Heavy metal fashion
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Heavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, taken on by some fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads.
Origins
The clothing associated with heavy metal has its roots in the biker, S&M and rocker subcultures. Heavy metal fashion includes elements such as leather jackets; hi-top basketball shoes (more common with old school thrash metallers); motorcycle boots (Harness boots, Engineer boots), work boots or combat boots; blue or black jeans, and denim jackets or kutte vests, often adorned with badges, pins and patches. As with the bikers, there is a peculiar fascination with Germanic imagery, such as the Iron Cross.
Certain aspects of the image can be credited to any one band, but the band that has received the most credit for revolutionizing the look was Judas Priest, primarily with its singer, Rob Halford. He incorporated a biker look to his stage persona as early as 1978, to coincide with the promotion for the Hell Bent for Leather album, released in that same year; he then started appearing onstage on a roaring motor bike. Soon, the rest of the band followed with that look. It was not much longer when other bands began donning the look; Iron Maiden's original singer Paul Di'anno began wearing leather jackets and studded bracelets, Motörhead frequently wore bullet belts, and Saxon wore spandex. The original hippie look with satin shirts and bellbottom pants was out; some believed Halford's contribution was the true manifestation of the music, and became tradition to metalheads around the world. This look was popular primarily with followers of the NWOBHM movement in the early 80's, and sparked a revival for metal in this era. In recent years, this look became common with concert goers, whether it be someone with combat boots, stud belts and bracelets, bullet belts, spiked gauntlets, etc.
Other influences
The style and clothing of metal has absorbed elements from influences as diverse as the musical influences from which the genre has borrowed: modern metal fashion is an amalgamation of punk, goth (particularly for female metalheads), military fashion and even various historical fashions. It is from this linking of different sub-styles of clothing and music influences that one can sometimes determine a person's specific taste in music simply from overall appearance. However, such signs are not, in the majority of cases (we will discuss the peculiar and extreme fashions associated with black metal below) hard and fast rulings. This uncertainty is what makes the first key aspect of the metalheads' identity below so important.
The influence of modern military fashion on heavy metal fashion is significant with metalheads been known to wear modern military clothing like field jackets and articles of camouflage and olive drab green uniforms like shirts and/or trousers to wear alongside their black T-shirts and black combat boots. This influence could be due to the impact of the Vietnam War on popular culture in the United States during the 1970s and the 80's, with images of American Vietnam veterans wearing their old combat uniforms in civilian life, as well as the fresh memories of the conflict were still in the minds of many Americans. Some of the influences of modern military fashion and the Vietnam War can be seen by the fans and bands of thrash metal, with the members of thrash metal bands of the 1980s like Metallica, Destruction, and Megadeth wearing bullet belts around their waists on stage (It is likely that the thrash metal bands got the idea of wearing bullet belts from NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead, who have incorporated the bullet belt as part of their aesthetic since their inception, since the majority of thrash metal bands in the 1980s were influenced by Motörhead and the like).
The imagery and values of historic Viking and Chivalric culture is reflected heavily in metal music, by bands such as Manowar, and has its impact upon the everyday fashion and especially the stagegear of metal artists. The independance, masculinity and honor of the warrior ethos is extremely popular amongst metalheads, as is the rejection of modern day consumerist and metrosexual culture. Folk metal, viking metal and to a lesser extent black metal and power metal fans often grow long thick hair and beards reminiscent of a stereotypical Viking, wear Thor's Hammer pendants and other neopagan symbols and carry mead horns. On stage, in photoshoots and in music videos it is very common for bands of these genres such as Turisas and Moonsorrow to wear chain mail, animals skins, warpaint (such as woad) and other Dark Ages themed battle gear. Power metal fans and musicians such as Rhapsody of Fire often wear fashions reminiscent of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages including tight black or brown leather trousers and wide sleeved, buttonless shirts of various colors. The imagery of bards and minstrels as well as knights is a popular part of power metal fashion.
Band display
A key and basic element of metal fashion is the outward display of one's musical taste. This can be accomplished in several ways.
Band shirts
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The band shirt is a common article of clothing in heavy metal culture. These come in two varieties: the normal T-shirt, and the longsleeve T-shirt, which will often feature designs down the arms as well as on the back and front. These shirts display on their front the name of a band, often accompanied by the band's logo or an album cover, and the back some tour list, lyrics, slogan, or another image. This is standard uniform for fans of the band emblazoned on the shirt.
Other shirts
It is less common, but not at all unknown, for metalheads to wear T-shirts other than band shirts. Brands of alcohol (particularly Jack Daniel's whisky), makes of Motorcycles, cigarettes, and humorous or obscene epithets are the most common.
It must of course also be noted that not all metalheads wear T-shirts: some may wear sleeveless shirts, wifebeaters, longsleeve shirts, work shirts, collared shirts, or even no shirt, depending on taste and geographical location.
Patches
Patches are small shaped pieces of fabric that carry a design: normally, at least in terms of metal fashion, a band logo or album cover. They are normally displayed on kutten. The traditional "patch jacket" is a black jacket, usually long sleeves, though denim jackets (More common in the UK and with traditional metal fashion) are also used, often with the sleeves cut off. Backpacks, shoulder-bags, messenger bags etc. are another popular place on which to display them. A more unusual location is on another article of clothing, particularly jeans.
Other
Band names are also sometimes displayed in the form of badges, which are displayed in much the same way as patches, although obviously the range of locations in which they can be placed is greater.
Jackets
The most commonly worn types of jackets that metalheads wear are black leather jackets, blue/black denim jackets, trenchcoats and army combat jackets like field jackets (e.g. the Feldjacken of the German Bundeswehr and the M-65 field jacket of the U.S. Armed Forces). In warmer weather, metalheads have been known to wear button-up flannelette shirts and button-up army shirts (usually in olive drab, black, or in camouflage patterns) unbuttoned so it acts a de-facto jacket.
When seen at concerts, metalheads are typically seen showing off their patch jackets and leather vests. It has become a tradition for some to do so at every concert, especially for those who follow in the older styles of metal, with groups like Judas Priest, Motörhead and Iron Maiden, who have encouraged this look. Thrash Metal and "old-school" (or traditional) metal fans are extremely well-known for wearing denim jackets usually with the sleeves cut off.
Legwear
The most common form of leg-wear is tight or semi-loose fitting (not baggy) black or blue denim jeans (sometimes ripped), although leather trousers are also popular, as are camouflage-patterned combat trousers and kilts. Some legwear is typically asociated with particular styles of metal, for example: spandex trousers with NWOBHM and glam metal fans, tight black jeans with thrash metal fans and bell bottoms with doom metal fans. Metalheads have also been known to wear cargo trousers and cargo shorts as well as denim cut-offs in warmer weather when jeans and leather pants are considered too hot and uncomfortable to wear.
Hairstyles
The most popular hairstyle associated with metal is long, natural hair which adds to the experience of headbanging and reflects the non conformist attitude of metal. Other trends include:
- Extra long and curly hair among fans of power metal reflecting the medieval warrior image.
- Black hair dye among (typically female) fans of black metal and gothic metal.
- Dreadlocks (possibly inspired by Rob Zombie, Max Cavalera, and Anders Fridén) among alternative metal fans.
- Baldness, very short hair, or shaving receding hair is perfectly acceptable, as sported by singer Daniel Heiman (former) singer of the power metal band Lost Horizon, singer Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Tim Owens of Iced Earth, and guitarists Scott Ian of Anthrax and Kerry King of Slayer.
- The mullet hairstyle is associated with fans of heavy metal music, mainly by 80s glam metal musicians and fans but it is largely considered kitschy in recent times.
Accessories and jewelry
Jewelry is popular for both genders. Almost always silver, popular items include rings (often adorned with metal imagery such as skulls, flames, spikes, iron crosses etc.) Also Egyptian Jewelry such as the Ankh, Birds and the Scarab (although this motif borders more on goth fashion). Silver neck-chains (thin when compared, for example to bling Jewelry) or pendants, often of a religious or anti-religious nature: crucifixes (inspired by Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne), pentagrams and Thor's Hammers are popular. This taste in pendants offers a marked difference between the metal and goth subcultures: goths will often wear crosses even if they are not religious, and will wear the benign, inverted pentacle. Most bands that have the inverted pentacle are death or black metal acts and for the most part are not Satanists. It's just for show.
Headgear is rare among metalheads but some (especially fans of traditional heavy metal or thrash metal) sometimes wear bandanas, tuques, leather biker caps like the one worn by Marlon Brando in The Wild One or black or camouflage-patterned cadet caps.
Leather fingerless gloves are common accessories among heavy metal and thrash metal fans and are often adorned with metal studs or spikes. Popular in the extreme metal scene are military surplus items such as bullet belts and dog tags. Within the Viking Metal and Black Metal scenes many fans wear accessories reminiscent of warriors, such as leather vambraces (often studded or spiked) and various heathen symbols.
The alternative metal movement has its own take on jewelery and body modification. Metal Chains are also common, normally two are worn, one longer than the other. This has recently been popularized by frontmen such as Alexi Laiho and Matt Tuck. It should also be noted that Kerry King, guitarist of Slayer, has been seen many times to have an extremely long industrial sized chain at concerts as well as photo shoots. Baseball caps and trucker hats are inherited from the hip hop and skater fashions. Studs and metal stars decorating bags and such bought from shops such as Hot Topic are common amongst younger alternative metal fans.
Body modification
Metalheads often engage in some form of body modification, the most popular being tattoos, which will often employ the imagery of metal, metal lyrics or even band logos or mascots. Piercings are also not uncommon, although facial piercings, especially amongst male metalheads, are not particularly common, especially when compared to other subcultures such as punk or emo.
Female metal fashion
Clothing for the female metalhead shares much in common with elements of goth and punk fashion, combined with what is simply a feminised version of male metalhead fashion. The heavy monochrome makeup of goth is relatively popular among female metalheads, far more so than it is amongst the male metal fan, and jewelry and accessories can be similar as well, although female metalheads tend to borrow from the classic goth look, rather than Cybergoth, Victorian, Goth etc. One exception to this is female black metal fans, who sometimes dress in the somewhat elaborate Victorian or medieval dresses normally associated with some elements of the goth subculture. In recognition of the increasing number of female fans which metal increasingly attracts, many bands, especially larger ones, have started doing babydoll versions of their shirts, or even new designs specifically for the female market. Skirts are normally black of some sort (sometimes leather), or punk-style kilts.
Romantic depictions of Arthurian or pre-Christian Northern European peoples are reflected in the dress of many female fans of folk metal and power metal. This is typically reflected in long skirts and dresses of natural materials, often in bright colours, that has similarities to female Hippy fashion.
It is also more common for female metal fans to sport facial piercings and more elaborate ear work such as scaffolding.
