If you ask metalheads why they love heavy metal music you will get loads of answers: the energy of the music, the intensity, the loudness… But there will also be quite a few who will say that metal saved their life, or keeps them sane. Music is a great coping strategy for many people, but metal in particular has only recently been understood within … Read more
Metal has often been critically reviled, subject to prejudice and persecution. Metal’s pretensions to art are frequently seen as laughable. It’s understandable, therefore, that the first scholars to take an interest in metal, were keen to emphasise its ‘seriousness’ as a genre. Pioneering studies by Deena Weinstein and by Robert Walser, published in the 1990s, … Read more
Borealism is essentially a form of exoticism, building on Edward Saïd’s “orientalism,” a concept detailing how European artistic depictions of African, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures tended to emphasize violence, “primitiveness,” and sensuality. It is one way we define ourselves collectively by defining who we *aren’t*, often with a hefty dose of condescension. Borealism adapts … Read more
Ah nationalism and metal music… There are thousands of examples of groups promoting their history and their culture in the lyrics of their songs by using their national language, on their album covers with beautiful pictures of their landscape, or even in their music by utilizing traditional instruments. For many, simply evoking the equation “metal music + nationalism” raises a lot … Read more
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
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
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 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
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
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