John+L’s+OpEd+Article

//By John Tyler Love //
 * [[image:Impending_Doom_goofing_off.jpg width="200" height="295" align="right" caption="Impending Doom in an alleyway, clearly not taking things very seriously."]][[image:Snorre_Ruch_-_Thorns.jpg width="184" height="336" align="left" caption="Principal songwriter/guitarist of Thorns, Snorre Ruch, calmly posing in a 2001 photoshoot."]]“A Discourse on Musical Expression” **

As of late, I seem to have lessened the firm, rigid and staunch standards for music I once held myself up to at all times. Perhaps I’m just becoming more open-minded (or going senile at a young age), but every passing day I find myself more tolerant of modern trends and superficial music than I ever expected myself to be. No longer is this young man vehemently perturbed by the pop stylings of whatever flavor-of-the-month “artists” that purvey their musical wares on the Billboard 200. Once a foolishly naïve yet blissfully ignorant metal fan, I sustained my aural appetite of heavy metal music at a rapid pace. Beginning with a nearly fervent dedication to metal and its “cause” of individuality and power, my music tastes seemed to ever-so-slightly begin to abandon my obsession with artistic legitimacy and powerful, impressive songwriting. And with this change came an interest in the simplistic, in the superficial. A brief foray from my rigid expectations and into the far more casual experience of the more accessible and popular side music. However, I am fully prepared to defend and explain this bizarre shift in interest, using it as an opportunity to descant upon my vaguely esoteric idea of artistic value.

What is the difference between music as art and music as entertainment? Between songwriting being developed for explicit conformity or commercial gains, or due to a true passion for music and compositional integrity? I believe that there is a firm and intrinsic line dividing these two approaches to music: artistic albums should be considered through their own specific merits, as should purely amusement-based releases. Both sides of music have their merits, and a healthy listener should be sure to appreciate these opposing styles, regardless of whichever type they may prefer over the other. I am unflinching firm in my stance that neither should be ignored: I dislike the pretentious, high-brow art-rock enthusiast just as much as the gullible, conforming pop fan.

A definitive example of music bearing a strong artistic purpose, both of itself and its creation, is the 2001 sole, self-titled studio album of metal band Thorns. Displaying a rigidly continuing dedication to the aesthetics and musical standards of the Norwegian style of black metal, //Thorns // is a complex, dark and easy-to-misunderstand collection of consistent songwriting and execution. It is typified by fast, steadily amorphous and ever-shifting tremolo riffs performed over a mechanical drumline, which ranges from double bass, snare-and-cymbal blasting (blastbeats) to slower yet equally atypical rhythmic pounding. Vocals are harsh, but not to the level of the immediately recognizable rasp commonly found in many releases of the early Norwegian black metal scene: a discerning mind can easily make out the pronounced utterances of the unusually cosmic and spiritual lyrics. The album bears noticeable influences from industrial and ambient forms of music, as demonstrated by repetitive song structures and noticeable dynamic shifts based on vaguely avant-garde synth sections. The music is grim and serious, projecting a strict and defined atmosphere adhering to obviously disciplined musician integrity (principal band member Snorre Ruch has a distinct role in the development of second-wave black metal music), all supported by the powerful impact of the musical experience itself, as well as the eternal quality of the album’s music as a whole. //Thorns // is pure and authentic heavy metal art.

An equally representative look at music created for entertainment is a 2007 deathcore release, determinately titled //Nailed. Dead. Risen. // It exemplifies the sort of album that I would have detested a year or two earlier. Written and performed by Impending Doom, the album is nearly a direct walkthrough of all deathcore stereotypes: groovy, midpaced riffs of a superficially off-kilter and atonal variety, polarized by straightforward yet chaotic, fast-paced blasting and simplistic, almost-ludicrously primitive two-note breakdowns. This music is painfully stupid and appealing to the inherent enjoyability of accessible music. Its stimulation of emotions is shockingly base. Only slang and vulgar language can adequately describe the level of superficial brutality found on this album; it is undeniably “retarded” music. There is no variety, as every song dependably goes through the same formula to a tee. The lyrics contain bizarre, Christian-themed lyrics so aggressive and nonsensical they reach near-humorous levels, all delivered through monotonous, incomprehensible grunts. But despite these seemingly negative attributes, //Nailed. Dead. Risen. // a surprisingly powerful tour-de-force of deathcore idiocy. The album is consistently enjoyable and relentlessly appealing. Every breakdown forcibly demands that the listener discard all propriety and flail oneself about like a gorilla, while the midpaced-to-fast sections prompt steady and rhythmic headbanging. The junk food of heavy metal, Impending Doom crafted a superficial magnum opus of outright entertaining music.

However drastically different these two albums are in terms of their music, songwriting structure, execution and aesthetics, I still greatly enjoy each and listen to them on a regular basis. They both contain high-quality music, despite Impending Doom’s obvious superficiality and successful attempts to pander to the modern deathcore trend. Although I still prefer artistic works of King Crimson, Fates Warning, Disembowelment or Om to anything produced by my interest in the less-than-legitimate, I take it upon myself to explain why I’ve abandoned my previous tendency to demand artistic perfection from all music. The line that divides the physical expression and stimulation of emotions into entertainment and art transcends genres, discographies and quality. And this line is made up of subtleties which form a whole, like so much in life.

Musical art is the zenith of purest human expression, and is created solely for its own purposes. Sure, some Danish kids may form a band because they want to sound like Black Sabbath and Golden Earring, but behind it is an authentic youthful drive to exceed and reimagine their idols performance that pushes their work beyond simple entertainment. This passion is what makes Mercyful Fate classic creators of artful music, rather than merely a great heavy metal band of yesteryear. The following statement should not be pigeonholed as a golden standard, but passion for the music itself is quite nearly the determining factor for art. An intrinsic REASON for the music to even exist at all, a reason that exists objectively, independent of posturing or concession.

Entertainment is borne of an attempt to please and be accepted by most: the standards for quality and successful entertainment are start with whether it is appealing on a simple, immediate level. A quick, impatient series of sounds that may or may not be worth continuous, repeated listens. Of course, entertainment can still be masterful and achieve greatness, but only under its own terms: this is exactly what //Nailed. Dead. Risen. // achieves. Its simplicity, its dumbness; the fact that it ungracefully meets and exceeds what makes the shallow genre of deathcore so enjoyable is why it can be considered a masterpiece of entertainment. It isn’t a masterpiece by any other standards, but it knows what it wants to do and does it without frills or bullshit. Such directness is appreciated in entertainment by a man such as myself.

These fine subtleties seem obtuse in prose, but a hardened music fan will be able to understand the differences between these forms of musical expression. To be put simply, art is timeless on its own terms, while entertainment must be consciously remembered, if it is at all.

It is flawed to assume the rigid standards expected of artistic releases to be filled by any music that is less than aesthetically brilliant. It is because of this adjustment of expectations that I can thoroughly and legitimately enjoy music I had previously never considered remotely decent. Trends no longer appall me, as I can see them for what they are: fads that will merely be here for a few years, and perhaps return decades later in a wave of “retro” nostalgia. I may even attend Warped Tour this year; what was once a monument to everything I disliked in music is now a monument to everything I disliked in music, featuring 5 artists I’d like to see perform live. It’s clearly not that massive a change in mindset, but being able to appreciate music from an entirely different school of thought is a change I value more than whatever enjoyment I used to get from loving to hate all superficial music. Of course, the true QUALITY of music still supersedes whether an album is meant to provoke intrigue or mindlessly entertain, and the fact that I can still recognize good music apart from bad music is what lets me know this change is here to stay.

I couldn't agree anymore, and, I'm proud to say that I was a major factor in this change of musical mindset. Ah, to think that just 10 months ago I was asking the archives for some good deathcore. How far we've come. :)

-The Metal Apprentice media type="file" key="johnl-muckraker-0910.mp3"