Abstract
In this chapter, Unger examines Paul Ricoeur’s theories of symbols to understand how symbols become structuring elements of the music and the experience of extreme metal while expressive of various social discourses. Unger explores a theory of aesthetics that allows one to ascertain a resonance between the various disparate aesthetic choices within extreme metal. He argues that extreme metal music elucidates the idea that aesthetics represents a socially discursive field in which different and often-surprising social spheres interact. The upshot of this chapter is that symbols, abstracted from their origins, become floating signifiers for a diffuse set of experiences, dependent on context, history, genre, and community. This theory of aesthetics allows Unger to explore how a staggering diversity of themes and symbols are expressive of different social experiences that comprise the extreme metal genre.
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Unger, M.P. (2016). Post-secular Aesthetics and the Symbolic Constitution of Extreme Metal Music. In: Sound, Symbol, Sociality. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47835-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47835-1_4
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
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