Four students of Wageningen University present a paper on the use of history and cultural heritage in the music scene of heavy metal. The research is an attempt to show how history and cultural heritage can possible be spread among people using an unconventional way. It reports how history and cultural heritage are used by many bands as an inspiration and how it plays a role in forming a common identity among fans and musicians.
The study also shows that cultural history does play a role in certain styles of metal, or in particular metal bands. Especially in Black metal and in the closely related Viking metal, the use of history and cultural heritage is most common. Some bands within these styles that tell stories through their lyrics and express the historical feeling by the overall image and appearance at concerts.
The research method the students used was built on an explorative study that included an analysis of elements of the music, including lyrics, performance and fashion, and interviews with musicians and experts in the metal scene. The study focused on five different European metal styles: the early metal ('60 and '70), British heavy metal ('80), Swedish death meal ('90), Norwegian black metal ('90) and folk metal ('90).
The paper is available by download [5 Mb]
For more information or a hard copy, please contact Roel During