Heavy metal is now over 40 years old. It emerged at the tail end of
the 1960s in the work of bands including Iron Butterfly, Vanilla
Fudge, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and - most
importantly - Black Sabbath. In the 1970s and early 1980s, heavy
metal crystallised as a genre as bands such as Judas Priest and
Iron Maiden removed most of the blues influence on the genre,
codifying a set of basic metal characteristics that endure to this
day: distorted guitars, aggressive vocals, denim, leather and
spikes. In broad terms, wherever it is found and however it is
played, metal tends to be dominated by a distinctive commitment to
'transgressive' themes and musicality causing it to be frequently
seen as controversial music. Controversies surrounding the alleged
(and often documented) connection between heavy metal and,
variously, sexual promiscuity, occultism and Satanism, subliminal
messages, suicide and violence have all made heavy metal a target
of moral panics over popular culture. Metal has variously embraced,
rejected, played with and tried to ignore this controversy. At
times, the controversy dies down and the previously transgressive
becomes relatively harmless - as in the transformation of Ozzy
Osbourne from public enemy to loveable dad. Still, metal remains
irrevocably marked by its controversial, transgressive tendencies.
Indeed, the various moral panics that metal has been subjected to
are not only constitutive, at least in part, of metal scenes, but
are encoded in metal's transgression itself. As with hiphop's
"ghetto" roots, metal's history of extreme sonic, lyrical and
visual messages continue to give it credibility with new
generations of fans today. The aim of this anthology is to analyse
the relationship between heavy metal and society within a global
context. It provides a thorough investigation of how and why metal
becomes controversial, how metal 'scenes' are formed and examines
the relationship between metal and society, including how fans,
musicians and the media create the culture of heavy metal.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!