Latviešu metālmūzikas albumu nosaukumi

Abstract

The aim of the study is to describe the titles of Latvian metal music albums, from the perspective of content, by identifying the common and distinctive character of the metallic music tradition, and perhaps even the local one. Of 241 album titles (data on Dec. 31, 2019), most are in English, some in French, Latin, Russian, some consisting of digits, and 69 titles in Latvian. These titles are the subject of the research. The main source is Encyclopaedia Metallum (www.metal-archives.com), which still does not reflect the current situation concerning Latvian metal music. Album titles in this study are viewed separately from album designs and song titles and are analysed from the perspective of content. The album title is an important part of the work that has been issued because it is an element that makes the audience/buyer pay attention to the album because it must not be forgotten that today the album is also an item that you want to sell. In general, it can be concluded that Latvian metal musicians, with their album titles in Latvian, are mostly following world trends, as evidenced by the integration in the researcher Deena Weinstein’s classification of Dionysian discourse and discourse on chaos. Most titles are more relevant to the discourse on chaos because the thematic circle of chaos is wider. Latvian mythology, along with history, is an up-to-date source for the creative work of bands that is responsible for the local feeling of the titles. A large enough number are titles that are difficult to fit in the Weinstein’s division and form the third group with philosophical titles and simply all sorts of titles. If the philosophical titles follow the world’s trends, the simple titles include the names of the events, tributes, and the titles of literary works, which give them a local character.