Ten New Year's Resolutions Every Metalhead Should Have

10) Read More Lyrics

Pick an album that you haven't been able to stop listening to for the past week, and delve into those lyrics like it's a short story. Whether you read while listening to the album or in complete silence, I can guarantee that paying attention to the script of a song will increase your appreciation for just how difficult it is to be a songwriter.  Plus, how fun is it to know all the words to your favorite metal anthems and shout them at a concert?

9) Discover At Least One New Band A Week


With so much new music on the Internet, it is so easy to get overwhelmed.  But you can get immensely creative with ways to discover a new band.  Make a "Wheel-O-Genres," and whatever genre it lands on, Google it and listen to a band you've never heard before, whether small or large!  Go on YouTube to your favorite song, and lose yourself in a wormhole of suggested picks.  Or make friends and get their suggestions!  The world is a treasure box of music, you just have to navigate your own unique path.



8) Pick Up An Instrument....


Whether you got your inspiration from a heavy metal god or playing too many hours of Guitar Hero, every metalhead has a musical inspiration.  Playing an instrument is such a fun way to re-create your favorite tunes and to make you feel like a rock star in your own home.  If you are questioning whether you want to make a serious monetary investment in an instrument, start at Guitar Center and just fuck around with a cool-looking guitar!

 7) ....And Jam With a Friend!



Just because you pick up an instrument doesn't mean you have any obligation to start a band.  Even if you can't write a song for shit, getting together with other metalheads and jamming out to "Crystal Mountain" or "Nuke the Cross" is one of the most fulfilling hobbies in the world.  Jamming gives you more opportunities to learn about all the social and technical mechanics that make up a live performance without the pressure of having a rock star career crisis.


6) Embrace the World of Tangible Music

MP3s are super practical and should be embraced by everyone who wants to keep up the pace with this modern music era.  Having said that, being able to listen to music on a tangible medium gives a whole new dimension to your adventure into a band's body of work.  Vinyls, CDs, and even cassettes (which are making a surprising comeback) give you as a listener the opportunity to see bands as creators of a wholesome experience filled with vivid artwork and photos and variations (gold/white splatter vinyl anyone?) that reinforce the band's vision for themselves and their audience.



5) Write A Review

There's a world out there full of opinions, and you want yours to be heard on a platform more meaningful than a Facebook post.  If this sounds like you, try writing a review for one of the thousands of heavy metal blogs out in the cyber world.  Online magazines never run short of content to be covered, and you don't have to be Shakespeare to commit to writing one thorough and exciting review.  Record labels, bands, and promotion companies are always searching for reviews they can use to build good press, and you can be a part of that with just a couple clicks of your mouse.





4) Chat With a Musician...They're People Too!



Have you ever seen a band you really love just hanging out at their merch table, but you've been too nervous to talk to them? This is my challenge to you: go over and talk to them as casually as if they were your own group of friends.  They may be legendary in your eyes, but to them they're just regular joes trying to make a living.  They will be happy to meet a down-to-earth person like yourself, and you will be more than happy that you mustered the courage to talk to some of your heroes.

3) Mosh It Out!















Admit it: there's been at least one time where you've stood on the edge of a mosh pit and started rocking back and forth trying to nudge yourself to go in.  This is your quest: conquer that fear!  Whether you're only brave enough for one go-around or you find yourself running faster than the Tasmanian Devil, you will be eternally proud of yourself that you made the leap.  You will also have a badass story to tell your non-brutal friends.


2) Be More Open-Minded, Be Less of a Dick



It's time for me to temporarily jump on my soapbox.  If you consider yourself an "old timer," stop telling young metalheads that they don't know anything because they couldn't see Exodus at Ruthie's Inn back in '86.  If you are a youth carrying the torch for generations of metal to come, don't disrespect the legacy of heavy metal bands that came before you. Old timers, share your knowledge with the passionate youth and help foster the legacy of heavy metal.  Kids, stop using the Internet to argue about what genre is or is not most "br00tal." Transfer your dickish energy into doing one of the other nine things on this list.

1) Hail Satan.



Start the new  year right, metalheads!  Let's make every year more brutal than the next!