Fans of mainstream music often fail to grasp the appeal of the heavier, faster, aggressive styles of music – it’s so loud! they’re so angry! it’s just screaming! One of my goals with this project is to provide some psychological perspectives to the contrary of that argument, and one of those perspectives has to do with the way that melody is purposely obscured in the music and its roots in the individual psychology of the listener. This is partly inspired by a recent Between the Buried and Me show, namely vocalist Tommy Rogers (below) and his amazing ability to shift between soft, clean melodies and the best death growls I’ve heard in a while. 
One thing you may notice about modern metal is that it is WAYYYYY less accessible than early heavy metal (Sabbath, Maiden, , AC/DC, etc.). Ozzy sang lyrics that you could 
identify. Angus and Malcolm Young allowed space between the notes, Bruce Dickinson has an operatic, “pretty” style to his vocals. Decades ago, this was still actually edgy (and I mean that in a non-ironic way), but as tastes change and evolve over the years, it takes a bit more to be genuinely edgy today.
One of the points of heavy music is that it is NOT accessible, friendly music for everyone. Some of the things that drew people to heavy music decades ago are the same things that bring new fans into the genre now. There’s a reality that some of us live in that is antithetical to the “normal” culture. Not all of us like to listen to DJ music while on spring break in Florida. We don’t all like to party. We can’t all identify with whatever contemporary pop and hip hop artists are portraying. There’s something about it that just doesn’t feel right. And even if there are parts of people that really do like those things, fans of the more extreme styles of music have at least some other part that is quite different.
But the music can still be utterly beautiful. There are some amazing melodies and song structures inherent in a lot of these genres. Guitarists playing de-tuned and distorted riffs in minor keys, screaming vocals, deep, guttural death growls, rapid-fire double-bass – it can all be stunning, beautiful music – IF you can look past the scary outer shell.
So here’s the controversial theory – the part of us that wants to be outside of the mainstream, that sees the appeal of this music is working to protect us somehow. It serves as a way to avoid emotional pain, even when the music is about said pain. And it works by establishing a “test” that others need to pass. People who ‘get’ this music are essentially saying that they can see you more deeply. When you can look beyond the surface, you are getting the essence of something. When we connect with others around heavy music, we know that these other people, by virtue of their musical preferences, are not superficial and appearance-focused. Maybe they can understand your inner world a little better than others, because they’ve already demonstrated this by being able to see the melodies behind George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s vocals or because they see the amazing talent of Nile drummer George Kollias’ brutality behind the kit.
The artists that make this music are on the same playing field as the fans in this regard. To write songs like this and to spend all the time and effort to perfect it, both in the studio and on stage, means that they believe in this so much that it consumes their lives. Most metal musicians are not wealthy. Until you get to the level of bands like System of a Down, Disturbed, and Metallica, you’re unlikely fly in helicopters and vacation in Bora Bora. The vast majority of these artists are traveling the country (hopefully) in sweaty vans and buses so they can play a show to 100 people in a bar somewhere. They’re doing it for the music, certainly not for the wealth and fame. Maybe this is why metal fans can sometimes feel such an intense connection to the artists.
But why does this “test” exist in the first place? It’s definitely not a conscious thought to most people – that’s just not how it works. Subconsciously, we all try to protect ourselves from pain. Defending ourselves is natural and necessary and it’s usually rooted in previous experiences of real or perceived pain. Many metal fans have learned somewhere that expecting life to be “normal” will disappoint you. We grow up with these ideas that everything is supposed to be great. We’re supposed to develop close relationships, find a romantic partner, have loving parents, get through school by just working hard, find a job because an employer will recognize our talents. Life is supposed to be fair. We learn this message from our parents and teachers and from TV and from other places. But it’s rarely the case that this is true. Our parents can disappoint us, our friends can ostracize us, romantic partners reject us. You don’t get invited to parties. You don’t look the way that people in magazines look. You don’t learn the same way that everyone else does. You are different than the mainstream and maybe you’ve been really hurt by the mainstream. Not just the mainstream people, but those mainstream ideas that tell you that things are supposed to be okay. Our problems don’t go away in a 30-minute episode of a show. They don’t go away when we try to make them go away. The notion that things will be okay is just not something we can all count on.
So why have a “test” for the people and things we let in our life? That’s why.
Metal Health 