666 : Is Metal Colour Blind?

The last few weeks has made me think about what we actually mean by inclusion and equality. In our music genre we view ourselves as open, inclusive and non-judgemental. The whole mantra of everyone being welcome is central to all that is Metal and Hard Rock. So why then, are there so few BAME faces in our world? Why (at least in Europe and America) are we a predominantly white genre with BAME artists and fans being the exception as opposed to the rule. Metal is huge in South America, Asia, the Middle East and in Northern Africa. So why in this country (and in the States) does it attract so few people with their origins in those cultures?

It could be role models. A central component of Metal is seeing yourself in those that stride across our stages. As a teenager, I fell in love with Xentrix, Little Angels and Acid Reign because, aside from the fact that they all had a lot more musical ability than I did, they could have been me and I could have been them. We have few BAME role models in our world. There is Hendrix, Lynott, Living Colour, Howard Jones and after that it gets harder. I looked at what should have been this year’s Download bill and could find just Babymetal, Derrick from Sepultura and Kadeem France from Loathe who were of BAME background (yes I know that System of a Down embrace their Armenian heritage, but really at the end of the day they are a white rock band). Apologies if I have missed someone, but even if there are another five or so acts that I have overlooked, that is still eight out of 150 plus other artists. Where are the singers and guitarists that today’s diverse youth look at and say I want to be him or her?

But is it just a lack of role models? Is there something deeper and more overarching that makes Metal so white. After all, the single greatest guitarist to ever have walked this earth was a black geezer so where on earth are his protégés? Surely, Hendrix should have inspired thousands and thousands of other Afro-American kids to pick up Stratocasters and be like him. Yet I can’t think of anyone beyond Slash, Vernon Reid and Prince (if you are shouting at your keyboard about the last name just go and listen to the solo in 'Purple Rain’. It’s the spirit of Hendrix and one hundred percent Metal). Where are the Hendrix clones?

Jimi Hendrix in Helsinki - 1967

It certainly can’t be musical diversity, as our genre encompasses pure melodic pop to harsh uncompressing dirge. So is it as basic as our music being considered white person’s music while R’n’B and Hip Hop is seen as black people’s music? If this is the case, it is at best a simplified social construct and at worst, a total misnomer. The foundation of our music is the blues. The blues was the protest music of the black subjugated underclass. Predominantly white people may now play it to a predominately white audience but Metal’s raw essence is black.

Or is it something even more fundamental. Is it us? We are all the products of society, and society and the world we live in (dislike it as much as we do) is inherently racist. We may consciously see ourselves as tolerant and colour blind, but unconsciously those biases and prejudices are there because we are born into a system that has those cultural biases hardwired in. Part of forging a solution is to begin to see ourselves as part of the problem. I know that no matter how much of a Guardian reading lefty I may think I am, I still categorise people and make assumptions about them purely based on the colour of their skin. If we are to create a change we all need to realise that change starts at home. None of us are innocent here. The change needs to start with us.

‘When I finished the above blog, I was concerned that I had been harsh on the Metal community. After all, some of the most kindest, generous and utterly beautiful souls I have ever had the privilege of interacting with, have belonged to people I have meet through this music. Perhaps I was being unnecessarily pessimistic and negative. Perhaps we actually had it all sorted and it was all love and acceptance after all.

Then, then I made the mistake of reading the comments in a post about Black Sabbath’s “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt. What was actually a major philanthropist and emotive move for the band (all proceedings going to “Black Lives Matter” campaign) was viewed by some (in fact, a sizeable chunk of the repliers) as the most abhorrent move ever. The comments were both disturbing and damning. Those who purported to have been fans for decades, publicly stated that this was “it” and they would never listen to the band again (so you sat through Born Again, Seventh Star and Tyr, and only now have you had enough). There was righteous anger about the band becoming political (Have they never listened to War Pigs?) and utter dismay that Black Sabbath would align themselves with what the contributors professed to be someone else’s problem. A black problem.

Well if that is some people’s perceptions then We do truly have a problem guys and gals. This isn’t just about differing views. This isn’t about tolerating other’s opinions. This is basic human rights. If in our world and within our community we have people that do not see the significance of the Black Live Matters movement then we have a serious problem. This is far more than just an absence of black musicians playing heavy metal or black fans. This is about respect for all. It is about acknowledging that there is a section of society that (just because of the colour of their skin) is more likely to live in poverty, more likely to be incarcerated, more likely to leave school without any qualifications and more likely to die young. Until we all realise that part of the change needed to eradicate those inequalities is within our own perceptions and prejudices, we will continue to have a problem and we will continue to be the problem. Yes of course all lives matter, BUT at present it is black lives that seem to matter less. Until all lives are seen as equal, we need to concentrate on those lives that are seen as being of less of consequence and less importance than others. This isn’t someone else’s problem, this is our problem and we need to do something about it. ‘