What's Your Type? The Metalhead Personality

Many people have assumptions about metalheads - they think that all of us are male, white, long-haired, tattooed, smokers/drinkers/druggies, leather-clad, and tough and mean. While there are certainly biker-types who are into metal, that's hardly the whole picture of the broad range of metal fans.

I think metalheads come in two main categories - those who express the music externally, and those who keep it internal. I'll try to explain this.

The external types are those who look and act the part of the angry metalhead. These are the ones who tend to fit the stereotype. They express the music into the world around them through wild partying, fast cars and motorcycles, and a certain anti-establishment attitude.

But lesser-recognized are those of us who keep the music inside and use it to paint our rich internal world. We're the ones with the professional outside appearance who blast Iron Maiden in our car. We have the old concert t-shirts hidden in the back of our closets. Metal becomes an expression of what is felt inside, but it's rarely taken into an outward expression. Our tattoos are hidden under a suit or dress.

What is the internal personality of a metalhead? It varies by person, but I think a couple of the underlying themes are a lust for life (the "party all night" attitude) and a desire to overcome obstacles (the "up-yours" attitude). Some use metal to channel anger - others have it as a basis for passion of all types. It's music that makes you feel alive and powerful.

Metalheads can't be lumped under just one stereotype. We just love the music!