University of Central Florida Electronic Theses and Dissertations Masters Thesis (Open Access) Thematic Patterns In Millennial Heavy Metal: A Lyrical Analysis 2012 Evan Chabot University of Central Florida Find similar works at: http://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu Part of the Sociology Commons STARS Citation Chabot, Evan, "Thematic Patterns In Millennial Heavy Metal: A Lyrical Analysis" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2277. This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THEMATIC PATTERNS IN MILLENNIAL HEAVY METAL: A LYRICAL ANALYSIS by EVAN CHABOT B.A. University of Florida, 2011 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2012 ABSTRACT Research on heavy metal music has traditionally been framed by deviant characterizations, effects on audiences, and the validity of criticism. More recently, studies have neglected content analysis due to perceived homogeneity in themes, despite evidence that the modern genre is distinct from its past. As lyrical patterns are strong markers of genre, this study attempts to characterize heavy metal in the 21st century by analyzing lyrics for specific themes and perspectives. Citing evidence that the “Millennial” generation confers significant developments to popular culture, the contemporary genre is termed “Millennial heavy metal” throughout, and the study is framed accordingly.