Metal is the one genre of music that is possibly even more misunderstood than rap. It's about exploring a darker side to things, but it's also about more than that. It has its roots in blues rock and acid rock, which its pioneers like Led Zeppelin found to be not extreme enough. 

With thrash metal bands like Metallica and Megadeath crossing over into the mainstream, metal's edges are now not as sharp as the material for which they are named, and metal culture has become more open and welcoming. It no longer has to be a full-time commitment, which means that the casual metal explorer is far more welcome than they might have felt in the days of Slash.

Today's metal fans, like their forefathers and mothers, aren't fettered by the expectations of normal society, and they're willing to experience the fullest parts of their nature, never shying away from uncomfortable truths. 

Still, they know when to draw a boundary around that side of themselves, as they're also fully-realized humans who are sober most of the time, hold down jobs, and do other things than go to concerts and blow out their eardrums with songs about death. That means you can find a space in metal that suits you - once you have your look sorted out, that is. So let's figure out what that should be!