NU METAL

“Nu metal bands lack an engagement with the history of metal”(Kahn-Harris 136). Bands associated with this so called “nu metal” genre derive influence from a variety of diverse styles, including everything from rap metal, funk metal, alternative metal and thrash metal. Nu metal’s main characteristic of a sound based mostly on rhythmic riffs, mid-song breakdowns and pretty obvious lack of virtuosity contrasts it with other metal subgenres creating some real tension in the metal world. Some nu metal bands even use seven-string guitars over traditional six-string guitars. The use of 7-string guitars, which are sometimes tuned to a lower octave to increase heaviness, result in bass guitarists using five-string and six-string instruments to add an even more notion of driving force. Even DJs are sometimes used for additional rhythmic instrumentation with the use of pre-recorded samples and sound effects.

Most true death metal artists and fans alike make the statement that they want nothing to do, ”with trendy metal”(Kahn-Harris 136). Did the heavy metal heads simply grow weary of nu metal because, “it had become almost as popular as heavy metal had been”(Kahn-Harris 135)? That’s honestly the only conclusion I can come to (as a huge fan of nu metal and growing up in the 90’s).

Lets take a look at my favorite nu metal band of all time, Rage Against The Machine with their classic track “Killing In The Name”. The driving rhythmic melodies and angry aggressive vocals are undeniable! See for yourself below…

NU METAL

“Nu metal bands lack an engagement with the history of metal”(Kahn-Harris 136). Bands associated with this so called “nu metal” genre derive influence from a variety of diverse styles, including everything from rap metal, funk metal, alternative metal and thrash metal. Nu metal’s main characteristic of a sound based mostly on rhythmic riffs, mid-song breakdowns and pretty obvious lack of virtuosity contrasts it with other metal subgenres creating some real tension in the metal world. Some nu metal bands even use seven-string guitars over traditional six-string guitars. The use of 7-string guitars, which are sometimes tuned to a lower octave to increase heaviness, result in bass guitarists using five-string and six-string instruments to add an even more notion of driving force. Even DJs are sometimes used for additional rhythmic instrumentation with the use of pre-recorded samples and sound effects.

Most true death metal artists and fans alike make the statement that they want nothing to do, ”with trendy metal”(Kahn-Harris 136). Did the heavy metal heads simply grow weary of nu metal because, “it had become almost as popular as heavy metal had been”(Kahn-Harris 135)? That’s honestly the only conclusion I can come to (as a huge fan of nu metal and growing up in the 90’s).

Lets take a look at my favorite nu metal band of all time, Rage Against The Machine with their classic track “Killing In The Name”. The driving rhythmic melodies and angry aggressive vocals are undeniable! See for yourself below…

The Gothenburg Scene

What is Melodic death metal? Wikipedia describes this almost oxymoronic genre of metal as a “style that combines elements from the new wave of British heavy metal with elements of death metal”. Another term, Gothenburg metal, is used to describe bands associated with or stylistically similar to the melodic death metal scene that originated around Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg being the second-largest city in Sweden (after Stockholm) and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, as Keith Kahn-Harris writes, “was marginal to the extreme metal scene until the early 1990’s(Kahn-Harris 98).

Gothenburg's native born commercially successful bands such as Grotesque, At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity are credited with pioneering melodic death metal. So how did this scene get started in Sweden out of all places? As Kahn-Harris explains, “The pioneering death metal band Grotesque stimulated the formation of a tight-knit clique of musicians”(Kahn-Harris 98). This tight knit statrted off as a small Swedish scene and evolved into such huge events as The Metaltown Festival, a two day festival featuring heavy metal music bands, held in Gothenburg. The most recent festival in June 2010, included globally metal bands such as Coheed and Cambria, Dark Tranquility, Rammstein, Amon Amarth, and In Flames.

Gothenburg's scene today is soley credited to the support given to musicians in the city, an environment conducive to a highly supportive and creative scene. Lets see what Swedish death metal author Daniel Ekeroth has to say about the culmination and rise of the scene in the early 90’s in the interview below.

Out of The Closet

The metal scene as one would probably expect is predominately (extremely) heterosexual. As Kahn-Harris states, “Openly gay scene members are extremely rare”(Kahn-Harris 73). Given metal’s openly violent and masculine themes it’s very easy to understand why there might be a lack of (at least openly) homosexual males. Even though, “there has been absolutely no overt otganization of gays and lesbians within the extreme metal community’ (Kahn-Harris 73), might there be a significant amount of homosexuals drawn towards the scene as a vehicle for releasing anger and stress?

As Kahn-Harris states, “The only well known out gay man in the entirety of metal is Rob Halford”(Kahn-Harris 74). That seems like a pretty daring move on Halford’s part. Who is this guy?

Best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. Nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song, he is considered one of the most consistently powerful singers in the metal scene having possessed a six-octave range during his prime and is particularly known for his high-pitched, operatic, soaring vocals. It must have been so hard being a gay male in the limelight of such a masculine and seemingly anti-queer environment.

When questioned In 1998, Halford came out as gay publicly on an interview with MTV News. In the interview he states, "I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and it's only been in recent times it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address (...) something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it." So why exactly did he feel so uncomfortable to address the issue if everyone “already knew”? Maybe the fact that he was raised in a very religious Christian home? Maybe he felt other bands in the scene just wouldn’t accept him? Let’s hear the full MTV interview and find out what the real truth behind the matter is.

Keeping Calm at Megadeth

Everyone seems to realize pretty quickly whether or not they fit in a particular “scene”. What is the scene? We all know what it is yet it’s so hard to really describe, you either fit in the scene…or you don’t. As Keith Kahn-Harris states in his novel “Heavy Metal”, the essential driving force of a music scene is the pleasure of just plainly talking about the music. As he puts it, “scene members often talk of music as an essential part of life”(Kahn-Harris 52).

Equally as important to note is the fact that metal scene, “members (and all scene members) often do not specify what sort of music is so essential for life, members often emphasize the breadth of their musical tastes”(Kahn-Harris 52). That being said, if metal fans like al types of music, what makes people actually attached to the metal scene? Kahn-Harris makes the assumption that, ”The pleasures of extreme metal derive from the excitement of violence and aggression (Kahn-Harris 53).

Could people be turned on to the metal scene by other factors beside the obvious like Kahn-Harris states, I certainly think so. There are many factors as Kahn-Harris even goes on to say, “Metal offers something that other music’s don’t”(Kahn-Harris 53). What the something is is hard to find. That feeling of crowd unity? The black lipstick? Maybe this interview can shed some light…

Metal to die for??

Is metal music really something to die for? Yes, I’ve heard the term “metal to die for” thrown around but do people actually live by that? Sure the all black clothing adorned with metal spikes suggests hardcore and maybe even violent mentalities but I thought the saying was just an exaggeration… According to Keith Kahn-Harris in his novel entitled “Extreme Metal”, “The strongest charge made against heavy metal was that it caused murder and suicide”(Kahn-Harris 27). “In a number of US murder trials, heavy metal was cited as the “cause”, and on occasion, being under the influence of heavy metal was accepted as a “diminished-responsibility” defense in criminal trials”(Richardson 1991). So, does metal encourage and/or nurture teenage suicidal tendencies?

Lets take a real life look at a case involving a teen suicide in North Dakota. Raymond Kuntz's teenage son committed suicide in 1996 while listening to a CD by the heavy metal group Marilyn Manson. Kuntz testified November 6, 1997 stating that,

“Heavy metal music glorifies death and encourages violence and suicide among teenagers. The offensive lyrics found in heavy metal music contradict community values, harm society, and endanger the nation's children. Music corporation executives should take responsibility for the harm that comes to their impressionable listeners. Furthermore, parental advisory labels should be mandatory on the covers of all violent and offensive music.”

Let’s also take a look at the lyrics to the supposed song that Kuntz was listening to as he reportedly committed suicide on that fateful day.

Marilyn Manson's "The Reflecting God" from the CD titled Antichrist Superstar.

Your world is an ashtray
We burn and coil like cigarettes
The more you cry your ashes turn to
mud
Its the nature of the leeches, the Virgin's feeling cheated
You've only spent a second of you're life
My world is unaffected, there is an exit here

I can certainly see how the title of the track alone is so scary to parents all over the world. That being said, it seems unfair to undoubtedly connect the teens suicide to the mere fact that he was a Manson fan. Did this kid have suicidal tendencies anyway? Would it have been a different outcome if he were blasting Hanson on his walkman? Questions that everyone accusing metal (or not) should ask. Maybe metal music saves kids from violence or maybe it creates it. Whatever your opinion on the matter maybe, listen to what Marilyn has to say about it in the video below.

The Rise of The "GUITAR GODS"

Where the new wave of British heavy metal left off, Thrash Metal certainly picked right up! Characterized usually by its grueling fast tempos and aggression, thrash metal is often fast and percussive, with a lead guitarist murdering his guitar with lighting fast “shreds” almost as some sort of sacrifice towards his audience. The "Big Four" bands of thrash metal and the true pioneers of the scene are without a doubt Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, who simultaneously fashioned and popularized the genre in the early 1980s. By creating a new genre and developing a separate movement from punk rock and hardcore, this new metal movement was really brought together by one thing, the SHRED! This “shred” explained by Steve Waksman, author of “This Aint The Summer of Love” as, “The way the guitarist were prone to “tear up” with their extreme technique”(Pg. 262).

As if it wasn’t cool enough to play the damn guitar, “shred based, classically informed, guitar-oriented metal became a phenomenon unto itself” (Pg. 262). Thrash was all about the “rise of the rock guitar hero” (Pg. 263), adding masculinity and a whole lot of competition to be the best and the fastest thrash band. “It’s like musical athletics, athletics is all about speed and fast is the best”(Pg. 263).

Hands down my absolute favorite thrash metal guitarist has got to be Dave Mustaine of Megadeath and a founding member of Metallica. Ranked at number 19 on the top 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time in 2004 and named the No. 1 player in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists, Mustaine was an innovator to say the very least.

Below is a great clip of Megadeath from 2007 playing their song entitled “Holy Wars”. His guitar could definitely be a little louder but his stage presence still exudes that notion of “all eyes on me” to even more cement the idea of “Guitar God”. Take a look for yourself…

Metal Disco

After viewing a documentary and reading Steve Waksman’s depiction of the rise of “The New Wave of British Heavy Metal”, I was enthralled by the idea behind Neal Kay’s heavy metal nights at the Kingsbury Bandwagon Pub. The event coined as, “Soundhouse”, was a regular gathering where as Waksman described, “it was a place where heavy metal fans could feel at home a few nights a week” (Waksman 172). What fascinates me regarding this “heavy metal disco” is a couple of things; first of all the notion of a musical community that existed back then and secondly, how important this collective environment (and many others like it) were to creating the present day metal scene and underlying sense of community.

Ironically, DJ Neal Kay’s Soundhouse was no more than, “young male fans in denim jackets and rock t-shirts milling about, mooning the camera and most notably, playing air guitar, a favored practice of heavy metal musical appreciation”(Waksman 173). This being said, the whole concept of a place for who most of society deemed as misfits to roam free and casual was so influential in shaping the culture of the new wave of British heavy metal. Just like Sarah Thornton interjects in her study, “Club Cultures”, “The music and style press are crucial to our conceptions of British youth; they do not just cover subcultures, they create them”(Waksman 175). Thornton is getting at a great thing here, during the up rise of the new wave of British heavy metal teens didn’t simply have computers to download all their music, nor did they have chat rooms to get advice on good music, these young listeners had to go out and find clubs that had the correct equipment and LOUD sound systems. At these clubs is where the subculture norms were created, that includes dancing, lingo, dress and anything else you could think of. Events like Kay’s Soundhouse are responsible for shaping the entire new scene of British heavy metal and rocketing the genre into the public limelight.

At the Soundhouse, Neal Kay managed to bring together fans of both the softer Melodic Rock and lovers of the harder-edged Heavy Metal. Kay also compiled many of the numerous demos he received onto an album called "Metal For Muthas", and several volumes were released, becoming collector's items for fans and really the start of the “mixtape” phenomenon making it easier for bands to get discovered and for the scene to take on rapid growth in both musicians and listeners. The Soundhouse, a tiny bar in a tiny town absolutely brought a great sense of community to the up and coming metal scene in England.

Women that ROCK

A greatly fascinating topic in the metal world is the presence of women. The entire notion of a female in the heavy metal scene is almost mind-blowing considering the fact that it is safe to say that heavy metal is mostly preferred by adolescent boys and young men. The content of heavy metal music lyrics evolved from a society which was very identified with drug use and the general social upheaval associated with the 1960's to a vow of total anarchy and power.

Studies have shown that metal listeners are at a high risk of delinquent and aggressive behaviors associated with heavy metal music listening patterns (Roberts, Dimsdale, East, & Friedman, 1998). Similarly, studies have also concluded that hard rock music was preferred by subjects who were high in need for sensation and thrill seeking. This reckless demographic being generally young males, young males that LOVE women (and probably struggle to find them, not that I would know anything about that).

Steve Waksman, author of “This Aint The Summer of Love”, accredits Kim Fowley, associate of famed 60’s producer Phill Spector, for the introduction of women into the hard rock scene. Fowley was great with finding the next big trend, this next big trend for Fowley being all girl rock groups. “Girls who can bring hysteria, magic, beauty, and teen authority to the stage”(Waksman 131). Fowley knew his next endeavor would be a great success if he could only obtain girls, “that were instrumentalists as well as vocalists”(Waksman 131). Fowley understood the rock demographic I have described above. Let’s face it, every angstfull metalhead teen boy loves a hot metal chick. The problem was that this was a tough find, ultimately glorifying the presence of an all female band even more.

I recently came across a band called wicked wisdom. This band is interesting because they are an American Nu Metal band featuring Jada Pinkett Smith…yep, Will Smith’s wife. When granted their first official tour with a spot on the world renowned Ozzfest, critics where outraged with the idea of such an unaccredited band performing on second stage. Jada is afterall not just a woman; she’s married to the guy who wrote “getting jiggy with it”.

Below is a clip of wicked wisdom live on the tonight show. Does Jada fit with the underlying metal theme? Can you take her presence seriously?

Iggy Pop Is Gay??

The poster child of radical extremes, overindulgence and self-abuse in rock music, Iggy Pop was one of the major performers of the late 60’s to set the stage for the emergence of the die hard punk rock movement during the following decade. Relentlessly chanting lyrics reveling in the darker aspects of the human society, many metal heads feared punk rock’s powerful ministry might be taking metal’s place. Self-proclaimed “true” metal fans despised this “New Wave Bullshit” and as stated in Steve Waksman’s fascinating novel, This ain't the summer of love: conflict and crossover in heavy metal and punk, thought fans were absolutely ridiculous for “praising faggots like Iggy Pop”(Waksman 2).
Both punk rock and metal are very much fueled through the underlying notion of power and aggression. Like Waksman states, “There seems to be a notion that if a musician is gay, his music must be wimpy or weak” (Waksman 3). I find this topic to be very interesting. Why is there this masculine homophobia so present in many facets all over the world? Was Iggy gay? Or was it just a mere result of metal’s retaliation towards the fight for subcultural capital?
In both listening and viewing some of Iggy’s work, like most people, I couldn’t really get over the oddly provocative lyrics and interesting stage presence filled with anything from sexual shirtless dancing to cutting himself with shards of glass. Hated and loved, Iggy gained an almost instant fame for energetic live performances, something intensely enchanting for most rock fans of his and really any time. I’ll admit, I too certainly questioned this oddly feminine rocker’s sexuality (it’s hard not too).
In a 2003 interview with Rob Tannenbaum of Blender magazine, when asked the "extent of [his] gay experiences", Iggy replied, "I'm to the left of tolerant, but I've never had a gay experience. Two or three times, excited gay friends wanted to, like, nibble my nuts -- generally when I was passed out or distracted. And then I'd go, 'Hey! Bruce! Cut it out!' And that would be the end of that. The gayest it got is some guy approaching my scrotum with oral intent"(Blender Sept 2003).
To me, Iggy’s antics and comments like the one above just validate his passion for entertainment, entertainment being a key element of course in enticing eager rockers in their self-proclaimed disenchanted worlds. The backlash towards punk rock from the metal community was nothing but an acknowledgement of the power struggle existing in the inevitable need for “power through numbers” in these die-hard communities. Oh, and Iggy Pop could totally be gay…he toured with Madonna.

Metal 101

What is metal music? Sure, most of us have heard it referenced a handful of times (black metal, death metal, thrash metal, heavy metal) but the general media has had seemingly little coverage on this complex and diverse musical culture. Metal thrives from a deeply devoted subculture where metal music defines listeners, provoking question and inquiry regarding social “normality”. The fact of the matter is that metal music far extends the perceived notion of your typical music fan and sub-genres include thousands of different bands with different messages all around the world. In other words, metal might not just be for your creepy cousin who wears makeup…

In my recent studies of metal culture one statement has really resonated with me in regard to the true underlying meaning and causality of metal music. As Keith Kahn-Harris suggests in his novel, Extreme Metal, “In the same way as metal guitar solos transcend the narrow confines of their musical backing, metal fans escape the oppressive confines of deindustrialized capitalism through participation in metal culture”(Kahn-Harris 10). It’s this shared identity and disgust with the disenchanted world that gives metal music that “die for” attitude and aggression. “Empowerment is a key theme in studies of metal”(Kahn-Harris 10) funny thing is, every genre of metal has it’s own way of preaching.

I have always been fascinated with the subgenre Christian Metal. At first glance this seems like it must be some sort of oxymoron. Bound by the same disenchanted rationality, Christian metal simply takes the hurt and violence in the world and offers solution and salvation through Christian teachings (and a lot of screaming). Hands down my favorite Christian Metal band has got to be a band from Birmingham, Alabama by the name of Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster. Their genre is Christian Southern Metalcore (to be exact). Upon first listening when I was just 16yrs old, there is NO WAY anyone would have been able to convince me that this seemingly angry and aggressive music chalk full of distorted guitar riffs, mesmerizing drum beats, and tribal screams professing that “I want to be the bullet that brings you to your knees”, was preaching for Jesus. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When confronted about the Christian origins of Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster, front man Dallas Taylor admits, "For us our faith is what makes us. We believe in showing our fans respect and kindness. I love it when bands minister, as long as their lifestyle off the stage lives up to their life on stage. Nowadays it is kinda cliche in some markets to be a Christian band but being that in itself is hard and sometimes can put a bull's eye on your back. It is not an easy thing sometimes, but no one is perfect. But living to the standards of what you preach and talk about is a big deal and something we chose to do everyday."

The next time you hear the term metal music, dig deeper and know that there is all types of metal for all types of people. Below is a song entitled “Caution: Dangerous Curves Ahead”, from Maylene’s debut self titled album. Whether you’re an active Christian, Muslum, Atheist, or whatever, just give it a try…and turn it up to 11!