Heavy Metal Music Analysis

Music is the international medium that can link both mind and soul. From sophisticated, well drawn out classical music, to drums and rocks in Aboriginal tribes in Africa, music is a natural and seemingly God-given talent we all possess. “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent,” it is supernatural yet so uniquely human simultaneously (Hugo). Music elicits response; one main response it draws out is in-depth analysis. As popular as music is, music culture can almost overshadow it, causing questions to be asked on why we are inadvertently affected by the music we listen to. People are affected by music, but speculations can differ depending on the speculator; an individual’s view on the effects and …show more content…
It is violent, quick paced, loud music that is, for lack of a better term, undecipherable. Heavy metal music may come off as something straight out of Hades—as my father would say— however, it actually sparks controversy, debating its true effects on the human psyche. Felicity Baker and William Bor write that heavy metal music is “correlated with: assertiveness and aggressiveness, indifference to the feelings of others, moodiness, pessimism, over-sensitivity and discontentment, and increased likelihood to act on impulses” (285). These results directly associate with the overall mood of the genre. Conversely, Derek K. Iwamoto, John Creswell, and Leon Caldwell share Arnette’s (1991) conclusion that heavy metal music caused its listeners to feel “less anxious and stressed” (348). As with every bad situation, there is always at least one supporter; analogically, music that is viewed as deconstructive always has at least one fan. Baker and Bor and Iwamoto, Creswell, and Caldwell all reveal that music (such as heavy metal) has an emotional impact; however, that impact fluctuates between every person that encounters the