Concerts of all kinds bring different cultures, ages and viewpoints together. But metal and its many forms has always been one of the most welcoming communities. Anyone who has been to a concert of a heavy metal band or similar knows what I am talking about. But to understand here is a little bit of metal history.

As you might know it’s a genre of rock music created in the late 1960s early 1970s mostly in the UK. The sound differs from any genre known then. Heavy, massive bass. Distortions. Long guitar solos and most importantly metal is loud. It was associated with aggression and violence in the beginning but they could not have been more wrong. Fans of this genre are called either metal heads or headbangers, because dancing to this kind of music means banging your head back and forth to the rhythm and beat. Sadly, they were seen as loners and creeps. Through the years metal split into hundreds of different types. There is glam metal which is mostly influenced by pop and then there is metal core influenced by hardcore punk. Two widely different versions of one genre.

It doesn’t matter which type of music you like but there is bound to be some version of metal that suits you. Nowadays metal is still seen as destructive and violent. Metal heads are condemned for their appearance, mostly dressed in black and with long hair. Most think that metal concerts are the last place you think when searching for nice people to meet. In Germany there is the annual metal festival called Wacken.

It all started in 1990 in a small town. Local bands could go on stage and show what they got. Today it’s the biggest heavy metal concert in the world and attracts 80.000 people every year. 30% of attendees are foreigners with up to 10% being non-European from 30 countries. From all around the world. In 2017 this number was raised to 80. there is a high chance of meeting the most diverse people you can think of. You might have a rough time at Wacken mostly because of the rain, that’s when everything turns into a mud festival but the people are never the problem.

Rob Halford from Judas Priest once said „ That shows you how connected people are in the metal world, because it is a really deep emotional thing for our fans as music is. The great thing about metal is it does not matter what lie level you are at it does not matter how much money you got. This comradery this metal spirit that really unites us with that sound and particularly with these festivals. This is a great celebration. Wacken is one of the most powerful festivals in the world. And this is not only for the bands but for all metal heads. All these metal heads see each other once a year at Wacken. And these keep us a home, a special vibe, strong and powerful “.

This statement beautifully captures the spirit of how metal is connected to culture.