The lead vocalist from the metal band Pantera, Phil Anselmo, once opposed the idea of Metal music returning to MTV saying, “I wasn't that wild about that. I told them basically if they were really going to want to bring back heavy metal to a program on MTV, then they are really going to have to get in touch with what real heavy metal is.” Phil Anselmo does not want metal music tainted by the modern sensationalism the MTV network projects. He appreciates metal bands such as Cattle Decapitation who do not gain the success popular metal and rock bands do and would not likely be seen on MTV. The overall population has not become acclimated with bands like Cattle Decapitation because of preconceived notions of metal being “just a bunch of guys screaming”. Although Cattle does have extremely heavy vocals, unappreciated metal bands like Cattle deserve greater respect from the general populace because they create music with powerful emotional lyricism and entice the listener with imaginative musical prowess.
Potent written words do not tend to be associated with metal because of the general idea of metal being just screaming but plenty of metal consists of dynamic and poetic lyrics. Cattle Decapitation’s most recent album The Anthropocene Extinction consists of a great deal of satire. The song “Prophets of Loss” calls humanity to wake up from the “environmental dissonance” ravaging our planet:
“O, the prophets speak of calamity through their corpses
Predetermining the fates of future generations
Heed their warnings now, all humans bear the cost
The clergy of doom, the prophets of loss.”
These lyrics illustrate how metal has the capacity for robust wordplay relative to the world today. The general populace can appreciate the idea of protecting the environment and working to better the world and, Cattle achieves this with their dark warnings in this song.
Metal has the ability to reach out to their viewers on an emotional level and one of the best examples is the album The Sound of Perseverance by Death. The lead guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schuldiner was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and died in 2001. Before he died, he created The Sound of Perseverance and one of the songs on the album, “Spirit Crusher”, speaks about staying strong against those who attempt to belittle you as a person:
“No guilt, it feeds in plain sight
Spirit Crusher
Stay strong and hold on tight
Spirit Crusher”
With death being closer to him than to most, Schuldiner called for his listeners to remain fearless in the face of adversity. Such a poignant message may be recognized and understood by the majority of people further exhibiting how metal may be enjoyed by the masses.
Metal has a great deal of superb instrumental work with dexterous guitar playing and rhythmic drums. The sci-fi thrash metal band Vektor does an incredible job of this in each of their albums. On their second album, Outer Isolation, they execute their musical precision in songs such as “Tetrastructural Minds”. The song begins with a fast paced pounding drum cut short by an intense guitar riff. A second guitar comes into the complex and new exhilarating melding of the instruments ensues. One minute into the song, the lead guitarist/vocalist David DiSanto belts out a high-pitched cry that rivals Tom Araya’s in the Slayer song “Angel of Death”. This only describes the first bit of this five-minute song. The intricate compellation of instrumentals in this song may at the least be perceived as skilled work even by those who do not enjoy the sound of metal. The skill found in this kind of metal music could entice the general population to enjoying their work.
The prowess of the music found in these undeserving metal groups grips the listener with a variety of playing in a single song. Skeletonwitch achieved this in their song “Desire to Kill” off the album Forever Abomination. The intro consists of two acoustic guitars harmonizing with one another and then the riff is played with bar chords by electric guitars in tremolo fashion over thunderous drums. Another riff enters the melody and Nate Garnette’s vocals may be heard amidst the blackened thrash that is Skeletonwitch. The riff from the beginning of the song may be heard three and a half minutes in with a multitude of others played between the intro and this point. The song ends with the acoustic guitar from the beginning and an electric one accompanying it. The complexities of many different parts in Skeletonwitch’s song catch the attention of the perceiver and envelop them in an auditory treasure. The great amount of detail and variation used in these types of metal should at least demand respect from the masses if not grip them into listening to it.
Overlooked metal bands, like the ones mentioned, should demand the respect of the populace because of their ability to infuse emotionality into lyrical content and synthesize music with aptitude. Phil Anselmo of Pantera did not want metal music brought back to MTV for fear of the network destroying metal but if the general population pursues listening to good metal and does not allow it to be brought to them by forms of media like MTV, then there is hope for metal to be accepted and maybe even enjoyed by the masses.
Work Cited
Ryan, T. (2015). Prophets of Loss. [CD]. Westminster, CO: Metal Blade.
Schuldiner, C. (1998) Spirit Crusher. [CD]. Orlando, FL: Nuclear Blast.
Disanto, D. (2011). Tetrastructural Minds. [CD]. Phoenix AR: Heavy Artillary.
Garnette, C. (2011). Desire to Kill. [CD]. Prosthetic Records.
