Extreme Metal

Music and Culture on the Edge

Keith Kahn-Harris

• Publisher: Berg Publishers
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9781845203993
• eBook ISBN: 9780857850812
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Theory
• Index: Social Sciences

Extreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship.Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form.

Table of contents

• CONTENTS
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• INTRODUCTION FROM HEAVY METAL TO EXTREME METAL
• 1 THE EXTREME METAL SCENE
• 2 THE SCENE AND TRANSGRESSION
• 3 EXPERIENCING THE SCENE
• 4 CAPITAL,POWER,INFRASTRUCTURE
• 5 COMPARING EXTREME METAL SCENES
• 6 EXTREME METAL AND SUBCULTURAL CAPITAL
• 7 REFLEXIVITY,MUSIC AND POLITICS
• 8 THE SCENE AND MODERNITY
• APPENDIX DETAILS OF QUOTED INTERVIEWEES
• NOTES
• REFERENCES
• INDEX