Alright, my father told me yesterday that if I keep listenbing to heavy metal I'm gonna get chemically addicted to it. He says that listening to metal stimulates your brain and causes it to produce a chemical that causes you to, over time, become addicted to that beautiful music. Is this true or not? I couldn't find anything when i googled it so im asking you, the Ironworkers, to help me decipher the cradibility of such a thing. Can you become chemically addicted to heavy metal?

I'm not really sure but I believe you can associate thing in life with music. I remember going to a football camp this summer. It was really intense and I remember this feeling of dread always swept over me before I went to it. It always felt so gloomy when I went, and my coach only played one song during the entire thing. St. Anger by Metallica. Now, whenever I hear that song, that same feeling of gloom sweeps over me. I'm not so sure about the chemically addicted thing though.

Well, there is a lot of modern research that associates thoughts and emotions with specific chemicals in the body...meaning that the body produces certain chemicals when it is feeling happy, sad, whatever...these chemicals are released into the bloodstream and get into every cell in the body...the theory goes that if you persistently feel a certain way, then you become chemically addicted to that emotion...well, I guess this could overflow to metal...it certainly does in me! I always feel relief when I hear "For Whom the Bell Tolls!"

Ugh! He played St.Anger? Thats sux. St.Anger (both the song and the album) are known to be Metallica's worst works. Ive streamed songs from there, i feel sorry for you to have to hear that. Their other songs are much better. i heard the even made a movie or something about how St.Anger ruined their careers.

For Whom The Bell Tolls is an awesome song. I like Enter Sandman as much.

[ 11-02-2004, 07:09 PM: Message edited by: armageddon272 ]

I can't see how that can be true. I grew up listening to pop music, was all I liked, and later I moved to the city where everyone I met and became friends with listened to rock/heavy metal. I at first hated it LOL, but in time I did start to like it, and continued listening to it. I listen to it to this day, but I also listen to lots of other types of music, some completely different than heavy metal. So for me there is no one music I prefer, i.e., not addicted LOL.

First, you now have 6660 posts. Shocking. ;) Secondly, you are now addicted to the combination of the various types of music [img]tongue.gif[/img] The chemicals, if the story is true, and I think it might be, are triggered differently by different audio stimulation obviously, and have a different addictive characteristics. So there, we are all addicted to what we listen to :D

On some level all matter is chemical. Metal has been maligned with lots of stuff, but I've never heard that one.

I didn't like it at first either, and when I started to like it I went for the radio stuff (simply because it was available), like early Metallica. As I learned about more and more bands, I find very few of my favorites have much, if any, radio play. I guess my musical ear got more and more accustomed to heavier and faster stuff that before just sounded like noise.

How a person's tastes change through experience is interesting, but I think you're safe from addiction. It's been a few days since I've given my winamp list a run, and I'm not chemically jonesing for it ;)

Actually, in response to Armageddon, "St. Anger" the album, and its creation is part of the process that brought Metallica back together. Their careers are not ruined, and they are touring now, saying they are happier than ever. [img]tongue.gif[/img] By the way, that movie is called "Some Kind of Monster," and it kicks all kinds of ass! So, actually, St. Anger did the opposite of what you have "heard." [img]smile.gif[/img]

Oh, and I dont know about chemically, but I am very much addicted to metal. I really have seen a direct correlation with how bad my mood is, and how long it's been since I've listened to metal. (Metallica, in particular.) ;)

you say you have a bad mood when you dont listen? perhaps withdrawl?

Yes, yes indeed. Matter of fact, thats what I usually say. By the way, I'm in a rather good mood, right now, lol! :D [img]smile.gif[/img]