None-More-Black: Musings On Metalheads

(Belated) Introductory Post

2009-05-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

And I realised I forgot to include an introductory post. Basically my blog explores subcultural theory relating to the performers, fans, music and most importantly subculture of heavy metal. As a fan I hope to be able to appreciate different perspectives about the music I enjoy.

2009-05-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

The reference for my blog "Alienation And The Mosh Pit" was:

Arnett, Jeffry. "Three Profiles of Heavy Metal Fans: A Taste For Sensations and a Subculture of Alienation" Qualitative Sociology 16.4. (1993)

Research Blog: Alienation And The Mosh Pit

2009-05-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

I can recall my last concert, which was Slipknot late last year. It was my second concert, my first had been Iron Maiden at the beginning of the year which, for a metal fan, is one hell of a starting point. But that was at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and I was in the nosebleed section. Slipknot was much more intimate, there were about 2000 people packed in at Riverstage and it was the first time I’d ever been in a mosh pit (coming from a small rural area in Far North Queensland, metal gigs are virtually nonexistent) and I lost my shoes, had the crap kicked out of me in the circle pit and had one of the most exhilarating times of my life.

I’m not going to go on about just my own personal experiences though. In my previous blog I looked at the idea of masculinity in heavy metal. I concluded that although hyper-masculinity reflects the male fan's desire for power and dominance, it does not necessarily exclude female fans. That said, I’d like to use the mosh pit that I participated in at the Slipknot concert as an example of exclusion that does exist in the heavy metal subculture.

On the surface it seemed that participating in the mosh pit was dependent on one’s own regard for their personal safety. However, my detailed recollection limits participants in the mosh pit at the Slipknot concert to:

Approx. 300 white, young males
1 white old guy who everybody avoided
2 white, young females (one who looked like she could beat up Shrek and the other clinging onto her boyfriend for dear life)
1 young, asian male (not sure why)

All others present at the concert restricted themselves to the hill. To me this says that clearly the mosh pit represents exclusion in heavy metal and based on these numbers there is evidence to suggest that the mosh pit promotes exclusion based on age, gender and race. Despite this I believe there may be something more subtle about the demographic of the mosh pit. Rather than being based on exclusion, I think the mosh pit represents one's level of involvement in the subculture. The problem is, measuring levels of involvement in a subculture is almost entirely subjective. One study I read had an interesting hypothesis: involvement in the subculture varies according to the depth of alienation (Arnett, 1993).

This study profiles three fans of heavy metal and links their alienation from society to their commitment to the heavy metal subculture. Arnett found that the fan experiencing the most alienation was 'deeply committed to the subculture' (Arnett, 1993) whereas the fan who experienced little to no alienation was 'essentially outside the subculture' (Arnett, 1993). The three profiled all enjoyed and were fans of heavy metal but their values and lifestyle reflected their alienation.

Applying this hypothesis to the mosh pit at the Slipknot concert is simple. Young, white males dominated the pit because they are deeply alienated and have rejected wider society. They identify most with Slipknot's music which touches on similar themes (the album they were touring was called "All Hope Is Gone"). Because of this connection, young, white males are more willing to participate in the subculture and activities like the mosh pit. The concert goers on the hill were still fans of Slipknot but being female and older they do not experience the same amount of alienation from society as young, white males and therefore are only casually involved in the subculture and only casually involved at the concert.

That's my explanation. It certainly isn't definitive and is still quite subjective but I feel it can be justified. Evaluating the Slipknot concert reveals that the mosh pit isn't exclusionary, rather, the alienation people feel leads them to exclude themselves from the heavy metal subculture.

Hope that makes sense.

Research Blog: Heavy Metal and Masculinity

2009-05-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here’s a wild goose chase for you: find a female fan of heavy metal. I guarantee you will probably be able to find the Loch Ness Monster before you find a headbanger of the fairer sex they are that rare. Perhaps I exaggerate, there probably are more female fans of heavy metal out there than I account for but clearly they are a minority. Heavy metal is undisputedly a male-dominated subculture. Everything about metal just screams masculinity: hedonism, sex, evil, power, loud guitars, lots of shouting, mosh pits. There is little about heavy metal that would appeal to a conventional female. My mission in this blog is to explain why this is so.

The clearest indication of the dominance of the Y chromosome in heavy metal is the performers themselves. As Walser (1993) asserts “visually metal musicians typically appear as swaggering males leaping and strutting about the stage… punctuating their performances with phallic thrusts of guitars and microphone stands”. The fervent worship that heavy metal fans bestow upon the performers is in my view and Walser’s view as well, because they represent the power and masculinity that the fans desire to exude, but due to their lack of social, physical and economic power are unable to do so.

So basically the poor, the nerdy, the downtrodden, and even just regular guys consume and perform heavy metal as a way of affirming their masculinity. It appeals to them by allowing them to escape to a fantasy world where signifiers of power aren’t wealth, an imposing physique and high social status but guitars, long hair and extreme volume. It sounds kind of ludicrous but I think this is true at a very deep level of subconsciousness.

One of the best examples of masculinity in metal are American heavy metal band Manowar, who oil themselves up and don loincloths in homage of Nordic Gods. The images of freedom, excess and adventure employed by Manowar are part of their hyper-masculinity according to von Helden (2008). Also the image of strong male warriors who defend their homes and families and fight bravely is promoted widely in heavy metal music (von Helden, 2008).

I found that although heavy metal is flowing with testosterone and masculinity it is not exclusively a genre for males. While it undoubtedly appeals most to men, there are female heavy metal performers embracing similar images of power and masculinity. Take for instance Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. If you didn’t know the band you wouldn’t know that it was a woman shrieking and death-growling – I didn’t even know a woman could make those noises. Despite her feminine appearance, Gossow is the undoubted leader of her band and her masculine delivery makes her a form of tomboy. It is any wonder that there aren’t more bands with female singers like Arch Enemy, after all, if heavy metal is about empowerment then it could be a very effective feminist tool.

In the 21st century, heavy metal is still a predominantly masculine subculture, with themes and imagery that subconsciously reflects the male fan’s desire for power and dominance. It does not exclude women entirely as evidenced by female fronted metal bands, however the masculine aspects still remain. This thirst for power and masculinity is, as I believe, what has propelled the heavy metal subculture to a global level. Heavy metal is a music for the masses: the underclass and the 'normal' that it empowers.

Walser, Robert."Running With The Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music" Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 1992.

von Helden, Imke. "Barbarians and Literature: Viking Metal and Its Links To Old Norse Mythology". Diss. Albert-Ludwigs University (2008)

Research Blog: Heavy Metal And (Lack Of) Cultural Capital

2009-05-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

Heavy metal isn’t a cool genre anymore, I know that much. Seems I know absolutely nobody who is even remotely interested in the genre. It might have been nice to live in the 80’s when heavy metal was last considered a cool genre of music but these days it’s hard to be a metal fan and be taken seriously. If you don’t listen to the latest crop of god-awful indie bands or electro nonsense then you’re just not cool. I bought tickets to AC/DC this morning and was probably the most excited I’ve ever been. When I told my mates that I’d finally snared tickets the general response was ‘AC/DC are shit, they’re for bogans, Splendour In The goddamn Grass will be better because Bloc Party are headlining’ – you get where this is going.

It got me thinking, why is heavy metal seen as a lesser genre? Surely it takes plenty of talent to play, it has survived four decades where other genres have faltered. What is it about heavy metal that people are content to look down their noses at? The idea of cultural capital has been thrown around class lately and I thought this would explain why heavy metal isn’t cool.

Most of the complaints I’d heard were that heavy metal was ‘too loud’. But this didn’t make sense to me because indie music can also be loud and obnoxious. As most who study cultures concur that some forms of cultural consumption serve as markers of social status (Weber, 1968), it seemed obvious that these harsh criticisms of heavy metal and it’s culture stem from the rather elitist belief that those who consume heavy metal culture are of a different, lesser social status than those who consume culture with a higher level of cultural capital.

Still, this doesn’t explain why heavy metal doesn’t have much in the way of cultural capital. What I considered the best explanation for this was that the symbolism and ideologies that bind the heavy metal subculture together are the main source of criticism for its detractors. As Weinstein (1991) demonstrates, heavy metal music generates community and solidarity among fans while sending an unmistakeable message to its detractors. This is probably the best interpretation of one of heavy metal’s strongest ideologies: we love metal, if you don’t get it, fuck off!

It is this attitude, in my opinion, that has kept metal going for as long as it has. By rejecting the taint of mainstream that killed (or at least radically altered) other subcultures like punk and grunge, heavy metal has been able to thrive and develop as a subculture since its inception in the 70’s. On the whole however, a standpoint such as this can be interpreted as being largely antisocial and doing little to endear heavy metal to the hearts of the highly cultured. Thus heavy metal and its fans in particular are considered of a lesser social status.

Furthermore, the symbolism of heavy metal has also strained its relationship with the mainstream. It really doesn’t matter how much talent it takes to shred guitar, when you write a song that has the lyrics:

Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse you of your life

That’s Angel Of Death by Slayer, a song about Josef Mengele the Nazi ‘angel of death’ of the holocaust. As a metal fan I can understand that the song was written not to glorify the holocaust but to lament the horrors of war. To someone unfamiliar with the culture and symbolism of heavy metal however, this song would sound frightening and offensive. ‘Satanic’ symbolism such as pentagrams, devil horns, the number 666, and references to the devil have also done the cultural capital of heavy metal no favours.

By using images commonly associated with evil and the occult, heavy metal has ensured that it is the North Korea of music genres: the majority of people believe it is evil but the culture and its fans don’t really care. In a study by Bryson (1996) it was found that heavy metal was the most disliked out of eighteen different genres of music. The same study found that the average education of respondents claiming to like heavy metal was the lowest of any genre in front of Bluegrass (who woulda gosh darn thunk it) but that those who dislike the most genres had the highest level of education.

This is a clear example of those of higher education and therefore higher social status rejecting what they see as inferior or uncultured music. Perhaps this proves that there is a link between education and musical tastes but as far as I’m concerned I’m a uni student and I still love metal, so call me an aberration if you will but in the words of Manowar: They can’t stop us, let them try. For heavy metal we will die!

References.

Bryson, Bethany. “Anything But Heavy Metal: Symbolic Exclusion and Musical Dislikes” American Sociological Review 61.5 (1996) 884-899

Weber, Max. “Economy And Society” Berkley, California: University Of California Press (1968).

Weinstein, Deena. “Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology” New York: Lexington (1991)

“Angel Of Death” by Slayer can be found on the album “Reign In Blood”, distributed by Def Jam (1986)

“Die For Metal” by Manowar can be found on the album “Gods Of War”, distributed by Magic Circle Music (2007)