ISMMS

Metal and History w/ Peter Pichler

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Since its earliest days, metal culture has had a deep connection with historical topics. Classic metal songs like Iron Maiden’s ‘Alexander the Great’ (about the historical figure) as well as ‘Invaders’ (dealing with the Nordic invasion of Britain in the middle ages) or Judas Priest’s ‘The Ripper’ (about ‘Jack the Ripper’) are meant to take their listeners back in time to earlier … Read more

Metal and Gender w/ Amanda DiGioia

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When I entered the Tavastia Club in downtown Helsinki, I immediately noticed what appeared to be a mother-daughter duo watching the main act. During a brief chat, they confirmed that yes, they were mother and daughter, and were curious as to what I was doing in Finland. When I said that I wanted to do … Read more

Metal and Sexual Violence w/ Rosemary Lucy Hill

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THE PROBLEM OF GIG GROPING, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT Trigger warning: sexual violence It’s such a long time since I’ve been to a gig:  COVID-19 has significantly restricted the in-person live music scene. It makes me wistful for gigs past. But there are some things I don’t miss: that tall bloke always in front of me, sweaty hair in … Read more

Metal and Musicology w/ Lewis Kennedy

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METAL AND MUSICOLOGY   Lewis Kennedy    Metal music studies is an academic field that draws upon and engages a variety of disciplines and methodologies, including musicology (incorporating music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, performance, production, reception, etc.). As a musicologist studying metal, I focus on music as the locus of meaning for metal culture. In other words, I consider music as … Read more

Extreme Sounds Studies – New Series

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EXTREME SOUNDS STUDIES GLOBAL SOCIO-CULTURAL EXPLORATIONS A SERIES EDITED BY NIALL SCOTT, NELSON VARAS-DÍAZ, AND BRYAN BARDINE ABOUT THE SERIES: Music and sound do not take place in a social vacuum. They manifest themselves, and are a reflection of, particular social contexts. They are grounded in geographies, people’s lived experiences, and specific events. Therefore, when … Read more

The Child in Metal Music w/ Ruth Barratt-Peacock

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THE BEAST UNDER YOUR BED: THE CHILD IN METAL MUSIC  Ruth Barratt-Peacock    “She said that childhood was a frightening time and that hearing scary stories was a way of feeling less alone” – Kate Morton, The Clock Maker’s Daughter (2018)    The combination of children and heavy metal has prompted widespread panic from the beginning. Now, over four … Read more

New Executive Board Position – Webmaster

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The International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS), the only professional organization for metal music scholars, is pleased to announce we are looking to add a Webmaster to our Executive Board. The webmaster will manage, construct, and maintain the ISMMS website and its interface with the society’s other online profiles across social media.  This will … Read more

Drone Metal Mysticism with Owen Coggins

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DRONE METAL MYSTICISM: THE POWER OF HEAVY SOUND ON BODIES AND LANGUAGE  Owen Coggins    Despite writing a PhD thesis and a book about it, I’m not totally convinced that ‘drone metal’ exists. Some people use other genre terms for the music I’m talking about, drone doom, just drone, or power ambient sometimes. It’s connected to avant-garde … Read more

Metal and Literature w/ Charlotte Doesburg

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METAL AND LITERATURE  Charlotte Doesburg    As a metalhead, you have probably heard songs about Odin, Thor and other gods of Norse mythology. But have you heard of Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen, or Ilmarinen? The funny thing is, you probably have heard the stories of these characters from Finnish mythology in the lyrics of songs, but you might not have been aware of it.   Finnish metal … Read more