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Death metal music inspires joy not violence

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Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#81
post #22

I'd like to see a study like this done on members of the Norwegian black metal scene from the early 90s. Because I still can't figure out what the burnings and stuff were about (aside from paganism, I guess), and “TROO” metalheads sound pretty crazy even compared to all the other ‘alternative’ culture aficionados. But generally, of course, this experiment seems like just one bit of a proper comprehensive study.

The way I see it, metal bands in other countries and cultures had a lot of societal issues to channel into their music. Mostly repressive religion, and also political instability in South America, conservatism in the US, the end days and aftermath of the Cold War in Germany and Eastern Europe, just to name a few.

Norway didn't really have much of that. It was (and is) a really safe country, very stable, religion is mostly pretty bland non-offensive Protestantism, most people maintain very ordinary non-spectacular lifestyles.

The 2nd wave black metallers felt completely suffocated by this quiet peaceful existence, so they rebelled against the peace and quiet and tolerance, and took teenage rebellion to absolute extremes, doing whatever they could to frighten the ordinary people.

There were probably also other issues wrapped up in it, I think Dead (Mayhem's lead singer, who killed himself) was depressed or maybe had even deeper issues. These guys felt like outcasts in their own homes, so they acted out.

TROO or TRVE metalheads aren't just in black metal, although I think they are more prevalent there. We have them in every genre, from death to folk to power metal and beyond. There's a drive for some people to identify themselves by the things they like and even more by the things they don't like. Some people just get really wrapped up in something they care a lot about, and music affects us on a very primal level.

Here's a great Defcon talk from Neil Fallon (lead singer of Clutch) about how music tugs at our emotions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVx5Y1OE-KE

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#84
post #44

Some recent favs: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5eQuhBfDE0 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHlZA5OYj2I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WeeMHq3I3Y - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsFM7kj0RII - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ekRLVXIIpw - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlFeOy-I2MY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Qqk_wNFOk

Spectral Voice is really something else, take a listen to Blood Incantation.

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#85

Just to note: Some death-metal bands have positive lyrics[0,1]... (Though, whether they can really be called a death metal band is possibly a point of contention.) [0] - https://youtu.be/lk2-bgwA0Ro [1] - https://youtu.be/Nh10gL_GP_w

Can't mention positivity without linking Lykathea Aflame [0]

[0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IEqf9mo93w

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#87
post #22

I'd like to see a study like this done on members of the Norwegian black metal scene from the early 90s. Because I still can't figure out what the burnings and stuff were about (aside from paganism, I guess), and “TROO” metalheads sound pretty crazy even compared to all the other ‘alternative’ culture aficionados. But generally, of course, this experiment seems like just one bit of a proper comprehensive study.

Burnings where the extreme outliers, maybe like there where some killings in the American hip-hop scene at the same time. Remember that the (black) metal scene in Norway was so large that in the late '90s a black metal band had a song in the national top 20 list for weeks (Satyricon, fuel for hatred). What a handful of persons taking it to the extreme, did do not define the scene

Edit: Don't underestimate the calming effect from death/black metal when writing code

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#88
post #4

Great to see research coming to a conclusion I think most metalheads intuitively know. I love walls of sound, I love intensity that feels like it takes a surplus of cognitive bandwidth (ADHD) and gives it a little bit of resistance to tug against, almost like those various rubber stress toys. I think most metal fans hear lyrical gruesomeness as something between fantasy and a cause for more empathy than anything else…

> Most of the metalheads I know are absolute teddybears. In my music hobby as a guitarist, I've been involved in heavy rock and classic blues bands, played in a classical guitar ensemble, and did some sessions in a jazz setting. More recently I've been guitar tech and roadie for my son who plays in a metal band. By far, the nicest people I have come across have been in the metal scene. I've been invited around to try…

> Most of the metalheads I know are absolute teddybears.

There is a lot of social batesian mimicry in adopting a "vicious metalhead" image (or any other image from a band). I would expect a sexual agressor adopting an innocent "boys-band" image (agressive mimicry in this case), underdogs trying to pose as "I'm richer than you, b*ch", and common people trying to identify him/herselves with a strong badass image or a more exciting life. Admiring the opposite of who you are is in the root of any fandom.

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#89
post #56

The timing of this article feels like it was written in response to Singapore banning a Swedish black metal band from performing at the very last minute. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/watain-black-... https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/watain-concer...

I fly halfway across Japan about every two years for metal concerts in Osaka. Big-name extreme metal acts usually only visit Tokyo & Osaka. About 3-4 years ago Watain was headlining a show. I would have been PISSED, having bought a plane ticket and a hotel, only to find the headline act was cancelled due to some nonsense. \m/>_<\m/

Re: Death metal music inspires joy not violence

#90
post #19
post #4

Great to see research coming to a conclusion I think most metalheads intuitively know. I love walls of sound, I love intensity that feels like it takes a surplus of cognitive bandwidth (ADHD) and gives it a little bit of resistance to tug against, almost like those various rubber stress toys. I think most metal fans hear lyrical gruesomeness as something between fantasy and a cause for more empathy than anything else…

codeine king is very much not rooted in any metal, as a band from the sludgewave era of metalcore/hardcore its a sound rooted in hardcore, codeine king is not metal vctms is a metalcore band jfac is a deathcore band, esp during the doom ep era deathcore being a combination of death metal and metalcore actually, none of the bands you linked are metal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAhrbAK_34w

Yeah, that's totally closer to punk than metal...

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