Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Why do many metalheads use the term "mainstream" to describe bands that have ANY degree of success?
I love heavy metal, and several of my favorite bands are quite popular and influential, like Dio and Iron Maiden.
But when it comes to acts like these, I more often than not will hear the very vocal metal community throwing around the word "mainstream" to describe them.
These are not bands you can tune in to mainstream radio and hear playing alongside the latest pop sensations of the day.
What's more, recently I've noticed that this word is even being applied to bands that are inherently the OPPOSITE of mainstream. Why, on this very site I saw somebody asking for examples of death metal bands that were "not mainstream," as though a legitimately mainstream death metal band has ever existed.
Mainstream, by definition, does not refer to just ANYTHING that is popular; mainstream artists are going to be the ones you hear about in the tabloids and on pop radio. Not every single band with fans in more than one state.
3 Answers
- Anonymous6 years ago
They don't mean it literally -- Cannibal Corpse obviously isn't mainstream like Taylor Swift is mainstream. It's all relative to the genre. "Mainstream death metal bands" means "mainstream amongst the death metal community", i.e. bands like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Death -- the death metal bands all the metalheads know… and even some non-metal heads. Cannibal Corpse is a perfect example of that. Most everyone knows who they are, even if they've never heard their songs before. So, that qualifies as mainstream in the death metal scene. It doesn't mean they get radio play, or anything like that. Because, as you said, death metal is inherently anti-mainstream… even Cannibal Corpse… and even Death, for that matter (who I consider the most accessible death metal band).
- 6 years ago
Because people like to feel special and like they are exclusive to other people, even from the people that are already exclusive. They want to be the odd ones from the odd ones. If people didn't care as much then more people would like whatever they wanted to, mainstream or not.
