Metal Music Vs. Suicide
Music preference is something all humans tend to have and are perhaps even born with. Some prefer smooth jazz which might encourage relaxation while others prefer something a little more exciting like rock and roll. No matter the preference one holds, they are all belonging to a community based on that preference. These communities are often referred to as fan bases. One music community which is quite controversial today is the metal music community. Metal is a hardcore version of the largely popular rock and roll genre. The music consists of heavy guitar parts, banging of drums and more specifically the singing technique of “screaming”. The main characteristic associated with the music and its fans is the anger being portrayed. The music consists almost always of this “screaming” technique. Brandon Garrett, a metal-core fan since the age of ten, defines this technique as “a variety of vocal performance that utilizes the false chords in the throat to make the outgoing air distorted.” I asked him to define it again in a less technical term and he said, “Screaming is a way to express your feelings in a dark and powerful way” (Interview). Whichever way you choose to look at it, this technique is something which metal fans adore and find much talent within.
Someone on the outside like myself however, might think of it as just a guy up there screaming words which nobody can understand. This is exactly the type of misunderstanding of metal music which we have today and have always had since it was created. The music consists of many stereotypes one being that metal fans are all suicidal and depressed. This might sound surprising to some because nowadays music is known to help cure people of these awful feelings of depression and suicidality. Music therapy has proved this to be true over the past few years and has also become a quite popular career choice for many. However, what if the music some are listening to is the root of the problem? Does metal music increase suicidal tendencies in fans? The answer might seem clear to some, but there are many specific factors that are not being considered when asking this question. Metal music itself has been proved to increase these feelings, but there is more to it than we can see. There are a few specific factors such as gender, lyrics and location which can decide whether or not this specific type of music is encouraging these feelings of depression and hopelessness which can lead to suicide, or if it is the specific personality traits of the fans themselves or the specific subgenres (nu metal, metal-core etc.) which are contributing to an increase in those feelings.
Metal music and its history are something of great importance to the ideas being discussed. Heavy metal music was made popular by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath back in the 1960’s. (Stack 1). It continued to grow as the years went on and slowly split into many sub genres. Bands such as Poison and Def Leppard moved into a more pop and rock realm while bands such as Metallica moved into many other sub genres that included death, black, doom and grind-core (Hjelm 6.) The most popular subgenre however was the genre of nu metal. This developed in the 1990s where metal and hip hop met together in bands such as Isis, Neurosis and Celeste (Hjelm 6). Like many other genres of music, metal also had a connection to what was happening in the media at the time. Metal would often portray some of the social events in the 1970’s such as things like the protests at Kent State University (Stack 1). In Michelle Hines article titled “Metal made me who I am: Seven adult men reflect on their engagement with metal music during adolescence” several adult men reflect on their experience with metal. They mention how metal has educated them on these historical topics in a different light than what they might see in the media. (Hines 214).
Studies have shown that metal music causes increased feelings of depression and suicidal feelings. In an article by David Lester, the authors administered a questionnaire which included a standardized test on depression and asked the participants about different genres of music and how much they liked them. The results regarding suicide showed that current music preference had no relation to suicidal ideation. However, past suicidal ideation was dependent on music preferences. They found, those who preferred heavy metal music more were associated with threats and attempts of suicide. This information is one source we can pull to show correlation between the music and its negative effect on listeners. In another study done by Dave Miranda, the researchers found that metal music increased feelings of depression specifically in young girls (Miranda 219). Although this study didn’t directly measure suicidal thoughts, depression is one of the leading causes of suicide. There is clear evidence that when compared to other genres being listened to, the most reported feelings of depression correlated with metal music. However, correlation doesn’t equal causation. The issue at hand is why this music has this impact and why it is important. Similar studies ask the same question but incorporate differences with each. These differences include, location, type of examination and might even include different sub genres of metal which we don’t pay attention to. These are all important to consider before deciding whether or not metal music is solely responsible for these suicidal tendencies.
A commonly observed feature of participants in research studies is their gender and is arguably one of the most important factors that should be considered when asking the question at hand. In one study, the researchers found quite the opposite of Stack and Gundlach by finding that listening to any type of music can act as one of the most important coping strategies (Miranda 217). With the results being so positive it causes us to wonder how they could ever worsen it and cause more suicidal tendencies. Many researchers suggest it often has something to do with gender. Studies have shown that metal music has caused more depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies in women. This might be because of the social aspect that goes into listening to metal music. It might be that it is more socially acceptable for men to listen to metal music than women and to be attracted to the aggressiveness of it (Lacourse 330). There tends to be a general idea of what women and men should listen to when it comes to music. The average woman probably tends to listen to more pop like upbeat music while men might choose more of a rock or even rap like genre. Because of these stereotypes and society norms we have created, certain genres of music tend to become more acceptable to listen to based on your gender. Since metal is known as such an aggressive form of music, we might not expect as many women to listen to it and when they do this causes for more room for them to be made fun of or bullied for their abnormal taste. A teacher at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom wrote an article about this idea of suicide and metal music. He also believes that gender is an important factor to consider because of the representations men and women hold. “The putative folk devils of the respective campaigns were strongly marked by gendered representations, contrasting the white-male (working class) head banger or metal head with that of the white female (middle-class) emo fan. Here it might be argued that this representational discourse suggested the head banger as a danger to others (and therefore the wider society) whereas emo girls were a danger to themselves and their families” (Brown 35). This take on how gender plays an important role holds the same idea but doesn’t touch as much on the social norms aspect of it. This idea suggests that girls are seen as more vulnerable therefore when listening to music associated with anger, they might breakdown and cause harm to themselves. Although there is nothing to prove this correct or not, it is another clear reason why gender should be focused on more when asking the question at hand. This itself is one of factors that could influence suicidal tendencies which we might not be taking into consideration. It might not be the music and lyrics that these fans are listening to and interesting but the reaction they get from the outside community based on social norms.
With suicidal ideation also comes violence. Often those who are thinking about suicide or are depressed perform acts of self-harm such as cutting, hair pulling etc. The metal music genre seems to be encouraging these ideas of violence and suicide. An example of this is the following: “In 1984, a 19-year-old American boy shot himself while listening to Ozzy Osbourne’s song Suicide Solution. (Baker 285). Although this suggests that the music was related to his suicide it provides no context on if it had any relation with what really took place. Although this clearly suggest a correlation, in this previously quoted article, a Canadian study is mentioned where they found heavy metal preferences were not correlated with suicide risk and instead had more of a positive impact. However, in a different study done in Australia, the researchers found the following: “suicidal thoughts, acts of deliberate harm, depression, delinquency, drug taking behaviors and family dysfunction...” (Baker 285). The same type of results was also found in a study done on American adolescents. These results could suggest a couple of things. Perhaps it is the subgenre they are listening to in the metal world or the subculture or specific fan base in which they are interacting with. Another explanation might be that one’s geographic location can affect whether or not the music is seriously encouraging violence or suicidal thoughts. Both of these are important factors to considering when asking what impact this music really has.
When interviewing Mr. Garrett, he suggested the same idea of how sub genres have a significant role on how the music effects fans. He proposed a hypothesis which said that he thinks he will all depend on the subgenre. “I know some of the kids who listen to the metal-core sub-genre are some of the happiest kids ever but those who listen to other sub-genres like emo style music tend to be more depressed.” (Interview). His overall point was that there is not enough attention given to the idea that metal music cannot be contained to one single genre. The music is divided into many parts, some containing happier fans and others portraying a more emo lifestyle. Perhaps to get a real answer to the question being asked, we need to focus on these subgenres. If one looks at the lyrics from a song belonging to the sub-genre of “death core” you will find very satanic evil meaning behind it. However, if you venture off into “metal core” you mind find more lyrics on personal pain and heartbreak, something that might be easier to relate to and more positive for some. Brandon’s hypothesis is a helpful source giving us a fan base perspective on how the music might directly affect people mentally, especially from someone to listens to all the subgenres and plays them himself.
Another important factor to consider is geographic location. As mentioned before, A study done in Canada offered no correlation between the genre and suicidal tendencies. However, the studies in Australia and the United States did. In an article titled “Metal Music and Mental Health in France” the authors studied the effects of the music specifically in that country. This research found that generally metal music fans show the same levels of anxiety and depression (two contributing factors to suicide) as the general population. In more specifics, less than five percent of metal music fans showed any pathological symptoms (Recours 1). This causes me to wonder why such low correlation in this area of the world and high correlation in others. The researchers proposed some answers to why this might be. An aspect of some metal music is a cult like relationship. This is often proposed in more “hardcore” sub-genres of the music but it is quite relevant when it is present. In France however, cults are illegal while in some places including the United States they are not illegal. This might suggest that the cult like community in countries where it is legal might be leading to more depression or anxiety ultimately leading to suicide. This gives us another area to expand the question and further research by considering what exactly is and is not causing this music to effect people mentally. Another reasoning for why the study in France in particular is different could be because the music in France has less of an impact on the community of the country. With most of the lyrics being in English, often it is less popular than the normal French music being played. This could suggest that it is simply not popular in that country and might be a harder place to study this question.
Although studies can show us many important things to consider, nothing is more important than asking the actual fans themselves why they like the music and what it does for their emotional state. This is exactly what the authors did in the article titled “Metal Made Me Who I Am.” This article goes into how seven different men recall feeling while being in the metal community and the connection to music they had. All of the community members agreed that they were positively affected by the music throughout the article. For example, even though the music angry feelings within them to be shown, it helped the, express these feelings in what they believe was a healthy way. It also gave them closure on what they were feeling because they were being reminded there are people out there feeling the same way. Besides, just helping them express emotions, they talked about how they were made aware of many global issues through the music. This is something in my opinion which you might not be able to find in other genres of music. What these men experience through metal music as adolescence gives u another perspective on if the music influences mental health and suicidal tendencies. Another idea which we can consider is if the music is making them feel worse or if they are drawn to the music because of the angry, depressing tone. In a study done again in Australia, the researcher found the most distressed group of people chose to listen to metal. (McFerran). This suggests that the music doesn’t necessarily cause the feelings of depression but their own feelings before is what draws them to the music. The answer to the question could be achieved by observing characteristics of adolescents and then asking them the type of music they would like to listen to. Maybe then we could come to a clearer conclusion.
Besides getting most of my information from studies and other articles, I also ventured out and interviews a current member of the community who is at the end of his adolescence. Brandon Garrett, has been a metal fan since age ten. He gave me the primary view on how it has affected him during his adolescent years which are coming to an end this March. I asked him what he thought of my question and if he overall thought metal music was angry. He thinks that it is actually the point of it to be angry. He says that the point of the anger is to “convey emotions” and “relate to people’s frustrations.” Although he believes that it is indeed an important part for the music to convey anger he also thinks that the sub genres are the most important when asking the question about mental health. Brandon says: “...Some of the kids who listen to the metal core sub-genre are some of the happiest people I know but those who listen to other sub-genres like emo style music tend to be more depressed.” He is suggesting once again that the sub-genres are where we need to narrow our focus and see if maybe the listeners already have those feelings and are drawn to that style of music.
Overall, I think there is no perfect answer to the question of whether or not metal music is causing suicidal tendencies. This ultimately is because we are ignoring the more important specifics. We cannot blame a genre a music for something without researching the people showing these signs in the first place. Characteristics of a person have a large impact on their mental health and the blame for their personal feelings of depression and suicidal ideas should not be put on one criteria. Location, gender, sub-genres are all important when considering the mental health of an individual and whether or not they are being impacted by solely a music genre. As for the genre of metal music and the controversy it is surrounded by, more research should be done to analyze how the music helps fans cope with their feelings of anger and pain before associating it all with negative actions. The metal genre may have been proved to increase depression and suicide through various studies, but were these studies looking at the whole picture? Or is there more to it than we can see?
Works Cited
Baker, Felicity, and William Bor. "Can Music Preference Indicate Mental Health Status in Young People?" Australasian Psychiatry, vol. 16, no. 4, 2008, pp. 284-288.
Brown, Andy R. "Suicide Solutions?" Popular Music History, vol. 6, no. 1, 2011, pp. 19-37.
Hines, Michelle, and Katrina S. McFerran. "Metal made Me Who I Am: Seven Adult Men Reflect on their Engagement with Metal Music during Adolescence." International Journal of Community Music, vol. 7, no. 2, 2014, pp. 205-222.
Lester, David, and Melissa Whipple. "Music Preference, Depression, Suicidal Preoccupation, and Personality: Comment on Stack and Gundlach's Papers." Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, vol. 26, no. 1, 1996, pp. 68-70.
McFerran, Katrina S., et al. "Examining the Relationship between Self-Reported Mood Management and Music Preferences of Australian Teenagers." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, vol. 24, no. 3, 2015, pp. 187-203.
Miranda, Dave, and Michel Claes. "Music Listening, Coping, Peer Affiliation and Depression in Adolescence."Psychology of Music, vol. 37, no. 2, 2009, pp. 215-233.
Recours, Robin, Franois Aussaguel, and Nick Trujillo. "Metal Music and Mental Health in France." Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, vol. 33, no. 3, 2009, pp. 473-488.
Stack, Steven. "Heavy Metal, Religiosity, and Suicide Acceptability." Suicide & Life - Threatening Behavior, vol. 28, no. 4, 1998, pp. 388-94.
Stack, Steven, Jim Gundlach, and Jimmie L. Reeves. "The Heavy Metal Subculture and Suicide." Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, vol. 24, no. 1, 1994, pp. 15-23.
Wallace, Allison, “Interview with Brandon Garrett” 2017
