Heavy Metal is a lot like scotch. To the inexperienced drinker, a quick shot will surely induce severe and comical choking and gagging, followed by a desperate gasp for fresh air. To the drinker who has sampled the world's various liqueurs, beer and spirits however, it becomes one of the most complex, rich and warm things you can partake of.

Now I am in no way condoning, nor encouraging the free and rapid consumption of multiple alcoholic beverages, but the idea still sticks. Heavy Metal is a difficult thing to understand, and few truly do. To the untrained ear and a quick-to-judge eye, Heavy Metal is a raucous, ridiculous form of music populated with overly macho guys dressed in leather and ripped jeans, cranking out ear-splitting guitar riffs and panic-inducing anthems of noise. To the seasoned musician however, Heavy Metal becomes a multi-layered symphony of technical precision with an unflinching dedication towards crafting some deeply passionate music.

To understand Heavy Metal, the listener must resist the temptation to do the first instinctual thing: classify it. The term "Heavy Metal" is in actuality a very generic label for an entire musical tree of sub genres. Behind its crypt-like doors lies traditional rock n' roll, glam metal, pop metal, death metal, black metal, doom metal, industrial, and power metal (to name a few). For those uncertain of where to start, it is generally best to think about what you like to hear most: melody versus power, or naked aggression versus traditional chord progression. Indeed, some of the more extreme forms of Heavy Metal will probably not hook the average music lover on a first listen.

Heavy Metal is the symphony of our day. It bypasses the desire for extreme fame and fortune that is found in mainstream music, and in that simple movement manages to allow each band to focus on the music itself, and the passion behind it. It is not bound by the rules of the mainstream record labels which force a band to put out songs at radio-friendly, 3:30 second running times, whilst maintaining the mundane sound adherent to that very same approach. Indeed, where 60s pop music gave rise to hard rock, so too did hard rock give birth to Heavy Metal. Ironic is the reality that mainstream music has been watered down to such a great degree in the new millennium.

Metal is not a radio-friendly genre. This is both a blessing and a curse to its talented pool of musicians, as a lack of mainstream exposure means

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