• Power and Authenticity: Tradition and Transgression in Extreme Metal Music

    Author(s):
    Steven Barnard (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Group(s):
    Cultural Studies, Music Encoding Initiative
    Subject(s):
    Heavy metal (Music)--Instruction and study, Popular music
    Item Type:
    Essay
    Tag(s):
    Popular music, Metal Music Studies, Popular Music Studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/1t0p-7r81
    Abstract:
    Underground 'extreme' styles of heavy metal are marked apart by other sub-genres of metal by their adoption of a punk rock ethos and overt rejection of commercialism. In metal culture being 'true' is a by-word for a perceived authenticity of the artist(s) in their commitment to the culture and integrity as composers/performers. Authenticity is a much discussed and elusive concept in academic studies, traditional existentialist interpretations of the term now sit alongside collective and inter-subjective understandings of the word. The essay argues that extreme metal styles are underpinned by a greater emphasis on individualism in the form of transgressive sub-cultural capital that has in many ways been the driving force of musical innovation in metal music throughout the historical period of 1981-1991. It also be argued that radical individualist notions within extreme metal has led to the rise of scene elitists, flirtations with far right politics and kept the music 'closed' to the wider music industry and public in the pursuit of musical and cultural purity.
    Metadata:
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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