.
So, out of the top 5 percent, cream-of-the-crop, 6 percent of them say they like heavy metal.
Personally, I find that music is just a medium to help express one's view of the world around them, whether it be turbulent or ambient, genuity isn't normally the factor. People hear music and say whether or not they can relate, just by hearing the sound and rhythm.
I like the video where they ride on horses and have that fist carrying around with them which they handle like a fetish.
I also love Bon Jovi. He rocks so hard.
I never like Van Halen. Their hair style is soo ugly in the old videos.
I refuse to believe the younger generation is smart. I remember back in the day when us adults used to gather around the phonograph, listening to the music of the swinging 20's, play with our mercury, and look at our bones with unprotected x-rays. Yep, we sure are much smarter than those young whippersnappers!
Sadly, Nerd != Gifted.
Prepare to be flamed because lots of people do not consider new Metallica metal :)
So over six times as many gifted kids use rock music to cope with being S.M.R.T., and the heavy metal kids are more likely to have low self-esteem and difficulties with relationships.
How the hell is this good news for teen metal fans or parents of same? If your kid likes metal, they might be a genius, but a maladjusted one with little confidence. Alternately, if your kids likes rock, they are 6.6 times more likely to be a genius.
The summary is a true masterwork of spin and the Telegraph editors should be spanked for skewing the article so blatantly.
Also, I had no idea percent was two words in British English...
In my day, we made do Elton John and DEVO. And we LIKED it.
Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
simple: to protect their ears, rock musicians often wear earplugs while playing.
Evidently Metallica have been playing for so long that it's some time since they actually listened to their own music (as can be evidenced by a quick play of, say, S&M)
I listen to just about everything, but I listen to a lot of metal when programming. In fact just recently, I got back into Maiden. Its been a while, but its good to program to.
I don't think that it necessarily helps me deal with stress, but it helps me focus or tune out everything else.
A lot of metal like Maiden revolves around scales -- aeolian, pentatonic, etc. Maybe its that structure that "gifted" people like.
Of course, some metal has a groove to it, like Back in Black. Now that I think about it, I program more against the classical based metal than the blues based stuff.
I suppose some of it might be that gifted children could have a degree of asperger's syndrome and aren't as able to relate to the oh-baby-baby emotive style of typical pop music.
Maybe they just like the music? I'm a member of the International Baccalaureate program and few of my peers have similar tastes in music. I waste my life listening to video game soundtracks, a few other members like classical, one likes techno. And for every smart kid who listens to heavy metal, there's fifty moronic ones that do the same. Only six percent of intelligent students like it and they act like its a massive majority.
If you show keenness or interest in a subject at school, you are already likely to be treated as an outsider. You don't have to be a genius to be an outcast. I think the pressure to conform to the "hive mind" at school is the thing that really holds children back.
...I just really, really dig dragons.
most metal post ever.
sometimes, nothing.
Go youtube Pantera - Walk. Now.
Or maybe watch Lemmy sing Ace of Spades on the Young Ones. Loser!
the things that most of the really intelligent ones had in common was that they would not just listen to this stuff, they also picked up instruments, the smartest played more than one (especially one guy that was two years below me in high school, piano, tuba, guitar, something else *remarkable*).
the worst part about these guys/gals is that music isn't enough to make the world bearable, they often drift into crowds with other much dumber children and try to fit in... which doesn't work until liquor and other drugs are added to the picture. thus... many of the greatest minds are damaged beyond repair through their associating with below-average brains in an attempt to feel a personal connection that they can't seem to find anywhere else. what's even worse? the educational system making them feel like they aren't supposed to be intelligent; many of these people don't fully utilize their abilities. eventually, they lose touch with themselves, start feeling useless, develop depression, etc... there are so many connections to be made, it's nowhere close to funny.
maybe i'll get around to putting together an essay on this topic...
"Alternately, if your kids likes rock, they are 6.6 times more likely to be a genius"
I'm sure you have no difficulty figuring out how this statement is wrong.
I am the one true god. However, as an atheist, I don't believe in myself. I guess I have a self-esteem problem.
Nerd ego stroking FTW!!!
I'm 49. In high school and college I listened to classical (which I still like) and some more popular music.
I just discovered metal a few years ago, and am big into it now - love Godsmack and even some harder bands like Cradle of Filth. But it seems like most people get into it at a much earlier age. Any other of my fellow old farts just develop the taste for it recently?
Disagreeing with somebody doesn't necessarily mean they're dumb.
Many teenagers enjoy heavy metal music
"Many teenagers say that heavy metal music helps them relax, bond with their peers, socialize with members of the opposite sex, and adapt to the stresses of their life. And studies show scholastically gifted teens are apparently no less likely to enjoy this type of music than their peers."
You've not experienced The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner until you've read it in the original Iron Maiden.
It's hard to tell the cool to chill, my favorite hotel room has a view to an ill.
The smartest people I have ever known all listened to classical music.
The most arrogant people I have ever known all listened to heavy metal.
What kind of music did the author of the article listen to?
This article basically makes no sense.
Gifted children: is there a single type of gifted children? Gifted in what? You can be very gifted in certain areas and suck in other areas.
Also, it's funny that the fellow Slashdot commenters which listen to heavy metal read this as "you listen to heavy metal, so this confirms you're gifted". I don't blame anyone for putting on his rose glasses though. It's only natural.
For the record, gifted children are not a monoculture. There are some gifted children who listen to heavy metal to deal with stress of being a teenager. Nice. There are also gifted children who don't listen to heavy metal, and heavy metal listeners that aren't gifted.
You're walking away from this article slightly less mentally gifted. Slashdot, you suck.
Metallica hasn't been metal since the black album and even it was iffy.
Disagreeing with somebody doesn't necessarily mean they're dumb.
Not dumb but, problem with Metallica is that during the 80s they advocated piracy pretty much by encouraging people of bootlegging their shows and trade tapes. It's pretty much the reason they got popular. Fast forward and they spit on their fans, and sue them indirectly via Napster.
They are hypocrites. Not dumb. Pretty good businessmen too, they jumped on every possible fad in the 90s and made zillions! From Bon Jovitallica, to Alternica, to Grungetallica to Nu-tallica.
I don't know if any other slashdot user has noticed, but those who construct large databases tend to be the ones who listen to Metalica full blast over their headphones. I have never understood as I find it distracting... even not wearing the headphones and being some distance away.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Sigh...
Just because you listen to metal doesn't mean you are gifted...
Heh, I'm a perfect example of that...
As a side note, I've seen a couple interviews with Marilyn Manson and he comes across as surprisingly intelligent and well-spoken, even while still wearing the freaky makeup.
I know for absolute certain that the kids in *my* highschool that listened to heavy metal were most certainly not the best and the brightest. But that was back when bands like Metallica and Megadeth were at the top of the music charts, and Jerry Falwell and Tipper Gore were trying to make a political career out of the genre.
I think that this article is more like "nerdy kids listen to music that isn't cool."
"No problem. I have the capacity to do infinite work so long as you don't mind that my quality approaches zero."-Dilbert
Expansive minds respond to expansive art.
Whatever you consider "expansive" to be, anyway...
I listen to everything from movie themes to Def Leppard to Enya to Enigma to Phil Collins to Peter Gabriel to New Age to Metallica to Sisters of Mercy to Billy Idol to Kate Bush to Tori Amos to the Corrs. If it's "expansive" in any way, I tend to like it.
I DO NOT listen to rap, R&B, soul, country, western, hip-hop, jazz, grunge, and most teen bimbo pop (making an exception for JoJo - however, hot little fifteen-year-old that she is, she can't match Andrea Corr - who, BTW, has a solo album called "Ten Feet High" coming out end of May while her siblings take a break and have kids.)
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
The article only said heavy metal listeners were more intelligent...
When I was a teenager, the arch nemeses of the metalheads were the rappers. While we tripped out on acid listening to Rush and Sabbath... well fuck knows what the rappers were up to (probably crack and hos) but they sure hated us and we sure hated them.
Granted, there has been some slightly more cerebral rap since the eighties, but for the most part rap is self aggrandizing crap. "I'm, so cool, the hos love me so, I kill you whitey..." etc, etc.
I love Deftones! Otherwise mostly "hard stuff" or techno! (The crazier the better)
Most kids are gifted one way or another, some academically, some otherwise. Just most kids don't experience the environments that bring the best out of the kids.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Metallica is now poser metal; not even real metal anymore. Shit, my mom listens to metallica now. And my mom sure as hell doesn't listen to metal.
I agree with your sentiments. Especially, when I was younger, I had a much harder time understanding any lyrics.. and hell, with many of the vocals, you had to strain to comprehend. So I didn't care what the lyrics were, all I knew is that the music was heavy and angry. There was a lot of energy in it, and being a stuck-behind-the-computer-all-day nerd during highschool, I needed a way to cope with the lack of social status and social (physical) activity.
I wanted to rock out, because there was nowhere else to do it.
Alkonost is a Russian folk black metal band I've been recently listening too. It's quite good: melodic Russian folk music tunage, set against powerchords and death grunts. (*makes deathgrunt sound*)
When I think of it, not all the smart people in my high school listened to heavy metal, but all that did were really smart...
But they weren't social outcasts or had any trouble, they just... happened to like heavy metal.
Correlation does not imply causation.
Maybe they just don't wanna listen to what the pop industry is shoving down their throats, or maybe there is just another factor. Maybe it is exactly what the OP said. Every theory is just as likely as the next, right now it just seems like people are throwing wild guesses until one of them sticks.
http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2007/01/07/2006-genr e-album-sales-report/
shows some sales figures from 2006. Of the youth-dominated genres we get something along the lines of:
Alternative+Rock: 280Mil
Metal:62Mil
R&B+Rap:176Mil
There's no listing for "pop" and individual albums can be in multiple genres, so these are only very rough numbers. By this prediction, of course, we should see somewhere in the neighborhood of 12% of youth at large listening to metal. That's larger than 6%, but smaller than the 33% who listed it in their top-three genres. The only really suggestive discrepancy is between R&B having 18% in the survey and somewhere in the neighborhood of 34% sales. For which, clearly, there are many possible explanations having little to do with the intelligence of those who listen to R&B.
Of course, the only *real* way to test is to compare it against the answers to the same questions in the population at large. Perhaps the original study does so, but the article doesn't give enough to go on.
I am the one true god. However, as an atheist, I don't believe in myself. I guess I have a self-esteem problem.
...when I got my 'gifted' label. It was all about "Why the HELL are you smoking dope and making strangled cat sounds with the guitar when you are flunking out of high school? You're GIFTED...it shoud be EASY for you! Now do your goddam homework!"
\m/ ... you're not the only one!
"but money is the God of Algiers & Mahomet their prophet." - Rich. O'Bryen June 8th 1786
Also, I had no idea percent was two words in British English...
Where on earth did you think the word "percent" came from? You didn't make the connection "per cent" -> "per hundred"?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
What?? What?? I'm a little hard of hearing...
Also, I had no idea percent was two words in British English...
Stop and think about the meanings of the words 'per' and 'cent' (I'm guessing you don't think much about the etymologies of the words you use). Oh, and as someone else already pointed out, your "6.6 times more likely to be a genius" comment is just plain wrong for a few reasons.
Based on all this, I'm guessing that you can't stand metal. ; )
This guy's the limit!
Who cares what people think about what music other people listen to?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
When I first looked at the headline I thought 'heavy metal' and envisioned children comforted by lead, nickel, mercury, etc. Dunno. Something about toxic metals and 'gifted' children just clicked in my head.
Then I realized it was the 'music category' that was being referenced. One of the 'checkoff box' categories that the marketers have designed.
Oh well. Not as interesting an idea to discuss.
Always listened to metal as a kid; I consider myself fairly smart. Word of advice to other kids though:
Lots of the dumb metalheads do drugs too. Stay out of that stuff. I saw too many smart kids turn into retards and almost did it myself.
Friend, Masters in Literature, teacher and all. Listens to Skinny Puppy and Gwar. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm not the dimmest person going, and I like Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Wumpscut, KMFDM and a score of other bands most maintstream music listeners have never heard of. Another Marine in my shop, who is not by any stretch dumb either listens to music that makes mine seem tame.
Since when should taste in music make people believe that you are a delinquent not even worth giving the time of day. Mozart wasn't the only one to write something brilliant. And why would I even bother considering the word of your average Britney Aguilera lover when they tell me my music is strange and stupid. I don't go around and tell country, jazz, rap, and classic music lovers that their music sucks...
Intolerance is the first sign of poor mental faculties in my not even remotely humble opinion. But go on believing that everyone different in the world has nothing to offer.
Children don't find heavy metal comforting because they're gifted. They find heavy metal comforting because they've been socially screwed over.
~= scwizard =~
'Gifted Child Industry' Preys on Parents' Insecuritiesw &cID=259124&pID=259049
u e_print.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/42644/?comments=vie
The "Gifted and Talented" Fraud
http://borntoexplore.org/unschool/gifted.htm
"The truth is that "gifted and talented" programs are fast-track indoctrination courses, not real academics."
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/15c.htm
"I could regale you with mountains of statistics to illustrate the damage schools cause. I could bring before your attention a line of case studies to illustrate the mutilation of specific individuals--even those who have been apparently privileged as its "gifted and talented." What would that prove? You've heard those stories, read these figures before until you went numb from the assault on common sense. School can't be that bad, you say. You survived, didn't you? Or did you? Review what you learned there. Has it made a crucial difference for good in your life? Don't answer. I know it hasn't. You surrendered twelve years of your life because you had no choice. You paid your dues, I paid mine. But who collected those dues?"
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/prolog
"In 30 years of teaching kids rich and poor I almost never met a learning disabled child; hardly ever met a gifted and talented one either. Like all school categories, these are sacred myths, created by human imagination. They derive from questionable values we never examine because they preserve the temple of schooling."
"Old-fashioned dumbness used to be simple ignorance; now it is transformed from ignorance into permanent mathematical categories of relative stupidity like "gifted and talented," "mainstream," "special ed." Categories in which learning is rationed for the good of a system of order. Dumb people are no longer merely ignorant. Now they are indoctrinated, their minds conditioned with substantial doses of commercially prepared disinformation dispensed for tranquilizing purposes. Jacques Ellul, whose book Propaganda is a reflection on the phenomenon, warned us that prosperous children are more susceptible than others to the effects of schooling because they are promised more lifelong comfort and security for yielding wholly: Critical judgment disappears altogether, for in no way can there ever be collective critical judgment....The individual can no longer judge for himself because he inescapably relates his thoughts to the entire complex of values and prejudices established by propaganda. With regard to political situations, he is given ready-made value judgments invested with the power of the truth by...the word of experts."
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
I hope that you're joking. Metallica understands P2P software, and knows that people use it so they don't have to pay for their music. You can call them greedy if you want, but they're not stupid.
Did anyone else roll their eyes at academic ability? I admit Britain might be different but I can't say as I've ever seen anything that convinces me academic ability makes someone smart or that lack of it makes them dumb. In fact I've always considered excessive willingness to engage in a system that amounts to government funded daycare as a sign that the other person might lack intelligence.
Maybe you should try the Bruce DickInson School for the not-moronic.
SHAME on you for misspelling His name.
Metallica circa 90's is a different fan-base then Metallica circa 80's. The black album and everything thereafter fails to be Metal. The black album was still good, just not Metallica. Everything after the black album is simply shit.
Sadly, I like jazz and hip-hop, so I guess my logic skills suck.
If your kid is a genius they are 6.6 times more likely to like rock than heavy metal. That doesn't translate into if you like rock you're 6.6 times as likely to be a genius.
Then again, if you like heavy metal, it means nothing about being a genius, except that if you are one, you're more likely to be disfunctional.
Sorry about that. I'll just go back to my metaphysics readings....
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
Hah! recovering?
Still practing metal head here
You'd be guessing wrong, buddy. After years of high school Latin I get where per and cent come from and I do think about etymology. I'm a former professional journalist and copy editor. I didn't ask _why_ it was that way or imply it was wrong, I just pointed out as a parenthetical aside a difference in usage that I'd never noticed. I don't see the need to be all show-offy and pedantic (but I like redundancy).
And I get that the 6.6 is wrong. Chalk it up to my logic being infected by the original poster.
And, no, I no longer like metal. I like jazz and hip-hop, which apparently keeps me well out of the statistical norm for geniuses, but then again I'm not left-handed, asthmatic, nor do I wear eyeglasses, all of which are more likely in gifted kids than the general population. I guess I'm just a trend-bucking genius... (and getting show-offy, I fear)
And is it just me, or are people attacking the wrong thing in my post. The 6.6 is wrong, sure, but are you saying that because I made a logic error the original poster is right? We're heading for infinitely recursing logic errors, it seems.
There's a stark difference between "intelligence" and "academic performance." It irks some of the students who are verified at least highly intellectual(thinking... top 2% IQ on the low range) whenever its assumed that the overachieving 4.2billion blah blah GPA student is some gift from the heavens. Yes, there is some overlap, but think of it as some hardware. Which one is better: The one with a liquid nitrogen quad dual-core proc setup or the one you can buy off the shelf from Best Buy? Both need to run certain apps for a while that'll work on both, but eventually they'll have to step up and run say... digital encoding & 3d design simultaneously. Sorry, I'm trying to come up with an analogy. Academic performance can be achieved by dang near anyone, comparatively dumb students can drone over their work and achieve. The whole "work hard for success" goes through society too much. On the other hand. There's a couple top ten thousandths I know that looooooovvveeeeee old metal.
Well, I doubt it's saying "all people who listen to heavy metal music are gifted." I can only assume it means "some people who are gifted like heavy metal music." It actually makes a good bit of sense, and has been fairly true in my experience. I'm one of those vaguely annoying people who is too smart for her own good and I like harder music. It helps me concentrate, though. It kinda takes up spare cycles of my brain so I can think about what I'm doing without drifting too much. At any rate, this could easily be linked to the genius/insanity connection. People who have some variety of genius, whether it be artistic or scientific or mechanical or etc., often also have mental problems. The type of music referred to is the usual "tortured soul" stuff. At any rate, two cents given.
I'm sure someone will post a funny reply to this, but - Does Rush count as Heavy Metal?
It did seem to be a theme in some of their songs, alienation... That and lots of exuberant playing...
It isn't wrong, you're just assuming that he meant it was causative.
As a "gifted" teenager, I don't find Heavy Metal comforting in any way.
But I DO enjoy listening to _good_ music. Mostly music that people my age haven't heard about, at least not in America. Today I enjoyed listening to Supertramp and The Pretenders. Maybe tomorrow I'll try some Pink Floyd and Metric, or Carlos Santana, or The Gift.
On a side-note/slightly off-topic, all of my American music comes from CDs, from which I ripped the music. If I did pirate music from other countries, would the RIAA be able to sue me? (Oh, and I'm not an American citizen, for the record, just another hopeful immigrant)
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C1 bottles of beer on the wall. Take one down, pass it round... Oh, umm...
Basically saying that in Korea, only old people listen to heavy metal.
I guess this explains my Megadeth obsession...
I worked with Christian youth in Kuwait for a couple years, and with the males, there was far more than a third that were into metal; it was closer to 90 percent that listened to it regularly, with a solid 50-60% heavily into various death/black/thrash metal bands [Children of Bodom, Extol and Kekal being notable favorites]. Musicianship was highly regarded, and many of these same individuals were skilled musicians themselves [classical, jazz and rock] and many listened to uncommon jazz and classical as well. [Uncommon being aside from cultural norms; things like select Opera, modern classical and Dizzy Gillespie/Mile Davis in the late 60's]. These youth were multinational, being Canadian, Indian, Philipino, American and others, most being raised in Kuwait. This trend even carried over to some of the females, although to a lesser extent. Interesting results, and I enjoyed the article.
It's the brains leaking out of their ears that relaxes them.
I consider myself smart (AP classes in high school, deans list in college), and all I listen to is classic country and bluegrass. It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang.
God, I'd be buggered to name a *favourite genre*. I'm curious if they got a list to pick from. I know I've had that problem when asked similar questions. Probably easier to say "none of these" than try to get into:
Singer-songrwriter Folk
Bluegrass esp. New Acoustic/Newgrass
Celtic (stronger toward Scottish or Newfoundland)
Blues, Polka, Jazz, Klezmer, old Country, slightly harder New Age (Jean Luc Ponty or Ralph Towner), Scandinavian (NorthSide records artists), Jam Bands, etc etc.
You know, the stuff that is categorized as "Other" and not even counted in such surveys. Mostly I'm sad that the "gifted" kids have such limited horizons that 80% answered "eh... rock, I guess".
Hmmmnnn... I thought my brother listened to heavy metal because he was a total loser.
Neither does Anonymous Coward.
Laboratree - Scientific collaboration based on OpenSocial.
Same for me - only people I know (myself included) who really breezed through school never lifted a finger (or a textbook) for it. I studied a handful of hours here and there, and by "study" I really mean re-read the entire course textbook for the semester or year in 1.5 hours or so the night before an exam just to be sure. Some classes I never even bothered to sit through once I got to university level and I graduated magna cum laude and went on to get a MA, again without really studying. Same for the one or two other really bright people I know.
picpix image polls. create - share - vote. fun!
My 7 year old is a certifiable genius. He loves to make GameMaker games to the sounds of European techno music. Heavy Metal specifically? Nah. These kids like busy noise. He likes classical, too. Doesn't mean he's a music snob, just that classical music is more involved and complex than pop/rock.
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
... That's one reason I guess. Personally I would have suggested that perhaps particularly intelligent people have the faculties required to sample metal in it's entirety and to hear all the music rather than just hearing a bunch of noise - much like how dark chocolate (or maybe wine?) needs to be sampled in it's entirety (which takes practice) to really be appreciated, otherwise it's just an overwhelming and unpleasant taste. Perhaps intelligent people are capable of taking in and processing more information at a given time than your average person. Rather than being a result of being intelligent like the article suggest, perhaps a taste for metal is merely just a sign of intelligence.
They're only smart if they know enough to lie to the people doing the study about what they listen to.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
As a fan of the old Metallica (i.e. Cliff Burton inspired Metallica, until the Black Album), I do not find S&M to be bad.
While it is definitely not metal in any sense of the word, it is not bad music either. And for that matter, Metallica's music has not been metal for a long time coming and S&M was their one album that I actually listened to after a long time.
Is it Metal? No. But is it good music? I definitely think so. Then again, I also like classical, so that might have something to do with it.
I started out listening to AM radio pop (pap?) back in the 70's drifted thru the usual stuff of the time like Styx and Foreigner and Steve Miller and Frampton. Commercially there was not much Metal on the charts at the time. This was the drought years between Deep Purple's Machine Head and AC-DC's Highway to Hell. I had a friend who's older brother was into "Hard Rock" (I don't know that we called it metal back then) and once I heard some of his records like the early stuff from Sabbath and BOC and Uriah Heep there was no going back. Sad Wings of Destiny got played till the grooves wore out. I just had to get more of THAT SOUND. It was obscure, and you had to go search for it. I ended up listening to a ton of bands, usually about one album before they hit it big. A fucking tidal wave of great metal arrived starting about 1980 (Ace of Spades, Blizard of Oz, British Steel, Virgin Killer, the first Maiden). It was a great time to be a metal fan. I saw Metallica in a 200 seat club, Twisted Sister and Maiden together, Ozzy and Motorhead together, Accept and Saxon and Raven oh my.We had about 10 years of Metal in the charts until alternative and grunge and hip-hop took over. Metal is back underground where it came from.
I will say that while I fit the "geek who's into metal" profile, not a whole lot of the "gifted" people I knew (no lack of them in engineering school) were into metal.
I listen to other music of course, but mostly still Metal. I just don't "get" Hip-Hop. I think? it mostly sucks but I have no real frame of reference to judge this. I hate what passes for "R&B" these days, and I KNOW it sucks.
Some people like soothing music to calm them down.
Some people like perky music to cheer them up.
I happen to like music that makes my adrenaline pump, my heart race, my fists clench, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my brain boil with the mad urge to kill!!!
PS - Lemmy is God!
PPS - go get the Twisted Sister Christmas Album. It rocks. Seriously.
Who says metal lyrics don't matter?
Someone hates these cans.
We should remember that today's kids aren't necessarily listening to Iron Maiden and early Metallica. Today when people mention "metal", kids just think of teen angst nu-metal bands like Slipknot and Mudvayne. Actual heavy metal is an entirely different subculture (and a much more varied and informed one, IMHO), and the music tends to be much more complex. One listen to a band such as Opeth or Emperor serves as a good demonstration of this point.
But the parent is right about heavy metal soothing anger. I can't manage to stay angry after a few minutes of listening to death metal. Ironically, it's often the most calming music I have.
Systemd: the PulseAudio of init systems
I think what he meant is that S&M sounds nothing like their studio stuff. From what my Iron Maiden-loving friends tell me, IM spends a long time before each concert setting up all the amps so it sounds like it does in the stuido; most artists just play and it sounds crap compared to their CDs.
Now I listen to idol J-pop. After listening to that for a year, metal's starting to sound like country. I hate country.
Anyone out there who cares to get into metal I suggest you check out these bands for the range they represent:
Agalloch
Nest
Rapture (not "The Rapture" just plain, simple Rapture)
Tristania
Noumena
As I Lay Dying
My Dying Bride (latest album specifically - A Line of Deathless Kings)
There are more, but this is just off the top of my head...
Shame... this article could have slipped through on April the 1st. I can't find any real survey data offhand from the article link - the only thing available was posted a couple of times in this thread - and it doesn't have any statistical importance that supports the conclusion. In fact, there's a significant chunk missing - 23% unaccounted for, which is rather large for a catch-all "other" choice.
Also, I find Heavy Metal to be a bit of a stretch for music being generally favoured by gifted children. I can understand Rock music, but Heavy Metal is merely a variant that puts extreme focus on volume rather than anything else.
In any case, it seems as if there's a lack of exposure to differet music styles - as if it were reflecting mainstream culture rather than isolating music preferenes of gifted children.
I find it hard to agree that gifted persons are more likely to enjoy heavy metal due to its been treated/defined by the society,
:P
a music style for weirdos or distorted-mind or the uncomprehended...i'm 21 now and i listen to good rock and metal since 7 (my father is a collector, has some 500 lps and 2000+ cds), used to sleep with the discman on listening to black sabbath (nativity in black compilation) and joe satriani....
While this claim may be true, to a lesser extent, i think gifted persons are more interested in metal due to its richness, specially the progressive kind of it (i'm a huge fan of Dream Theater by the way); Compare it with pop/britney spearsy-kind of music (or hip hop/rnb that people were discussing, due to its rebel roots) which just repeats the same melody with a person "singing" on the top, and don't forget the chorus is repeated like, 30 times
Just my 2yen.
Huh-huh - he said "ass"..
Daa daa da da daa dadadadadadada da da daa
mod parents UP.
when i thought heavy metal + slashdot i assumed it was actually metals and not music. most of the people i know who listen to metal are idiots btw.
im suprised no one is focusing on musical complexity in this thread. The rhythms, patterns and speed of some types of metal (especially death, thrash and math metal) really sets it apart from most all other (popular) genres. it seems logical that intelligent kids would be better able to comprehend or appreciate some of these complexities.
ok time to mention some great metal bands!
death metal - opeth, nile, necrophagist
melodeath - nightrage
power metal - dragonforce
thrash - dead head
alt metal - porcupine tree, gojira
doom - my dying bride
math metal - dillinger escape plan
american doom/stoner - high on fire, the sword
avant garde/other - agalloch, the red sparrows, pelican
Soon someone will package this information as a product, the media will go bonkers with it, some governor of some state will propose a law that heavy metal music be played at day care centers and pre-schools. . . Or maybe not.
My brother ran into him in a metal bar in Akron that he used to play in. His first words were "Hey holy crap it's Marilyn Manson!" Marilyn responded, "Nope, tonight I'm just plain 'ol Brian" as he was not in his costume.
They had beers and shot the shit about the local metal scene, as my brother was in a metal band playing that bar that evening. My brother said he was a really cool guy. Super bright, lotsa fun to hang out with.
Also, because it's apropos to the thread, I'm a BSEE that was on the Dean's List 4 times. My brother, the metal bassist, scored higher than me on an IQ test by almost ten points. And we were both tested at an identical age, so there's no age bias to the results.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Wow, I had to sign up for this one, and I'll tell you why. I'm 16, I've been accepted into MENSA for my age bracket, And I'm 100% Metalhead. Coincidence? I think not.
I never looked it at like that, you make a very good point. Thanks.
If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
Helps me cope with the stress of being ALIVE!
Just because some gifted kids listen to punk, doesn't necessarily mean that kids who listen to punk are gifted.
I was born in '82 and grew up in the suburbs with Nirvana, resulting into alternative/ indie listening. Most of my friends were outcasts and smart, but our music choices never included punk/rap. We played Doom multiplayer on ghetto 486s over COM ports to let out the "stress". But now that I think about it, I should've just played sports.
Our HS valedictorian was a very social guy and rightfully deserved the title. He was genuinely smart and had a gf at the time. Punk listener? No.
The "real" punks at our HS were rednecks who were rebellious just for the sake of looking threatening, but the few "smart" punks and goths (or pre-emo), were socially awkward but articulate folks.
Now that I'm out in the real world, the "smart punk" subset grew up to become hipsters who complain how everybody else is stupid. They may be right, and very intellectual, but they haven't done jack shit with their lives. They are smart enough to go for phDs, but are delivering/making pizzas instead. And no, it's not a temporary thing.
Alternatively, just because you listen to NPR it doesn't make you smart; but informed people tend to keep up with current events. And I've encountered plenty of those in college who can't form or defend their opinions.
It's what you do with the fucking knowledge is what counts in the real world; not hot much information you can regurgitate or how fast you can solve a godamn sudoku puzzle. Music is just background noise.
Does that mean I should listen to such music? No way! I shall better imagine the world that is all a beautiful harmony.
http://id3as.livejournal.com/
No, it's wrong. Fortunately, blu3 b0y had no trouble spotting the mistake, which has that he stated the converse of what the statistics implied. Nothing to do with correlation and causation.
http://www.jimloy.com/logic/converse.htm
I am the one true god. However, as an atheist, I don't believe in myself. I guess I have a self-esteem problem.
kickin!
I would always follow up my P-chem Schroedingers with some WASP or GnR. The bad Euler expansions that got pages wide... yeah, buttrock required. Same goes for my friend who got his math degree from MIT. Buttrock.
In fact 11 years later, I was just telling Tommy Lee's former Drum tech (who I befriended while working with in an interim sabbatical when I stepped away from my research to be a stagehand) to thank Blackie Lawless for the straight 4.0 I pulled this quarter. I will definitely put a thanks to Mr. Lawless and Carl McCoy in the special thanks for my Doctoral thesis, Perhaps Axel Rose also. I'm looking forward to Dominator coming out next month for spring quarter when I have some ugly genomics programming to do.
I have to admit though, Heavy Metal is only part of it... I prefer the Ramones and Fields of the Nephilim as my favorite all time bands. Hell, I am probably going to actually finish my PhD just for the sake of the Ramones. But I digress.... metal, good thrashy metal... King Diamond, Krokus, GnR, Motorhead..and of course WASP... yeah, they do hit the spot after some deadly brain burning mental gymnastics.
Anyway, the article kicks fucking ass.
Keep those geeks away from the weight bench!
-- "At Microsoft, quality is job 1.1" -- PC Magazine, Nov. 1994
Ï lövë hëävÿ mëtäl!!
.... I think I've been listening to to much electronica lately.....
First thought was ".... huh wha? ?? do they hug Mercury?, they find Cadmium soothing?..
OH they mean the OTHER "heavy metal"
So if it happens to be true, can it also be the reason i find comfort in listening to Daft punk (the newer stuff) Aphex Twin and mr Oizo? Everyone who i know cannot understand why i listen to such weird and experimental music but it seems to make me focus in on tasks and makes me feel happier :D
I find most heavy metal annoying. The only exception was when I was driving up some insane 89.999 degree hill in San Francisco stopped at the light just before the very top ... it freaked me out soo much I had my "stupid friends" turn up their "retarded" Marylon Manson CD to keep me from loosing it. Was half expecting my car to fall backwards when I hit the gas to go again.
... all I hear is someone screaming nonsense I can't make out into the mike.
Everyone I've ever talked to about that particular "artist" insists that Manson is a "genious"
I suspect what is really happening is that heavy metal lowers your intelligence and stupid people are happy people.
Pretend that was posted AC.
When I was, even, younger I listened to Hip-Hop, and still do.
Especially Eminem.
Listening to a guy with suicidal/homicidal tendencies screaming at a heavy beat really takes it out of you.
Now that's not enough.
I've pickup up boxing and lifting weights to calm me down while listening to New/Death Metal.
Or maybe I'm off topic and it's all Red Bull's fault....
Gifted children: is there a single type of gifted children? Gifted in what?
Well, it depends on the sex: there's the Rocco Siffredi type and the Jenna Jameson type
You can be very gifted in certain areas and suck in other areas.
You just said it! Hahahahaha!!!
If you were so gifted, you would probably realize that what you just said is a load of bollocks. What makes you think that being a rock/metal fan makes you lose your hearing?
The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
Other stuff I regulary find many geeks have in common are a tendency to hate idiots, even to an unhealty extend, and having a special affection to eastern, especially japanese culture or cultural products (or p0rn).
(currently just rocking to Manowar's "Swords in the Wind", swapping trough Kodansha's Encyclopaedia for a good definition of Takeda Shingens first military campaign)
Screw the FSM - Real geeks believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn
This doesn't surprise me too much, but I would say I am very intelligent, at 20 and though my teenage years I listened to fuck loads of music. I never joined any kind of group, I was me, listened to what I liked even though it spanned from pill-popping Hard Trance, to placebo, to new jazz to drum and bass. I have other friends who are equally as intelligent, and they also, didn't join any group, we just where us, not like punks or Emo's or goth's or any other group shit.
That being said, I know a lot of intelligent people though friends,work etc, who love hard dance, love going out doing some pills in a huge club, getting off your face for a few hours, but I guess we'd all be thought of as un-intelligent etc. Think back to first year uni, come on, everyone's off there face for a good year (well in England anyway), but you can't say that all of those people are idiots. Personally, I think this study is shite, since music doesn't have anything to do with intelligence.
Visit My Blog at http://spaces.msn.com/members/chrisharries
Jesus is fucking metal!
...and that's the way the cookie crumbles.
The arcticle states that listening to heavy metal does not necessaily imply delinquency and poor academic ability because they found a group of gifted students listening to heavy metal to do something non-criminal (e.g. relieve stress). In other words, they debunk the theory that listening to heavy metal indicates "problems". It does not say that listening to heavy metal indicates above avarage intelligence or vice versa. Those are reverse implications. Which are wrong, logically speaking.
Posting here seems to correlate rather significantly with not understanding text, nor the proper use of implications, whatever you (don't) listen to.
I like heavy metal too, I also liked Metallica until the black album which in my opinion was when they became pop-metal.. from there they became RIAA-bitches metal. And I always liked Megadeth more than Metallica...
:).
Currently I listen to Children of Bodom, Kamelot, Axxis, Symphony X, Stratovarius, Megadeth, Judast Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rata Blanca, Avalanch, Lacrimosa, Theatre Of Tragedy (before they became a techno dance band), Epica, In Flames, Iced Earth, Ayreon, Rhapsody, Haggaard, Iron Maiden, etc.
Interestingly, I also like to listen to guitar players like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Frank Zappa, Eric Johnson, etc.
And about punk... I hate it, I once read that Punk was born from the frustration of the fans that could not play the songs their idols played (i.e. try to play something by Malmsteen or Maiden) and thus a new wave started with music easy to replicate (just chords) and no technique.
By the way, I would *really* recommend a DVD called Metal:A Headbangers journey, which is a really nice documentary about heavy metal (I LOL when they asked Alice Cooper when was "Heavy Metal" born and he answered that it was born when someone referred at his music as heavy metal... suuuuure duuude). If you are into metal you will like it (it has part of an interview with Bruce Dickinson) and if you are not you might find interesting what the heck is this metal thing
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
then again I'm not a teenager.. and good punk rock is a thing of the past.. god knows what they even consider metal nowadays.. hopefully it's none of that screamo crap.. and if that is the shit that is inspiring and influencing kids, then god save us all...
*plays the Apogee theme song music*
For me, rap does the same thing. It lets me know that a huge group of highly intelligent, gifted, insightful, and thoughtful people are thinking and dealing with the problems of the world, not just me. It lets me feel like part of a group that is like-minded who tells you "be yourself" instead of "be like us" or "be like them." I listen to people who give each other a hand and when they like each other, they collaborate and congratulate each other, and when there's a controversy everyone puts their 2 cents in and deals with it as a community and comes to a consensus instead of letting it fester undeground, or they simply agree to disagree but still respect each others' opinions. I listen to an open minded group that speaks their mind without being ashamed of who you are and what you feel, and encourages others to do the same.
Yes, on the surface rap may not appear to be so positive or open minded, and many slashdotters joke about it a lot, but if you take the time to listen and understand then you'll definitely find it's positive.
As an older "gifted" who had "difficulties in family relationships" causing self-esteem issues it explains why I understood that Iggy Pop is God and why other people often seem unwilling or unable to appreciate that.
..now it's time to go crank up some Killswitch Engage and write some more PL/SQL!
When I read the headline, I was about to go get myself some Uranium, just to feel better.
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
About the author of the paper: Webpage is updated at least this year. So the author of the survey called "psychologist at the University of Warwick" in the Telegraph article does not have a master degree yet. Hmm...
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
I can't help thinking with all these sorts of discovery that there are so many people and so much variety that most findings are inevitable. A bit like the principle of Asmiov's Foundation Universe man who had never made a bad decision being asked to decide on the fate of humans.
I'm glad someone brought them up - we had an assignment in my AP English class in high school (way back in '92) to bring in song lyrics that were 'literary' or 'poetic' to study - instead, I brought in the lyrics to "Suite Sister Mary". Ha! The teacher skipped over me. 'Operation Mindcrime' opened my young eyes to hear what some of the better metal bands had to say.
'Rage for Order' was, and still is, one of my favorite albums.
All that said, I was an anomoly in my school's gifted population. Most of the other 'smart' kids were preppies and listened to Top 40. This study is bunk.
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
Smart people with everything ahead of them feel outcast, athletes who will never do anything after high school are praised. You'd think that someone would figure out that brawn gets you approximately nothing anymore unless your the 0.0001% of the population playing pro sports. We have machines now, your body is useless and frail in comparison.
Have fun making almost nothing and scraping by for the rest of your life, you varsity all-state champion, your life will never be much good after high school. I'll be over here with a month vacation and a nice salary, not a bad reward for taking your crap until I was 18. Oh, could I get some ketchup for my fries, superstar? Thanks.
Brothers of Metal,
No matter how intelligent or gifted or stupid you are... UNITE
I tend to prefer ambient or electronic, especially the variety with lots of subtle repetitions. I like to think it's my inner autistic rocking back and forth. For thinking, classical often gets in the way!
There sure are a bunch of Gifted folks on Slashdot!
A characteristic of autism/aspeger is extreme sensitivity of the senses. We shy away from loud music.
As a 35 year old geek who has been into computers, electronics, and general science since he was a small child, has a degree in Electronics Engineering, has been a fan of heavy metal since early adolescence, and who also plays bass in a heavy metal band, I can relate to these findings.
It's nice to finally see a well-reasoned rebuttal to the anti-public school rant that gets posted so frequently around here. Not that Mr. Libertarian doesn't have plenty of valid points, but one can only be so idealistic about society. The same species runs the US democracy as oppressive totalitarian regimes, you know.
It's important to be vigilant against those who would take our freedom, but in order to enjoy your short time on this Earth you have to find the good in society.
Now I know what Taco was handing out in front of that building in Tarzana...
But, I'm now going to assume that liking Finntroll makes me a freaking genius.
sic transit gloria mundi
TIMAH! And the Lords of the Underworld! - Proof that "gifted" children do like Heavy metal after all.
Once you are put into one of those "gifted " programs, parents take the leash off their kids. I was in several honors programs every year of my life it seems, and usually what happend was that we would figure out better ways to screw things up than our peers and predecessors. For example, we poured an expanding compound into the toilets that reacted with water rather than dropping in water proof cherry bombs.
Heavy Metal as a character trait?
I'm still waiting for them to say "gifted children are 4x as likely to wear blue socks than red, according to the Norwegian Swede Liberal-Communist Scientific Union's recent study"
What are you recovering from? Head-banging related injuries?
No offense, but the bands listed in the article are not real metal. It's fluff created for trendy, brainwashed masses. If these kids were truly gifted, they'd be listening to obscure, interesting metal. Not crap like Slipknot and System of a Down. This article is an insult to real smart people who listen to real metal.
... but does anyone else here listen to hip hop to calm down? I find it particularly soothing when I am trying to get work done. Note that when I say hip hop, I don't mean the crap you hear on the radio. I mean underground sh*t like J Dilla, RJD2, Madlib, MF Doom, Mos Def, and Black Star. Ya know, intelligent hip hop.
Future indie game developer of America (and possibly Canada)
from tfa:
"There is a perception of gifted and talented students as being into classical music and spending a lot of time reading. I think that is an inaccurate stereotype."
Am I the only bright kid that listens to BOTH? From a purely music theory/ architecture approach, the two are a lot more similar than most people realize. Anyone else feel the same?
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.
This AC is so right.
I didn't give rap a chance until my senior year of college... Before I started listening to more of it, I thought it was all about ho's, and money, and bling, but then after the woman who became my wife introduced me to some of the stuff that didn't get much airplay... there is some really interesting stuff out there, about all sorts of things, you just can't listen to that crap on MTV and the radio and think you know all (or even most) rap.
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
I've recently experimented with different kinds of music, and the key things that seem to indicate good programming music are:
- No vocals. Vocals engage the left side of your brain, the one that should be coding.
- No noise. Too random music confuses the right side of the brain, the one that should mind the big picture.
Classical and instrumental metal have been by far my best choices. Especially Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi etc. Highly recommended. I'm pretty sure good old-fashioned C64 tunes would fit the picture too.
Working in my basement, listening to Iron Maiden while building my robots. Hmm..
It's like classical, only louder!
Don't forget the only Metal Sub Genre that should be associated with intelligent people: Stoner Metal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_metal
Weed has been proved to make you smarter, right?
No one has mentioned Carcass or Arch Enemy.
You are all pasty and weak.
Mostly agreed, though I'm not quite as "down" on nu-metal as some purists are. (Disturbed appeals to me for some reason, and a lot of folks classify them as nu-metal.)
What got me into metal was the neo-classical rock movement (Yngwie Malmsteen, older Tony MacAlpine before he became more jazz-influenced). Malmsteen combined Paganini and heavy metal; MacAlpine did similar things with Chopin. Cool stuff IMHO. Definitely not to everyone's liking.
Older Metallica is likewise technically very good, and you can tell these guys had some classical training. I am talking about the Master of Puppets era.
Sadly, I didn't discover any of this stuff until my college days. Once I did, though, it was a case of, "Where have you been all my life?"
So metal tried again with speed metal, and bands like Metallica and Slayer and Nuclear Assault ruled the earth. Until the money got too good.
Metal tried yet again with death metal, but that got cloned by all sorts of miserable hip-hop hybrids like Slipknot, Korn, SOAD, etc. They cloned black metal, too, but it took longer because it was as anarchistic as punk but hailed traditional values, including ethnic independence.
There is still "true" underground metal which is intense, Romanticist art. But the same thing that makes the RIAA whores makes their music whorelike, and we the underground metal fans are determined to oppose it.
Anti-Globalism, Traditionalism, and FreeBSD.
If gifted Children find Heavy Metal comforting it is also understandable that software developers find Heavy Metal Comforting. I mean didn't Serj from System of a Down finance the band with profits from a Software company he owned. That is amazing to me.
Like every rule, there's always an exception - and S&M is that exception. (But maybe that's because before then I'd always thought it would awesome to hear Metallica as played by an orchestra.)