I am a staunch defender of heavy metal music. My exposure to it started at the age of fifteen when I borrowed a Guns and Roses tape from one of my friends to listen to the song Sweet Child of Mine. The cassette was a greatest hits collection, and out of curiosity I decided to listen to the other songs as well. The album had some great tracks like Mr.Brownstone and Paradise City, so within no time at all I was hooked.

I went back to my friend's house and asked him to give me a tape with the heaviest metal music that he possessed. The album was by Testament and I enjoyed every song. The vocalist growled out the lyrics and the music was literally scary! I played that tape every day - my mother complained of headaches - but from that time on, till eight years later now, I am still an ardent fan of heavy metal.

Unlike most teenagers who only listen to heavy metal because they think to be ‘cool', I genuinely loved it. And that's why I never grew out of it.

When I was sixteen I even went through a phase of pretending to be ashamed that I had listened to pop music in my earlier years. Luckily I grew out of my prejudices against pop music, and today I listen to all forms of music.

One of the things I've always liked about heavy metal is its reflection of real life, and down to earth attitude. While commercial pop usually sings about ‘breaking hearts' and ‘pretty eyes', heavy metal will talk about the war (Sepultura), American hypocrisy (Rage against the Machine),  and peace (more bands than I can care to remember).

But more than the lyrics it has always been the music for me, which is so true and direct. Yes, there is aggression in some of it, but for me it has always helped to bring out and crush those cooped up ill feelings from within.

Though many people associate heavy metal with noise, it is in fact a very complex genre of music. And it cannot be reproduced in a band unless the musicians really believe in and love playing it. Every musician is stretched to his/her limits of speed, skill and talent – I know of some guitarists like Joe Satriani and Nuno Bettencourt who are capable of hitting 22 notes per second! Male singers like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Axl Rose of GNR are capable of stretching their vocal chords as high as classical soprano singers. (Those of you who saw Deep Purple perform last year at Campal shouldn't need convincing as to how good rock music can sound!)

Heavy metal critics and cynics – and there are a lot of them - will often draw attention to the fact that some rock songs are associated with satanic lyrics and drugs. True, but very few are. Besides, I believe that music need not drive listeners to do violent or immoral deeds and actions. I myself have never been influenced by any of these kinds of lyrics. If the lyrics are bad I don't bother about them, if they are good I let them inspire me. And though I am part of a rock band I have till this date never touched a drop of alcohol, nor have I ever felt the need to experiment with drugs. I let the music get me high!

In my opinion most of those stories about rock music and satanic worship are made up by people severely prejudiced against this form of music. They will even go to the extent of making up ridiculous full forms for rock band names - like Anti Christ, Devil's Children for AC/DC, or Knights In Service of Satan for KISS – and so on, whereas AC/DC could actually mean something as innocent as Alternating Current, Direct Current!

By the way, I even tried playing the song Hotel California by the Eagles in reverse to see if there was any truth to the story of backtracking. I must tell you it made no sense. It is absurd to think that a music artist would be able to make a song which played in the forward direction would be catchy enough to be popular, and at the same time recite satanic lyrics when played in reverse!

I feel that listening to different forms of music is comparable to enriching one's knowledge and culture in the same way reading different types of books does. Restricting yourself to commercial music is not bad, but it would leave you as hollow as you are after sifting through a Filmfare magazine.

If you do have the time I would like you to listen to two of my favorite heavy metal bands, namely Judas Priest and Megadeth. Don't let the names turn you away! Rob Halford of Judas Priest is one of my favorite singers.

Another band I should like you to listen to is Pink Floyd (they don't quite play heavy metal, though). I listen to their song High Hopes every morning and till today I haven't grown tired of it.