Heavy Metal Studies and Popular Culture

Brenda Walter is Associate Professor of History at the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy, US. Her research examines the role of Aristotelian discourse, learned medicine, and scholastic theology in the construction of alterity and the continued influence of medieval otherness on the horror genre, black metal, and beyond. Gabby Riches is a PhD student at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Her research examines women's participation in moshpit practices within Leeds' extreme metal scene. She is on the editorial board for Metal Music Studies. Her doctoral research has been published in the International Journal of Community Music, IASPM@Journal and Journal for Cultural Research. Dave Snell is Research Coordinator at the Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand. He is the author of Bogans: An Insider's Guide to Metal, Mullets, and Mayhem and features in the documentary series Bogans. His research interests include social identity theory, communities of practice, andeveryday life. Bryan Bardine is Associate Professor of English at the University of Dayton, US. He was the Coordinator of the Metal and Cultural Impact Conference, has given multiple papers on teaching, writing and using metal music, and his most recent research examines Gothic Literary characteristics in Death Metal music lyrics.

“The book is a welcome addition to the metal studies canon. Although the chapters are of varying quality, all of them contribute to current and future discussions about the role of metal music and culture in the contemporary world.” (Titus Hjelm, Journal of Popular Music Education, Vol. 1 (1), 2017)“Heavy Metal Music Studies and Popular Culture does an excellent job at describing the ever-evolving research topics in metal studies, as well as laying the foundation for forthcoming research. Heavy Metal Music Studies and Popular Culture is inclusive in its appeal: both academics and metal music fans can enjoy the book. … Academics can use Heavy Metal Music Studies and Popular Culture as a springboard to foster new ideas as metal studies expands into more theoretical spaces.” (Amanda DiGioia, Metal Music Studies, Vol. 3 (1), 2017)

• Introduction: Metal Beyond Metal: The Future of Metal Studies; Keith Kahn-Harris PART I: RESILIENCE 1. Heavy Metal as Resistance; Niall Scott 2. Sentimental Comedy and the Heavy Metal Documentary; Gerd BayerPART II: MEMORY 3. The Ballad of Heavy Metal: The Art of Song-Writing, Production Values and Pop-Metal Crossover; Andy R. Brown4. Same as it Never Was: Machinations of Metal and Memory; Brad Klypchak5. Metal at the Fringe: A Historical Perspective on Puerto Rico's Underground Metal Scene; Nelson Varas-DíazPART III: CRITIQUE 6. Blasting Britney on the Way to Goatwhore: Identity and Authenticity among Female-identified Fans in Semi-rural North Carolina; Jamie E. Patterson 7. Powerslaves? Navigating Femininity in Heavy Metal; Jenna KummerPART IV: METAL BEYOND METAL 8. Genre, Scene and Ritual in Cascadian Black Metal; Anthony Thibodeau9. Metal and Comics: Strange Bedfellows?; Colin A. McKinnon