Heavy Metal Music Chapter Summary

In the twentieth century novel, Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music, Robert Walser begins by explaining the different definitions of heavy metal, from that have been used over time by chemists, to military generals, and to music fanatics. Walser explains that today, heavy metal is not only a music genre but now “denotes a variety of musical discourses, social practices, and cultural meanings.” Walser’s central thesis in this chapter revolves around how heavy metal is construed by a variety of different people. He explains that heavy metal originated in the late 1960s as a “heavier sort of hard rock” and was not readily accepted by the media until the 1980s when it exploded in popularity. Today heavy metal has expanded to become many different subgenres and

Towards the end of the 1970s attention shifted to “disco, punk, and mainstream rock,” but heavy metal made a comeback in the 1980s with the “british invasion” i.e. Iron Maiden and Motorhead. These groups inspired the resurgence of American heavy metal bands as well as international groups. This resurgence led to a more diverse fan base, now including more older people and women. During the 1980s, metal was played on the radio for the first time which increased sales and made the genre more popular. Next, Walser describes the demographic of heavy metal listeners: mostly white and young and male. Many metal listeners have metal listening friends. After that, Walser explains how rock critics are not fond of heavy metal: “[The rock critics] have rarely written anything about it [heavy metal] that its enemies haven’t already said.” This chapter is useful for my research because it gives an in-depth history of the evolution of heavy metal and provides clear distinctions for the “generations.” I will be able to use the generations to explain how heavy metal evolved both commercially and