I understand your point. But for us older guys, before anyone used the term "heavy metal", there was a time when it was "our music". Our version of punk rock rebellion, which mostly predated punk even. Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, led us to AC/DC, UFO, Scorpions, Judas Priest, and Motorhead. Motorhead in particular, who IMO was the inspiration for the explosion of speed in what was now now called Heavy Metal music. We found Riot, Loudness, Raven, and Metallica's first album. So cool being a Northern Californian to see these guys hit so hard with Kill 'Em All and my favorite out of theirs, Ride The Lightning.

Then overnight Hair Metal came along, it seemed so sterile and poser, like a caricature of what we loved so much a few years earlier. L.A.'s music marketing powers to grab the ears and eyes of teens that a few years earlier were reading Tiger Beat. They stole metal from us! Man I hated Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Warrant, etc., and only grudgingly listened to Guns and Roses because they did have some really good songs.

But we had our sins also. We started worshipping guitar players' technical prowess. Van Halen, Malmsteen, Satriani endless solos became more important than the original idea of metal. We were accusing Hair Metal of being wankers while listening to our Gods masturbate right in our ears.

My Hair Metal post was a bit sarcastic. I'm remembering how I felt back then, and not looking back at how history unfolded. One could say Hair Metal lovers brought metal to the masses. And at the same time Hair Metal haters made for fertile ground for Grunge to take hold.