Does Heavy Metal Affect Our Identity?

Music is certainly a part of us. In such a way, as the examples of the patients who suffered brain injuries show, that it seems to be a part of our very biology from birth and is honed more so over time. This, in some way, must have an impact on our very being, our identity as a whole, that it shapes us more than we may realize. This notion of music being impactful to our identity must be explored more before a discussion of how heavy metal affects our identity can be investigated. Music seems to be something that, in most cases, is recognizable as having some form of predictability. We seem to seek a predictable structure, something that we can affirm in introspection. So by listening to music we can practice our ability of introspection,
but trying to understand and predict the music that we are listening to. (Hill, 12).
In Igor Gafarov’s article Heavy Fundamentalism, he talks about Welsch's aesthetisation of reality, the notion that aesthetics that are very deeply rooted (such as art seen every day) can influence the observer’s very perception of reality. He then discusses McIntyre's view that all modern societal ethics, or at least most, are based around emotivism and not really grounded in true moral theory as one would hope it to be. Because of these two things we can discuss the aesthetics of identity. (Hill, 4).
"It such circumstances it seems to me to become possible to speak of the ‘aesthetics of identity’, when the new integral aesthetics that encompasses both the sphere of everyday life, lifestyle and design and the sphere of moral values and societal critique becomes an integrating force for the people with shared aesthetic preferences" – Gafarov (Hill, 4).
This would unite groups, not based on moral beliefs, religious beliefs, or social status, but rather on the aspect of what is aesthetically pleasing. Statements such as 'I listen to x', would now fill the role of identity. They have the ability to explore other cultures and aspects of identity while being in this culture surrounded by the common belief of whatever the aesthetic that brought that culture together was. this is the reason that metal has such a diverse cultural group. Within the metal community there is no real uniform to wear, everyone is free to explore and there is no real authority. It is just that love of metal that binds everyone. (Hill, 4-5).
"Concerts are a celebration of collective cultural unity" (Vsauce 2).
Metal has become its very own genre and has brought about a huge following. It is isolated and separated from the rest of music in many ways. We as a people categorize bands and glue a label to them so we may identify the sound that they are very likely to produce. This is done by society to make the ease of understanding not just what the sound is, but also what the culture might be, from clothing, to gatherings, to the potential of what their everyday life is like (though that very notion of thinking that someone can understand what an individual is like every day is rather difficult to do, to the point of it almost being impossible.) (Walser, 29).
From here we must look at what separates the metal culture, musically, from other forms of musically based culture. It seems to do with not only how the music is written, and the timbre that is produced, but also the very essence of volume and aggression that defines it. We will also explore how it unites people from all over the world under one banner.
Many complaints of metal that I have personally heard is that it is too loud, too aggressive, I can’t understand the lyrics (directed towards bands who use growling vocal techniques), etc. Yet metal is something that holds much technicality to the equivalent of great musical minds of such composers as Johan Sebastian Bach. Around the 1980’s guitarist and metal musicians alike began to turn to classical musical writing for inspiration on how to do their own writing. (Walser, 57).
This genre holds within it not only prestigious technique and practice, but writing and performance. If we look upon metal as music theorists, we can see the very essence of chords, rhythmic structuring, and arpeggiations; within the work we can see inspiration, not thievery, from many famous composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky. It is not just this, but the encompassing of instruments. From using traditional folk instruments and singing techniques from their home countries, found in bands like Eluveitie, Tengger Cavalry, and Chthonic (閃靈), to those who incorporate symphonic orchestras, opera singers, choirs, and instruments that are not normally found within the bounds of the genre itself such as Winterhorde, Septicflesh, and Fleshgod Apocalypse. They not only use these instruments but incorporate the writing styles from folk writing, to jazz and blues, to the classical musical writing. As someone who has personally studied music theory, and has heavily practiced writing and analyzing other bands’ writing I feel I am someone who can say this with certainty. Though not all bands fall into this practice, many bands and musicians within the metal community have chosen to. (Written with inspiration from Walser, Chpt. Three. Eruptions. Heavy Metal Appropriations of Classical Virtuosity, Starts at page 57).
Within the concept of music theory there is a note/chord that is based around the 2nd note of any scale.
This note causes tension because it leads to the tonic (or the main note of that key.) The greatest dissonance occurs right above or below the tonic. This note is used to invoke tension and is an essential part of heavy metal. Without this chord, there would not be the aggressive dynamic nature that is held within it. This chord is not used heavily within music of the classical era, however it can be found heavily within Arabian music. (Hill, 128-129).
Metal is about power and overcoming adversity, and this can be shown in its volume. "The loudness and intensity of heavy metal music visibly empower fans, whose shouting and headbanging testify to the creation of energy at concerts. Metal energizes the body, transforming space and social relations." –Colin A. McKinnon, quote Robert Walser. This level of volume seems to separate it from other genres. (Hill,
113-114). Colin A. McKinnon makes note of Daniel Frandsen who, at the First Global Conference on Heavy Metal, said that the very nature of metal music demanded that it must be played and heard at very loud volumes. The reasoning behind this is due to the nature that much metal is played at a very fast speed with quite a bit of complex technicality behind it, harder to be heard at softer volumes. However this might not be the only reasoning behind the fact that it is listened to at loud volumes. Many of the contributing elements, the subtle nuances within the musical writing itself may be covered up by the loud guitar, vocals, and drums, however at higher volumes, since the nuances are more of a background than a foreground instrument, the nuances can be heard and appreciated more. (Hill, 115). The loudness very much plays to the empowerment of the culture.
To bring about pride and a sense of strength to the listener. Deena Weinstein said it quite clearly, "Loudness is meant to overwhelm, to sweep the listener into the sound, and then to lend the listener the sense of power that the sound provides." (Hill, 115).
Yet it is not just this loudness that provides power to us, it affects us in more ways at once. We can look at our aural sense and see this. Colin, in his article, has a quote which expresses this.
"Loud music transports listeners into another aural space, moving them from the social space of people to the musical space of the performers. Loud music also suppresses the internal space of daydreams, overpowering the inner space of self-generated sounds and pictures, and listeners are only in the space of the musicians. Everything else is gone. Loudness is a space transporter because you become functionally deaf to the immediate environment." (Hill,
115-116).
Listening to metal loudly can cause a sense of thrill and excitement as it overstimulates the brain. This idea of loudness that is promoted within metal music can cause interactions in our brain that many people certainly seek. As we hear loud music, specifically the kind that we enjoy, it begins to over stimulate our neural transmitters. This overstimulation may very well induce a state in the listener that is fundamentally different from their normal one. (Hill, 116-117).