i am watching VH1 right and they are talking about "metalheads" in the 80's...were YOU a "metalhead"? I( was not (I was more the New Wave/Duran Duran type), I had metalhead friends though- they drew pentacles, wore leather jackets, wore long hair and crosses, and you were SURE they were ALL doing some kind of drug or at least smoking or drinking while in school...LOL! And they ALL worshipped Iron Maiden! (Are they still around???)

nope, but some of my friends were

tanya

No.

wouldn't it be funny if i said yes?  ;D

um,no..definitely not  :P

i was into metal but i never dressed the stlye.

Me! <raises hand>
I was the epitome of metal head as were most of my friends. We had long hair, tattoos, thrashed and bleached jeans, wore earing's and crosses and eyeliner and concert t-shirts and drank like fish and stayed stoned and ate shrooms and partied most every night. We thought we were living the dream of the Rock-N-Roll life style. Five of us had a band that would play at whosever place the party was at on the weekends and we even played like 3 gigs in 2 actual bars!
I only recently cut my hair off (about 2 years ago) and freaked everybody out. I went to lunch one day and came back with no hair! My co-workers swore I had gotten into some kind of trouble with the law because "nobody just cuts all their hair off for no reason unless they are trying to look good in court" (not true). My kids really freaked because they had only known me with long hair and my wife looked at me a little weird for a few days. LOL! I'm still a metal head (80's) but I don't look the part so much anymore.

I'm still a metal head (80's) but I don't look the part so much anymore.

only slightly in your avatar  ;D

;D :P

Heavens no.

Mind you, back in the early-mid 80's my (younger) brother listened to it a lot, so I had to put up with it. (He did also have some taste... he got me into punk!) Anyway...I had a very, very brief metal period where I was listening to a little bit of Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Sadly, I even owned (and wore!) a Van Halen shirt - you know those black things with the white 3/4 length sleeves. I had a black Def Leppard T-Shirt as well. ::)

It didn't last though. I remained true to my New Wave roots throughout, and I've hated metal ever since!! :)

Absolutely Vile

No.

Does it count if i am now ;)

Most definately...in the sense that I listed to nothing but Metal.  I didn't drink, smoke or do drugs though.  Loved and still love the music.

I used to wear the Metallica,Iron Maiden and other heavy metal T-shirts but never dressed the style. :P


Howard

I wuz a Mettler, but not one of those effeminate types. There seemed to be a distinction where I grew up, you could either be a serious Mettler (tight jeans, denim/ leather jackets (often sleeveless & worn on top of one another), boots, long hair, like listening to older Heavy Metal, Thrash, Hardcore, Speed & Death Metal) or a hair-band type (clothes as above plus make-up, hairspray, spandex, scarves in odd places, basketball boots, like listening to Poison, Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, Motley Crue etc). I was a 'serious-Mettler-cum-Goth' type- tight black jeans, loads of chains, long hair (undercut), Megadeth T-shirt, Space Baby Dr.Marten boots, occasionally black eye-liner & a chain from ear to nose. Wish I had the confidence to dress like that nowadays- on second thoughts, maybe not, as I'd look a bit silly being 30-something... :P

Yeah I was a headbanger back then. Had the metal T sheeshs ( KISS, MAIDEN ,METALLICA, and WASP) plus the black tight jeans and of course the white hi top runners lol. The only thing i would listen to was metal. Now i still listen to 80's metal more than anything else. Everything from MANOWAR and SLAYER to POISON and WHITE LION. Its all good. Sure beats most of the stuff out now. METAL RULES!!!

I was a metalhead then, and still am now. And Iron Maiden is still around, by the way!

Dont forget the back patches on the back of the denim jacket. And the huge bulky skull rings.
UP THE IRONS!!!

Heavens no.

Mind you, back in the early-mid 80's my (younger) brother listened to it a lot, so I had to put up with it. (He did also have some taste... he got me into punk!) Anyway...I had a very, very brief metal period where I was listening to a little bit of Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Sadly, I even owned (and wore!) a Van Halen shirt - you know those black things with the white 3/4 length sleeves. I had a black Def Leppard T-Shirt as well. ::)

It didn't last though. I remained true to my New Wave roots throughout, and I've hated metal ever since!! :)

Absolutely Vile



If I were alive back then, I'd prprobably have the same response, AV. But since I'm an 86', I direct that feeling against pop music of today. ;)

in high school i had this mixed tape with depeche mode, iron maiden and judas priest..lol...i still have an eclectic taste in music and my burned CDs today could include country, new wave and metal, whatever strikes my mood.

so....you're sayin you're a metalhead or you like country or what???

i'm saying i don't follow labels.

I had a friend that had a giant "Iron Maiden" patch on the back of his jacket, with the big skull rings. He also had big biker boots that he called his sh*t kickers. I remember thinking that the music was SO HARD CORE! I heard a Maiden song on the radio the other day and thought. God he sound like a woman. LOL Def leopards drummer could kick his a$$! JK

I`m Glam metalhead.I listen to :Def leppard,Guns`n`roses,Motley crue,Poison,Cindrella(I don`t like Slayer or Mettalica),and i like their fashion.Also i like drink beer or vodka sometimes ;).

Indeed! Still am and always will be.

Motley Crue - March 4th - Philly

Indeed! Still am and always will be.

Motley Crue - March 4th - Philly


Rock on Bro! 8)

Iis only a four hour drive for me from Houston to  Grand Prairie (Dallas) on March 17. I CAN'T WAIT!

I was, bigtime. Early on, I was the mullet-headed, Billy Squier, Sammy Hagar, and Rainbow- listening rocker. Then I discovered Judas Priest. That was the end. Long hair, demin jacket with the Motley Crue patch, bandannas around the legs. Later on, I got caught up in the hair rock and started wearing the snake skin boots, long trench coat, and big hair. Once that all ended with the Nirvana revolution, I came of age and the fun ended. I became a normal married guy :)

I became sort of a 'metalhead' by default - my older sister and I shared a bedroom when she was a teenager in the early 80's and she listened to heavy metal all the time with the volume blasted wayy up!  That kind of music really started to grow on me for a while.  8)

Well i started growing my hair again back in November and it is now long enough to tie it back.. RESULT! :)

BUMP

Thought this was an interesting topic - like the variation in replies. :)

In short, I've always liked a variety of music. I'm the type that has tons of different styles. Seriously I can go from listening to a Christopher Cross song one minute to "Breaking the Law" the next. :D

I consider 'hard rock' and 'metal' to be two different genres. There were a few albums we had when I was little, that would border on hard rock (i.e. the Doors, Tom Petty, or power ballads like "I Wanna Know what Love is").

My first exposure to metal of any kind was in '87 when my mom bought Bon Jovi's 'Slippery When Wet' -- yeah, even for its time, it was very poppish metal, but still, for a 5 year old, I was pretty advanced in that regard!!

I really do give that album alot of credit (as well as like-minded material like Poison or late 80's Aerosmith) for slowly getting me accustomed to the sound of more 'heavy' metal like Guns N' Roses and Metallica.

Today though, I'm only a metalhead as far as (some of) my CD collection goes. I'm not at all the type with long hair and tattoos who'd go, "MET-ALLLL!" on the street and stuff, LOL (I've got more of a nice guy look and personality I think).

Those guys ARE pretty cool though! ;D

Yes,I was when I was in Middle school. What got me started was a song I fell in love with was Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue when I was in 5th Grade these boys lip synched it for a talent show or something. They were great! ;) I also loved Nobody's Fool by Cinderella. Then,I started loving New Kids On The Block when I was in 8th or 9th grade. :-*

I was a Metalhead first and then a Rocker when I became a musician and being a Metalhead was a little too pigeonhole for me.

I was never a metalhead (heads, as we called them)....but they were cool people....I would sometimes bum cigarettes off of them when I had the urge to smoke.

LOL


Erin :)

No. I was the opposite. How was it called in US? In Germany we were called Popper (from hearing Pop-Music)  8)

8) Hell yea, Still am. Judas Priest, June 15th. Philly. HALFORD is back!

I guess you could call me a "Metalhead" back in the 80s, I was mostly into bands like Iron Maiden, Warlock, Scorpions, Merciful Fate/King Diamond, WASP, Vixen and Mötley Crüe, and I still have it all on vinyl.
My taste in clothes haven't really changed all that much, although the spike-belts and -wristbands, satanic symbols and the earrings are gone, and the army boots have been exchanged for cowboy boots, but that's basically it.

i am watching VH1 right and they are talking about "metalheads" in the 80's...were YOU a "metalhead"? I( was not (I was more the New Wave/Duran Duran type), I had metalhead friends though- they drew pentacles, wore leather jackets, wore long hair and crosses, and you were SURE they were ALL doing some kind of drug or at least smoking or drinking while in school...LOL! And they ALL worshipped Iron Maiden! (Are they still around???)


Ya im 15 going on 16  going to 10th grade and a total metal head and just as described there are a few of us left but not many i admit........

I hope you you don't mean that you're into bands like Korn or Mudvaine coz that ain't metal dude. Metal as a genre almost doesn't exist anymore. It's come full circle & real metal has become pretty underground now. I noticed a lot of young people are still getting into Slayer but even they aren't the same anymore. Seen teens around here wereing Maiden shirts. One of the few mainstream bands still things the same way & sticking to their roots.
In response to the related question i got into metal in 1986 or 1987 i was about 8 or 9 years old. I was pretty young but all my friends older brother's were into that sort of stuff & they exposed us to it.

I remember thinking that the music was SO HARD CORE! I heard a Maiden song on the radio the other day and thought. God he sound like a woman. LOL Def leopards drummer could kick his a$$! JK

Dude that's the lamest, most uninformed & uneducated comment i've ever heard. Bruce Dickinison in no way shape or form has a femenin voice. In fact he has one of the strongest voices i've heard for a singer in a metal band THAT CAN ACTUALLY SING. The death growl sort of style has become extremely popular these days even in semi pop MTV teen music & all those bands prefere to do that because they have no vocal range & CAN"T SING FOR SH!T
Those bands aren't hardcore either they're tryhard & wannabe spoiled upperclass little turds pissed off coz their daddy probably cut off their allowance or something & they think they are being rebelious & hardcore coz they can scream. All just commercial tryhard sh!t. Go & check out Bruce's new solo album  called Tyranny Of Souls or download the song Abduction from that album. Yes that's right, a MUSICIAN that has the balls to continue making music & doing things his way regardless of what's popular & what MTV & what popular culture dictates to everyone else. It has a newer production & sound in the music than Maiden did, but with a touch of old school flavour with some Maiden-esque guitar riffs in it & ofcourse Bruce's staggeringly powerful signiture vocal style. BWT Iron Maiden has one of the biggest loyal fan bases in the world some of which are only teenagers just getting into their music & they are still making briliant albums to this very day. The music is timeless which is more than i can say for some of these so called supposed "hardcore bands" which for good reason won't be remembered by many. People should really do their homework before making dumb comments on these boards.

they drew pentacles, wore leather jackets, wore long hair and crosses, "and you were SURE they were ALL doing some kind of drug or at least smoking or drinking while in school...LOL!" And they ALL worshipped Iron Maiden! (Are they still around???)


I don't do any drugs & i very rarely drink. I smoke cigarettes though.
If any of those people actually "worshiped" Iron Maiden as mentioned they probably wouldn't be doing drugs & stuff like that because Bruce & Iron Maiden were & are very proffesional & don't do any drugs or smoke & they don't drink while in concert or in the studio. They're pretty clean living guys. We don't get this show on VH1 here in Australia, but that's probably a good thing coz it sounds pretty crass & like it's taking the p** & using ridiculous stereotypes to do it.  And yes as i & someone else have mentioned earlier Iron Maiden are still around, still making albums & still have a massive following which is more than i can say for other bands & so called artists. BTW Iron Maiden aren't & never were into Satan either, Number Of The Beast was about a dream Bruce had & all their songs are just story telling, usually about the supernatural or history. LOL Satan LOL, does that concept still exist? 

Iron Maiden as mentioned they probably wouldn't be doing drugs & stuff like that because Bruce & Iron Maiden were & are very proffesional & don't do any drugs or smoke & they don't drink while in concert or in the studio. They're pretty clean living guys.

You got that right bro! Last time I saw Maiden, (three years ago?) somebody up front sparked up. Bruce stopped the song and gave whoever it was a lecture. Told him/her to put it out, "I don't like the stink of that sh!t" and told them he liked to be in top form when performing, he can't give us his best if he's fu**ed up and asked why smoke that crap anyway? "Don't you like to remember the shows you see? How can you remember anything if you're head is all hazy on that"

Bruce got rousing round of applause for that and I bet whoever it was that sparked up felt about an inch tall when Bruce was done with them. Of the few shows I've seen in recent years, only Bruce and Rob Halford still have the voice they had 20 years ago. Both put on a kick a$$ show. Loved Queensryche, still do-their older stuff-but Geoff doesn't have the voice anymore. He's still very powerful but doesn't have the range.

Metal as a genre almost doesn't exist anymore.

You're so right Cafe80s, the way I see it most of what they call Metal today sounds more like Sex Pistols, and much of what they call Punk sounds more like W.A.S.P. so I guess the message have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

I don't do any drugs & i very rarely drink. I smoke cigarettes though.
If any of those people actually "worshiped" Iron Maiden as mentioned they probably wouldn't be doing drugs & stuff like that because Bruce & Iron Maiden were & are very proffesional & don't do any drugs or smoke & they don't drink while in concert or in the studio. They're pretty clean living guys. We don't get this show on VH1 here in Australia, but that's probably a good thing coz it sounds pretty crass & like it's taking the p** & using ridiculous stereotypes to do it.  And yes as i & someone else have mentioned earlier Iron Maiden are still around, still making albums & still have a massive following which is more than i can say for other bands & so called artists. BTW Iron Maiden aren't & never were into Satan either, Number Of The Beast was about a dream Bruce had & all their songs are just story telling, usually about the supernatural or history. LOL Satan LOL, does that concept still exist? 
I would also say that the kids who 'worshiped' Iron Maiden wouldn't do drugs and stuff because most of them were 12 or 13 and way to young!
That goes for the U.K anyway.Iron Maiden tended to be the first band that you got into and then you progressed on to other stuff.

Dude that's the lamest, most uninformed & uneducated comment i've ever heard. Bruce Dickinison in no way shape or form has a feminine voice. In fact he has one of the strongest voices i've heard for a singer in a metal band THAT CAN ACTUALLY SING.
Now now don't be so harsh ! Bruce can sing VERY high when he wants to and to someone who has never heard that style of music or singing before and maybe came into the song when it was at a chorus say it would be an easy mistake to make ! It's also all down to personal choice.Whilst I'm the first to admit he has a great range and technique I can't stand his singing style and I never have liked it. 

I started out into NWOBHM because my brother was listening to it.I then got into stuff like Metallica and Anthrax but Glam metal was my real love ! Out went the baseball boots and the denim cutoff with patches and in came the cowboy boots, scarves and BIG hair !

I was a closet metal head. I never dressed the style but I listened to most of the music and bought Metal Edge magazine.  :P

Dont forget the back patches on the back of the denim jacket. And the huge bulky skull rings.
UP THE IRONS!!!


8) And the leather jackets with studs and/or spikes on them, band names written on notebook covers, student planners, pants, and bookbags, spiked/studded armbands, fingerless gloves, and denim jackets with band patches and pins ALL OVER them

I was a metalhead then, and still am now. And Iron Maiden is still around, by the way!


IRON MAIDEN?!? EX-CELLENT!!!!!! (Makes Air Guitar)

Yeah, I used to be a metalhead back then. Still am, but I don't dress the part no more.

I was born in 88 but I am a metalhead now and I've been a metalhead ever since I was 12. There aren't to much metalheads today. Only 3 people at my school are metalheads including me. I wear the leather jacket, tight jeans, and the white reebok high tops (thats my style and I love it)! I listen to mainly THRASH METAL like slayer, 80s metallica, exodus, artillery, overkill, death angel, anthrax, megadeth, coroner, kreator, sodom, destruction, sepultura, testament, heathen, vio-lence, defiance, dark angel, onslaught, forbidden, xentrix, and I also like iron maiden, judas priest, dio, ozzy, queensryche, and tons of other stuff! Today what come on headbangers ball sucks! Most of it is nu metal or just crap! Not into the glam cause that ain't metal!

Hell yeah!!!  Actually I like all types of music except rap.  The 1980s metal scene, IMHO, produce majority of the bad ass guitar players than any other decades.  Today, majority of the guitars players can't play if their lives depended on it, relying only on their 3 chords per song. ::)  Thats why alot of the guitar oriented music doesn't have any solos in them, instead stating that only if the song calls for it, then they will put in solo.  Thats b*llcrap, they just don't have the music awareness as in the eduaction of scales, arpeggios, and so forth that the 80s player had.  Jake E Lee, formerly of Ozzy said that the 80's player were more of a technician compared to the latter guitarists.Thats why Dan Donegan of Disturbed whose guitar playing I really like disappoints me playing solos in about 2-3 songs of their "Ten Thousand Fists" cd.  From hearing his solos, he sounds like he could be a awesome guitarist.
The 80s produced Randy Rhodes,Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John Petrucci. Marty Friedman, Kirk Hammit, Joe Perry, Richie Sambora, Neal Schon, Craig Chaquico, Phil Collen, James Byrd, Chris Impelleteri, Akira Takasaki, Paul Gilbert, and of course my personal favorites
George Lynch
Jason Becker
Jake E Lee
Vivian Campbell
Warren DeMartini
Reb Beach
Criss Olivia (RIP)
John Norum
Yngwie Malmsteen
Jeff Watson

Simply put DA 80s ROCKED!!!  not just metal but in all types of music!!!

marty freidman kicks ass just listen to rust in peace from megadeth! Todays music scene is dominated by rap/hip hop and EMO. I hate both of them to death! We need METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

marty freidman kicks ass just listen to rust in peace from megadeth! Todays music scene is dominated by rap/hip hop and EMO. I hate both of them to death! We need METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep Rust In Peace is possibly one of the best guitar albums of "all" time.

I was born in 88 but I am a metalhead now and I've been a metalhead ever since I was 12. There aren't to much metalheads today. Only 3 people at my school are metalheads including me. I wear the leather jacket, tight jeans, and the white reebok high tops (thats my style and I love it)! I listen to mainly THRASH METAL like slayer, 80s metallica, exodus, artillery, overkill, death angel, anthrax, megadeth, coroner, kreator, sodom, destruction, sepultura, testament, heathen, vio-lence, defiance, dark angel, onslaught, forbidden, xentrix, and I also like iron maiden, judas priest, dio, ozzy, queensryche, and tons of other stuff! Today what come on headbangers ball sucks! Most of it is nu metal or just crap! Not into the glam cause that ain't metal!

Right on dude, it's good to see someone your age with an appreciation for music that was made before 1991.  That's a pretty impressive list of bands you're into. Thrash metal is definitly my favourite of the metal sub-genres. I'm all set to see Exodus in March just 2 days after my birthday & i look foward to it, but pitty Gary Holt is the only original member & that they are only the support band for The Haunted. It should be the other way around & The Haunted should be supporting Exodus. I guess it'll still be good to hear material from Bonded By Blood to Fabulous Disaster live & it'll still be better than some cover band doing those songs.

wow Eric, im from 88 too and im listening the same bands you are ! But im listening to death metal and heavy/power too and bands like Atheist, Atrophy (thrash), Evildead (thrash), Death, Running Wild, Annihilator (thrash), Razor (thrash), Tankard (thrash), Sadus (thrash), D.R.I. (thrash), Nuclear Assault (thrash), Sacred Reich (thrash), Possessed, King Diamond/Mercyful Fate + all bands that you named. And some random songs from Intruder, Gammacide, Delirious, Dekapitator, Panic. Also, Im playing electric guitar :) Jackson guitar of course :D I've some records if you want to hear me guys.

I saw dekapitator at thrash against cancer last july in sf and they were awesome. I got their cd and they should be releasing a new cd soon. I am also going to see exodus on april 15. I am going to see testament feb 17 so that is going to be cool.

sure! lets here em!

Why are people writing Motley Crue like this: Mötley Crüe,?

Check this out!

There is this documentary coming out very soon about thrash metal in the 80s and how it influenced alot of the metal music out today. I can't wait to see it! For more info go to http://www.getthrashed.com/

Always was and will always be a metalhead

Always was and will always be a metalhead

I'll second that, no comprimise. \m/
It is becoming ever increasingly ultra uncool to be a metal head these days & even more so if you show it on the outside by the clothes you wear & having long hair etc, which is kind of good in a way i think 'cause that way it becomes obvious who's really full of sh!t & who's not. I mean metal's fading mainstream acceptance has kind of weeded out the posers & posers aren't going to claim they are something if it's totally uncool & won't get them acceptance from the rest of the social elite herd. Besides most of us that actually grew up during the "metal age" are too old to really give a f**k about what anyone else thinks or what's "cool", whatever cool is supposed to be. Metal was always an anti-mainstream anti-fashion thing to begin with anyway.

Now now don't be so harsh ! Bruce can sing VERY high when he wants to and to someone who has never heard that style of music or singing before and maybe came into the song when it was at a chorus say it would be an easy mistake to make ! It's also all down to personal choice.Whilst I'm the first to admit he has a great range and technique I can't stand his singing style and I never have liked it. 

Yeah maybe so, but to say that someone with a deeper voice can kick the ass of someone with a higher voice is the most ridiculous & immature thing i've ever heard. And seeing as Def Leopard's drummer only has one arm & Bruce Dickinson has both, the most likely logical outcome is quite obvious, like it even matters anyway since it's music & not kick boxing LOL. It's quite sad that there are people out there who obviously feel that their manhood is being threatened by singers with high voices LOL.  Joke or not, it's still one of the lamest comments ever.

cafe80s rightly said!

I recently uploaded a bunch of Metallica stuff to my MP3 player.....including older stuff like 'Whiplash', 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets'... same stuff I had on cassette in the 80's....yep, I'm still a metalhead at the age of 46...

I recently uploaded a bunch of Metallica stuff to my MP3 player.....including older stuff like 'Whiplash', 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets'... same stuff I had on cassette in the 80's....yep, I'm still a metalhead at the age of 46...

Oh yeah, it's not something you grow out of. Hell i still ride BMXs & Skateboards for fun & exercise in my spare time & i haven't really grown out of that either. Metal is perfect for riding aswell, i just put on my mp3 player & put on something like early Exodus or Slayer & off i go. I notice most of the kids trip out on a long haired oldie in old metal tees cruisin past on a BMX or a board, i love the reaction though LOL. I feel sorry for the kids these days & what gets presented to them as heavy music by eMptyTV & the powers that be. I guess if you don't like the scene that's out there, you just have to get off your butt & create your own scene.

Oh yeah, it's not something you grow out of. Hell i still ride BMXs & Skateboards for fun & exercise in my spare time & i haven't really grown out of that either. Metal is perfect for riding aswell, i just put on my mp3 player & put on something like early Exodus or Slayer & off i go. I notice most of the kids trip out on a long haired oldie in old metal tees cruisin past on a BMX or a board, i love the reaction though LOL. I feel sorry for the kids these days & what gets presented to them as heavy music by eMptyTV & the powers that be. I guess if you don't like the scene that's out there, you just have to get off your butt & create your own scene.
Yeah, kids are stuck with stuff like Limp Bizkit....

I wonder how many younger 'metalheads' have ever heard Iron Maiden, Saxon, Raven, Venom, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, Motorhead, Exodus, Death Angel, Overkill, Anvil, Anthrax, and Metallica's OLD stuff?

Guess what I'm listening to right now...Anthrax doing 'I'm The Man' the uncensored version!

Of course those who are not Anthrax fans would not get it....

I still listen to old 80s Metal all the time. I guess I am stuck in a time warp as I can't stand any of the new type hard rock or "Metal" (if they even label it that anymore). Just the fact that there are no decent guitar solos in the mainstream form of rock is enough for me to not like it.

I've never been much of a metal geek, outside of the occasional Metallica or Def Leppard track. When this stuff was all the rage in the late 80s, I was mostly listening to classic rock type stuff like Jethro Tull and the Steve Miller Band. These days, I can find something to like in most genres, so maybe I should brush up on my metal knowledge...