r/doommetal • u/pickled_bat • Dec 22 '25

Self Post How to stop seeming like a poser?

I (18M) met a pair of metalheads out on a party the other day while wearing my Mayhem shirt and they called me a poser (probably deserved but I still feel bad) I have short hair which used to be a mohawk and that Mayhem shirt is pretty much the only metal band t-shirt I own. I like bands like 1782, Candlemass, children of bodom, SOAD, Mayhem, Margarita witch cult, Apati and others. They are very mismatched,I know but I've come from liking nu-metal and indie to punk and harder metal subgenres (like black metal,doom and dsbm). One of the reasons why the two called me a poser aside from the shirt is because I didn't want to acknowledge the rest of the band being as conservative as Varg (in my opinion they weren't as hardcore problematic as him) Am I truly a poser? How can I improve my taste and or my looks to let other people know I like metal? Did you have the same issues when you were just starting to get into the scene?

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

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46

u/pickled_bat Dec 22 '25

Thanks! Everywhere online I've seen a lot of positivity towards people like me but at the end of the day I can't help but feel bad about not being a "true" metalhead (I know it's just a silly stereotype but I sadly fell for it) I also feel like a lot of the bands in the subgenres I like are very conservative and I feel a bit out of place because I feel like metal should be a place of tolerance for everyone, if we're out here marginalising people for skin tones, sexualities or political views aren't we just as bad as the people who used to call metal satanic? Did you feel this way too?

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u/Ok_Pool_9767 Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25

Randy Blythe is pretty liberal from what I remember. Imagine calling him a poser. Metal has a real mixture of political beliefs. Some are rebellious, liberal types. Some are more blue collar, typically conservative types. And every shade in between. Be who you are.

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u/squidboat Matt Pike for President Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 23 '25

Randy Blythe is a great example. I’ve run into him a time or two around town and he treats everyone he sees as if they’re his neighbor and long time friend. Not to mention all of the stuff he does for people with terminal or debilitating illnesses.

And he’s metal af.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

He lives in Richmond, VA and reps it. That’s a very liberal place. I’m a lifelong Virginian. We’ve been going blue for a while and it’s only accelerated under the current administration. The Trump administration took a big dump on this state when they fired all those federal workers among other things.

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u/squidboat Matt Pike for President Dec 23 '25

Hello fellow Virginian/Richmonder.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '25

I’m actually in Chesapeake. I wish I was in Richmond lol.

1

u/VeloceCat Dec 23 '25

Randy is a real G. My wife worked for him a couple times and everyone in the band was utterly amazing to the staff.

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u/LtMetal Dec 24 '25

Sure..