Metal Misconceptions

Heavy Metal

Heavy metal music, or simply, metal, is a relatively new form of music, originating during the mid to late 1960s within the United Stats and United Kingdom, with a great deal of inspiration from the blues and psychedelic rock styles of the time.  Ever since its beginning, metal has received a great deal of criticism and negative feedback from many people, including the media, the classically trained, and even the Roman-Catholic Church.  Yet, over the years, metal has become more widely integrated into our society, through an immense deal of publicity and some revolutionary bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden.  However, despite the fact that there are still people who believe metal is simply “noise” and has no real meaning that does not make it true, for in reality, metal is indeed a very difficult form of music to perform, containing deep messages and meaning.

The first signs of the beginning of metal appeared in single songs such as Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” and the Beatles' “Revolution,” both raising the standards for distortion on guitar in a top selling song.

One legendary guitarist in the metal revolution was Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, whose wailing guitar riffs paved the way for the future of heavily distorted, fast paced music.  Due to his and many others' influences, this heavily distorted method of playing was commonplace among music by the late 1970s.  By this time, releases from bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin had hit the market with explosive force, taking the world by storm and officially starting the new form of forceful music to be known as metal. 

Ever since metal has become a mainstream form of music, there have been those who considered it to be “evil” and based off of satanic beliefs.  This misconception most likely stems from the intervals that span three tones which are commonly used in metal music.  These intervals were dissonances that had been forbidden in ecclesiastical singing during the medieval era due to their unpleasant sounds. The monks had named these dissonances “diabolus in musica” which roughly translates into “the devil in music.”  So when heavy metal emerged in the western culture using such dissonances, the church and many of its followers deemed the music to be evil by nature and associated with the devil. 

However, the belief that music with these dissonances is evil is far outdated and no longer relevant in modern culture.  While there are some forms of metal which focus mainly on "anti-Christianity" and satanic messages, this is not by any means common practice among heavy metal groups and should not be taken as a generalization for all metal.

Also, there are those who believe that metal is only hectic, chaotic sounds and has no real structure or foundation behind the music.  This belief tends to be held mainly by those who have spent their entire life listening to other, softer types of music such as classical and jazz.  Since their ears have been trained to appreciate a softer, cleaner sound, they are unwilling to accept such a heavy variation from the norm. 

There are, in reality, many intricate aspects and techniques which are used in metal music that come together to form the distinctive sound we know today as heavy metal.   The overall feel of a metal song is heavily impacted by the speed at which it is performed.  Metal can be played anywhere from a slow, sixty beats per minute, to an amazing three hundred and fifty beats per minute, creating an incredibly fast "blast beat" tempo.  In a great deal of metal music, the primary "grove" is formed out of eighth or sixteenth notes that are executed in a short staccato manner.  The harmony of most metal songs is generally made out of a series of power chords, which are shortened chords that contain only one major interval and can be easily moved to new positions to form many chords in rapid succession.  The riffs that most metal songs follow are generally based off of complex scale progressions laid over a low, driving bass note, known as a "pedal point,” forming the signature "wall of sound," which is commonplace in most metal.

Different types of metal also incorporate many other forms of musical styles into their own songs.  For example, some metal groups borrow symphonic and classical elements to implement into their music, thus creating a softer, mellower sound, while still maintaining the heavy, distorted sounds that define heavy metal today.

It is all of these aspects together that form the unique sound of metal, creating a definite base and driving force behind the music which is by no means only "noise."

The majority of the world also views “metal-heads” as brutish, uneducated, barbarians.  This misconception originated due to not only the physical appearances of the members of metal bands, but also because of the low, guttural, growls they use in their lyrics. 

While metal fans and performers alike tend to maintain a darker, more extreme persona; that does not necessarily mean that they truly are the brutish evil figures which their clothing makes them out to be.  The appearance of metal performers is purposefully created to the extreme that it is so that they may further the impact and meaning of their music.  However, the clothing, or appearance of someone or something does not determine who or what they are.  If a millionaire dresses poorly, does that make them poor?  The same is true for metal-heads, simply because they appear to be dark, brutish people does not mean they truly are.  In reality, the metal community mainly consists of highly educated, intellectual people. While some may indeed be thugs, that dose not mean one should brand the entire genre of music as such. 

The vocals used in metal music, are most likely the cause for the greatest amount of misconceptions and stereotypes directed towards metal as a whole. Whether it is the lyrics or style of performance, the vocals of metal have always been the most heavily criticized and misinterpreted aspect of the music.  The beliefs that metal music is related to demons and the devil, it is performed by barbarians, and most importantly, that it has no real meaning, are all misconceptions to which the vocals have contributed.

In some cases, the lyrics of metal are used to discuss topics of a dark and cynical nature, thus causing people to conclude that metal is inspired by the devil, and that no good may come of it.  This is however, untrue in every sense of the word.  Metal lyrics, while seemingly dark and evil, can also be used to not only invoke a wide range of emotions, but also to express various philosophical and political views, discuss world and social issues, give "life lessons" and advice, and even tell of historical events and stories. 

The style of the lyrics used in some metal, known as the "death growl" has also greatly contributed to the negative views which many hold towards metal.  These low, guttural sounds may have caused people to associate metal vocals with the demons and demonic essences to which they believe the words sound similar.  Also, those whose ears have been classically trained can easily fail to understand these seemingly unintelligible growls used to express the lyrics of metal music.  This failure to understand can lead said people to think that the band is made entirely up of barbarians who are unable to speak clearly and whose lyrics carry no meaning. 

Yet, this is merely another misconception that has no truth to it.  For in reality, metal lyrics do indeed contain a great deal of meaning and take a lot of thought and effort to create.  Simply because one cannot understand the words, does not mean that they themselves have no meaning.  One would not say that a poem written in another language contains no meaning purely because they cannot understand it, so why would the same not be true for death growls?   The death growls used as the lyrics are very similar to another language, in that it takes time and effort to be able to understand, but once you are able to comprehend what is being said, the messages of the music become clear and you are able to see the true meaning they contain.

So despite common belief, metal music is not always associated with the devil and satanic ideas, and is certainly not meaningless.  Metal music is also, in reality, a very difficult form of music to perform, requiring a great deal of skill and planning.   Those who play and listen to the music alike are also generally very intelligent people and not barbarians in any way. 

These misconceptions about heavy metal music are simply that, misconceptions, nothing more, and nothing less.