Gateway Bands or How I Got into the Hard Stuff.

Ooh Crikey It's.. Lawnmower Deth

I hardly have the most extreme taste in music in the world. I’m not fond of death metal or tr00 kvlt anything. I’m not all that excited by Sunn 0))) or Swans. Yet when it comes to parties, my selections are guaranteed to clear the dancefloor in seconds, leaving only perplexed looks and furrowed brows. Perhaps I’m just going to the wrong parties.

It may not be extreme but my taste is certainly not mainstream. You won’t catch me cranking up Keane or raving to Rihanna. There’s a fun little thread on Metal Sucks asking which album turned you onto metal for the first time.

It got me thinking about the various gateway bands that led me from the fringes deep into the various scenes I’ve loved over the years.