What is your personal perception of people that like to listen to metal? Does that change based upon age?

A metal head is the kind of guy I want watching my back. They aren't afraid to get knocked around a little, usually smarter than most, and they have the biggest hearts.

Of course, there are exceptions, but that's the general vibe I get from the metal heads I've met.

Metalhead here. I've found that once you ignore the elitists (which every fandom has), it's a pretty welcoming crowd consisting of generally chill people who aren't afraid to stand out.

As a metal head, it was always fun seeing other bars and clubs in the middle of the night having police and fights outside, while our dainty little metal bar only had that when those people came to our place.

Some people even came for the lack of fights, even if they didn't like the music. Always a brotherly atmosphere welcoming to all strangers.

I think those people like to have fun and they don't take themselves too seriously.

I don't think that my perception of it changed in the last 30 years since I was a teenager.

Can confirm.
What I have noticed for myself and other Metalheads is that the preference regarding the favourite bands and or subgenre might shift, or that the mix/percentage with non-Metal music might change a bit etc. But from my experience, people that have enjoyed Metal as teenagers still like it at older ages.
At Metal festivals and concerts you generally find a wide spectrum of all ages. I've seen grannies enjoying the show next to teenagers moshing. I've seen whole families, or talked to people that came alone from another continent to attend that festival. I've also done that myself once and had no problem finding nice people to hang out with.
@OP, are you asking for a specific reason, or just a general vibe check? Or are you a Metalhead yourself and wanna see what the perspective from other Metalheads in other communities is?
- I often ask a question on here to give me something to get my mind off of the pain immediately following my physical therapy routine from a broken neck and back 10 years ago. I'm not much for words ATM. But yes, I'm a metalhead

There's the old joke that metalheads are nice people pretending to be mean, while hippies are mean people pretending to be nice.

I don't know about hippies, but this comic is pretty accurate for Metalheads (except many times we also take stupid grimace fotos xD):
- Seeing as you know about Nemi, I'm guessing you're also aware of this, but I'm leaving it for others to see: https://youtu.be/bY6LKydHgWY
  I've met the guy in the commercial, and he is indeed a metalhead.
Well the hippies are boomers... soooo....

I've been going to metal and adjacent shows and festivals for decades.

Metal fans are everything and everyone. There exists no stereotype that any one fan could fully fit.

The lawyer with more money than sense.
The family of 3 with their toddler wearing ear protection.
The guy who looks like he just got done mucking a horse stall.
The boomers who will tell you about the first time they saw Ozzy without it even being brought up.
The smokers and the tokers.
The guy who just escaped the office and doesn't care what people think of his clothes.
The visitors who are not really into the music but they love an opener or swore they would see the headliner if they ever got the chance.

For the most part, people are accepting of everyone. There are a few people who are less hospitable. Usually kids who have an idea of the culture that is not instep with reality. Typically they learn, one way or another.

Based on experience, they tend to be people with a tough exterior but with the kindest hearts.

The nicest people in the world cosplaying as the meanest.

Metalheads I’ve known 20yrs ago vs now? Still generally lovely, kind and welcoming people. They can look fierce but I’d go to them in a crisis.

My perception is that they are people. I know lots of different people that listen to metal and have nothing else in common.

Speaking as one, the majority are decent people but there is a minority who are openly fash and a sadly growing amount who tolerate fash bands cos the riffs are good.

Fuck Ivan Moody, i loved motograter's sound but the five finger death punch turn and then subsequent military fallatiating killed him for me
- I feel this one hard, I loved his Ghost Machine stuff too. Can't do FFDP...
Even though none of motorhead's members are nazis, I believe the blatant Nazi image to be in terrible taste.
Sure, they may not believe in them, but they are indirectly promoting and normalizing them. It disconnects the symbols from their historical context and association. It taints the image of metal as a whole which saddens me a lot.
To be perfectly clear, I'm OK with Nazi imagery in movies and games but only within the context of the setting.

I know so many metal heads, that I would have to say: it depends on the type of metal they're into. The one thing they really tend to have in common, though, is they have personalities very much in contrast to the style in which they dress and what you might think hearing the music. All cool people; but at first glance, depending on their preferred style of metal, they can look scary AF.

One of the best feelings in the world is seeing the reaction of people who hang out with Metalheads for the first time. We had someone join our group at a metal festival and it was so much fun.
"Wait, why is that big scary guy over there wearing a pink unicorn costume?" Etc etc

"Hey, new friends! Cool shirt"

Used to breathe metal music, not so much these days. But I'd still hang out with any of those people from the old days. A lot of broken souls in that community, but for the most part everyone tries to prop each other up.

I listen to some metal among a lot of other music, wouldn't really call myself a metalhead but I have a lot of friends who are

I'm in my 30s, been a lot of metalheads in my friend group since middle or high school, don't really see that changing any time soon. Overall I like metalheads, under the gruff-looking exteriors most of them are big marshmallows, and overall pretty intelligent people.

There's a handful of assholes, racists, some people whose main interest in metal is that they like to be too rough in the mosh pit, etc. but the majority of metalheads I've met hate their guts. And like with all subcultures, fandoms, etc. there are some who are annoying pretentious pricks about it but are essentially harmless.

Metal heads are generally kind people that I can get along with easily. Just watch for tattoos around black metal fans

I was a metal performer for years. And the diversity of walks of life that show up to shows is awesome. They are there to be entertained and get that energy out. It's a connection point. Everyone knows what it's like to feel irrationally angry and need to vent it.

Metalheads know this and relate to each other that way.

But trying to convince me that Rush is metal will get you locked out of the studio you fuckin knob.

Rush? Definitely not
But also if Metallica is still real 'metal' these days I'll be falling asleep at the Drumset or sneaking out of the studio to go play sim city 3000

Not a perception as such, but as a metalhead too I wonder what their gateway band was or who they might listen to that I'm unfamiliar with. General intrigue really.

Makes me wonder if those who favour other genres think the same.

Ah jeez, what can I say but 12 years old is the perfect time to be given a Megadeth album. I think it was Capitol Punishment.

A lot of metal heads I’ve known don’t use drugs or alcohol and some of them are vegans.

They like to wear black clothes.

Well I like metal but I'm considered a wierdo loner and unlikeable.

In my experience, pretty cool people I happen to be one of them, I will say though, there is a lot of elitism in the metal community.

From my experiences on elitism, it's really half and half. Some people really are kinda elitist but a lot are only elitist in a very satirical manner.

Last year i learned about their running in circles dance. I watched a bunch of videos on it. Now everytime my son goes to a show i need a report on the dancing and random antics.

Aaah yes, circle pits are amazing. A wall of death is scary at first, but also a lot of fun. Forming a Conga line through the whole crowd is always a huge party.

was never my crowd but I married one so im related by marriage. well and I like tull that had a lot of influence on it. Also in college I endlessly would bug a friend of mine after they won heavy metal band of the year.

Mostly people who are really into music, which is cool, and are chill. I had a flat mate once who was into metal, chill guy but not great as a flat mate (nothing to do with music, just flat mate stuff). I know some subsets of metal draw in people who are the bad kind of weird, but I haven't (knowingly) met those. TBH I haven't met a metal head in years, though (at least not knowingly).

They're fine mostly. Music genres are so diluted nowadays that that person could be listening to Burzum, City Morgue, or Ghost. Three completely different types of people

My personal favorite metal band name right now is Tomb Mold. Helps that they’re good. Love telling people outside of the fandom that one, always good for a laugh

I think scandanavian people are okay, I guess.

Metal fans are low-brow angry degenerates. I like them a lot.

I don’t really make assessments about people based on whatever musical tastes they have.

I don't listen to metal often but I LOVE going to metal shows.

The metal crowd is mostly full of chill and nice people.

Metal fans are absolute kittens.

performative wankers who think listening to metal makes them hard need a tanker of chlorine in their gene pool

That they're cool people I want to hang out with.

Not a fan of the screaming but love the instruments

Instrumental violin metal has been my go-to for work music lately

tough on the outside, soft on the inside.

I don't really have a perception of people that like to listen to metal, because that's a huge amount of different people. This definitely did change. I'm not sure, if it was due to my younger age or the strength of genre stereotypes at the end of the 2000s, but at that time I didn't even realize how much of the music I listened to was metal. I associated metal more with the stereotyped metal heads than the actual music.

Cool, now do country music.

Good for them

People who like metal are obsessed with what everyone else thinks about them

most metal adjacent music i've ever liked was ac/dc, and some industrial stuff from the 90's, everything else for me is unlistenableto, and i definitely judge those who make it part of their personality, much like i do reality tv, and professional wrestling. a man's gotta have a code, this is mine.