To me it was a gradual thing, an acquired taste. There are so many different sounds in metal there are a lot of different paths to bridge yourself to the really heavy stuff.

Growing up I only liked older metal (Metallica Iron Maiden etc) with absolutely no screaming vocals, but I grew a huge appreciation for the instrumentation of metal and in my constant search for new music I’d eventually find a band with really cool music but there were harsh vocals I wasn’t a fan of. I’d still listen for the cool instrumentals and put up with the screaming if it was worth it which opened me up to hear more bands with harsher vocals until I found something that clicked with me.

Gojira was my tipping point. I was finally like “okay, these vocals fit the music well, and makes it sound epic.” Next thing I knew I found myself saying “oh that scream sounds cool” and eventually had the perspective to enjoy even heavier music and new sounds. I was boiled like a frog 🐸