backpatches & elbowpatches

To kick off the new year, here's some upcoming events and things of interest in the world of heavy metal academia.

While part of metal music studies looks at heavy metal with a cultural and sociological lens, there's plenty of good reading for those interested in analysis of the music itself. Musicologist Ross Hagen provides some starting points and background information.

On this edition of Backpatches and Elbowpatches, we dive into the world of black metal theory, an esoteric offshoot of metal studies.

Even in metal studies, nu-metal exists in a weird, marginal space. Musicologist Ross Hagen discusses some of the factors that have often placed it in the "love to hate" category.

This edition of our metal studies-focused column from musicologist Ross Hagen discusses how metal studies and postcolonial studies (the study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism) intersect.

In the fourth chapter of our metal studies column, musicologist Ross Hagen discusses fan studies.

Today's discussion of Metal Studies discusses the history of metal studies that have looked at gender.

Metal musicologist and published author Ross Hagen continues his deep dive into metal and academia.

In the first installment of his new column, metal musicologist and published author Ross Hagen begins a deep dive into metal and academia.