Like many young metalheads, I dreamed of being in a badass metal band of my own one day, touring the world playing to thousands of fans. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t naïve enough to think I’d become some overnight success rock star, I was only naïve enough to think I’d achieve any success as a musician whatsoever, especially since I never rehearsed.
My name is Ian Brennan and I am a metalhead. I discovered metal music at 12 years old when I heard the song “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath in the trailer for the movie Iron Man. I became hooked and dove down the metal rabbit hole, with my tastes expanding to more subgenres as the years progressed.
Once I had given up on that fantasy, I decided my contributions to the metal scene would be limited to that of a fan: listening to albums, attending concerts, watching band interviews, and buying obscene amounts of merch. That satisfied me for a while, but because of several months without concerts thanks to the lockdowns, I decided that it was not enough for me to be a fan. I had to create something of my own, and if I couldn’t have my own real life band, I’d create a fictional one. The product was “Surrounded by Poseurs.”
