November 27, 2019
Gothic, Metal, and the Concept of the Unspeakable
First, a warning: This article is not about “Gothic metal” but about Gothic as a literary genre and metal as a music genre. In this post I explore their interconnection, with the concept of the unspeakable as a bridge.
In simpler terms, picture that there is something connecting, say, Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Jinjer’s “Pisces”. This something is what I refer to here as “the unspeakable”.
Two disclaimers before we begin:
- the unspeakable is only one possible link between Gothic and metal. There can be several ways to connect them, but I choose the unspeakable as a neat “umbrella term”, in a way.
- I’m not breaking any new ground here. Literary criticism has analyzed these concepts extensively. At best, I might be just popularizing these analyses.
And with these out of the way, let’s see how Gothic and metal might be siblings – and, more importantly, why we should care.
What’s so Gothic about Metal?
Once again, I repeat the disclaimer: We are not talking about aesthetics here. Forget black leather or demonic imagery – though, in a wider context, neither element is entirely decoupledDark, menacing aesthetics is not only an intertextual link to the wider Gothic tradition, but also symbolic in its own right. As you hopefully recall from my post on language and context or the one about William Blake, demonic imagery is a neat way to symbolize rebellion against dogmatism and patriarchal authority. from its Gothic ancestry.
Rather, I want to focus on purpose.
If – for some unfathomable reason – you read my doctoral dissertation on the Gothic, you’d discover that defining the Gothic is a very difficult task. Basically, there are as many definitions as there are criticsAnd if you want to see my input, you can do so here!.
Showing the Invisible, Speaking the Unspeakable
However, one key concept surrounding the essence of the Gothic is that it’s a vehicle for expressing the inexpressible, for speaking the unspeakable. To perform this function, Gothic works often deploy symbolism:
[The] Gothic can be seen as a way of imagining the unimaginable, whether it be the distant depths of history or the even more distant soundings of the unconscious. The Gothic is a distorting lens, a magnifying lens; but the shapes which we see through it have nonetheless a reality which cannot be apprehended in any other way.
Punter, David. The Literature of Terror. London: Longman, 1980. p.111
The reason issues of gender and sexuality are so obviously (albeit camouflaged!) present in Dracula is, ultimately, that there was no other way of speaking about such issues, at least not directly. The same is true for issues of class exploitation, religion, etc. Ditto for social issues, such as those the Southern Gothic explores.
But what does that have to do with metal?
You Can’t Speak the Truth when You’Re in the People-Pleasing Business
Metal is connected with the Gothic literary tradition for the very same reason. Metal is about expressing what cannot be expressed.
When you’re in the people-pleasing business, you can’t speak the truth. Being in the people-pleasing business means diluting the message so that it doesn’t offend anyone.
Actually, every now and then we even have some faux-rebellion or faux-controversy in pop music. It’s only a distraction; a carefully calculated release valve.
Metal music (especially by bands focused on making music rather than let’s-cash-in-again board games), is not about pleasing anyone. Metal music is about speaking a truth that offends – because it’s supposed to.
That’s why metal can give us lyrics such as:
This city, these lifeless catacombs, our tombs they have become.
Buried alive at birth, never to return.
Chained to the masses, trapped and trained by vicious minds,
I let them tear away everything inside;
strip away my humanity;
fracture my identity;
sacrifice my integrity.
Just bodies through the teeth of the combine…
While pop music gives us something like what you see beginning my post on mediocrity.
Gothic and Metal Are Continuums
Do the Gothic and metal music have the prerogative on speaking the truth? Of course not. There are many great narratives that aren’t Gothic and many great songs that aren’t metal, yet still reveal incredible depth and sociocultural truths.
But just as the Gothic is a continuum (see more on my article about the differences between Gothic and other modes), so is metal. In other words, “metal music” is about as hard to define as the Gothic.
Metal music isn’t about growling vocals or distorted guitars, the way the Gothic isn’t about vampires or werewolves. You can have an incredibly rich, effective Gothic narrative without the slightest hint of the supernaturalTechnically speaking, if there is an undeniable supernatural entity in the narrative, it is closer to horror (or fantasy, depending) than the Gothic. See more in my post about what makes a good horror story.
Similarly, you can have a really earth-shattering metal song with acoustic guitars and clean vocals. I can’t think of many things more metal than Jim Morrison covering his eyes to sing the “father I want to kill you” part.
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2 Comments
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I love the idea of both gothic and metal being anti-establishment – speaking the unspeakable, imagining the unimaginable. I think punk also fits this mould – in terms of speaking the unspeakable, but maybe less on the imagining the unimaginable (i.e. it is more realist than speculative?). Food for thought…
Excellent observation. To me at least, punk is more on the social commentary side, whereas metal might be (at least in the way I described in the post) a bit more on the philosophical/existentialist one. Thanks for your comment!