Metal as a Global Force

            As I watched the documentary about metal around the world, I started to realize metal is a powerful liberating tool.  It invades the conscious of those who listen to it, especially if they are oppressed or alienated in their society.  Whether it be a Muslim, atheist, or even Christian, metal has found its way into almost every corner of the world.  It gets to the core of something deep within humans, something primal.  Music is the perfect medium to reach these primal instincts in modern society because the violence, aggression, and anger is all expressed through sound instead of actual violence which is not allowed.  Metal heads express their anger at a concert with other like-minded individuals, and even though on the surface a pit might seem like the most brutal street fight around, there are rules in the pit which advocate helping others when they fall down and other precautions to prevent serious injury.  I was interested in the Indonesian metal scene, especially because they were under a dictatorship when the first major metal bands such as Metallica had concerts there.  The Metallica show ended in mayhem as the military arrived and thousands of ticket holders were denied entry to the venue.  Soon, a riot ensued as the local Jakarta residents displayed their intense passion for freedom of speech and demonstrations like metal shows.  Metal music can be adapted to any culture, as Sam Dunn points out through the distinct Balinese metal that incorporates traditional gods from their culture instead of using the same symbols from metal in America or Europe.  It is an incredibly pervasive and adaptable style of music, more than most.  I am very interested to see the metal scenes emerge out of countries that had recent revolutions such as Egypt and many other North African and Middle Eastern countries.  In fact, the domain Egyptmetal.net has already been bought and is under construction now.  Hopefully, these countries will enjoy free expression for many years to come, and along with it heavy metal music.  Here is a video I found online showing off some Pakistani metal bands, thought it was pretty interesting plus they include links to learn more about the Pakistani metal scene.  Although this is the opinion of one member of the scene who uploaded a video to youtube, it is an inside look at a developing metal scene in a unique place.  My 10 favorite Pakistani Metal bands