Dear BlackMetalWerewolf,
	No idea where to begin with this letter. I can tell you straightaway that it will be quite a long, meandering, and possibly overly descriptive letter compared to those you've already recieved. But I think this has as much to do with my personality as it does with my educational background. I studied English literature at college, so it's in my nature probably to go quite overboard when it comes to writing. I'll strive though to keep topics in the vein of metal as much as possible, and maybe even give you some ideas for future videos. I remember you didn't want me to ask you personal questions; and in addition to heeding your request, I'll try my best to refrain from getting too personal about my own life (except when it comes to metal of course, which oddly will be necessary at times, because I've found over the years that some of the philosophies behind some aspects of metal have become inescapably intertwined with my own personal "self"). But enough of this nonsense: let's get to the metal!
	I guess the best place to start would be how I got into metal in the first place. I was around 11 or 12 when my older cousin Matthew (who, at the time, was essentially my "gold standard" for what "cool" was, and who I tried to emulate in some ways) introduced me to White Zombie. This was right when, or very shortly thereafter, their album "Astro-Creep 2000" came out in 1995 (I was born in 85 to give you a perspective). The best word to describe what I heard the first time I heard it would simply be "mesmerizing." I couldn't really describe why, but I was intoxicated with the sound and, best of all, it made me look cool in front of my friends! (Although, suffice it to say, I looked a lot LESS cool when it was discovered on a field trip that I had the CENSORED version of the album (don't you just love Wal-Mart?)...a couple of the "cooler kids" at my school had quite a laugh when they were listening to my copy and discovered no liner notes, and those great "zip" sounds that bleep out the cuss words -_-)). But that's beside the point right? The important thing was, it got me into the genre (along with Ride the Lightening, which I got for Xmas (no clue how my super-old-fashioned parents came across that one) and to a lesser extent Van Halen (heavy yes, but metal? not really)).
	I wish now to paint you a picture of what the metal "scene" was like in the mid to late 90s where I lived. I put the word scene in quotes because, let's be honest: I hate to say it NOW, but yeah, I pretty much grew up in the heyday of the "grunge/alternative" music scene, and from what I have learned in more recent years, these two now-maligned genres seem to have done a decent job of making metal pretty un-popular at the time. It was there, but to those of us in "mainstream, middle-class, conservative, southern US society" like myself, it was only on the surface. What that means is that we really had no way to discover the underground metal scene back then as kids growing up in strong Christian backgrounds. The internet was very new, and there certainly was nothing akin to Youtube, Myspace, Bandcamp, Facebook...basically there was no way to discover the underground unless you KNEW someone who was into it, which I didn't. So, it was mainstream metal for us. I was mostly into White Zombie, Korn, Pantera and Metallica. I DO remember seeing Cannibal Corpse albums in record stores back then, but there's no way in hell I would have been allowed to buy them (but that's really beside the point, because at that age, I pretty much took one look at the cover art and was just too creeped out anyway). NOW I can say that I've seen Cannibal Corpse live twice, and I even have a pretty humorous story about my brief encounter with Corpsegrinder (more on that later).
	Other bands that I considered "metal-ish" at the time (they don't really fit the definition as I now understand it, but they were heavy to me nonetheless) included 311, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, and Stone Temple Pilots. Marilyn Manson at this time was pretty huge, and he was quite shocking at that time (I was never a fan myself, and even if I was, I would NEVER have been allowed to get an album entitled "Antichrist Superstar"). The really cool kids had Manson t-shirts while the rest of us basically just looked on and wondered stuff like...is he a she? I didn't know WHAT to think of Manson at that time, I just know he freaked me out (but wow, pretty tame by today's standards, eh?) And of course, Nirvana was huge. EVERYONE was into Nirvana, including myself (I still am, actually...grunge gets a lot of hate from the metal world it seems but Cobain was a genius). In fact I just picked up a commerative Kurt Cobain Life magazine at the grocery store this week! (h8ers gonna h8, right?).
	But it wasn't just the music. Back then you had to LOOK cool, too. In the 90s there were some different cliques than there are today. You had the preps (think golf shirts and khaki-colored shorts/pants), the grungers (I guess I fell into that category, but also fell into the timeless "nerd" group), the rednecks, the goths (almost non-existent in my region, but they were there), jocks (of course), and everyone else. Being a "grunger" basically meant listening to bands like I mentioned already, wearing the respective shirts, chain wallets, chain necklaces, VERY baggy pants (you weren't cool if you didn't wear "JNCO" jeans...probably can't even FIND those anymore), and skater shoes (Airwalk ftw :D!). And of course you had to skate, lest you be put into the WORST clique imaginable: the POSERS! I did skate although I never got to be very good. It also helped, and you were infinitely cooler, if you had long hair. Long during the grunge era was pretty much long enough to go behind your ears, but not quite touching your shoulders. Only the really cool kids had this look; kids with strict parents like myself weren't allowed to.
	So, that was basically a snapshot of my middle school years. I hear all the time that middle school is supposed to be the "toughest time for kids" (I can also attest to that to some degree from when I used to work as a substitute teacher) but for me, it was pretty damn fun. Probably because I was "lucky" enough to be in the grunger group and experience all the cool things that grungers do (I don't know if there are still grungers...maybe you can fill me in?). The high school I was forced to go to was mostly full of upper-middle class kids and grunge had died out by the year 2000 anyway, so I basically became "pure nerd." I had always associated the few metal bands I liked with this "grunge" demographic, so I didn't really listen to metal during high school at all. I do remember this one guy at my high school with a ponytail and Sepultura shirt (he was literally the ONLY metal type guy at this school, besides ONE asian kid with a face full of piercings) but I didn't know him at all, and thus, had no clue who Sepultura was until many years later. Boring boring boring...fast foward, please!
	It wasn't until my freshman year of college in 2003 that I discovered death metal. I remember seeing the remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the theater, and I somehow wound up purchasing the soundtrack to it. This was a really awesome soundtrack btw; if you can still find it I recommend it. Pretty much all the bands on this album would be considered mainstream metal and/or just heavy metal, with the exception of one: The mighty MORBID FUCKING ANGEL (my absolute favorite band to this day...and I get to see them at the end of this month! >:)). When I first heard their song on this album "Enshrined by Grace," I really didn't know what to think. I didn't immediately love it, but I know it just sounded REALLY intense and next-level; the word "sickening" comes to mind when I think about Trey's guitair tone the first time I heard it (in a good way, of course). The more I listened to it I slowly discovered that I had to hear more, even if I didn't know why. So, I go to Best-Buy (which used to have a really good selection of CD's, before the music industry went digital) and there I see it: "Altars of Madness." I picked it up and once I Knew I HAD to have it, I also knew that things wouldn't be the same. As ground-breakingly awesome as I knew this music would be without even HEARING it for the first time, there was one big problem: the undeniably Satanic message of the album completely flew in the face of everything I had been taught to believe in. It's one thing to hear stories about Jesus and maybe go to church a few times a year, but you have to understand: I was LITERALLY raised in the church all the way back from kindergarten -- forced to attend Sunday school AND the preacher's service every single Sunday through all the years I was in primary school (K-12), plus I was baptized to boot (although that whole affair just felt strange, I felt no sense of "cleansing of the sins and newness of a spiritual life in Christ"..the whole thing felt coerced in fact). Needless to say, and long story short, I had some serious internal conflicts and cognitive dissonace throughout the years I was becoming gradually indoctrinated into the "metal way." But I can now finally boldy state that I have shed away all of the NEGATIVE constraints and the chains of mental slavery that organized religion and Christianity in my case represent and am free to enjoy this music in all its diabolical splendour! >:)
	I'm not going to go through my own  laundry list of bands that were spawned forth from my initial contact with Morbid Angel; as this would not only be mundane for the purposes of this letter, but there are numerous youtubers already with very large and commendable collections of twisted death/black metal already that are great resources. What I WILL end the letter with are some of the more obscure bands I've come across which are both personal recommendations to you and, if you're really into them, maybe they'll wind up in one of your "recommendations" videos? I would be more than flattered. I'll also try to end with some thought-provoking questions for you to hopefully answer either to me personally, or in upcoming videos: it's completely up to you. I actually don't think I've had to expose ANY super-personal information about myself in this letter, so please feel free to mention any aspects of it you may find interesting in any upcoming videos. For now though, this letter won't be complete without including my first metal concert, and why it was so awesome.
	Somehow, don't ask me how, but it took me until AGE 30 to attend my first metal show. My biggest "metal regret" was missing Morbid Angel's 20th anniversary "Covenant" tour in which they played the entire album...I was in one of my "paranoid" phases where metal became "evil" again and I couldn't handle it at the time (btw, I should mention I suffer from OCD, which certainly played a role in why it was so hard for me to become comfortable with some of the themes explored in extreme metal...obviously, please don't mention my condition in any response video, although as far as everything else Ive written goes, it's fair game and there's nothing too personal). It was in a really cool venue called The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA; the building had once been some kind of mill during the industrial revolution, so it looked really archaic; almost medieval, like a mead hall, and had some really wickedly natural acoustics with the whole place being built with wood. I guess the newness of the experience was why it was so captivating, and why it remains to this day my favorite concert, even though I've attended a show almost every month for the last year and a half. It didn't hurt that EVERY band on the bill, even the opening act (which, let's face it, a lot of times, the opening bands just SUCK) was really good, really tight, and very competent with what they were doing. Abyssmal Dawn started us out, followed by Cryptopsy, Obituary, then Cannibal Corpse. It was probably the best-constructed bill I've come across so far, because every band fit the mold for brutal, punishing, straight-foward death metal. What more can you ask for? One of the highlights was when Corpsegrinder started walking around the crowd before the show to greet the fans. He's definitely one of the most down-to-earth and friendly figures in the scene, which is more than I can say about OTHERS I've heard about which shall remain nameless (at least for now). Most wanted to take pics with him, but since I never take my phone into shows (I fucking HATE it when all these ppl are putting their phones in the air filming the show, instead of fucking TAKING PART in the show--moshing, headbanging, you know what I mean? my hair now is like yours so I do a lot of headbanging nowadays) I asked for an autographed ticket once I was able to grab his attention. He asked if I had a pen to which I replied, "well  yes I do"...so I produce a small pen from my pocket, but he was like, "lemme find a better one"...(George is searching the bar for a Sharpie...meanwhile, I take apart my "pen" to reveal its true nature >:) mwahaha!) so there George is, leaning over the bar  signing my ticket, when I interrupt him to show him what my "pen" REALLY is--- at which point, I flip apart my 2-piece pen to reveal the menacing blade inside--my secret pen knife!..at which point I simply said, "Hey George, check THIS out..." and he turns around, bug-eyed, and simply said "OH Shit..."
	Now, this was all a joke on my part; I have a twisted sense of humor, and I gleaned from Cannibal Corpses' lyrics, those guys probably do as well, so I wasn't too worried about him throwing me across the venue into one of the amps, electocuting me to an unholy voltage...still, it probably was pretty dumb, since he coulda taken it seriously enough to get me thrown out of the venue (it seems that weapons are a no-no where there will be a very crowded area with a bunch of guys smashing into each other with abnormal levels of testosterone...go figure! xD) but George being the cool guy that he is, and it being obvious that I wasn't approaching him in an actual threatening manner, he went about his way; the rest of the evening going off without a hitch.
	But enough about me. I obviously find you really interesting without even knowing why, oddly the same way I described my first encounter with Morbid Angel. The only other person I'm subscribed to on Youtube (where the person actually speaks into a camera and you can see them as if it's a one-on-one conversation) is Varg Vikernes. And while I find some of his idealogy repugnant, I find his unique brand of insanity quite amusing at times; I'm also a Bu-u-u-rzum fan, although I really only like his ambient music; not really a fan of his metal. So, you'll either be flattered by this piece of knowledge, or perturbed, depending on your feelings about this colorful figure in black metal history. So at this point I'm going to ask you some questions about your own induction into the world of metal not only as a musical form, but also as a lifestyle, culture and philosophy.
	First of all we have to recognize one clear distinction right off the bat: there's heavy metal, and there's extreme metal. Which band was your "gateway drug" into the world of the extreme stuff? I also remember you saying your dad was into Sabbath; was he the one who first introduced you to metal? Which bands performed at your first metal concert and are you like me in that your first one will probably remain your favorite (the reason I think my first concert will ALWAYS be my favorite is not only because of what a brand new experience it was but also the fact that it represented the final, ideal manifestation of a musical form that had for many years seemed buried, obscure and foreign, if not forbidden, to me). I'm also very curious what the metal "scene" was like for you growing up in Canada; particularly at school (were there metal kids similar to the grungers I discussed earlier?). I wonder, (and I hope I didn't get too personal with these questions) did you grow up in a strict, conservative family and if so, to what extent did it affect your ability to embrace some of the controversial themes that pervade the metal lyrical universe (violence, blasphemy, anti-religion, etc.)? Finally, I wish to point out something about the scene as far as concerts are concerned these days. When I watch youtube videos of concerts back in the day, it seems like nearly all the guys have long hair and EVERYONE is headbanging and/or moshing. Nowadays, as Corpsegrinder says, it seems that headbanging has become a dying art. It seems like I'm one of the only ones doing it when I go to concerts, although moshing and stage-diving still seem to be prevalent activities. What's it like at the shows in Canada? Are there more people peering at the show through their iPhones than banging their heads and windmilling their hair? And if so, I wonder what cultural phenomena have contributed to this shift in audience involvement, other than the inevitable advances in technology (as this reason alone would seem to me a bit simplistic)? And my LAST question: do you have any tattoos or are you planning on getting any (and if the answer to both questions is no, is there a particular reason why)? And unholy crap, how could I forget the two most obvious questions: What is your favorite metal band and your favorite metal song? My favorite song is "Where Dead Angels Lie" by Dissection and my favorite band, well, has already been mentioned.
	I said I'd end this letter with a list of bands for you to check out and possibly give a shout to on your channel, but due to the absurd length of this letter already, I think I'll save that for a later date. If you're STILL reading this letter, I thank you for your patience! Luckily for you, I've temporarily run out of tangential anecdotes and arbitrary questions (but that could soon change! MWAHAH). Lastly I wish to thank you for your channel; you have a cool, friendly and inviting demeanour about you that makes your videos entertaining to watch. So I look foward to more content as always, and also once again feel free to use any content in this letter (should you find any of it interesting enough, that is) in your future videos. You can also reply to me personally by snail mail or at my email address at runeofshadows@gmail.com