Session 2: A Nation of Metal: Power, Nationalisms and Myth

2nd Global Conference

Wednesday 11th November – Thursday 12th November 2009
Salzburg, Austria

White Power Black Metal and Me: reflections on Composing the Nation
Caroline Lucas
School of Music, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

A visual analysis of English black metal (EBM) reveals a mythologised imagining of the nation. This imagery pervades EBM, and the surrounding narratives of ancient tribal history authenticate and affirm notions of a fixed ethnicity. ‘White’ is asserted as the naturalised national identity and domination is authenticated by narratives of ‘origin’ based on the ancient past. The invention and mythologisation of tradition is based upon an essentialist notion of national heritage, which has the potential to legitimise an idealised exclusionary ethnic identity. As such, the political positioning of EBM bands is highly contested, both amongst the musicians and the fans; this has led to the categorisation of some as examples of National Socialist Black Metal.

This paper will reflect upon a collaborative project involving EBM musicians, which was undertaken as part of my practise-led research into the construction of English identities in composition. This project reframed EBM within the context of a multi-media performance. It explored the ambiguous elements of EBM (interchangeable notions of English/British/Northern European identities), and the seemingly contradictory influences present in the music (e.g. the assertion of ‘whiteness’ through a style rooted in black music, and the influence of medieval (church) music alongside pagan elements). This study will examine the idea of power in metal, and the potential for applying Foucauldian theory as a framework for exploring power relations within composition. This will facilitate a discussion of the combination of myth-making and power, which authenticates and empowers an overtly masculine ‘white’ identity in EBM.

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Scandinavian Metal Attack: The Power of Northern Europe in Extreme Metal
Imke von Helden
Department of Scandinavian Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany

The powerful and globally acknowledged metal scene of Scandinavia – or the North to include Finland – has been growing steadily ever since the early days of extreme metal in the 1980s. Bands like Einherjer, Amorphis, Bathory and Darkthrone continue to fascinate a huge number of fans that feel a seemingly irresistible attraction not only to the music, but also to the geographical origins of ‘their’ bands. Northern culture and languages are so very popular among metal fans all over the world that even students at La Sapienza University in Rome attend a Norwegian language course – all of them motivated by the music of their choice. There are numerous other examples, ranging from German and Russian bands that write their lyrics in Norwegian and Swedish to German websites on Scandinavian metal music.

What is it that makes the North so powerful that so many people, especially metalheads, are drawn to it? It is the aim of the present paper to analyse data from interviews and promotion material in order to find out where this intense enthusiasm for Northern Europe derives from. What are the connotations and implications for fans? And, on the other hand, to what extent do Northern European bands think their national origin is relevant for their music and promotion? In what way is it utilised in terms of marketing strategy?

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Title to be Confirmed
Andreas Salmhofer
Vienna Institute for Social Science Documentation and Methodology, Vienna, Austria

No abstract is presently available