Victor Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” Plato put it another way: “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.”

I, as millions of others, love music like I love life. I can be seen walking down Lucinda Ave. with my MP3 player going and my head bobbing to the beat. However, I feel my music of choice is stigmatized. When I tell people what my favorite music is I get looks as though I just got back from the nearest leper colony.

You see, I am a metalhead. When I hear lightning-fast guitars, double bass drums and roaring vocals, chills run deep in my veins. Yet, since I listen to metal, lots of people automatically think I worship Satan, wear black eyeliner, and — as one of my friends once told me — kill babies.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Metalheads are some of the most normal, down to earth people I know. While some dress in all black and hate the world, this is mainly a high school fad that shouldn’t be confused with the deeper meaning of metal music: Finding one’s self through the darker side of life.

Take the band As I Lay Dying, the name sounds pretty wicked, but they’re actually influenced by their Christian roots. The lyrics convey the pain of the author, who finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a Christian identity in an age group that normally shuns religion. He carries on anyway, determined to carve his own path, as he sings in the song “The Darkest Nights.”

Many metal bands write about the positives of overcoming arduous situations and never giving up — especially Pantera. Lyrics in the song “A New Level” assert “New life in place of old life/ Unscarred by trials/ A new level of confidence and power.”

Other times, metal doesn’t need lyrics to convey a feeling or emotion. Artists use the music to do that for them through illustrations and beautifully-constructed instrumentals.

A perfect example would be Metallica’s “To Live Is to Die.” The song flows like a piece of classically-written music with a soft, melodic introduction, followed by captivating riffs and poignant solos meant to symbolize the sadness felt by the loss of their bassist Cliff Burton. I’m sure any music professor would agree the song is stunningly constructed.

More often than not, metal music is simply relatable to the audience willing to give it a try. The song “Pinball Map” by In Flames tells of a man who doesn’t know where he’s going or what he’s supposed to get out of life. “Guided by the pinball map/ The driver still unknown to me/ Sometimes I don’t belong/ Release me from your world.” Who hasn’t felt this unsure at least once in their life?

Metal gives metalheads a chance to vent our anger. It gives us a chance to hear that somewhere out there, someone feels the same we do. It gives us hope in an often hopeless world.

So, the next time you see some dude head banging to “Rust in Peace” by Megadeth or moshing with some buddies to “Martyr” by Fear Factory, remember that they don’t see metal as “screaming-death music.” They see it as life; as something getting them through the day.