Hot Topic Presents.... What The Hell?

Gigantour isn't black metal related. However, whether due to peer pressure, an interest in mainstream metal, or a lack of things to do in suburbia, many black metal fans turn up at this tour every year, and make up a small contingent of dudes in Burzum shirts standing awkwardly amidst hordes of screaming high school students.

There's nothing wrong with black metal fans attending non-black metal shows: people are just trying to expand their musical palates and explore new things. But there is something highly disturbing about this year's Gigantour:

... it's sponsored by the abhorrent, technicolor bunghole of Abercrombie and Fitch Corporation, Hot Topic.

Even though In Flames, who are on this year's Gigantour, are of questionable loyalty to the metal scene, what the hell does an overpriced jean and T-shirt manufacturer catering to wealthy middle school students have to do with metal music of any sort?

Sure, "nu metal" and metalcore are somewhat part of the metal family, and deserve recognition for introducing 12 year olds to the electric guitar. But... Hot Topic doesn't even sell metal shirts. I've actually visited the store once, and it featured a large display of "Anime Rules" merchandise and Avril Lavigne wristbands. I would've thought that Hot Topic's main fan base, upper middle class grade schoolers, would eschew Megadeth for being "old people music".

Apparently, this match made in hell is representing metal today, and thousands of black metal fans across the nation are inadvertantly contributing to the onward spread of Snot Optics. Why, there's even a Hot Topic in staunchly working class and immigrant Queens, New York, the latest in an emofication campaign against the local native culture, which is hip hop. An 'urban' emo image has been engineered for the inner city, consisting of testicle-crushing trousers paired with classics such as the Afro haircut and tightly fitting hip hop styled clothing.

Likewise, Hot Topic has also encroached into the metal scene, marketing wannabe metal bands like Avenged Sevenfold as 'New American metal' and associating the metalhead image with that of testicle-crushing jeans, teased hair, and mascara. It's like the '80s, but worse- and good folk like Dave Mustaine, who resisted the first wave of this bullshit, are succumbing to its bastard child.