Foo Say Keong is just like a regular Singaporean father, going to work each day and returning home to spend time with his family.

The polytechnic lecturer, who has a two-year-old son, also has a passion for music but as a Christian, his favourite genre – heavy metal – stands out.

Metalheads like Foo have been in the spotlight recently, following the government’s last-minute decision earlier this month to pull the plug on a concert here by Swedish black metal act Watain.

Prior to the cancellation, an online petition against the band’s performance had drawn some 17,000 signatories, many of whom said the band’s “Satanic” leanings and anti-Christian lyrics would have a negative impact on our society. Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam weighed in on the issue, saying that allowing the concert to take place would “affect our religious and social harmony”.

‘I still read the Bible every day’

While Foo supports other people’s right to voice their opinions, he cannot relate to the petitioners’ cause. Being a heavy metal fan for decades has not affected his faith, he said.

“I come from a Christian family. My brother serves the church. I still read the Bible every day,” the 44-year-old communication design lecturer told Yahoo News Singapore.

Regarding the so-called Satanic lyrics and antics associated with the genre, Foo considers them to mere theatrics by bands competing to be more “extreme”. When it comes to such acts, Foo stressed that he just listens to the music and doesn’t find their lyrics offensive at all.

“I know where I stand with my faith and when it comes to these (metal acts), I feel a lot of it is mostly acting. I don’t take them too seriously,” he added.

View photos Foo showing off some of the vinyls in his large collection. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) More

Foo has a large vinyl collection including releases by mainstream rock acts such as the Eagles and Oasis. But he has a clear preference for heavy metal, spanning a range of sub-genres including doom, progressive and death. He’s also a proud supporter of homegrown bands and used to play in a hardcore punk band in his younger days.

‘Twisted’ perceptions of metalheads

Although Foo did not plan to attend the Watain concert, he said the controversy surrounding it was blown out of proportion. A number of Foo’s friends are concert organisers and he said that to have a gig cancelled at the last minute meant someone’s earnings were affected.

The negative stereotypes surrounding heavy metal music have also led to “twisted” perceptions of metal fans, Foo noted.

“We don’t go to metal gigs and discuss murdering someone or burning down churches,” he said. “The community of metal fans has always been very tightly knit. When we go to gigs, we catch up with old friends and ask about their families… It’s exactly how normal people do things.”

Asked if he thought music could have a negative impact on society, Foo said, “Music itself, whatever the colour – black, white, pop music – if you take things too seriously, it will affect something. But this applies to all kinds of mediums.

“If you ask me, the internet is the biggest poison in today’s context… So we can’t just always point to metal music when things happen.”

While his wife Jenny doesn’t share his taste in music, Foo said he sees some blossoming interest in his son, Syd.

“Sometimes when I play heavier music, he head bangs along. So I think he doesn’t hate it, which is good. He can inherit all my things,” he said.

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