Brutal Theory: Luciferian Brutalism and cultural critique in extreme metal music

Abstract

Heavy metal is a misunderstood genre of music. It is a music of brutality, of savage extremity in its unrelenting attack that pushes the boundaries of the extreme; it is perceived as a rebellious fad in the lives of young people; it has morphed from the stereotypical and dated connections to the miscreant, unwashed masses to the soundtrack of a new wave of metal fear-mongering in a post-Columbine world in which metal consumption took much of the blame for psychological damage to youth listeners. Fans of metal exist on the margins of society and its mainstream expectations. Metal studies, a burgeoning area of scholarship, has worked to debunk the myths of metal, exposing a strong community that offers positive impacts on listeners and fans of the genre. It has begun to expose this subculture as a place that thrives on its attempts to remain on the outside of mainstream markets despite the continued draw of capitalism, on the fringes, for those who feel no sense of belonging with the popular culture. This research proposes the idea that metal does more than provide a communal space for fans, that it creates – through brutalization – a space within popular culture where it can subvert the mainstream – the conservative cultural center that has established what is considered the acceptable and normative styles of consumption, in short, the popular and common - and offer crucial cultural critique and that this genre of music offers more than a passing fad or a means to anger or scare a conservative establishment. Heavy metal is a subversive style of music, from its sounds to its lyrics to its imagery, and it uses these transgressions to disrupt the normative societal expectations; it is a brutalization of the theory that currently exists, and from this, it is able to create something new and previously unthought.