Heavy Metal:A Musical Subculture and Literature

Abstract

This research work, in efforts to unravel sharedcharacteristics between heavy metal and literature, explicates heavy metal as extension ofculture. Heavy metal is one of the most diverse genres of today's musicworld. The culture and lyrics of heavy metal resemble European literary Romanticism in its emphasis on the individual and nature. Heavy metal lyrics are literature in the simplest form. As literature has been changing lives and societies across the globe, heavymetal's influence is no different from that of literary work. Music style of this genre is inspired from many historical events. Many songs and lyrics are based on a made up story from the world of fantasy. Heavy metal, with its blend of verbal and non–verbal elements,fascinates the way in which it addresses themes and concepts traditionally and purview of theology and aesthetics. Close textualanalysis for this research has been done through the analysis of the lyrical contentof some heavy metal songs.