I already laid down my thoughts about Sam Dunn’s conclusion to his excellent documentary Metal, A Headbanger’s Journey. But since this movie marked a crucial point in my view and interest in the Metal culture I think it would be interesting to get back to it and do the exercise all over again. So I will quote Sam Dun once again:
But I set out on this journey to answer one question : ‘Why has Heavy Metal been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned?’. And what’s become clear to me is that Metal confronts what we’d rather ignore. It celebrates what we often deny. It indulges in what we fear most. And that’s why Metal will always be a culture of outsiders. Ever since I was 12 years old I’ve had to defend my love for Heavy Metal against those who said that it’s a less valid for of music. My answer now is that you either feel it or you don’t. If Metal doesn’t give you that overwhelming surge of power that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, you might never get it. And you know what? That’s OK. Because judging by the over forty thousands Metalheads around me, we’re doing just fine without you.
While going once again over the pros and cons in considering his argument that I exposed earlier I suddenly realized what struck me most in the finale of his documentary. It is neither his slighly biased but blunt and sincere conclusion, nor the feeling that I am part of something greater than me that he kind of tries to promote. No, none of those.
What struck me was the sight of the tents in the early summer morning on the Wacken festival area and I instantly remembered the great feeling I experienced last year waking up there and also the year before waking up in the morning mist during the Summer Breeze Metal festival. I wake up, almost everybody is asleep, the grass is still wet and I can barely get on my feet after the heavy partying the night before but I hear echoes of Metal tunes from long distanced tents inhabited by people who don’t seem to notice that one day comes to its end and a new one arises from its ashes. That IS my magical moment at Wacken.