台灣極端金屬研究 Extreme Metal in Taiwan: An Investigation 研究生 ： 劉逸凱 Student : Damon I-Kai Liu 指導教授 ： 張靄珠 朱元鴻 Advisor : Ivy I-Chu Chang and Yuan-Hung Chu 國立交通大學 外國文學與語言學研究所文學組 碩士論文 A thesis Submitted to Instituted of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics College of Humanities and Sciences National Chiao Tung University In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master In Foreign Literature and Linguistics July 2007 Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China 中華民國九十六年七月 摘要 本文試圖釐清台灣極端金屬音樂的發展脈絡與歷史軌跡。藉由田野調 查與參與觀查的方式，本研究盡量呈現樂手的生活風貌、音樂實踐與 發展上的困難。本文嘗試與本地搖滾論述對話，藉由一個實際上在台 灣相對不被論述重視的樂種，作者藉此探討搖滾樂在台灣發展的文化 形構，以及極端金屬如何在這樣的條件下面對困境並走出自己的路。 因此本文藉由探討裝扮在重金屬的意義、偏差的概念、音樂的挪用與 再現以及台灣極端金屬在極端金屬全球化下的地位。由以上若干環 節，本文作者試圖勾勒出台灣極端金屬一個大概的樣貌。 關鍵字：黑金屬、文化形構、死亡金屬、重金屬、搖滾樂、表演理論。 ii Extreme Metal in Taiwan: An Investigation Student: I-Kai Liu Advisor: Dr. Ivy I-Chu Chang Dr. Yuan-Hung Chu ABSTRACT This paper aims to examine in the first place the developmental history of Taiwanese Extreme Metal. By adopting participant observation as his research method, this author explores the trajectory, stories, musical ideas and personal values of Extreme Metal players in Taiwan. The author begins by concluding the temporal origin of Extreme Metal as well as other related issues such as ideology of Rock, resistance and heterogeneity, influence of cultural industry and strategies of everyday life in the first chapter. The second chapter elaborates issues of drag and players’ performative strategies, with the discussion of performance in general ranging from staged performance to players’ daily life as an alternative kind of social performance, thus leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the magnitude of performance as mentioned by Victor Turner and Richard Schechner. The author goes on to expound the image of deviance imposed on players in the chapter three. By employing the theorists from Howard Becker, Emile Durkheim and Mary Douglas, the author concludes the pressure from educational system and academic inheritance of the study of Rock made the deviance formation possible. The fourth chapter discusses the players’ appropriation and representation of music. The author shows that the strategies of marketing and socio-economic background influence the players’ fame and future career. In fact, a well-designed plan is crucial for their future development. The author explores the role of technology in chapter five, arguing that not only technology is essential in making the Extreme Metal sound, it also stands at the very center of the Extreme Metal authenticity. In this regard, this author assumes that musical authenticity should be multiple rather than single because different types of music require different presentations in order to attain their aesthetic objectives. Keywords: Black Metal, Cultural Formation, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Rock Music, Performance Theories. iii Acknowledgment I have gone through some difficulties throughout this research. There were times that I was obstructed and felt frustrated. This tiny thesis would not be successful were it not for the help from my teachers and friend. I would like to use this chance to thank my advisors Professor Ivy Chang, Yuan-Hung Chu and Chien-Chang Yang for their kind suggestions and invaluable supports. I would also like to thank Anthelion, Chthonic, Disaster, Death, Nuno and other interviewees in the thesis for their time and efforts. I also want to thank my parents for their support. Finally, I would like to thank my other friends and classmates who constantly help and support me. Thank You all guys! iv Table of Contents Chinese Abstract……………………………………………………………………………..........ii English Abstract………………………………………………………………………….iii Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………………….iv Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………...v Index of Charts………………………………………………………………………….viii Index of Pictures………………………………………………………………………...ix Chapter One: Introduction…………………………………………………………1 1.1 The origin of questioning…………………………………………………………1 1.2 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………1 1.2-1 Definition of music……………………………………………………………..4 1.2-2 Historical Background……………………………………………………….....5 1.2-3 Development of Black Metal…………………………………………………...6 1.2-4Themes and concepts of Black Metal…………………………………………………….............................................7 1.2-5 Musical and Performative Characteristics……………………………………..10 1.2-6 Stage Performance elements…………………………………………………...10 1.3 A History of Black Metal in Taiwan……………………………………………...11 1.3-1 Censorship and confrontations………………………………………………...12 1.3-2Politics and commercialization……………………………………………………………………13 1.3-3 Repression and heterogeneity in culture……………………………………….14 1.4 Research Method…………………………………………………………………20 1.4-1Members interviewed in the study……………………………………………………….........................................21 1.5 Other issues explored…………………………………………………………….26 1.5-1 Ideology of Rock……………………………………………………………… 26 1.5-2 Issues of Cultural Industry……………………………………………………..28 1.5-3 Strategies of everyday life…………………………………………………….. 28 Chapter two: Visual Elements in the Performance……………………………….31 2.0 The cultural Significance of Drag and cross-dressing……………………………31 2.1 Drag and cross-dressing in the Metal performance………………………………32 2.2 After ecstasy: Everyday life as alternative performance…………………………36 2.3 Everyday life and scenic involvement……………………………………………45 2.4 The Empowerment of Music……………………………………………………..47 2.5 The Social Empowerment of Music……………………………………………...49 v 2.6 Pathways: The individual practice……………………………………………….51 Chapter Three: Attitude and Behavior-An Inquiry into Deviance……………....55 3.0 Interviews…………………………………………………………………………….55 3.1Cultural Formation and the Musical Grotesqueness………………………………………………………………………72 3.2 Institution and Repulsion………………………………………………………...78 3.3 The “Grotesque”…………………………………………………………………79 3.4 Deviance judgment in an evaluative context…………………………………….83 Chapter Four: Going out and Looking in--appropriation and representation of music…………………………………………………………………………………95 4.1 Themes, aesthetics and intended connotation……………………………………96 4.2 The religious-political representation of Chthonic………………………………96 4.3Anthelion--Marching out: music as other selves ……………………………………………………………………………….101 4.4 Hercules’s musical borrowing--ancient country revealed………………………103 4.5Struggle with the Globalization Process………………………………………………………………………………103 4.6 Disaster’s music: Alien Curse…………………………………………………..104 4.7 Music and its meaning…………………………………………………………..106 4.8 Struggle in progress--Disaster and the tension in musical practice……………..107 “Alien Curse” by Disaster…………………………………………………………..115 Chapter Five: Discussion on technological production………………………….124 5.1 The use of technology in their practice…………………………………………124 5.2 Technical advent and philosophical inquiry: on the cultural significance of synthesizers and electric guitar……………………………………………………...127 5.3Technology and authenticity………………………………………………………………………….134 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….137 Appendix One: Interview Questions……………………………………………..145 Appendix Two: Interviewees List…………………………………………………146 Appendix Three: Research Theses concerning Rock and Underground Music……………………………………………………………………………….147 Appendix Four: Newspaper/Periodicals on the negative impression of Rock during the “Cultural Renaissance Movement” in the 1960s and 1970s…………………………………………………………………..149 Appendix Five: Figures……………………………………………………………158 vi Appendix Six: Band Albums……………………………………………………...163 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………… ….167 vii Index of Charts Chart One: Popular Artists in the 80s……………………………………………....90 Chart Two: Rock Bands in the 80s………………………………………………....91 Chart Three: Rock Bands in the 90s………………………………………………..92 Chart Four: Black, Death, Speed and Thrash Metal bands after 2000……………..94 Chart Five: “Alien Curse” by Disaster…………………………………………….115 viii Index of Pictures Picture one: Interviewee Chthonic......................................................................................................................22 Picture two: Interviewee Disaster………………………………………………………………………………23 Picture three: Interviewee Death……………………………………………………………………………........24 Picture four: Interviewee Anthelion …………………………………………………………………………….25 Picture five: CD cover of Darkthrone………………………………………………..62 Picture Six: CD cover of Sky Burial…………………………………………………62 ix 1 Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 The origin of questioning Extreme Metal (Black Metal and Death Metal) is the most violent music genre developed so far that pushes Heavy Metal to the farthest extreme. Regardless of minor differences, characteristics like bestial shouting, speedy guitar solos and heavy drums make Black/Death Metal the best example of musical violence. Besides music, the images and philosophy of them are also shocking and controversial. For Black Metal, influences from pagan culture and Satanism have caused anti-social crimes like murder and church burning, and thus frighten people. For Death Metal, the violence and gore revealed in the lyrics also incurred incessant attacks on its ill imaginations. However, because Black and Death Metal contain dissident elements not allowed by social establishments, they are loved by specific groups of people, especially teenagers and young adults. In Taiwan, due to different cultural contexts, the development of the genre is staggering and unpromising. People’s distaste for Heavy Metal in the market makes the development of Black/Death metal much slower and more difficult. Generally speaking, the gradual success of Extreme Metal bands in