The first issue of Metal Music Studies, which chronicles academic exploration of heavy metal in conjunction with the International Society for Metal Music Studies, awaits your download because the publisher had made it available free online (combi-PDF 7mb).
While many metalheads remain skeptical of academic study of society, the prospect of having orderly study applied to metal carries some benefits in understanding for both metalheads and society at large. So long as this study interprets metal and then develops theories about it, instead of cramming metal into existing theories, it should provide benefits.
In this respect, metal studies walks the same line as commercialism. When bands make music that is both good and popular, few complain; when bands make popular music, and cover it in a skin and aesthetic of metal without adopting the core of what it is to be metal, even the surliest wimps and poseurs begin to feel uncomfortable with the arrangement. Opeth, Cradle of Filth and Pantera, we’re looking at you.
The International Society for Metal Music Studies applies an even-handed and curiosity-driven approach to its metal study and has as a result produced interesting works in the past. As it moves on into the future, we expect more of interest from Metal Music Studies and its authors.
Tags: brian hickam, international society for metal music studies, karl spracklen, metal music studies, nelson, nelson varas díaz, niall scott
Ancient wisdom trumps science once again.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/aristotles-telegony-merit-previous-male-partners-influence-other-120000898.html#mbTuZmz
I studied this deathrap piece, and it appears this guy knows his classics. http://youtu.be/e1xCgxldnWM. Additional studies may reveal what the hell he’s trying to convey.
THIS IS ALL THE METAL STUDIES YOU’LL EVER NEED:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaTlZowS7-s
My favourite abstract:
[i]Two hundred and ten college students were played either a rap or heavy metal version of a song and surveyed to determine lyrical recollection and comprehension of the song’s themes. Students who heard the heavy metal version paid less attention to the song’s themes and had worse lyrical recollection. This data strengthens the argument that heavy metal music has a lesser lyrical stress than rap. Consequently, a ‘gangsta’ heavy metal song is less likely to be repeated, taken to heart and acted upon than a gangsta rap song. This finding offers important support for a non-race-based theory explaining the disproportionality between criticism of gangsta heavy metal music and gangsta rap music.[/i]
This has to be the most unscientific study I have ever seen, by far. There is some good stuff in the rest; the paper on production was stupid, but had interesting data for instance. Most of it seems worthless, though I have not finished it yet. Metal needs postmodern academic exposition by english majors about as much as any art needs it.
Brett-
please add Iron Maiden to the DLA or do a Maiden post of their discography up till 7th Son ! Somewhere in Time is so underrated.
All true, all planned for the future. Backlog at present while I work on something else, hence lower posting frequency.
Are you sure it’s a good idea to include reviews of older bands in the DLA review archive? I think it’s pretty much complete. Even the unnecessary stuff like Ulver has a place (the black metal product). That in conjunction with the FAQ is all one needs. I think an Iron Maiden post would be cool though.
Brett Stevens: why no Obituary in the Ebola World Tour playlist? Turned Inside Out, Infected, Internal Bleeding and Slowly We Rot!
Fixed. Thank you for the suggestion, anonymous Ebola fan!
Don’t forget Body Bag!
I doubt anyone will bother with body bags when the epidemic is in full swing.
One and a half minutes in, in Darkthrone’s “As desertshadows”, where else have I heard that melody?
Damn, how could I forget. It’s lifted from the Children of the Corn soundtrack. Asphyx also used it as an intro in Embrace the Death.
Fuck academia. University fags will totally distort the spirit of metal if given a chance. Even if they aren’t fuckwads, they have no choice but to do this because anything of substance–i.e. something that isn’t mind-numbingly pedantic or doesn’t fit nicely into the box of tricks that came into being from the gay anal orgies of the Chomsky, Dennett, or Nagel types, all of whom stretch sphincters more than they do minds–will be ousted as “ethically objectionable”. And the poor dick-in-ass shmuck that mighta had the testicular fortitude to publish a paper which examines metal, without the obligatory party line ass-play, will be shamed, tarred, and feathered by shabby pedagogues with torches and pitchforks.
Academics in the humanities and social sciences are nothing but affected hipsters struggling to completely internalize the lie, like so many gay men do with rubber fists nightly. Fuck them all.
Somewhere in there is the Cynic biography! About the party line ass-play: Brett Stevens is a nice guy who gets banned from forums by liberal types. Hmmm. This post was perfect. So much truth.
Fuck academia! Fuck them all! Hell yeah. Balls McSuck for President!
Here’s my “experienced” take on this: get a dialogue going with academia on this topic. Can controversial ideas be expressed? And what do we do when they conflict with or contradict ideas adopted by most of academia?
It seems to me that — if you read the titles on recent metal academic publications — they are slowly working their way toward that point. Things must be done cautiously in Adultland. But I am encouraged by what I see, and note that it takes bravery to risk career/friendships/PR in defense of controversial topics.
I’m sure my take on this as an academic is probably unwanted, but I didn’t study English so maybe I’m in the clear. I’m excited to see Metal in academic dialogue, but unfortunately much of it appears to be rehashed supposed sociological studies that have already been done before.
Much of metal has interesting and complex composition and I hope that more music theorists and musicologists become interested in it as a genre for further study and appreciation. It’s also important to remember that some metal musicians do have classical backgrounds and it would be curious to find out how much of that influences their playing and composition.
I will always stand by the stance that Schoenberg can be metal as fuck.
THE ONLY ACADEMIA NEEDED IN METAL IS THE HISTORY OF MY ANCESTORS WRITTEN IN BLOOD AND PRIDE. TORN ASUNDER BY ETERNAL WAR!!! MY PAGAN ANCESTRY FOREVER WILL BURN IN BY HEART.