From ‘The Undead will feast’ to ‘The time to kill is now’: Frankfurt school and freudian perspectives on death-metal1

Abstract

Based on an analysis of archival interview data from online extreme-metal publications, this article presents and analyzes three perspectives about death-metal philosophy that draw upon Frankfurt School critical social theory and Freudian and neo-Freudian psychology. The three, not mutually exclusive, perspectives are: (a) death-metal as rejection of mainstream, capitalistic use of sex appeal to sell products and secure personal benefits in the workplace; (b) death-metal as identification of shared Freudian repressed destructive (death) instincts which form the basis for community; and (c) death-metal as a way of dealing with the issues of suffering and death which is not denial. It is hoped that these three perspectives will provide us with some insight into death-metal philosophy and the role that the band image and lyrics have played in creating and fostering a loyal and supportive fan community.