{"id":268784,"date":"2024-06-06T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=268784"},"modified":"2024-06-06T17:24:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T09:24:07","slug":"one-for-the-sneakerhead-bangers-thrash-metal-and-sneaker-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2024\/06\/06\/one-for-the-sneakerhead-bangers-thrash-metal-and-sneaker-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"One for the “Sneakerhead-bangers”: Thrash Metal and Sneaker Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people don\u2019t usually associate heavy metal with sneaker culture. This is understandable because typically, the metal scene hasn\u2019t been as closely tied to sneakers as those of other music genres\u2014particularly R&B and hip-hop. In fact, many would argue that one can\u2019t truly tell the story of those two latter genres without mentioning the role that sneaker culture played in their development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is undoubtedly a place in the sneaker world for devoted headbangers\u2014especially where thrash metal is concerned. For more than four decades, there have been links between thrash metal and sneaker culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thrash Metal Sneakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Thrash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Certain sneakers became major hits in the thrash scene after being worn by members of big-name thrash bands. Among the standouts were the Brooks Transition, Jordan 1, Nike Air Force 1, Nike Air Tech Challenge II, Chuck Taylor All Star, Adidas Retro High Basketball, Jordan 4<\/a>, and adidas Retro High Basketball, just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In due time, some of these shoes would become closely associated with iconic figures in the thrash scene\u2014despite the fact that \u201csignature shoes\u201d have never really been a thing in metal. For example, Metallica frontman James Hetfield\u2019s Brooks Transitions developed quite the reputation in the metal scene in general while Dave Mustaine, first with Metallica before becoming better-known as the frontman of Megadeth, was known for his Nike Air Tech Challenge IIs and Jordan 1s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sneakers and the Thrash Aesthetic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Thrash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the heyday of thrash metal in the \u201880s, the shoes of choice for many thrash bands\u2014regardless of brand\u2014were white high-tops. Many thrash bands of the era such as Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Megadeth, and of course the GOATs themselves: Metallica\u2014donned white high-tops not only during concerts, but also during the majority of public appearances. In fact, these bands\u2019 labels usually encouraged them to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While they may seem arbitrary, there were actually very specific reasons why white high-tops and why they became an unquestioned part of the thrash aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, back in the \u201880s there was a rivalry between the thrash metal and glam metal scenes. As implied by its name, glam metal aesthetics featured gaudy, striking color palettes. Many thrash bands used the minimalistic approach exemplified by the white high-tops as a way to distance themselves from the glam scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, there have always been close ties between the skateboarding and thrash metal scenes. During the thrash scene\u2019s peak, sneakers specifically made for skateboarding hadn\u2019t even been conceptualized by any sneaker companies. At the time, high-tops were the average skateboarder\u2019s sneakers of choice due to the ankle support they provided as well as the improved balance through their flat bottoms. Thrash bands emulated this and incorporated it into their own aesthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, record labels used these white high-tops as a way to solidify the public images of their thrash bands. The first label to do this was Megaforce Records who gave each member of Metallica a pair of white Reebok high-tops. Other labels soon caught wind of this and copied this look for their own thrash bands, eventually causing white high-tops to become the thrash scene\u2019s dominant sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolving Relationship Between Sneakers and Thrash Metal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Thrash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Thrash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Thrash<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The impact of thrash metal on the sneaker scene is also evident through multiple sneaker collaborations involving thrash bands. Among the most notable of these to have surfaced in the last decade-plus include the Nike SB \u201cReign in Blood\u201d\u2014a collaboration with Slayer\u2014as well as Megadeth\u2019s collabs with Stan Smith and Metallica\u2019s with Vans. These sneakers do more than just consolidate the bands\u2019 thrash aesthetic or provide another method of advertising the band\u2014they\u2019re the latest evolutions in a decades-long relationship between the two scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, in recent years there\u2019s been a growing split among thrash fans with regard to sneakers. Many thrash fans, particularly those who got into the subgenre following the turn of the century, tend to look down on the fans\u2014mostly older ones, but some newer ones as well\u2014who continue to closely associate thrash metal and sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This split partially has to do with the fact that over time, the sneakerhead scene became less and less associated with metal and more and more associated with hip-hop. Metal and hip-hop are two music genres which as far as fanbases are concerned, usually have relatively little overlap. For a similar reason, some elitist metalheads today actually look down on thrash fans who are also sneakerheads, \u201cgatekeeping\u201d them by claiming that these sneakerheads thrash fans are \u201cnot real metalheads\u201d purely because they\u2019re into sneakers too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Thrash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, in recent times things have begun to change for the better. Many younger, newer fans who have recently gotten into thrash and begun to discover \u201880s thrash\u2014the subgenre\u2019s heyday\u2014were not part of the fandom when the stereotypes in question regarding thrash and sneakers first began to come about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make no mistake about it\u2014although their association has become somewhat diluted over the years, sneaker culture is indeed metal. There’s no reason why kicks that every metalhead will love can’t accompany face-melting guitar solos and pounding double-pedal drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, when it comes to sneakers in the thrash subculture, there are ultimately no hard and fast rules but one: in the words of Massacration: “Metal Is the Law”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the latest releases, breaking news, and exclusive interviews, stay tuned to SNKRDUNK Magazine<\/a>. Explore more Nike SB Dunks in the SNKRDUNK App<\/a> too and don\u2019t forget to use our welcome code from the banner below before making your first purchase. Additionally, if you want to try a pair out, visit our stores<\/a> in Singapore and Japan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Claim Your SNKRDUNK Coupons Today!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people don\u2019t usually associate heavy metal with sneaker culture. This is understandable because typically, the metal scene hasn\u2019t been as closely tied to sneakers as those of other music genres\u2014particularly R&B and hip-hop. In fact, many would argue that one can\u2019t truly tell the story of those two latter genres without mentioning the role […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":268892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,2,20,18,32,3,17,41,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adidas","category-air-jordan","category-brands","category-features","category-latest-news","category-news","category-nike","category-reebok","category-sneaker","category-vans"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268784"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268784"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269091,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268784\/revisions\/269091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}