After reading chapters 1 and 2 of Extreme Metal I find that my knowledge of metal music ends with Metallica, Megadeath, Exodus, etc and the 1980’s and early 1990’s. With that being said I find that as I read into the more extreme versions of metal I am becoming more aware of a scene that I always knew existed but never became affiliated with.
What struck me most in the reading is the constant struggle within extreme metal to be a part of a scene but at the same time not conforming to any set of rules or norms. The whole point of extreme metal, black metal or death metal, is to live outside the norms of society. But as I continued reading I found that to be a member of the extreme metal scene means that you need to conform to some sort of norm to fit in. This ranges from the style of clothing worn, the type of hair style that is acceptable, the makeup that is worn, to the style of music being played along with the lyrical content being sung. I am very curious to see where the reading goes in explaining how this balance, or tension, plays out in the extreme metal scene because if you take a look at the scene itself, there is definitely a code and a community that exists, but at the same time the scene itself is advocating neo-individualism and separation from all norms of society. Perhaps with further reading I will come closer to an answer.
Also I would like to point out that the concepts of power and control are paramount in the extreme metal scene. I think that the musical style of playing says it all. To an outsider the sound of death or black metal may just sound like noise. But to the members in the scene or to the trained ear the music is extremely controlled. As pointed out on page 31 through 34, the music is pushed to its limit as far as speed, intricacy, and volume is concerned but it is always controlled. But as I think about it more in depth I find another paradox. If extreme metal, especially the lyrics, is all about no limits, extremes, anarchy, and the acting on animal/primal impulses; then how can bands and scene members be so dedicated to the ridged structure of the music? It seems as if extreme metal is bipolar in nature. The music on one hand is very controlled and exists within certain acceptable parameters (meaning no 10 minute freestyle jam during a live show), but at the same time the lyric content contains disturbing issues such as murder, rape, death, suicide, torture, etc. But then again, perhaps the lyrics are forced to exist within the same parameters as the music. Would it be very black/death metal to do a metal song with lyrics like “your body is wonderland”?
Ultimately I am fascinated with how extreme metal can advocate for no rules, norms, or boundaries, but at the same time the genre is considerably tied down by rules, norms, and boundaries. It will be fun to see how this plays out.
No comments:
Post a Comment