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Writer's pictureKepala Seni
Nov 9, 20205 min read

The Stigma of Metal Music

Written by Eric Emmanuel

Edited by Amal Murni


Metal music- Heard of it? Love it? Hate it?


This genre of music is kind of like pineapple on a pizza - it’s either you like it or you don’t.

Regardless of your personal preferences, this is not the case for the general society’s point of view on metal music.


Let’s dive into the world of metal music, its stigma and how we can understand it better.


What is Metal music?


Here at Kepala Seni, we are aiming to give more insights to the metal universe through articles and hopefully, through videos as well.


By definition, metal music is:-


“A loud, aggressive style of rock music. The bands who play heavy-metal music usually have one or two guitars, a bass and drums. In some bands, electronic keyboards, organs, or other instruments are used. Heavy metal songs are loud and powerful-sounding, and have strong rhythms that are repeated.”


The Origin and Pioneers of Metal Music


Black Sabbath


Originating in the 1960’s and 1970’s, bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motörhead have given birth, solidified and defined one of the most controversial forms of music known to mankind - Metal. Similar to kinds of music, Metal was formed by an influence of deafening sounds experienced by white working class individuals in industrial areas.


“With the emergence of Black Sabbath, the “first” heavy metal band, the mythos of metal started to solidify. Black Sabbath’s origins in the British industrial city of Birmingham were taken to be a core factor in their sound – heavy, chugging riffs and thunderous drums echoed the bleak repetition of factory floors and deafening manufacturing conditions.”

Why is there a Stigma Associated with Metal music?


Trying to identify the roots of what exactly caused this prejudice towards the genre may not be less of a simple task. All throughout history, comments like ‘it’s just noise’, ’simplicity = not real music’ and ‘it’s the root of evil doings’, have been thrown around in regards to metal music. Perhaps, you might have even heard of some of these statements in your daily lives be it from friends or family members or even the establishment, especially if you’re a fellow metalhead.

Metal may be labeled as music for outcasts, rebels of social norms and the fact that metal music was used as an outlet to address sensitive political topics doesn’t exactly contribute to giving it a good reputation.


Cop Killer by Body Count


Admittedly, songs like ‘Cop Killer’ by Body count, 1992 was used as a form of protest - in this case, against police brutality. As you can guess, it was definitely not something the authorities were fond of. The song not only attracted the attention of the public but also the interest of the American President and VP at the time due to its unfiltered nature. The track along with the records that hosted it was subsequently withdrawn from the market and later re-released without the mentioned track.


There are several other metal songs that raised controversies over the decades. This single fact about metal music might as well be the major contributing factor to the existence of the stigma.


Effects of The Stigma


The common notion of non-metal music listeners is that metal music is just a bunch of noise. This undermines the talent of artists who are deeply immersed in metal music.


"Furthermore, proving that metal music doesn’t generate anger but release it can be tough because the genre itself as well as its listeners are quickly judged and misunderstood for what the music truly means."

To add, the positive contributions of metal music is also greatly overlooked by most people. Metalheads constantly point out how this type of music truly helped their mental health in spite of the ‘grim exuberance’ that metal exudes.


Overcoming The Stigma


The reality is, metal music may not be what a fraction of the earth’s population think it is. The negative connotations associated with it can be abolished with education, awareness, and action.


"Modern metal bands are acknowledged in their efforts to overcome the stigma by contributing back to society especially in regards to mental health issues."

An excellent example would be the band, Bring Me the Horizon. They’ve used their music as an outlet to express negative emotions in a healthy way. Their entire album ‘That’s the Spirit’ is dedicated to self-acceptance and “celebrating” the negative aspects of life.



“Trying to see the bright side of the dark side”, As Oliver Sykes, the band’s vocalist described the album’s purpose in an interview with Aggressive Tendencies.


“You can’t cast a shadow without the sun. You can’t be truly happy if you weren’t truly sad”, was the opening remarks to the same interview.


He also opens up about his drug addiction and his emotional grief, which makes the album so relatable to fans that want to release their pent up emotions. In fact, studies have shown that a little head banging to metal music is indeed good for our mental health.


Source: here


Based on Rowe and Guerin's article (2018), the representation of metal identities as leading to mental health issues are popular but backed up with faulty evidence. Through their research, they have documented the community contexts around this specific genre and the well‐being by talking directly to young metalheads. They have conducted repeated informal interviews with 28 Australian youths (aged 18-24 years; 5 females and 23 males) who strongly identified with metal, and uncovered the fact that the 'metal identities' and community protected them from mental health problems.


Four core themes were found from transcripts:


  1. They were all bullied or marginalised through social relationships at school;

  2. They enjoyed the impact of metal music and lyrics when angry or ostracised;

  3. They felt part of a protective community of metal heads, even though in many cases at this age it was more imagined than real;

  4. Embodying metal identities enabled them to keep bullies, detractors, and others at bay, and to find friend groups.


"By constantly talking directly with young metalheads, it was found that metal identities were helping participants to survive the stress of challenging environments and build strong and sustained identities and communities, thus alleviating any potential mental health issues," (Rowe & Guerin, 2018).


Thus, based on research, metal music should not be condemned by what it appears to be but rather, understood for what it truly is because in its entirety, it is art. Although art is subjective, and open to interpretations, the fact of the matter is that it is an outlet for expression in which in most cases can be extremely therapeutic. Despite the in-your-face aggression, "noise" and demeanour - metal, like any other music has helped millions of people, and shouldn't that be something we should acknowledge?





Sources:



Contextualising the mental health of metal youth: A community for social protection, identity, and musical empowerment: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcop.21949








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