The Influence of Culture in Metal Music

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show the influence that culture exerts on metal music, providing, more than a work, a study that also allows to clarify some doubts and prejudices regarding a musical genre that has little exposure and influence not only in Portugal but also in many other countries. Metal is culture, but in many countries the culture of this musical genre does not exist. This is not just a type of music, but a way of life with its own traditions and customs. The metal culture is a way of distancing itself from the basic perceptual errors inherent in the thinking that produced human history and society, implementing independence, awareness and values linked to satisfaction and hedonism as a form of individual expression. Metal formed from a basic idea of disbelief in the inherent values of society and from that point examined taboos and explored fears, leading to the adoption of nihilism as an intellectual technique to understand the chaos around us. Just as culture is not static, neither is metal limited to a static type of music, but one that undergoes modifications over time, giving rise to new types of music. We will then study the sociological and ideological circumstances, which were determinant in the emergence of metal and its modifications, through human history, musical theory, symbolism and behaviours. In other words, we will see how culture influenced the emergence and evolution of this musical genre.