Devotees of the heavy rock and metal music genre have long fought against discrimination and wilful distortion. We’re dismissed as rough and unsophisticated types whose synapses have been scrambled to the point where we’re unable to appreciate more subtle cadences.

That to which I think music savants refer is the brain’s Nucleus Accumbens. This is the sensitive and highly complex structure which sort of lights up when you hear, or even anticipate, a chord sequence or tune which pleases you. When people talk of experiencing joy or euphoria while listening to a particular song, it’s because they get a wee dose of dopamine from their Nucleus Accumbens.

We who prefer the driving precision of three electric guitars turned up to 11, accompanied by the sulphuric howl of a lead singer and a drumbeat rising up from Hades, are said to have fried our Nucleus Accumbenses irreparably.

We’re also compelled to accept fey representations of authentic rock music such as the Beatles, Coldplay, Springsteen, Oasis and REM. No harm to any of them, and all the best to their supporters. After all, there’s nothing to be gained in being all binary and prescriptive about musical preferences and imposing your tastes on other people. We just crave similar levels of respect.

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