Hardcore dancing vs. Moshing: When a Good Thing is Ruined

The origins of hardcore dancing and moshing are simple enough, being both descendants of punk-pogoing in England’s punk scene starting in the late 70s. Moshing has been around for almost four decades and is engrained into the metal community, and if your band cannot get a pit going, your band wont last. Hardcore dancing is a newer version of moshing, mostly full of younger fans of the metal genre who want to prove themselves as being “the tough guy” in the metal community.

The reason this is raising controversy is because the younger crowd is viewing moshing as the old metalheads way of moshing (which if you read this chicks version of why to hate it; you will get a pretty general consensus on what I am referring to, and laugh at her). Hardcore dancing was made for a certain brand of metal (entitled hardcore, hence the name, not the actions granting it the name), but has quickly been spreading to where it is not welcome. Hardcore bands and breakdowns have been on the rise in popularity among the younger crowd of teen metalheads, but for those of us who have been listening to it for more then just teenage angst; we are appalled and ashamed by it.

Moshing in its purest form is what happens when you are overwhelmed by the music. There have been many spin-off versions to moshing, but in its truest form it is just plain fun. A metalhead will get so worked up by the music that he will push the person in front of him, that person will push back, and before you know it, there is 30 of you in a giant circle doing it. One of the most fascinating things about this is when someone falls down, you will not be on the ground for more then 3 seconds, due to the 15 hands that grabbed you and pushed you up. It is a beautiful thing that helps to mold a sub-culture and let us all have fun. Hardcore dancing destroys this process, which is why no one over the age of 25 does it (and if they do….FAIL AT LIFE!).

These hardcore dancers do not even realize that what they are doing is destructive. They flail around with balled up fist swinging them everywhere and doing karate roundhouse kicks actually attempting to hurt people (or more popularly phrased as fighting “invisible ninjas”). This ruins the purity and the fun of moshing to begin with, since now you are paranoid about getting seriously injured. One of the worst parts about these dancers is that they attempt to defend it….keyword being attempt, might I add. At many of the metal shows I have been to I have seen these hardcore dancers come into mosh pits, hit someone, then get pummeled by 6 guys. If that is what they think metal is all about, I welcome them to do it. The world needs more punching bags to make the world a better place and relieve my stress….

Love,

Bane