Harding 1

Luke Harding
10 Nov 2014
Prof. Douglas
UWRT 1101-093

Violent Stereotypes of the Metal Community

When one attends a metal concert, they would expect a violent atmosphere, drug
and alcohol use, and a generally unwelcoming and coarse environment. our observer,
however, reported three things that were unexpected based on this stereotype: the
extremely communal atmosphere, the high level of external security, and the respect
with which the individuals treated one another. Specific examples of the aforementioned
aspects will be discussed, which will be used to lead into the research portion of this
study.
Observations on the Behavior of Community Members
When the observer was waiting to enter the event - many people were having
quiet conversations while waiting in line. However, there were several instances where
people approached one another for conversation because they were wearing the same
or similar shirts, had interesting tattoos, or where by themselves. The observer
expected possible bullying from the group that approached one such loner. He stated
that he didnt know anyone who wanted to go so he went by himself. The group gave
him a sincere welcome and they conversed until the start of the event. The bands who
were performing also came out to speak with the fans waiting outside. Rather than

Harding 2

mass insanity, they were met by relatively calm fans who behaved in the absence of
security.
Once inside, the observer noticed that the environment was very relaxed and
welcoming. People readily approached the observer and his partner to talk about band
tee-shirts, tattoos, and other paraphernalia on person. The observer made the comment
that someone had liked the boots he wore to the event. The observer also stated that
even during the concert everyone was respectful and those who were inibrated did not
feel the need to fight someone or assist the singer. Also, during the performance, the
researcher noticed that people would apologise for accidental contact with one another.
This was surprising especially considering the proximity and the crowds density.
However, there was one man in the crowd who inappropriately touched a woman who
was crowd-surfing. The people around him were alerted, and he was escorted to the
events security staff.
After having such a positive experience at the concert, the question was
apparent: Where were all the angsty teenagers? Where were all the Liberal, satan
worshiping, anarchists1? And most importantly where did all these prejudices come
from?

Analysis of Violent Lyrics and their Effects

Citation: Grandma

Harding 3

Metal lyrics are infamous for their dark content, depictions of violence, and their
often bleak outlooks on life. Several studies have attempted to describe the effect of
violent lyrics verses non-violent lyrics. One particular study used the hot sauce
technique. People in this experiment were told that the study was to examine the
effects of music on taste. One group listened to Limb from Limb and Bloodmeat by
Protest the Hero, two songs, Limb From Limb and Bloodmeat respectively with
violent lyrics:
With your final words be grateful you died by Irish steel.
Do not beg before me, your fate has been revealed.
Do not crawl before me, Ill not head your appeals
(Rody Walker, Limb From Limb)
Enemies of Khanate strung on hooks
Like pigs to slaughter, heads will roll
Heads will roll, throats will be slit
Blood will flow like springs of water
Heads will roll turn the River Red
Across the ochre steppe
(Rody Walker, Bloodmeat)
These are sample lyrics from the two examples of music containing themes of war and
combat. They then showed a second set of heavy metal songs to a group that did not
have violent lyrics, Bounce, Old School Hollywood, and E-I-E-I-O by System of a
Down. The second part of the test was to pass around a glass of water and a bottle of
hot sauce. Everyone in the study would then take a sip, add some hot sauce, then pass

Harding 4

the mixture. The group that listened to the song with violent lyrics on average added
more hot sauce then the control group and the non-violent metal group.
The test by itself seems to show that people who listen to metal are more likely to
be aggressive, or that listening to metal causes aggression. This is generally accepted
as true by psychologists, however it is only ever infrequently noted that this effect
generally does not occur in most people whose preferred music is heavy metal.
(Forbes, Chad E., et al.). People whose preferred choice of music is
heavy/extreme/death metal show slightly higher rates of violence per capita(Shafron,
Gavin Ryan, and Mitchell P. Karno.), while still being significantly lower than those who
listen to rap(Stack, Steven. et al.), or live in urban areas(Mrug, Sylvie, et al.).
Looking at bands that seem to write exclusively violent material (i.e. Trevor
Strnad of the The Black Dahlia Murder) a interesting pattern seems to arise. The metal
community, interestingly, is not desensitized or callous to the violence in the music. The
observer asked several people in the audience, at the concert, what their opinions were
on the violence in the music, and discovered a surprising fact. Rather than getting the
expected I really dont care response, violence in heavy metal is used as a theme, is
like a horror movie, and builds camaraderie between the fans, like if you can pretend
the issues in your life are the enemies in the song, it gives you a break for a while.2 A
few hours after the observer spoke to this individual, the lead singer for the third act said
nearly the same thing except using the metaphor of vikings, which was the theme of
the band(Johan Hegg, Amon Amarth).
Despite the previous data on the momentary aggression of people whose
musical preference is not metal, there there is no statistical data on whether or not
2

I was unable to get this persons name as his friends pulled him back into the crowd,

Harding 5

violence in the music has any effect on the overall communities tendency towards
aggression. However, interesting information can be found about the suicide
acceptance rates of the metal communitys members. The acceptance rate amongst
metalheads is the highest in any genre of music. One other related statistic also proves
interesting. The metal community also shows the lowest levels of religiosity amongst
musical communities(Stack, Steven. et al.). Several research psychologists have
conjectured that the lower a community's religiosity the higher other negative statistics
go. No empirical, or at least empirical by psychological standards, evidence has been
found specifically linking a lack of religiosity to the metal communitys higher crime
statistic. However, It is easy to make that link because it would explain the communities
crime levels in a way comparable to another statistic accurately(Salas-Wright, Christopher
P., Michael G. Vaughn, and Brandy R. 1180-1181).

Perceptions of Issues in Non-violent Lyrics

The perceptions of life issues in metal lyrics is another point to be addressed in
reference to psychological impact on the listener. This section will purely focus on fans
rather than a general audience.
In the song Welcome Home(Sanitarium) by Metallica the main character is a
man in a sanitarium. The songs lyrics are:
Welcome to where time stands still
No one leaves and no one will
Moon is full, never seems to change
Just labeled mentally deranged
Dream the same thing every night
I see our freedom in my sight
No locked doors, no windows barred
No things to make my brain seem scarred
Sleep my friend and you will see

Harding 6

The dream is my reality

They keep me locked up in this cage
Can't they see it's why my brain says rage
Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Build my fear of what's out there
Can I breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
Assuring me that I'm insane
They think our heads are in their hands
But violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
He's getting better, can't you tell?
No more can they keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
But they think this saves us from our hell
Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Fear of living on, natives getting restless now
Mutiny in the air, got some death to do
Mirror stares back hard, kill, it's such a friendly word
Seems the only way for reaching out again
(James Hetfield, Welcome Home(Sanitarium))
This song is addressing the issues with mental health care during the time it was
written. While it is dark, it got the point of patient abuse across vividly. While no one
accredits this song to mental health reform, it did bring the issue to the publics eye.
Even though people still believe the metal stereotype that it is all about violence,
in reality all music is diverse. Almost all forms of music discuss a number of topics. Five
Finger Death Punch, a groove metal band, produces music covering numerous social
issues. The Wrong Side of Heaven deals with the government's mistreatment of PTSD
and the disorders effects on people. Coming Down is a song that has a particularly
graphic music video that deals with teenage suicide. Other examples include a NuMetal band called Disturbed whose songs deal with (the current) mistreatment of the

Harding 7

mentally ill in Asylum and current apathy about the environment in Another Way To
Die. Interestingly it is difficult to find a band who has not addressed social issues. Even
The Black Dahlia Murder has written a, admittedly graphic, pro-life song called That
Which Erodes the Most Tinder of Things.
Despite the previous and numerous examples a good portion of metal songs do
not address social issues, are non-violent, and could be called miscellaneous, or
introspective songs. One attribute that is prevalent and interesting in a number of these
introspective songs is references to classical literature or scholarly material. For
example, Meshuggahs song Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave it Motion. is a
reference to 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzers speech where he said,
Revenge... is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return
upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion
(Albert Schweitzer 1952). For examples of classical literature there are a number of
songs based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, including Metallicas All Nightmare
Long, The Black Dahlia Murders Throne of Lunacy, and Thy Horror Cosmic. There
are also bands who dedicate their music to a mythology such as Amon Amarth, whose
music is centered around Norse Mythology.
Discussion From the Perspective of a Lyricist
The best perspective for understanding the implications and intentions of lyrics in
metal, is to speak to a lyricist. The observer is one, and can give insight into the
subcategories of the lyrical types. When the violence is presented in a cold and precise
way, it is generally for the same purpose of violence in horror movies, that being
entertainment. When it is presented in other fashions, or in an emotional context, it is

Harding 8

thematic. For example if the song is using the allusion to a gladiatorial arena for a
comparison to bullying, the descriptions of violence are part of the theme and the issue
being discussed. All of these are subjective, however and are sometimes reversed. For
example a lyricist describing the emotions after murdering someone is obviously doing
so as emotional entertainment. On the other hand describing, with cold brutality, the
procedures used by the controversial late term abortion clinics in Florida, the goal of the
song is shock value and is obviously attempting to address an issue.
In conclusion, music and psychology are both highly subjective fields. There
results and methods are both highly contextual, and general statements have a hard
time qualifying there results. Assumptions reached by the tiny amounts of data in this
paper and in most peoples experience are foolish and inaccurate. The only thing I can
truly say with certainty about the metal community is that with its rise in popularity and
participation it is going to be much more psychologically diverse and unquantifiable
community. Scientists, teachers, and scholars in general need to have labels for
everything, so stereotypes and generalizations will persist about a simple group united
solely by the music they enjoy.

Harding 9
Works Cited

Forbes, Chad E., et al. "Negative Stereotype Activation Alters Interaction Between Neural
Correlates Of Arousal, Inhibition And Cognitive Control." Social Cognitive And Affective
Neuroscience 7.7 (2012): 771-781. PsycINFO. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
James Hetfield, Welcome Home(Sanitarium) Master of Puppets Vinyl Warner Brothers 1984
Mast, John F., and Francis T. McAndrew. "Violent Lyrics In Heavy Metal Music Can Increase
Aggression In Males." North American Journal Of Psychology 13.1 (2011): 63-64.
PsycINFO. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Mrug, Sylvie, et al. "Emotional And Physiological Desensitization To Real-Life And Movie
Violence." Journal Of Youth And Adolescence (2014): PsycINFO. Web. 17 Nov. 2014
Rody Walker, Limb From Limb, Bloodmeat, Fortress CD Vagrant Records 2008
Salas-Wright, Christopher P., Michael G. Vaughn, and Brandy R. Maynard. "Religiosity And
Violence Among Adolescents In The United States: Findings From The National Survey
On Drug Use And Health 2006-2010." Journal Of Interpersonal Violence 29.7 (2014):
1178-1200. PsycINFO. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Shafron, Gavin Ryan, and Mitchell P. Karno. "Heavy Metal Music And Emotional Dysphoria
Among Listeners." Psychology Of Popular Media Culture 2.2 (2013): 74-85. PsycINFO.
Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Stack, Steven. "Heavy Metal, Religiosity, And Suicide Acceptability." Suicide And
Life-Threatening Behavior 28.4 (1998): 388-394. PsycINFO. Web. 17 Nov. 2014
Swami, Viren, et al. "Metalheads: The Influence Of Personality And Individual Differences On
Preference For Heavy Metal." Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts 7.4
(2013): 377-383. PsycARTICLES. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Trevor Strnad, Climactic Degradation, What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, Everything
Went Black Nocturnal CD Metal Blade Records 2007