Issue 17 2009

Metal just isn’t type of music, it has a whole culture all of its own. This includes a way of dressing, a way of acting and even a way of speaking. Metal boasts a set of slang that is used regularly throughout the community that are far less common in other parts of society. This week I thought I’d give you a little run down on some commonly used words and how you would use them.
Epic – Ever wanted to describe how amazingly awesome something was but just couldn’t find the right word? The epic is the word for you. Just think of it as awesome x 1000 and then throw in some ‘metalness’ for good measure. Epic fits into the same category as words such as ‘cool’ or ‘sweet’, except it gives a much more intense, grander meaning to what you’re saying. It also carries a lot of respect when used to describe something. For example to describe the Nightwish song ‘The Poet and the Pendulum’ the phrase “That song is fucking epic” is commonly used for there is no other way to describe it succinctly.
Metal – Commonly used in the phrase “That’s so fucking Metal”, it carries a similar implication as Epic, except instead of suggesting grandeur and greatness ‘metal’ suggests that something is, well, metal. The term normally suggests that something (be it an act, a song, an image etc.) is so quintessentially metal that it deserves recognition as such. To be described as “fucking metal” is considered a high compliment.
Brutal – Essentially Brutal is used to describe how physical something was. The intent can be increased when put in the phrase “That’s fucking brutal”. In metal culture there is a lot of respect for the physical aspect of life (Respect, not condone) one only needs to go to a show to find this out. Thus the community needed some way to adequately express this appreciation and the term Brutal was coined.

Swearing like a sailor – So this isn’t really a slang word, more a linguistic tendency. Metal fans tend to swear. A lot. I often get a look of “That did not just come out of your mouth young lady!” or “She seemed like such a nice girl...”, at least that’s what they’re saying in my head. But when you think about it, you would expect something as intense a metal to use the more intense side of the vocabulary. It also reinforces the rebellious side that all metal heads have. As you may have been able to see, a favourite is of course ‘fuck’. As well as its traditional sense, in a metal community it can be added before words such as metal, epic and brutal to increase the strength of what you’re saying. For example saying something is “Fucking Epic” means that it is even more epic than can be put into words.
I hope this short course into the world of metal slang has helped you to understand the metal culture, and don’t be afraid to incorporate some of these words into your own everyday vocabulary. It would be fucking epic!