Another 44-year old here. I suspect that their relevance to the current generation is probably about similar to Black Sabbath's on ours. All the really important Black Sabbath albums came out long before I was listening to music and while they continued in various forms through the '90's and beyond and were worth seeing live if you got the chance, they weren't really putting out new music that I cared about. It's hard to imagine heavy music without Black Sabbath or Metallica's influence.
For Those Who are Younger, How Relevant is Metallica?
- Thread starter Screamingdaisy
- Start date
I'm 32, and I still love the first 5 albums (and S&M), and every single thing they've done since is absolute garbage.
So I guess I can't really answer OP question because I'm not that young, but I guarantee that any relevance Metallica has to gen Z is going to be contained within their first 5 albums and nothing after.
So I guess I can't really answer OP question because I'm not that young, but I guarantee that any relevance Metallica has to gen Z is going to be contained within their first 5 albums and nothing after.
KnightBrolaire
chasing the GAS dragon
I'm 31. Metallica wasn't really relevant when I was in school other than with a few thrash centric kids I knew. Most of the metalheads I knew throughout highschool knew of them, had listened to them, but they weren't relevant then imo, other than releasing Death Magnetic and Lulu (both of which were shit). I knew of of them, knew a bunch of songs, but never really got into them at that point.
I mostly listened to stuff like Iron Maiden, Racer X, Gojira, Dream Theater, Lamb of God, Rammstein, Mastodon, Baroness, Trivium, Nevermore, Thrice, Protest the Hero , 36 Crazyfists, Necrophagist, Dying Fetus and Arch Enemy in high school.
I didn't really do a deep dive into thrash as a subgenre until much later in life.
Somehow I doubt anyone under 30 is going to feel that metallica is relevant
I mostly listened to stuff like Iron Maiden, Racer X, Gojira, Dream Theater, Lamb of God, Rammstein, Mastodon, Baroness, Trivium, Nevermore, Thrice, Protest the Hero , 36 Crazyfists, Necrophagist, Dying Fetus and Arch Enemy in high school.
I didn't really do a deep dive into thrash as a subgenre until much later in life.
Somehow I doubt anyone under 30 is going to feel that metallica is relevant
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HungryGuitarStudent
SS.org Regular
At the same time, can’t really fault James for milking it to give a better life to his family. Fan legacies are overrated IMO. At the end of the day, it’s your family/loved ones that count.At least Jimmy Page knew when to call it quits and hasn't had to pimp himself out constantly at every waking second on his way out the door too.I'll just leave it at that.
NWOAHM? New wave of American heavy metal? The early-to-mid 2000s stuff?
Screamingdaisy
SS.org Regular
I guess both. I don't really want to pigeonhole the conversation.
On your first point, I kind of think of it like Sabbath. I grew up listening to them, and for me their first 8 albums were relevant, even though most were out before I was born, but I never cared about their newer material.
On your second point, for a long time - as much as current Metallica fans hated their newest album - each album would generate a new generation of fans. I'm curious if that's still happening? As bad as St Anger was the publicity was huge and I know people that started listening during that era. I don't know if Death Magnetic or Hardwired had the same effect?
HoneyNut
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37 here. Metallica was my foray into metal, alongside Larry Carlton as my foray into jazz, SRV to blues. But I'm from a mildly musical family.
I talk to my younger bandmate friend who I believe is in his late 20s loves death metal and other genres, but has never really dived into Metallica the way my generation has consumed bands by albums. He has rather been listening to the more popular tracks and has an understanding of Metallica, but doesn't know the less popular gems - Dyers Eve, House That Jack Built, Desciple Heros, Leper Messiah, Where The Wild Things Are etc.
I guess, not* everyone was a diehard fan like I was. I have Slayer, Pantera, Sepultura, et al pretty much engraved into my soul, instead of memorizing much of our equivalent of the bible.
I guess this is also how it was easier for me to pick this lanuage up - music & Mr. Bean. My english was better than my school's english teacher.
But for my younger bandmate, I don't know what his metal upbrining was, but whatever it was, does not make it his foray into metal less relevant than mine. But, does that indicate the relevance of metallica for him? No. Metallica is probably more relevant as inspiration for the stuff he likes, but less of a band that is directly relevant to him.
I talk to my younger bandmate friend who I believe is in his late 20s loves death metal and other genres, but has never really dived into Metallica the way my generation has consumed bands by albums. He has rather been listening to the more popular tracks and has an understanding of Metallica, but doesn't know the less popular gems - Dyers Eve, House That Jack Built, Desciple Heros, Leper Messiah, Where The Wild Things Are etc.
I guess, not* everyone was a diehard fan like I was. I have Slayer, Pantera, Sepultura, et al pretty much engraved into my soul, instead of memorizing much of our equivalent of the bible.
I guess this is also how it was easier for me to pick this lanuage up - music & Mr. Bean. My english was better than my school's english teacher.
But for my younger bandmate, I don't know what his metal upbrining was, but whatever it was, does not make it his foray into metal less relevant than mine. But, does that indicate the relevance of metallica for him? No. Metallica is probably more relevant as inspiration for the stuff he likes, but less of a band that is directly relevant to him.
dmlinger
PepperFox Guitars
I’m 35. Never really got into Metallica, but they are undeniably relevant. Even if they aren’t putting out music that tops charts, they’ve already solidified their status in the music world . No different than Led Zeppelin IMO. Massive influence on countless bands, and a fan base that holds them in the highest regard.
I don’t think new, younger listeners are seeking their music out, but that doesn’t make them less relevant.
I don’t think new, younger listeners are seeking their music out, but that doesn’t make them less relevant.
Wiltonauer
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And there it is. The peak of Nirvana’s prevalence on the music scene thirty years ago, a lot of us knew that one day they would be an oldies band that young people weren’t into.
As an under-30, if I hadn't first seen the music video for One when I first did and subsequently went down the rabbit hole of watching live performances from 1989-1992, I doubt I'd be the metal fan I am today.
With that in mind, I always preferred post-black album Metallica
Load, ReLoad, St. Anger, Garage Inc, Death Magnetic and I Disappear were in constant rotation for years on end. Doesn't mean I disliked their earlier work, KTA/RTL were fantastic, and of course the ballads like One, Fade to Black, and Sanitarium were frequent plays (Sanitarium top 5 Metallica song), I just prefered the groovier, chunkier, angstier vibe that emerged around the turn of the century.
They made me pick up the guitar, Korn and Amon Amarth kept me interested in guitar, but ultimately it was stumbling across some old playthroughs and YouTube rips (EMG TV, bulb archives, Cloudkicker, early AAL, etc) that ultimately made me decide to actually learn the instrument in the early-mid 2010s.
With that in mind, I always preferred post-black album Metallica
Load, ReLoad, St. Anger, Garage Inc, Death Magnetic and I Disappear were in constant rotation for years on end. Doesn't mean I disliked their earlier work, KTA/RTL were fantastic, and of course the ballads like One, Fade to Black, and Sanitarium were frequent plays (Sanitarium top 5 Metallica song), I just prefered the groovier, chunkier, angstier vibe that emerged around the turn of the century.They made me pick up the guitar, Korn and Amon Amarth kept me interested in guitar, but ultimately it was stumbling across some old playthroughs and YouTube rips (EMG TV, bulb archives, Cloudkicker, early AAL, etc) that ultimately made me decide to actually learn the instrument in the early-mid 2010s.
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I got into Metallica between the release of AJFA and the black album and they've been instrumental and formative to my musical tastes. Metallica and Guns N' Roses were the 2 biggest rock bands in the US at the time and it still reflects in the stadiums that they sell out all these years later. I saw them on the Hard Wired tour and there was a surprising amount of young folks there, both boys and girls, and it wasn't just kids being dragged along with their aging rocker parents. They're certainly less relevant these past 20 years, but they're still widely heard and appreciated across a broad age range.
jaxadam
SS.org Regular
CanserDYI
Yeah, No, Definitely.
One of the songs that is permanently burned into my brain.
jaxadam
SS.org Regular
works0fheart
Tike Myson
This is where the forum learns the hard way that most young guys don't use forums lol.
35 here. Got into them when Jason was one foot out the door. I'd say they're pretty important to my development on guitar, but I was always more of a Megadeth guy anyway.
In my neck of the woods, I'd say there's a fair number of younger Metallica fans. Yeah,
Some recently because of Stranger Things, but I feel like a lot of them came from newer bands constantly name dropping Metallica (Avenged Sevenfold instantly comes to mind).
In my neck of the woods, I'd say there's a fair number of younger Metallica fans. Yeah,
Some recently because of Stranger Things, but I feel like a lot of them came from newer bands constantly name dropping Metallica (Avenged Sevenfold instantly comes to mind).
I'm in my 40s and grew up musically listening to thrash metal in my teens, but Metallica stopped being relevant to me right after the Black Album. That said, Master of Puppets and, especially, and Justice for All were some of the most influential albums to my musical development.
Late 20s. In middle school went from emo and radio metal (Disturbed, etc.) to Children of Bodom, In Flames, metalcore, etc. The E standard/Phrygian/blues thrash stuff never really appealed to me early on, though I thought The Day that Never Comes was a cool track.
Honestly, still haven't ever checked out Slayer or Anthrax fully and IMO Rust in Piece is the thrash staple that I find most important in my playing. Obviously, aware that many bands I listen to were influenced by Metallica but most of their stuff now just feels like I've heard other bands expand on their sound/do it better at this point. Give me Power Trip any day!
There's a Drop-G re-recording of St. Anger on Youtube that is pretty sick though - Frantic goes hard.
Honestly, still haven't ever checked out Slayer or Anthrax fully and IMO Rust in Piece is the thrash staple that I find most important in my playing. Obviously, aware that many bands I listen to were influenced by Metallica but most of their stuff now just feels like I've heard other bands expand on their sound/do it better at this point. Give me Power Trip any day!
There's a Drop-G re-recording of St. Anger on Youtube that is pretty sick though - Frantic goes hard.
NoodleFace
Delicious Noodles
im 39 and they havent been relevant to me since I was like 15
Wiltonauer
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What do they use? Friendster?
CapinCripes
Trem Snob
Am 29. I started my metal journey listening to priest and maiden and in high school I started listening to classic thrash and death metal. They aren't relevant in that I've listened to their newer stuff or had any inclination to see them live, but art doesn't really have a shelf date. It's kind of like asking a painter if monet is still relevant.
I kind of look crossways at anybody who considers themselves and artist but dismisses art because it is simply old. Metal wouldn't exist without pioneers like sabbath, deep purple, and depending on your point of view a vast majority of psychedelic music like iron butterfly. Understanding that history and analyzing what made them work makes you a better artist.
In short, be eclectic, listen to older stuff, hell go listen to muddy waters and BB king, it will only improve your art.
I kind of look crossways at anybody who considers themselves and artist but dismisses art because it is simply old. Metal wouldn't exist without pioneers like sabbath, deep purple, and depending on your point of view a vast majority of psychedelic music like iron butterfly. Understanding that history and analyzing what made them work makes you a better artist.
In short, be eclectic, listen to older stuff, hell go listen to muddy waters and BB king, it will only improve your art.
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