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paradisebeyond
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:26 am
Posts: 17
PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 6:36 am 
 

Let me preface this topic with a quote from Warlord’s Bill Tsamis: “Heavy metal is an art form”. I would also add that it’s one of the most sophisticated musical expressions, when you look at certain bands, especially those with progressive influences, you realize how detailed, how elaborate (how f**king good) the music is. Additionally, more often than not, lyrics mirror the music’s high artistic value. Thus no other genre achieves metal’s complexity and brightness. I personally think the only match for metal music, in terms of artistic value, in terms of how much effort and how much genius the artists had to input, is classical music. But that ‘marriage’ should be discussed somewhere else.

Now to the topic I wanted to draw your attention to: the marriage of metal and literature. There’s been many bands who’ve based their lyrics upon literary works. At times, a single track, at times a whole album. This is another key factor for which I hold it that no other genre comes close to metal these days as an art form. So I wanted to highlight pieces of metal based upon literature that you think deserve special attention. I’ll add a few, randomly sorted,

Iron Maiden - Rhyme of the ancient mariner (Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem of the same name)
Warlord – War in heaven (John Milton’s Paradise Lost)
Stormwitch – Masque of the red death (Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name)
Manowar – Achilles, agony and ecstasy in eight parts (Homer’s Iliad) (disclaimer, only the first 7 minutes, not the whole, 28 minutes song)
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:58 am 
 

Metal isn't inherently better though. Great musicians and artists just happen to make metal sometimes. The genre as a whole isn't any better or worse than any other one frankly.

But Steel Prophet's Dark Hallucinations is a half concept about Fahrenheit 451 and Helstar's Nosferatu is a half concept about Dracula. Got to love killer classic metal referencing literature.
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Dhranna
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:27 am
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Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:54 am 
 

If you look at the 'second wave' of Black metal, you'll find an abundance of references to the works of JRR Tolkien. Mainly from the Lord of the rings, but some of his other stuff too.

Gorgoroth (a plateau in Mordor)
Burzum (the word for 'darkness' in the Black Speech)
Darkthrone (perhaps taken from the same rhyme as burzum, but in Westron of course)
Emperor (the cover of their début LP is clearly based on Tolkien, with nods to his Orcs and Minas Morgul)

These are the only ones I can call to mind at the moment but I know that there's more. It takes away from the menace when you consider this, don't you think?

Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, by the tile and lyrical themes, seems to be a nod to the novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card.

Let's not forget the Bible. Perhaps the most influential piece of literature, and the inspiration for countless examples of metal lyrics and aesthetics.

The OP needs to listen to more types of music from different eras and genres. I don't think anyone with a decent, rounded familiarity with the music of planet Earth could make such a sweeping and insular statement.
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PhilosophicalFrog
The Hypercube

Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 7:08 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 9:22 am 
 

I mean, there's Ulver! With a crazy intensive theme, and an even crazier review:

http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/U ... know/69704

This album got me listening to Helstar again.
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awheio
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:00 am
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:29 am 
 

Gorgoroth also has at least two albums referencing works by Nietzsche (Destroyer and Twilight).

Kamelot has those two neat albums (Epica and The Black Halo) roughly based on Faust. Now Agalloch has that Faust song as well.

But Nietzsche, Faust, Tolkien, and stuff like that will be absolutely all over the place -- these are just things that came to mind without effort.

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Diamhea
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:36 am 
 

Dhranna wrote:
The OP needs to listen to more types of music from different eras and genres. I don't think anyone with a decent, rounded familiarity with the music of planet Earth could make such a sweeping and insular statement.


Great point; near-exactly what I was going to say.

Metalhead generation nothingness is often displayed through basal musical taste defined by predestined heavy metal templates without actually experiencing the trial-and-error process of discovering new music and gravitating accordingly. OP is a good example of this, as is another younger user "CardsofWar." This perception that metal is the inarguable greatest of art forms appears to stem from the fact that musicianship/technicality is consistently valued higher across the medium. Sensationalist bloat (i.e. the repeated referencing of Varg's antics upon Euro) along with other ephemeral events lauded to be much greater than they actually are will find consistent rotation as citations-on-request. These phenomena along with the amplified rebellious pride metalheads often exude only serves to sully the waters of public presence as the rounds of laughter from society on large echo evermore.
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newp
Veteran

Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:07 pm
Posts: 2697
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:13 am 
 

paradisebeyond wrote:
Additionally, more often than not, lyrics mirror the music’s high artistic value. Thus no other genre achieves metal’s complexity and brightness.

:boo: :durr:

Anyway, For Whom The Bells Tolls was inspired by Hemingway's novel of the same name. Then of course there are the scads of bands that draw from Lovecraftian mythos.

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schizoid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:35 am
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Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:26 pm 
 

Gotta praise the OP's enthusiasm if nothing else though right?

Iron Maidens songs always struck me as about books they were probably made to read in High School.
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severzhavnost
Something Stupid

Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:16 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:42 pm 
 

Quote:
you realize how detailed, how elaborate (how f**king good) the music is


Detailed and elaborate =/= f**king good. Not automatically, anyways. Would you deny that comparatively simplistic stuff like early Root or Razor is f**king good? On the other end, you can write a literary-sounding song that's just boring ass crap.
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Unity
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:42 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 1:40 pm 
 

Well, there's Ulver's William Blake album. Also Mayhem's GDOW was strongly inspired by Nietzsche. And there are a few Moonspell songs adapted from poems, namely by Álvaro de Campos, Mário Cesariny, Marquis de Sade and others.
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theposega
Mezla

Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:42 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:57 pm 
 

Dhranna wrote:
Darkthrone (perhaps taken from the same rhyme as burzum, but in Westron of course)


It's adapted from Celtic Frost lyrics/a Danish zine, per the band's page on here. But their third demo, Thulcandra is a C.S. Lewis reference.

I feel like black metal as a whole owes a lot to fantasy literature. Obviously there's Tolkien but there's also Malazan, Moorcock/Elric, Wheel of Time, etc.

Grindcore and sci-fi also go hand in hand a bit. Insect Warfare had a song named after William Gibson's short story "Burning Chrome," and Discordance Axis had songs named after Phillip K. Dick and Iain M. Banks novels.
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Kveldulfr
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Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:01 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:15 pm 
 

There is Arcturus' La Masquerade Infernale, which has some quotes and whole texts made music of Baudelaire and Poe + a poem of Svaeren (Ulver guy), quote from Angelus Silesius, some Sade words on the art, etc.

Death/doom seems like an obvious subgenre to find literature, being as made music or just like a more poetic form of metal lyric-wise. Draconian has 'A Slumber did my Spirit Seal' for example. Desire (prt) has a strong Pessoa influence on the lyrics. Ahab's name and themes can be found on literature as well; Paradise Lost in an obvious pick.
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the_bogan
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 9:12 pm
Posts: 15
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:24 pm 
 

Within Temptation did Hand of Sorrow, based on Robyn Hobbs Asassin series.
Nightwish did Edema Ruh, based on Patrick Rothfuss' King Killer Chronicles.

Of Course, Edge of Sanity's Crimson could almost be it's own novel or movie.

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CardsOfWar
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:33 am
Posts: 856
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:06 am 
 

Diamhea wrote:
Metalhead generation nothingness is often displayed through basal musical taste defined by predestined heavy metal templates without actually experiencing the trial-and-error process of discovering new music and gravitating accordingly. OP is a good example of this, as is another younger user "CardsofWar." This perception that metal is the inarguable greatest of art forms appears to stem from the fact that musicianship/technicality is consistently valued higher across the medium. Sensationalist bloat (i.e. the repeated referencing of Varg's antics upon Euro) along with other ephemeral events lauded to be much greater than they actually are will find consistent rotation as citations-on-request. These phenomena along with the amplified rebellious pride metalheads often exude only serves to sully the waters of public presence as the rounds of laughter from society on large echo evermore.


I've been summoned! That's all reasonable, but I just want to clear up that I don't think that metal is some kind of high, exalted, inherently better than everything else artform. It's just a music genre. There are good and bad examples of it, but I don't think there's any quality innate in the form. As for the statement about technical proficiency, funnily enough, most of my absolute favourite metal bands tend to be pretty technically simple and regressive. I'm all about the atmospheric Cascadian windcore. :P

As for the OP, I really like Drudkh as an example. The vocals are far from the focus of the music, and the lyrics are just largely ripped from the works of various Ukrainian poets. I've always thought that was a pretty nice tribute.
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Diamhea
Eats and Spits Corpses

Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:46 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:28 am 
 

Ha, yeah I'm just taking the piss by the buckets, dude. Cheers for having an apt sense of humor about it.
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hots_towel
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:19 am
Posts: 426
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 2:21 pm 
 

with regards to references to "Faust" all i can thing of is Bard Gulvik or however many black metal musicians have the stage name "Mephistopheles."

Im sure Sabaton has made numerous references to specific diaries form WW1 and 2. Same goes for all the other bands like Bolt thrower that would write exclusively about war. Also while on Bolt thrower, I'm sure nearly all of bolt throwers early lyrical topics regarding the warhammer 40k universe eventually got its own book or comic within the Black library.

Johnny got his gun inspired one of metallica's (no pun intended) most popular songs and first music video i think.

lets not even get into what the elder edda has started....

There was also of course the references to the "king in yellow" within that minute and a half intro to bathory's a fine day to die.

I also seem to remember Iron maiden wanting to make a "Dune" reference song, but Herbert wasn't having it because of his hatred for heavy metal.

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Unity
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:42 pm
Posts: 1886
Location: Portugal
PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:23 pm 
 

There's a Devildriver album based on "Faust", I think.
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Scorntyrant
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:55 am
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 3:13 am 
 

hots_towel wrote:
Also while on Bolt thrower, I'm sure nearly all of bolt throwers early lyrical topics regarding the warhammer 40k universe eventually got its own book or comic within the Black library.


Other way around - "Realm of chaos" and "Lost and the damned" were rogue trader era 40k sourcebooks well before BT got involved.
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CardsOfWar
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:33 am
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Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:10 am 
 

Just wondering, does anybody know any metal music that references any of Gene Wolfe's work? I'm not saying that it would necessarily work well or anything, I'm just curious as to whether it exists.

Also, the lack of love for Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth in this thread distresses me severely.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 1:30 pm 
 

Slough Feg's Hardworlder is sort of inspired by Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, which I read last year because of the album and found it fucking amazing. Great, action packed, fun sci fi. Kick ass, manly reading.
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EyesOfGlass
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2012 4:59 pm
Posts: 186
Location: Argentina
PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 2:41 pm 
 

Diamhea wrote:
Dhranna wrote:
The OP needs to listen to more types of music from different eras and genres. I don't think anyone with a decent, rounded familiarity with the music of planet Earth could make such a sweeping and insular statement.


Great point; near-exactly what I was going to say.

Metalhead generation nothingness is often displayed through basal musical taste defined by predestined heavy metal templates without actually experiencing the trial-and-error process of discovering new music and gravitating accordingly. OP is a good example of this, as is another younger user "CardsofWar." This perception that metal is the inarguable greatest of art forms appears to stem from the fact that musicianship/technicality is consistently valued higher across the medium. Sensationalist bloat (i.e. the repeated referencing of Varg's antics upon Euro) along with other ephemeral events lauded to be much greater than they actually are will find consistent rotation as citations-on-request. These phenomena along with the amplified rebellious pride metalheads often exude only serves to sully the waters of public presence as the rounds of laughter from society on large echo evermore.


This.

As for the topic at hand, there's this Spanish band Opera Magna. Their second album is titled Poe and all its songs are about famous stories written by, well, Edgar Allan Poe, like The Pit and the Pendulum or The Fall of the House of Usher just to name some of his most well-known ones.

Many lyrics on At War with Reality were inspired by Argentine writers such as Ernesto Sábato or Jorge Luis Borges. "El Altar del Dios Desconocido" is an excerpt from Sobre Héroes y Tumbas (On Heroes and Tombs) by Ernesto Sábato, and then there's the song "Heroes and Tombs" as well. "The Circular Ruins" is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' Las Ruinas Circulares (The Circular Ruins). I was delighted to see At the Gates include Argentine literature on their latest album.

There's also "And When He Falleth" by Theatre of Tragedy which includes a dialogue from 1964's The Masque of the Red Death, a movie based on the same titled Poe story.

And then, there's this classic:
Spoiler: show
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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:49 pm 
 

Green Carnation has a song, the lyrics are just "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe. It's a good song too.

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Unity
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:42 pm
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Location: Portugal
PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:24 pm 
 

Carpathian Forest's "The Eclipse / The Raven..." is based on E. A. Poe's "The Raven".
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Grave_Wyrm
Metal Sloth

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:55 pm
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:42 am 
 

PhilosophicalFrog wrote:
I mean, there's Ulver! With a crazy intensive theme, and an even crazier review:

http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/U ... know/69704

Holy shit I'd never seen that review. It's basically an actual encyclopaedia entry.


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