The spirit of metal is at it´s essence at war with todays society. I my self mostly listen to BM and the misanthropic values are fairly non-commercial even 20 years after the advent (30 if you count the first wave with Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and as some claim Venom, though I acknowledge the importance of all these bands I don't think BM came into being until the late 80ies, but that is not really relevant here). Although several bands are so called sell-outs such as Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth are questionably not in the mainstream of music, despite their commercial success. Depending on what bands you define as metal, Metallica has undeniably together with AC/DC and to some extent Iron Maiden reached the mainstream. Sure these bands are metal and many metalheads still enjoy those bands. I'm not a fan of AC/DC but enjoy the early recordings of Maiden and Metallica. But all those have lost the edge, they are not "dangerous", "degenerate" or "anti-social" anymore and perhaps that is because of the enormous commercial success they have enjoyed. The musicians themselves are no longer on the fringes of society. There is nothing rebellious about Metallica anymore. Unless you count Lulu as some sort of fecal slinging rebellion against the fans, which I do respect to some degree. They have the opportunity and freedom to do whatever they choose to.

This is the same freedom you have at the edge of society with nothing but lint in your pocket. You have nothing to lose therefor you are free to do as you choose. This is dangerous, this is rebellious and this is interesting. Not only because it projects the hate for modern society but also a hope for future through their music financially.

Mainstream music essence is commercial success and must there fit into its genre, much like metal must, or else it loses its legitimacy. In contradiction with this, metal sometimes finds it´s way into the mainstream and onto the charts. But generally that appends when bands are on the rise and have lost some of their edge, like Metallica or keep doing the same thing they always have until what they do is not considered extreme anymore like Maiden and AC/DC.

So does metal have to be underground? Apparently not, but once it goes mainstream it loses that which makes it metal, does it not? Or am i being elitist, a common accusation cast at blackmetalers. Often bm discussions goes: That is not trve, that is not cvlt et cetera. When I started out listening to BM, everything not out of Norway was not considered BM, it was simply not trve unless it was norwegian. I think that is simply not true, and my favourite black metal album is Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract. That is greek, full of grammatical errors and it sounds like it was recorded in the cellar washingroom it kicks ass and still today it sounds evil, dangerous and scary - its what I consider totally metal and it will always remain undergorund and that is what I connect with. That is what touches the most inner me.

I say fuck the mainstream, they can think metal is Maiden, AC/DC and Metallica, let them think that is what metal music is all about. They can live in their bubble and I mine. If you consider this elitist, that might be right, but then again everyone is welcome to start listening to none mainstream metal, every one is welcome here to expand their horizon of what metal is and there is nothing elitist about that, that is more humane than the narrows constructs of the modern mainstream socity.