Functions of Gore

[Reginald Gillette]

Functions of Gore

Within Metal, how do gore-oriented lyrics function, both for the artist and the listener?

I'm curious because it just seems gross and degenerate.  From Infester "Braded into Palsy":

"Licking and taunting naked flesh,
Repulsive ebony skin.
Now destroy this bastard...
Sword to the neck...
Cast in blood.
... Fingering the feces from the anus...
Braded into palsy.
Tedious chopping... Tedious chopping.
Opening the stomach wall
Searching for cancerous sores
I love violating her ass
And drowning in oceans of diarrhea"

Is it a Nihilistic, Romantic revelry in total entropy?
Maybe this particular song symbolizes an overturning of all taboos: sex, interracial sex, murder, coprophilia, mutilation, maybe even a whiff of racism.
Is gore just SIIIIIIIIICK and bad-ass?

Slayer "Angel of Death" is about as far as I can go with the bodily invasions.

[indjaseemun]

It's realistic when done in simphonies of sickness because if I remember it does not describe torture, like this one. This one is just... I don't know, cruelty. Anyway it's also realistic because some people do this stuff.

[Reginald Gillette]

Is it truly realistic?>>>violating an ass and drowning in oceans of diarrhea?
"Symphonies of Sickness" seems to mainly describe fucking cadavers, which is realistic if not common.

But I'll grant you that these are realistic.
Is mere realisticness a function of gore?
Do you--dear reader--enjoy gory lyrics for their realism?

[Athanasius contra mundum]

Hedonistic poetry mocks social taboos, and in essence mocks the idea of a universal standard. The fact that someone is horrified because you mock an idea, and does not merely have a physical reaction to the situation, that is what is being mocked. When we mock such things, we praise life as it is, and betray a desire to form the ideal around life itself, not around what is purely relevant to human beings. I know you may think that there are better mediums for the idea, but the point of art is not to convince someone that what is being mocked is wrong, or that the mockery itself is right. The art is merely attempting to communicate the mockery, and its subtle implications, itself. The listener is left with the decision of what is wrong or right, that's a consequence of art being clear in its message, but maintaining moral ambiguity.

[Reginald Gillette]

Hedonistic poetry mocks social taboos, and in essence mocks the idea of a universal standard. The fact that someone is horrified because you mock an idea, and does not merely have a physical reaction to the situation, that is what is being mocked.

Erosion,
So gory lyrics mock universals, and they mock a person's horror at the mocking of universals?

This sounds suspiciously like Leftist performance art.

To those of you who are deep into gore lyrics, have they led you to awakenings about taboos and morality?

I really want to get this.  I just don't get it, yet.

[Athanasius contra mundum]

Hedonistic poetry mocks social taboos, and in essence mocks the idea of a universal standard. The fact that someone is horrified because you mock an idea, and does not merely have a physical reaction to the situation, that is what is being mocked.

Erosion,
So gory lyrics mock universals, and they mock a person's horror at the mocking of universals?

This sounds suspiciously like Leftist performance art.

To those of you who are deep into gore lyrics, have they led you to awakenings about taboos and morality?

I really want to get this.  I just don't get it, yet.

Except leftist performance art has a political agenda it is attempting to validate, diminishing its quality as art. Nice troll though.

[Reginald Gillette]

Except leftist performance art has a political agenda it is attempting to validate, diminishing its quality as art.

Okay, I'm with that, I see the difference.

Erosion, I'm surprised you assume I'm a troll.  I'm sincerely curious about this subject, and came here looking to toss about some ideas with people more into gore than I.  Shoulda known I'd be getting clowned by college boys or whatever.

[Athanasius contra mundum]

Except leftist performance art has a political agenda it is attempting to validate, diminishing its quality as art.

Okay, I'm with that, I see the difference.

Erosion, I'm surprised you assume I'm a troll.  I'm sincerely curious about this subject, and came here looking to toss about some ideas with people more into gore than I.  Shoulda known I'd be getting clowned by college boys or whatever.

It was a light-hearted comment, friend. Pardon the lack of tone unfortunately common in forum posts.

[asphyx666]

Do you--dear reader--enjoy gory lyrics for their realism?

There's nothing realistic about 'Symphonies...' if you take it literally (like all the dipshit porno / gore-grind bands do), but the notion of intimacy with the grotesque and disgusting in this case enables the listener to view reality from the "unbiased" or nihilistic vantage point, which is realism to the core.  On top of this, Carcass reeked of absurd comedy, kind of like a certain society of underground nihilists...

[sofiana]

Did anybody here watch "Playng with dolls" DVD of Slayer ?

[Humanicide]

Here's my take on it.

Gore functions as something which is taboo to most of society. While in nature it is something that is commonplace, modern society has damn near removed itself entirely from nature. It's something no longer witnessed really to most people. A butcher, a soldier, an abortion doctor, a surgeon, these people may be used to gore on a daily basis, but your average schmuck isn't. So when a band tackles dismemberment, disembowelment, evisceration, autopsies, and other tasty subjects, I think it's partially a desire to shock and also a desire to expose humans as the fragile creatures that we are.

On a related note, I can't resist a well done slasher/zombie flick.

[Straker]

Gore and carnage resonate in our hindbrains just like a sexy women does -- hardwired essentially -- albeit the sensation is different in most people. Not me, though... I get a throbbing erection just catching a whiff of carrion.

[Leperchaun]

Gore functions as something which is taboo to most of society. While in nature it is something that is commonplace, modern society has damn near removed itself entirely from nature. It's something no longer witnessed really to most people. A butcher, a soldier, an abortion doctor, a surgeon, these people may be used to gore on a daily basis, but your average schmuck isn't. So when a band tackles dismemberment, disembowelment, evisceration, autopsies, and other tasty subjects, I think it's partially a desire to shock and also a desire to expose humans as the fragile creatures that we are.

-Indeed. A human living in a developed country is in absolutely unique habitat(compared to all other animals) as he virtually never sees dead individuals of his own species(except through pictures/video). When observing the matter from this perspective, death metal lyrics(at least those of Autopsy) seem very profound. This alienation is also a reason for the increase of popularity of vegetarianism(the denial that killing & eating animals is innate for humans).

[Wolfgang]

Gore had conceptual value initially, but was quickly commandeered by scrawny dumbdicks and beaten into absurdity by the porno and goregrind genres which are simply ways for miscreants to compensate for feelings of inadequacy towards women.

[Parasite]

Gore had conceptual value initially, but was quickly commandeered by scrawny dumbdicks and beaten into absurdity by the porno and goregrind genres which are simply ways for miscreants to compensate for feelings of inadequacy towards women.

I agree, that has to be one of the lowest lamest concepts you could possibly write a song about. Classic example "Devourment".