For the sake of this article, I’m going to define protest music as: songs whose lyrical content can be interpreted as political, and standing against some sort of established system of behavior, and which have been used to rally against said systems. People make political music into protest songs; artists do not write protest songs.
Metallic adjectives grew like weeds in Zuccotti Park, formerly Liberty Plaza Park, when I visited. Loud stands out: one can (or could, as of November 6, 2011) hear Occupy’s drum circle (I counted upwards of 50 individual drums) from two New York blocks away. Funny thing, though: The protest songs I heard at Occupy were, by and large, old music forged around previous protest movements: “Revolution” by The Beatles, “Rockin’ in the Free World” by Neil Young, “Exodus” by Bob Marley – no-one had the guts to play The Clash’s “White Riot”. Occupy is hard-pressed to find any modern music reflecting the movement’s mood, apparently.
That’s a problem. Music is a crucial element to protest – the anti-establishment folk of the 1960s civil rights and anti-Vietnam protests remains some of the most loved and critically acclaimed modern music. People still rip off Bob Dylan four decades after his prime, and I’m being generous when I use the word “prime”. Music, especially at high volume, attracts attention. It provides bite-sized mottoes for people to rally around. When associated with a subculture, it gives a protest movement an identifiable aesthetic identity.
I have issues with Occupy using protest music from Rock n’ Roll’s pinnacle. That the golden age of American protest in the 1960s, iconic as they remain, weren’t precisely successful – one in nine young black men in America is incarcerated, the country remains in two lengthy wars of occupation that dwarf Vietnam in almost every respect, and gay marriage is still under fire. The hippies lost, and the civil rights movement scored a technical knockout at best. Worse, music from that era has been co-opted by the kind of big business Occupy is supposed to stand against. “Revolution” was in a commercial. Rolling Stone magazine is sold in Rite Aids alongside Entertainment Weekly and People. Nostalgia sells overpriced greatest hits collections.
People need stronger protest music; heavy metal is a good choice. Metal music, on an ideological level, seeks to destroy establishments and conventions (at least conventions outside the realm of metal) more often than not. Disobedience, civil or not, is a pillar of the faith. Metal and extreme music in general (as well as Hip-hop, though that’s been co-opted as well) is evidence of rock’s shortcomings. This may seem like an elementary thought, but: if people were totally satisfied with rock, then metal, punk and hardcore would not have diverged from it. This is music full of strong and ugly emotions during a time of strong and ugly emotions. Unlike its ancestor and cousins, metal is, for the most part, too abrasive to be used as a marketing gimmick on the scale The Beatles have been–it is in a sense co-opt proof. And while metal may be entering its 40s, it has yet to take part in a social movement in the way folk-rock did in America, or punk did in the UK. Occupy is the most significant protest movement Western society has birthed in that same length of time.
Unfortunately, from my perspective, Occupy is unlikely to grab onto leather and denim any time soon: The movement’s organizers are doing their best to spread a nonviolent, squeaky-clean image. From the metalhead’s end of things, political bands and albums are often overshadowed by their more party-/gore-/Satan-/esoteric-/history-focused brethren. Still, metal has produced a wealth of strong political music rife to be made into protest anthems. Here are some choice cuts, some collected in albums, some standing alone.
Metallica – And Justice For All
. . .
Metallica – “And Justice For All”
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Metallica – “The Shortest Straw”
. . .
“Halls of justice painted green, money talking / Power wolves beset your door, hear them stalking.” How is this album’s artwork not plastered and graffitied on every street corner with an Occupy tumblr? In a post-2008 world, with the possible Eurozone collapse (by most accounts a direct result of government and financial corruption) inhibiting the US’s economic recovery, this album sounds prophetic in retrospect. Cosmo’s in-depth discussion of this album supersedes my own.
Queensryche – “Revolution Calling”
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Queensryche – “Spreading the Disease”
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I listened to this record while driving to my local Occupy’s first day of hullabaloo. Operation: Mindcrime is still one of the most well-regarded metal records by the mainstream press, but the lion’s share of that acclaim is aimed at its amazing production and tight playing, not to mention being one of the only truly successful rock operas. In retrospect, the love story seems a bit trite and the narrative unresolved, but the social criticism is sharp as it ever was. Kudos to Queensryche for underscoring the threads of corruption tying evangelical Christianity, financiers and career politicians together. Paradoxically, you can also read the album as a cautionary tale about how dangerous it is too have too much faith in a charismatic leader.
Sepultura – “Refuse/Resist”
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Sepultura – “Propaganda”
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Chaos A.D. lacks some of its predecessor’s musical chops, but far exceeds it in lyrical content. Authentic lyrics and attitude are among the few benefits of surviving years in a police state. “Refuse/Resist” could be a rallying cry for any victim of police brutality. The rest of the album is in a similar vein. It’s worth noting that “Biotech is Godzilla” spat vitriol at biomedical companies long before doing so became ‘hip’. For further rallying cries, refer to “Propaganda” (“Don’t believe what you read”), and “Slave New World” (“We’re not slaves, we’re free”).
Lamb of God – “Ashes of the Wake”
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Lamb of God – “Remorse Is For the Dead”
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This band gets a nasty reputation from the metal underground as mainstream and knuckledragging. Evidence to the contrary: 2004’s Ashes of the Wake, proof that popularity is not (or was not) married to ignorance. Ashes is a 45-minute indictment of the Bush regime, and the surge of post 9-11 patriotism which fueled it. Blythe and co. call bullshit on nearly every facet of new-millennium America on this record, but the album comes together on the instrumental title track, with its chilling vocal diatribe courtesy of one disgruntled US Marine, before transitioning seamlessly into “Remorse is for the Dead”.
Slayer – “Jihad”
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Slayer – “Supremist”
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If anyone who kills an American is a terrorist, then metal’s history of anti-religious sentiment has changed from blasphemy into a legitimate political dialogue. Appropriately, Slayer keyed into that on Christ Illusion. For the first time in over a decade, Slayer sounded convinced of their own music, instead of following a rote pattern. The results are savage: “Jihad” damns Islamic terrorists, but then the next song “Consfearacy” spits the same venom at the US government. Christ Illusion takes no prisoners.
Kreator – “Violent Revolution”
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“Society’s failed to tolerate me / And I have failed to tolerate society.” That line elevates this track above other ‘fuck this and burn shit’ songs. “Violent Revolution” is all about being an outsider – that means metalheads, as well as everyone abandoned by the machinery of postmodernity.
Skid Row – “Slave to the Grind”
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Forget for a minute that Sebastian Bach hasn’t needed to work a dead-end job for no pay in decades. The ideal American is, apparently, a self-made person who propels him- or herself from the lower classes to a position of wealth and power on the merits of his or her own hard work alone. Do you know anyone like that? Me neither. Turns out you can’t be king of the world when you’re slave to the grind, after all.
Ministry – “Thieves”
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Al Jourgensen jumped on the Bush-hating bandwagon as well, and made some of the most violent music of his career at the same time. That said, as much as I like hearing clips of Dubya edited together into admissions of guilt, Jourgensen could have stopped with “Thieves”. (I’m embedding the live version from In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up, just because it’s one of my favorite live records.)
And finally…
Napalm Death – “When All Is Said and Done”
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This should require no explanation. While their peers were making songs about slaughtering prostitutes, Napalm Death were talking about social injustice and the meaninglessness of a wage slave society – themes which have pervaded every album of theirs since Scum. Napalm Death say one thing to me: if modern life is meaningless, there is no point in sanity or even safety.
. . .
This list is weak. Brutal Truth’s entire discography maybe?
yeah… Napalm Death’s “peers” were talking about murder prostitutes. Right. Because 1) clearly Napalm Death on the same level as silly gore grind and 2) obviously no other grind band has a political message.
right
Arch Enemy’s recent sloganeering would probably lend itself to protest songs… if it wasn’t so boneheaded and soulless.
Being fairly vague and generic can actually actually a plus in terms of protest music. “Willing to fight for what we believe to be right” and “breaking the chains, shaking the cage” are fairly good one-size-fits-all protest lyrics.
I suppose Keep on Rockin in the Free World is pretty vapid at its core, but it certainly works.
Speaking of Arch Enemy…
Rock the free world you may, but as our friends sung on thier swan song:
“Keep on rotting in the free world” is more like it!
I remember when I first heard that Ashes spoken word and It creeped me the fuck out. Although the early Fallujah years were a different atmosphere than the later Baghdad surge, After two deployments I really see how true it rings (and friends with similar sentiments).
It was also a very interesting experience when I first heard “Contractor”. Although people were familiar with aspects of the war after so many years, I had never heard it expressed in music, at least not in anything but silly vague metaphors. So it was a quite jarring to hear the jargon and lexicon (Route Irish, IEDs)being directly expressed. I honestly thought to myself “Is he allowed to say this?”
It’s remarkable how perfectly Contractor captures the attitude of the various guns for hire as described in Jeremy Scahill’s book on Blackwater.
I think Warrior Soul, the oft forgotten early 90’s NY outfit, pretty much pegged alot of what has been going down the last twenty years lyrically with their three albums “Last Decade, Dead Century”, “Salutations from the Ghetto Nation”, and “Drugs, God & the new Republic” albums. Sure they’re not uber-heavy, but they have enough punk /metal vitriol and a sound that teetered between Jane’s Addiction and Guns and Roses at their punky, urgent best. If you’re including Skid Row and Queensryche here, Warrior Soul deserves a place – moreso because their first three discs were essentially emotional rage based around sharpened political rants. I mean with songs such as “Superpower Dreamland”, “Love Destruction”, “The Party”, “Blown Away” and “In Conclusion”
In Conclusion
“Media children pacified
Crosses stand where the dead man died
Goverments hide behind religion
Kids like us get thrown in prison
We come to We come to
We come to conclusion [repeat three times]
Say a prayer for us That we don’t lose our way
While freedom lies there dying
We are there to hold it’s hand
Take all the children holy To the river of dead
Make them drink it’s waters Lonely so they can learn what we had”
Indeed. If the #OWS movement isn’t the kids coming to their own conclusions while holding the dying hand of our democracy I don’t know what it is.
YES! Warrior Soul, in addition to being a criminally underrated band, absolutely lyrically nails it as you state. Odd, was just listening to this on walk to work the other day (I work in DC and pass the ‘Occupy DC’ every day) and was thinking how perfect a soundtrack it was!
Kudos to you…
Completely agree. And “The Losers” is the ultimate anthem for the disaffected.
What about MASAKARI? I hear ‘The Prophet Feeds’ as total protest music.
Arise! by Amebix is an album full of anthems of struggle, depression, and despair balanced with positive, uplifting messages.
Fuckin’ Panopticon!
Argentina’s Malón has probably written the best protest lyrics in all heavy metal history (not exaggerating). Argentina’s long tradition of Trova/Folk singers always concerned with social issues and recalling the atrocities committed during US sponsored Dirty wars has clearly permeated this band’s attitude towards writing relevant lyrics. More mainstream knowledgeable Almafuerte shares a bit of that spirit but they have sadly opted for brute nationalism instead.
Obviously, the fact that Malón’s lyrics are written in Spanish will cause them to be ignored by most metalheads and mainstream metal promoters (even a large part of latin americas metaleros think metal should always be in English). However those of us lucky enough to understand (and even identify) to their lyrics will always appreciate their amazing capability to portray the struggles of the poor and opressed and the inmense cleverness of their message.
War Pigs? Bastard Noise?
that’s why i love the oily menace. they take protest music from the great depression through today and set it to grinding goodness. it really resonates right now.
I’m gonna have to disagree with you on the point of whether or not the protests of the ’60s made any gains, I rather like your list. I’m not familiar with all of the albums and songs, but the ones that I am (AJFA, Ashes, Ministry, Christ Illusion) would be excellent, and in many ways relevant choices (not to mention enjoyable,a t least for me).
I think the biggest difference comes from the source of the music. Protestors back then we’re protesting by writing music; we’re talking about music that has already been made, in most cases many years before the Occupy movement began. For real musical and cultural identity, Occupy needs to make its own music, not look for others. Will it be metal? I certainly hope so!
Hammers of Misfortune. A lot of their lyrics are directly political, and even those that are less so, such as their newest album, still really capture the spirit of it the time. To me, a lot of the lyrics of 17th Street are really about rebuilding and trying to pull back together, both on the individual and the societal level, after the shocks and damages of the Bush years and with the whole economy falling apart a few years ago. Definitely a lot of pro-99% stuff in there, to put it mildly. Like a lot of good protest music, it is both melancholy and resolute at the same time.
Yes, thank you for mentioning the criminally underhailed Hammers! 17th Street is still sinking in for me, but I did get a similar feeling from it – the effort of rebuilding, the ambivalence and apprehension it can breed.
From both a musical and lyrical perspective, The Locust Years is my favorite statement about the ’00s Bush administration produced in any musical genre. Highly, highly recommended.
Oh yes, I’m with you 100% on The Locust Years — to me it is the definitive musical statement on the Bush years.
no RATM? wow.
Excellent article. I’m uncomfortable with OWS’s recycling of 60s/70s protest music for the same reasons; they reek of a failed revolution.
Misery Index would fit nicely on this list.
Thou’s lyrics are fairly critical of contemporary society though they aren’t particularly straightforward. Atheist has some pretty political material, too, I think.
“Biotech Is Godzilla” is one of my fave Sepultura songs, great. Their cover of “Policia” should be on here too bro!
I agree with Mr. Childers about the Oily Menace.
Really though, you left off bands that only have political songs. I’ll just name a few. Discharge, MDC(Millions of Dead Cops), Assuck, Dead Kennedy’s, Ceremony, Negative Approach and Magrudergrind(from DC) are all being neglected.
Great list and great article. Cosmo be proud!
South Park taught us that hippies hate Slayer; I would love to clear out an OWS crowd with Reign In Blood blasting from speakers mounted on my ‘71 Ford.
Uh, I think you’re missing the point here….
I have a lot of issues with this post.
First off, Chris Rowella above is right. Protesters as a rule have a kind of hippie philosophy, and they’re not going to be into violent-sounding music. They would marginalize any metal-related protestors.
Secondly, I’m not so sure that metal is wholly co-opt-proof. Plenty of advertisements and manly TV shows use metal in the background (usually made by studio musicians, so it’s pretty sterile stuff). As long as you leave out the vocals, it sells manly stuff to boys who would like to believe they’re men. Also, did you forget the Suffocation/History Channel ad? Reggae (which I fucking hate) is probably about the same, because the vocals will kill any mass appeal but the music itself will sell a certain kind of product.
Finally, Slayer as protest music? You’ve got to be kidding. Tom Araya doesn’t even believe the stuff he’s saying.
I should have used quotes for the “manly” TV shows.
Holy shit, I never met anyone who abjectly hated reggae. Thats like hating curry.
yeah, and I have to take issue with the “protesters have a hippie philosophy” statement. what proof do you have? I don’t know any “hippies” down at OWS and a very large percentage of people down there are punks/hardcore-kids of various stripes. maybe NYC and Oakland are that much different than elsewhere, but I kind of doubt it.
I don’t have any proof. Just a general impression. I haven’t been there.
I hate curry too.
The amount of HATE being dished out by this metal blog since its lord and master headed out on the highway for greener pastures is outrageous.
Saying you “fucking hate” reggae is problematic, to say the least. Saying you “hate curry” may be worse.
I’ve given many a compliment to the writers on this blog. And I don’t have a problem with the writing or the interesting subject matter here. I’m just disagreeing with the point being made. Which is the point of this after all, right?
You’re going to have to explain why those are problematic.
haha, I’m not sure why these things are problematic, either. (curry happens to be one of my favorite foods, but it’s not surprising that folks hate it.)
It’s really not that difficult. You, being a white man of privilege, I assume, have a problem on your hands when he start saying things like you “hate reggae,” a music created by Jamaicans, who also happen to be black. If you said something like, “I dislike reggae,” that’s fine. But saying “hate” and “reggae” in the same sentence? Hmm. That’s a lot like saying “curry” and “hate” in the same sentence. You may as well say you “hate” Southeast Asians. You “dislike” curry. That’s fine. Say it with me: “dis-like.” See? Isn’t that better. There’s no room for “hate” on Invisible Oranges. Even from white men of privilege.
Sundae, I have a pretty finely calibrated sarcasm radar, and I honestly can almost never tell when you’re being sarcastic.
now now now, you know that’s not true. hating a particular cuisine or style of music has nothing to do with hating a person. I hate cilantro, but that doesn’t mean I hate people who use cilantro in their food. that’s demented. you can hate on Indonesian gamelan music but that doesn’t entail hating Indonesians.
I’m getting to be fairly certain Sundae is being sarcastic, but I’ll proceed on the assumption (s)he is not. Suffocation is one of my ten favorite bands. I think that pretty much covers that point.
To say I “dislike” reggae would be a gross understatement. I dislike polka music. I hate modern pop music. I fucking hate reggae. You see how that works? As for curry, I suppose I could go with “dislike” for now. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had it, I can’t recall how strong my distaste for it is.
Just because I’m an inner city black kid doesn’t mean you all can move the goal posts on this game. I’m going to win it regardless of what smoke and mirrors junk you try to put in my way. I admire your debating skills and fine logic, but saying “cilantro” and “reggae” fundamentally carry the same implications is just laughable. Cilantro, for instance, has almost been entirely stripped of its cultural identity. It’s no more mexican than it is american these days. Just my two cents.
you’re the one moving goalposts (and I don’t know who you are or where you come from or what color your skin is). my point was that a personal choice, a “taste”, cannot be conflated with hatred for a racial or ethnic group. hating curry doesn’t imply hating South Asians. if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you.
This is just ridiculous. I’m not going to entertain you on this one any longer.
That troll got fed for a long time, though.
This thread is amazing. Sundae has mastered trolling to the point where you can’t tell when (s)he’s doing it.
if Sundae’s trollin’, I definitely got trolled hard. well done.
If that’s what it is (it appears to be), then don’t praise it. Trolling is never worthy of praise. I don’t care if you’re trolling Justin Bieber fan sites or NAMBLA, it’s just not OK. It’s ironic and dishonest, kind of like something a hipster would do.
@ Sundae
White man of privilege? Wassat?
@ Rage
Spot on, mate. Curry means nothing to us Mauritius-dwellers either. Curry is only a blend of spices that we mix with things we want to cook: you have chicken curry, beef curry, veggies curry and what not. So, what’s FMM’s problem with curry?
As a long-time reader, who happens to be South Asian, just have to point out that hating “curry” probably means you hate English people. “Curry” doesn’t really mean anything in South Asia. Or it’s so vague the way it is used broadly, that you can wander into stating something more than what one means when they say they hate cilantro or anchovies.
Nice to see the Occupy / civil awakenings mentioned here. And really happy to see Warrior Soul mentioned. I thought I was the only fan.
Holy Fuck, didnt mean to start that. I actually was implying racial overtones, but for comedic effect, i.e. “well, if I invited you home for dinner after a show, it could get awkward, to say the least”
Sorry bout that. I still think it was funny though.
Curry originally comes from “kari” aka “black pepper” in one of the Kerala dialects I’ve been led to believe. This is probably both the time and place to discuss that.
Muad’dib,
Origination of word is one thing, but what it’s come to represent… well, you know? I don’t think FMA hates black pepper, though he seems to hate a lot of things.
“Death of Gods” off of the new Primordial. That song embodies such deep rage at what has been done to Ireland by its moneyed interests. That entire album (the entire Primordial discography really) exudes an anger that is so honest and powerful. The new Amebix scratches the same itch. Both of those albums vie with the new PJ Harvey – another modern record of true political anger – for album of the year in my book.
I love that “Thieves” live version.
I’d like to add “Your vision was never mine to share” by Misery Loves Co., “Slavestate” by Godflesh, “Money is not our God” and “Age of Greed” by Killing Joke, and Anarcho-Grinders Assück and Phobia.
And for your fix of distopian prose fiction in that vein I highly recommend to read John Shirley’s “A Song Called Youth” Series (aka “Eclipse Trilogy”). Especially the first novel has quite some Rock’n'Roll pathos to it.
The reason that 60’s protest songs are being used for the occupy movement is because the 60’s protest songs were modeled after the protest songs of the 30’s. People still sing songs like Preacher and the Slave and Get the Bosses off your Back because that sentiment has always existed in American society. Capitalism is based on exploitation, and the exploited will always raise a beer to songs that validate and understand their plight. This article is fantastic, although the musical selections were a bit lacking. Anarcho punk gave rise to grindcore and crust punk, and every single song was a protest song in one way or another. Grind and crustpunk birthed all of these genres of extreme metal we adore, so their inclusion in this article should be vital.
a lot of music I’d consider political leans more towards hardcore than metal, but, yeah, they come from that same lineage.
His Hero Is Gone and Nasum should perhaps be on this list, too, then?
Gross
…but it better work this time.
Hrmm…this blogg is really going down the shitter with posts like this.
The omission of Wino’s political and social commentary over the years is criminal.
I hate reggae AND curry!
“I hate reggae AND curry!”
Thank you.
For some reason, I just have a natural aversion to political music in general. I think it’s because I have a preconceived notion that most political bands, no matter the genre of music, are grossly uninformed. Most bands just seem to repeat vapid socio-political platitudes.
I fucking hate vapid socio-political platitudes.
I don’t know if they’re the most consistent band, but Misery Index own this topic.
I’m really proud of you readers for stepping up and showing me where I should look in the future!
Obviously this list was meant as a jumping-off point for discussion. A comprehensive list of metal/hardcore/grind bands with protest lyrics would be hundreds of bands long (although it would most certainly include MASAKARI!). Is anyone interested in me compiling a longer lit?
Also, if anyone wants to have an intellectual debate about this subject, my email is public knowledge.
Not the best list but it has some pretty good songs.
The Occupy protestors want to adopt a nonviolent, squeaky-clean image? They’re not doing a very good job of it.
I;m sure that everyone can suggest good metal protest songs, there are more out there than you can immagine. My suggestion is Date With Poverty by Metalchurch. Sums up the working class situation to a T. What I think the point the blog is trying to make is that metal is a very valid form of protest music and would go better today than bringing the old stuff out of mothballs
Needs more crust/grind
“For the sake of this article, I’m going to define protest music as: songs whose lyrical content can be interpreted as political, and standing against some sort of established system of behavior, and which have been used to rally against said systems. People make political music into protest songs; artists do not write protest songs.”
If this is the case, one could argue that most NSBM is protest music of a sort (not to drag this into some kind of argument about the merits of said ideological dogshit); or for instance the bestial black death all the rage with those that, ahem, “walk the Superion path” like Revenge and Conqueror and Diocletian are most definitely political, even if they claim not to be. Blasphemy is totally protest music, as they pretty much want to rip apart the cosmos, along with this judeo-christian order. Black metal in general, especially the most hateful/blasphemous are all protest music, as they too spurn the political/social system as is, and would like to at least in theory burn it all down into some kind of nebulous order of dudes in corpse paint hanging out in mist or something. Unfortunately, it’s just not the kind of protest music that most of us can really get behind ideologically. Although, if you check up with the fans, they’re totally behind it, cuz it’s EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEEEELLLLLL!
As for leftist metal/grind/crossover I would throw in Assuck, Monster X, Electro Hippies (Maybe that’s too hardcore?), and Unholy Grave.
Metal generally is a reaction against the status quo (though which “status quo” can vary greatly), with the obvious exception of the bands produced by the “musical industrial complex” (MIC).*
Since monied interests set our social and cultural pace, those out of step tend to be from the political “left, “though certainly not exclusively. For instance, Dave Mustaine will find a way to be opposed to just about everything from every conceivable angle by the time he hangs up his axe on his “9/11 is a lie” custom gunrack.
Some metallists are more concerned with opposing the political status quo (Napalm Death, Coroner, Motorhead [yes, aggressively working class] etc.) while others focus on the cultural (Iron Maiden, Slough Feg) or the moral/spiritual (Slayer, Black Metal generally). Certainly, some bands are more direct about this, while others react on an almost primal level, unable to even verbalize their particular critique. Take Slayer for instance. It would be nigh impossible, if not impossible, to articulate a coherent worldview. But, their graphic depictions of violent social reality (really, violence is their predominant theme and motif) implicitly say: this is sick, and it really isn’t good enough, and we’re all to blame. Even if “Tom Araya doesn’t believe what he’s saying,” which may well be true, the fact that he’s saying anything, and what he’s choosing to say, even without direct commentary, speaks volumes. Even bands labeled as “escapist” say much about society by their choice to escape, and where they choose to escape. For instance, power metal bands and their “sword and sorcery” obsessions evoke longings for a world where loyalty and courage triumph over evil. Is it really so difficult to find a social or political message in that?
For me, that is what unites “trve” metal across the genres and ideologies. From Burzum to Napalm Death, we are repelled by what we see and hear each day, so we reject the violence (Slayer), hatred (Helloween), and flock mentality (Emperor). Of course, a blog comment paints in broad strokes and fails to capture the subtlety, but our rejection of what we view as “the norm” is what brings us together. Really, how else would we even recognize Stratovarius and Nachtmystium vaguely belong to the same movement?
*Many MIC bands, of course, ostensibly take the position of outsiders in order to appeal to people claim to reject the “mainstream,” though it still forms their attitudes. That is to say, their version of opposition is that fed to them by the mainstream. The examples of such band span the subgenres, though certainly Hair Metal, Metalcore, and Dimmu Borgir spring immediately to mind. I would call those music for people who want to be “different” by essentially being the same as everyone else who is “different.”
You’re right about just about everything you said here. Most importantly, metal always recognizes that the world is fucked up. But I think you’ve taken this from whether it’s political to whether it’s rebellious. I agree Slayer is rebellious. It’s not political.
Correct; I was focused on the notion of metal as “protest” music which to me is undeniable. Some bands overtly protest the political, while others focus on the cultural, social, moral etc. But, if one subscribes to the originally feminist notion of “the personal as political” or the more Marxist idea that everything is politics. there is no real gulf between protest and “political protest.”
For instance, if Slayer rebel against violence (generally), and violence is the dominant political thesis, isn’t Slayer’s rebellion political in some sense, even if they don’t express in those terms?
Speaking as a lax feminist, and as one schooled in (though critical of) Marxist theory, I can safely say that THIS above post was my subliminal point.
There is no music, or art, of any substance that is not political, to me. The idea I want to hammer in is that metal has a unique propensity for “taking the bull by the horns,” so to speak. I would argue some bands (those I listed as well as many in this thread)more than others.
The issue is, we (Americans and otherwise) live in a world where taking a stance against anything substantial is both shunned and (paradoxically, but simultaneously) more necessary than ever.
I think we metalheads, as a community, have something of precious value to contribute to the world, but we curiously do not. Not really.
It’s a crying shame!
I have not read all comments here, so some of this may be repeated. But here is the list of “heavy” songs that are on my “protest / anti-war” playlist. (The playlist is entitled “Up (down) with (corporate) people”) This is just stuff I like, you may or may not like it. That’s OK with me:
Sacred Reich – The American Way
Refuse/Resist – Sepultura
Biotech… – Sepultura
War Ensamble – Slayer
Blood Red – Slayer
Give It Revolution – Suicidal Tendencies
B.Y.O.B.- System of a Down
Sad Statue – SoaD
A.D.D. – SoaD
Fuck the System – SoaD
Civil War – GnR
The whole “The Last Sucker” album – Ministry
A Drug Against War – KMFDM
One – Metallica
Protest and Survive – Anthrax
What Doesn’t Die – Anthrax
Belly of the Beast – Anthrax
New Noise – Anthrax (or Refused)
Lots of Napalm Death, all of “Scum”
Lots of Rancid and Operation Ivy
Moneytalks – AC/DC
War Pigs – Sabbath
Vote with a Bullet – Corrosion of Conformity
Merchandise – Fugazi
Cash Out – Fugazi
Thoughts?
Thanks!
I forgot – “I Hate My Fucking Job” By M.O.T.O. – not metal, but awesome.
Sorry – I also forgot a ton of Megadeth – including most of Thirteen.
Luxury. I wish I too could forget “a ton of Megadeth…” especially most of TH1RT3EN.
Chains of Power by Kataklysm?
I figured that, portable generators notwithstanding, Metal and grind would be difficult to play at a outdoor protest site without amps.
Er..I know that was painfully obvious, but I feel like it was worth mentioning and nobody really brougght up how that’s what helps make acoustic/folk rock so readily applicable to such situations. Not that it was an elephant in the room, I was simply curious as to why nobody touched on that. Hopefully im not too off base.
Just the act of setting up gear in a public place would be confrontational. Even here in Brooklyn there are preachers who are allowed to set up on street corners and proselytize with full bands (mostly odd Spanish-language churches, Pentecostals, etc.), and they’re all predictably terrible. Not sure how they get away with it, but if a band with distortion pedals were to set up shop, it wouldn’t last more than five minutes.
Oh man, I been gone so long I don’t remember ever seeing those. Are there still Black Israelites who get into contemptuous shouting matches with passers by on Flatbush Ave? I miss those guys.
Not sure, but it’s likely. The two spots I’m thinking of are B’way & Havemeyer and B’way & Myrtle.
I think Tanner and Muad’dib really hit the nail on the head. This post listed some interesting songs but didn’t touch at all on the key point that most metal is protest music in a broad, cultural sense. Given that the post focused on music that is more overtly political, however, I’m surprised Sacred Reich didn’t come up. They’re certainly one of the most overtly political metal bands I can think of off the top of my head. Not the most musically interesting though.
I was really glad to see Kreator on the list though. After reading this post I went back to the Enemy of God album. The whole album is one furious indictment of the post 9-11 world. Fucking furious.
Personally I think protest music is a waste of time and I really don’t want to hear it. This world and culture that homo sapiens sapiens (kinda ironic) is so extremely fubar that I have no interest in it. The powers that be aren’t going to change a thing no matter what people sing, or slap on cardboard signs. On top of that I’m a misanthrope so I don’t care about the state of society. So don’t bore me with any whining about working dead-end jobs, getting dumped by boy/girlfriends.
Wow.
How could you miss System Of a Down?
The writer of the article above is a total idiot. “one in nine young black men in America is incarcerated”! LOL! And this is supposed to be the measure for a good/bad nation? Piece of crap.