Extreme Metal - Music and Culture on the Edge

Mention the words ‘heavy metal’ to someone even casually acquainted with contemporarypopular music and you are likely to trigger some strong associations: long hair,headbanging, screaming vocals and guitars, outrageous behaviour and excess, over thetop machismo, black leather. The semiotics of metal are so well known that they havean almost iconic position in popular culture. Metal divides people. The music boastssome of the most devoted music fans across the world and many of its practitionersare stars. But at the same time metal has always attracted virulent and intense dislike,even hatred and fear. In the 1980s, metal attracted condemnation from right and leftand was the subject of media- and state-sponsored ‘moral panics’ (Miller 1988;Richardson 1991).This iconic representation of metal has become out of step with reality. Althoughmetal was always more diverse than it was given credit for, there has been a significantfragmentation of metal since the early 1990s. In the early 1990s, the rise ofgrunge, sparked off by the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991), had a profoundeffect on metal. It is no hyperbole to state that an entire generation of bands had theircareers ended almost overnight. This was particularly true of ‘pop metal’ bands suchas Poison, but even some of the biggest ‘classic’ metal bands such as Judas Priest andIron Maiden suffered a considerable loss of popularity in the 1990s. However,grunge’s connection with the history of metal was much greater than some of itsprotagonists might have liked to admit. This connection has become ever moreevident as subsequent generations of grunge-influenced bands, such as Nickelback,have produced music that sounds increasingly similar to the classic metal and hardrock bands of the 1970s and 1980s.
Extreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Musicians of this genre have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship. Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form.
Extreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship.Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form. Extreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship.Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form. Including Interviews With Band Members And Fans, From Countries Ranging From The Uk And Us To Israel And Sweden, This Book Demonstrates The Power And Subtlety Of An Often Surprising And Misunderstood Musical Form. It Draws On First-hand Research To Explore The Global Extreme Metal Scene. The Extreme Metal Scene -- The Scene And Transgression -- Experiencing The Scene -- Capital, Power, Infrastructure -- Comparing Extreme Metal Scenes -- Extreme Metal And Subcultural Capital -- Reflexivity, Music And Politics -- The Scene And Modernity. Keith Kahn-harris. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [169]-179) And Index. Includes Discography: P. 179-181. CONTENTS 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 10 INTRODUCTION FROM HEAVY METAL TO EXTREME METAL 12 1 THE EXTREME METAL SCENE 20 2 THE SCENE AND TRANSGRESSION 38 3 EXPERIENCING THE SCENE 62 4 CAPITAL, POWER, INFRASTRUCTURE 80 5 COMPARING EXTREME METAL SCENES 108 6 EXTREME METAL AND SUBCULTURAL CAPITAL 132 7 REFLEXIVITY, MUSIC AND POLITICS 152 8 THE SCENE AND MODERNITY 168 APPENDIX DETAILS OF QUOTED INTERVIEWEES 178 NOTES 180 REFERENCES 182 INDEX 194 Includes interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, this book demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form. It draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene Extreme metal - one step beyond heavy metal - can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. This book explores the global extreme metal scene.