Defence of Metalsy

   Metal polarizes people.  While I view this macro-genre as an acquired taste, others see it as ear-grating noise.

   So, what don't people like about metal?

   The vocals:  Detractors of heavy metal music start their bashing with the vocals/screams/growls.  While I won't even attempt to advocate for the abrasive singing and guttural groans, the brutality of the vocals is integral to the overall sound of the music.  It's specialization, as with country.  Surprisingly, metal singing requires dynamic, rangy voices to sand out the low-end growls and hit the soaring high notes.

   The message:  Metal is often wrongly associated with Satanism.  While a sub-genre or two associate with Satanic messages, the vast majority do not.  More often, metal lyricists write about about war and politics, partying, sex, violence and drugs.  The rough, edgy purpose corresponds with the brutal sound and the message doesn't differ greatly from rap and hip hop.

   The sound:  The most unfairly criticized aspect of metal is the instrumentation.  Some say there's too much bass or too much crash.  Keener critics point out that the guitars are tuned too low, to the point of being unrecognizable.  Contrarily, metal musicians are among the finest in the business.  The genre attracts the most technical guitarists and bassists and the fasted drummers.  Additionally, unlike pop, the sounds of metal are genuine and produced with true instruments played by living, breathing musicians.

   The image:  Women moreso than men find issues with a band's aesthetic image. The first thing my girlfriend noticed about Lamb of God was that all the members were ugly.  Their hair was too long and looked dirty.  They looked either fat or emaciated.  Their t-shirts were tattered and grungy.  While the aforementioned stereotypes occasionally hold true, a bands physical attractiveness has no musical relevance.  True appreciators of music discount artists' outward appearances unless the artist is Taylor Swift whom I admire purely on an aesthetic level.

   Taking my rebuttals of the common misconceptions into account, why do you still hate metal?