A research into why heavy metal music is considered the melody of satan Human psychePersonal opinionConclusionReferencesSummaryMetal music is a relatively new genre in the world of music. However, this genre is wrongly frowned upon by people because allegations that it is satanic have spread like wildfire. Even though the claim that metal music is harmful outweighs the opposite, numerous studies have proven the beneficial aspects of its existence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroduction Music is one of the most important creations of man because it is the art of describing a certain event or a certain idea using notes, silences and a certain rhythm to attract the attention of the masses. It has been around since the dawn of humanity, starting with cavemen dancing around flaming pyres singing ritual songs to please their gods. Then the music began to evolve to describe ideas like love, patriotism, and modern issues like drug addiction. The golden age of modern music began in the 20th century with the creation of many genres (including blues, jazz, rock and roll, heavy metal, hip hop, and pop). However, some of these genres are heavily criticized by society. Heavy metal is the most infamous son of the 20th century due to its ties to Satanism. Although the claim that metal music is harmful outweighs the opposite, numerous studies have proven the beneficial aspects of its existence. Overview of Metal Music History of Metal Music and Its Subgenres The history of heavy metal music dates back to the 1960s. The heavy genre was born in 1968 in the West Midlands of England, in Birmingham. And who was his father? None other than the legendary band Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath was a heavy metal band influenced by several genres such as Hard Rock and Blues. Members of this historic band include Tommy Iommi as sole guitarist, Bill Ward as drummer, Geezer Butler as bassist and legend Ozzy Osbourne behind the mic. However, Ozzy was later kicked out for drug abuse and was replaced by the equally famous Ronnie James Dio in 1979. However, Dio left 4 years later. Heavy Metal is divided into several subgenres, but only the major subgenres will be discussed. First of all, Thrash metal was created in the early 1980s with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. Thrash Metal uses distorted guitars, mid-paced drums, and relatively clean vocals. Another important subgenre to discuss is Death Metal. Death Metal was pioneered by the band Death (hence the name) in the mid-1980s. Death Metal features a more brutal tone and melody than its Thrash Metal counterpart. Death metal features heavily distorted guitars, fast-paced percussion, and distorted vocals known as "growls." Third, Metalcore is a completely different genre from its brethren. Metalcore was created in the 1990s by bands like Killswitch Engage and Bullet for My Valentine. It features complex distorted guitars, very fast-paced drums, and clean vocals as well as growls at certain points in the songs. Marginalization of MetalheadsHeavy genre listeners are generally marginalized due to their musical tastes. However, this topic is controversial in itself because researchers wonder if listeners become marginalized because they have built a relationship of opposition to dominant music, or if society criticizesmetalheads in the same way it demeans homosexuals and atheists. This is obvious because MTV never plays metal songs and the Grammy Awards exclude the metal genre. However, it can be concluded that the marginalization is the fault of both parties. Christianity and metal music The enemies of the heavy genre Since the dawn of metal music, Christians have considered it the "music of the devil", because, according to Bishop Alexander, "contemporary heavy metal rock" is the genre which exists in hell. Furthermore, Bishop Alexander goes on to say that heavy metal and rock distract Christians from the one true path, the path of God. However, all of these claims contain errors. For example, the genre "heavy metal rock" doesn't even exist since heavy metal and rock are two completely different genres. Thus, it can be concluded that Bishop Alexander does not have a good knowledge of heavy metal and is therefore not qualified to make such claims. Furthermore, Christians have based their hateful relationship with heavy metal music on hypocritical grounds, as they have created many bands in this genre. Forming Christian Metal Bands After hearing heavy metal music, some Christians decided to jump on the metal music bandwagon and start bands of their own. The most popular leading Christian Metal band is called Skillet. Skillet has songs that act as gospels like the song "My Religion" and they use religious symbols like in their lyric video for the song "Not Gonna Die" where the lion that symbolizes Jesus Christ helps a little girl that symbolizes humanity to defeat a six-headed. dragon or the devil. Some bands, however, do not believe that Hard Rock is enough to praise God and therefore have created a new genre known as Unblack Metal which has the same criteria as Black Metal, but instead of praising Satan, Jesus -Christ is praised. Some of these groups include Horde, Antestor, and Crimson Moonlight. When asked, Unblack Metal bands claim that they follow Black Metal as a style and not as an ideology. Counterargument Against Metal Music Certainly, the truth that metal is satanic is true to some extent. Black Metal, or Death Metal's evil twin, is single-handedly responsible for the stereotype of Satanic Metal music. This subgenre was created by the band Venom when they dared to side with Satan in the early 1980s, and thus attracted the attention of Satanists who wanted to praise the Deciever in the Metal music genre. Additionally, some speculation about backmasking in Metal songs is present. Backmasking is the implementation of hidden messages in songs that can only be understood backwards. Again, all the backwards demonic messages are present in Black Metal songs like Darkthrone's "As Flittermice as Satan's Spy" where the phrase "In the name of God, let the churches burn" is present near the end of the song. Additionally, claims that metal music makes people violent and causes some people to commit suicide also lead people to oppose metal music. Indeed, a study by KRScheel and JSWestefeld in 1999 shows that teenagers who listen to metal music are three times more likely to commit suicide. Refuting the Counter-Argument However, all arguments made against metal music can easily be countered. First, satanic symbols are primarily found in one subgenre of metal music's vast ocean of subgenres, so avoiding Black Metal in general is the simplest but most effective remedy for the fear of being indoctrinated by it. the Church of Satan. Second, although backmaskingis present in certain Black Metal songs, it is also omnipresent in pop songs. Nevertheless, people don't stop to listen to their favorite bands like the Beatles and the Eagles. Additionally, claims that metal music and the masking of Thrash Metal and other genres cause people to commit suicide or kill others are also bold claims. Because as Rodney M. Schmaltz says, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Finally, a correlational relationship exists between musical taste and harmful behaviors. People who are more likely to engage in criminal behavior are more likely to listen to heavy music, which is why metal music has more criminals among its followers. Metal music on the human psyche Metal music has various positiveeffects on the human subconscious. First, liking metal music has been proven to be linked to higher intelligence. Heavy metal listeners tend to take comfort in the genre because they enjoy the political and complex themes that are almost non-existent in mainstream pop music. For example, songs like Megadeth's "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" carry heavy political messages and would only interest listeners who are intrigued by politics. Additionally, Heavy Metal music listeners tend to be a lot like classical music listeners (classical music listeners have the highest IQ regarding the relationship between music and intelligence because they are both creative , calm and comfortable with themselves Second, studies have shown that listening to Death Metal does not desensitize listeners to violence. Professor Bill Thomson from Macquarie University and his team showed 32 metalheads. and 48 non-metalheads violent images through a technique called binocular rivalry, and the study proved that metalheads and non-metalheads reacted to violent images in the same way (Donoughue, 2019). that metal music makes people happy and calm rather violent Professor Thomson claims that people listen to violent music to calm down in the same way that people listen to sad music. calmer people is also supported by a study carried out by the University of Queensland, where the theory that "extreme music corresponds to and helps manage anger" is verified. Personal opinion Personally, I believe that metal music is not satanic outside of Black Metal. Metal is a genre wrongly frowned upon by society. Metal fans and bands are incredibly criticized in Lebanon. Most fans are called Satanists and are told to stop listening to the proclaimed "noise" they listen to. Besides, it is really a shame that a "democratic" country like Lebanon banned famous bands like Sepultura from hosting the show on April 28, 2019 just because there was speculation that Sepultura was satanic and that these false accusations insulted Christianity. Additionally, Metalheads from Lebanon are among the friendliest members of society since during concerts, all Metalheads are friends, regardless of age, color, gender and religion. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper from our expert now. writers.Get a Custom EssayConclusionIn conclusion, although many claim that metal music is deleterious to people, studies have proven otherwise. Metal music is vital in many people's lives because it relieves stress, calms people and contains messages.