Three years ago I wrote a piece about the pride and shame of being a metalhead.
In the text, I talked about how some iconic bands tried to distance themselves from the "heavy metal movement." And how other people ( Rob Halford , for example) had the courage to embrace their passion for metal, not just as a type of music, but as an identity, culture, and lifestyle. For those who want to read it, it's here .
Today I'm not writing about pride, but only about the shame of being metal.
I fell in love with the style (of music and life) in 1983. When that happened, Iron Maiden 's Piece of Mind had already been released, but my friends and I were eagerly awaiting Powerslave . I was 14 years old.
Over the next 37 years, I have had and continue to have an intense relationship with metal.
I was a full-time roadie for Viper throughout the entire " Andre Matos ," from the demo tape The Killera Sword , through Soldiers of Sunrise to Theater of Fate , and later at some shows with Evolution , Vipera Sapiens , and Maniacs In Japan ;
Years later, I organized a festival at the company I worked for, with over 80 employees mobilized to put on rock and metal shows with proceeds going to charity;
I created Wikimetal almost 10 years ago with my partner Nando Machado , who has been in the music industry since 1995 and was part of the brilliant Exhort , one of the best metal bands in Brazil;
I've been helping produce content ever since, and we're approaching episode 300 of the country's oldest metal podcast;
And I continue incessantly listening to the sound we love so much (while writing these lines, I listened to the new Trivium , In This Moment , and Five Finger Death Punch , all released this year. In addition to all the oldies I keep listening to. All the time).
This mini-resume is just to show that I love and have been living this scene for a long time.
And despite all that, I think I've never been so ashamed of being a metalhead as I was this weekend reading the comments posted on social media about Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto the band Nervosa .
By the way: Nervosa isn't even the kind of music I enjoy the most. I think it's well-executed (it's improved a lot compared to the first album), but it's still not the kind of music I'd spontaneously put on at home to listen to. To each their own... And that's okay!
But it's undeniable what these women have done (and hopefully will continue to do) and achieved in the name of the national metal movement. It deserves a standing ovation, truly. Forever! They've been at the forefront representing Brazilian metal in over 60 countries. And more: showing how awesome women are!
If we had received only a few derogatory comments, it would be normal and even expected. After all, idiots exist everywhere. But how much would be normal? 5%? 10% of the comments? How much would be "acceptable"?
Seeing a majority making sexist, misogynistic, racist, prejudiced, and prejudiced comments is very painful.
It's enough to make any decent human being ashamed to be a metalhead. And not just a little shameful. A lot of shame, in fact.
I know that the three of them ( Prika Amaral is the only remaining member of the band) must be more than used to this reaction.
I'm not. And it was very shocking to see how rotten so many people were.
In these moments (and we have lived through many of these in recent history) I always seek comfort in Martin Luther King , "what worries me is not the cry of the wicked, but the silence of the good." This way I can console myself knowing that there must be many headbangers out there who disagree with these comments but simply don't speak up, they just remain silent.
Hopefully that's it. That's something, at least.
But silence is no longer enough. Let the good speak up. It's time to shout against these brainless, envious, and resentful people.
And if you're going to curse me for writing this text where I attest to my shame at being a metalhead in order to defend a band made up of women, a symbol of a new era, I can only thank you: You only prove that I'm right, and misogynists like you do, in fact, exist.
But my true thanks, from the bottom of my heart, go to the competent, fierce, and fearless women who are keeping our company moving forward steadily towards episode 300 and Wikimetal's 10th anniversary.
In a country where it's so difficult to run a business, especially for almost a decade, even more so in the music industry, especially in metal… it's only possible thanks to the spectacular work of incredible women like you:
Thank you so much, Clarice Valdívia , Erica Roumieh , Isabela “Pétala” Alcântara , Julia de Camillo , Marcela Lorenzetti , and Simone Catto . It's an honor to know that more than half of the company is made up of incredible women like you!
Thank you also to the women of Nervosa for everything they have done so far.
Finally, one last thought for those people who call themselves "metalheads" and post these envious comments:
What would our great metal idols think if they read your sexist comment about the girls from Nervosa? What would they say to you if they could? A Steve Harris , a Bruce Dickinson ? An Iommi , Geezer , Ozzy or Bill ? A James , Lars , Kirk or Robert ? A Halford , a Mustaine ? And so many others.
If you think they would like it, you truly understand nothing about this movement that has existed since 1970 and that I have been following since 1983.
They too would feel "the shame of being metal," the title of this text. And they would look at you with disdain.
And you would be embarrassed. And not just a little. Very embarrassed, in fact.
