Abstract: First paragraph from 'Introduction':
<< Heavy metal music – encompassing such subgenres as, for instance, black, dark, death, doom, thrash, and power metal, with its thunderous riffs, pounding drums, and visceral vocals – often evokes images of darkness, evil, crime, rebellion, and aggression, focusing lyrically on “dark and depressing subject matter to an extent hitherto unprecedented in any form of pop music” (Hatch, Millward, 1987, p. 167). However, beneath its loud and ‘evil-like’ exterior lies a rich tapestry of literary influences and themes. The lyrics of heavy metal bands frequently draw inspiration from various literary texts, ranging from classical literature to mythology, folklore, and even modern and postmodern literature. This symbiotic relationship between literary works and heavy metal lyrics – confirming Edward Said’s statement that any type of writing “is not free, nor is it performed uniquely by a sovereign writer who writes more or less as he or she pleases. Writing belongs to a system of utterances that has all sorts of affiliative, often constricting relationships with the world of nations” (2004, p. 24) and other branches of culture and art – not only enriches the music per se but also provides the listeners with a deeper understanding of both art forms. Therefore, it is important to perceive and appreciate this unique interconnectedness between literary texts and lyrics of the songs, as asserted by Nicholas Cook who claims that “music has an extraordinary power of ideological influence. (...) we must learn to understand the importance of music as an essential part of culture, society and ourselves” (1998, p. 138).>>