The Thematical and Stylistic Evolution of Heavy Metal Lyrics and Imagery from the 70S to Present Day
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1 Jeroen Buts Master Engels The Thematical and Stylistic Evolution of Heavy Metal Lyrics and Imagery From the 70s to Present Day Master scriptie Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte Promotor: Prof. Dr. Gert Buelens 2 Prologue You cannot make me feel guilty/ I don't give a shit about respect I won't join your moral masturbation/ I'm the prodigal son gone off the tracks You cannot make me feel sorry/ I don't give a damn about your pride I'm the cat-piss on your carpet/ The last crushing thought before you die Don't fit in your picture Don't fit in your world Don't match all the lies you feed your kids Feel no loyalty/ This deal was made without me Sure I never signed it/ Your contracts don't apply to me I'll fuck your dog/ Do you still wanna get along with me? I'd rape your daughter/ On payment of a small fee I'll fuck your dog/ Do you still wanna get along with me? I'd rape your daughter/ How much would you pay? (“Dead Serious and Highly Professional”, The Ocean) If someone were to tell you, dear reader, that heavy metal is just a louder, faster and more formulaic version of that popular musical genre which defined the late 70s, called hard rock, that someone would probably be wrong. The above lyric contains several elements which indicate just how incomplete such a statement would be. Most importantly, it divides those who read it almost instantly: a metal fan, even if his taste is for a different subgenre of metal, will recognize a specific quality in this text. Someone who does not at least occasionally enjoy listening to metal music, try as he will, can not recognize this element. This is not a underestimation, it is a simple fact. Reasons for it lie in the subculture that this music has created and the self- and other induced isolation from hegemonic culture it has adopted. Stereotyping further simplified and blurred the understanding of most western people towards the “metalhead” world, and the reaction of both musicians and fans, which was to criticize and shock main stream cultural sensibilities, also helped a great deal in promoting the dismissal and disapproval metal music has faced over the decades of its existence. First of all, the above text is shocking, for the simple reason that it directly threatens violence, and depending on which side you stand on, and if you are capable of looking beyond its graphic and 3 shocking language and grasping its expressive and implied subtext, you will still either identify with the sender, or the receiver of this rhetorical communication. Of course, dear reader, you might state yourself as being on neither side, as neutral, objective, unbiased, and of course, you could be right. Metal subculture holds no initiations, it has no rites of passage, and no one will tell you that you are, or are not capable of understanding the essence of metal lyricism. Indeed, even if you have never experienced the joy of banging your head to a thunderous rhythm, you might still be able to look past the R-rated vocabulary, and recognize that the lyric suggests a form of moral criticism in its first lines. And even if you have never raised a hand forming the devil sign, you might be able to analyze the lines “how much would you pay” as a stab at consumerism, or the graphic violence as inherited from death and gore metal. And even if you have never recognized a black band T-shirt someone was wearing and so doing recognized a kindred spirit, you might still conclude that this lyric is a denouncement of hegemonic culture as hypocritical and materially obsessed. Unfortunately, however, no one who lives in this world is a tabula rasa, and our first reaction to anything we perceive or read is to a great extent determined by our background and upbringing. Therefore, if you have never done or experienced any of the above, and have never been a part of metal subculture, you will not, at first at least, experience the feeling of empowerment and recognition that this lyric gives to the true metalhead. What is to follow then, is bound to be an imperfect attempt at explaining the essence of metal lyricism: the immense vastness of metal’s web of subgenres and sister genres aside, analyzing the influences and themes which have been present throughout nearly 40 years of metal music, hardly seems sufficient to explain the fascination and the dedication of metal’s fan base. Nevertheless, by laying bare the intricate connections and explorations between the lyricism of metal’s various subgenres, I hope to bring the layman closer to grasping just what an intriguing and unexpectedly complex lyrical movement lies hidden behind the oversimplified stereotype. That I had the opportunity to even make such an attempt, is entirely the merit of prof. Gert Buelens, to whom I am greatly indebted, and I would like to express my sincere appreciation for his 4 patience and especially his open mindedness, which is a perfect example of the openness and creative spirit of the English Literature Department. Endless gratitude must also befall my parents, whose support and understanding have guided me through my entire academic career, and whose example I one day hope to follow. I also wish to thank all my friends and co-students, who have by their encouraging words and their interest in my work supported me more than they know, as well as my sister Sarah and her boyfriend Roman, for keeping me laughing, and my good friend Griet Vantieghem for her endless patience, kindness and tolerance. I am further indebted to Nele Scheerlink, for introducing me to black metal and lending me her copy of “Moby Dick” for so long, as well as the people of student society Filologica, especially for the endlessly useful forum which has answered so many questions, and Geert Borremans for his “Metal Genealogy Map”, which has been a very useful tool for maintaining oversight. Last but not least, I am endlessly grateful to the man who gave me this map, Kwinten Colpaert, who has literally been a solid rock of support throughout this whole ordeal, as well as a source of musical inspiration and a great friend. 5 Table of Contents 0. Introduction 7 0.1 “Metalheads”: A Never Ending Culture 11 0.2 Themes of Metal Culture: A Preliminary Scan 13 1. Early Metal 17 1.1 Early Metal: Topic Development 20 1.1.1 The Invention of the Thriller/Horror Song: Black Sabbath 21 1.1.2 Black Sabbath 23 1.1.3 Judas Priest 25 1.2 Early Metal’s Take on the Times: Hard Rock Topics with a Twist 26 1.3 From Psychedelia to Fantasy, Myth and the Occult 27 1.3.1. Lyrical Style: Seeds of the Fantastical Narrative 28 1.3.2 The Fantastical Persona 29 1.4 Taboos: Violence, Sex, Drugs and Suicide 31 1.5 Satanism in Metal: From Confrontation to Controversy 33 1.6. Social Background of Early Metal 34 1.7 Defining early Heavy Metal Lyricism 35 2. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal 36 2.1 Genesis of the Metalhead 40 2.2 Lyrical Development during the NWOBHM years 41 2.2.1 The Idiom of “Fantasy Metal” Develops 44 2.2.2 Rebellion and Rage 45 2.2.3 Songs of the Human Psyche during the NWOBHM 47 2.3 The Aftermath of the NWOBHM 48 6 3. Speed/Thrash Metal 49 3.1 Background of the New Movement 50 3.2 Idiom and Lyrics of Thrash Metal 52 3.2.1 Image of the Metal Musician 52 3.2.2 Continuation of an essential Metal Tradition 54 3.2.3 Venom, Extreme Metal and Satanism 60 3.2.4 Lyrical and Vocal Style of Thrash Metal 62 3.3 Metalhead Culture during the rise of Thrash Metal: New Form of Physical Expression 66 4. Going Deeper Underground: Exploration and Diversification of the Metal Idiom 68 4.1 A Preliminary Thematical Rift: Death and Black Metal 71 4.1.1 Guttural Vocals 72 4.1.2 Thematical Drifting: a Two-Pronged Monster 73 4.2 Relationship Anxiety and Angry Young Men: Hardcore Crossover and Metalcore 77 4.3 White Underground Meets Black Underground: Nu Metal 79 5. New Lyrical Style and Intertextuality: Postmodern Metal 80 5.1 Lyrical Style 81 6. Conclusion 89 Works Cited 94 Appendix 1 – Index.doc Appendix 1.doc Appendix 2.doc 7 0. Introduction In the late 60s, the evolution of blues-inspired rock music spawned the sibling genres of hard rock and metal1. The latter genre soon began to distinguish itself from rock all together, not only in distancing itself from the influence of blues, but especially in breaching topics and creating an atmosphere which had never been heard in any other musical genre – thereby also appealing to a new fan base. Even in all the main-stream grandeur and drama of the new wave of British heavy metal, the glamour and eccentricity of glam metal and the genre mixing commerciality of nu metal, the genre always remained linked to a subculture of people who came together around the feeling of being misunderstood, angry, the underdog, and in touch with the darker side of the human psyche and human civilization. The genre has often fused up with other styles of music, such as punk and rap music or goth culture, precisely because these were also linked to suppressed demographics, subversive lyrics and/or a negative view of the human psyche.