Metal and Dark Music

Just wondering what everyones thoughts were on this type of music? Over the last 4/5 years I have spent a lot of my music time listening to heavy metal bands and what some people may call "Dark" music. Do you think that living a Spiritual life can be complimentary to a like for such music? I always thought it was no problem but I found over the last year or so that the music actually lowers my mood and emotions. Now I find myself trying to avoid the music I used to love. Now instead, music of Love and happiness makes me happy and more at peace. I also feel that metal started clouding my feelings on what I wanted from life. Does anyone else feel this way? Will be interesting to see different views and opinions.

Spirited

[Silver]

Hmm, I never gave it much thought really.
I like a wide variety of music, so I don't get bogged down with the same type all the time. I've always liked anything you can dance to mainly.

I think too much of anything can be depressing and dampening of a good mood and attitude.

[Perspective]

The only time I've liked "hard" music - was when I went through a rebellious stage as a teen & when I'm in a bad mood (which incidentally is at the moment)... It helps to empathize with my feelings but then I soon prefer something more happy, like you mentioned.

Just the other day, I heard about an experiment with water crystals & plants... after being exposed to heavy metal music, the plants didn't do as well & the crystals were significantly different... compared to "happier" music & positivity. Sorry, I don't know the source, but you could google it.

Beethoven actually has some good music, IMO, to empathize with anger & then bring me back to a more peaceful place/feeling... esp. 9th...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOTCtW9v0M

I'm an avid metal fan. I love the strength and passionate emotions and raw truth expressed in that music.

I've always found that it heightens my mood, rather than lowering it.

Though I do find listening to bands that are too similar, the same bands....etc to be a bit of a drag because it doesn't envoke the same emotions/reactions I usually have to the music. It's basically a killjoy.

I think variety and finding new artists/bands is the key if you want to continue to enjoy music and have positive reactions to it.

As for it being complimentary to a spiritual life....hmm. IMO anything done for leasure changes emotions and emotions colour perceptions. Perceptions are what shape our understanding of spiritual experiences.

So, I think, depending on the individual, Metal music can effect your spiritual perceptions if you are listning, or thinking of it, while thinking about or performing spiritual actions.

Though I do have one question....why is it considered to be "Dark" music?

Originally Posted by Perspective

The only time I've liked "hard" music - was when I went through a rebellious stage as a teen & when I'm in a bad mood (which incidentally is at the moment)... It helps to empathize with my feelings but then I soon prefer something more happy, like you mentioned.

Just the other day, I heard about an experiment with water crystals & plants... after being exposed to heavy metal music, the plants didn't do as well & the crystals were significantly different... compared to "happier" music & positivity. Sorry, I don't know the source, but you could google it.

Beethoven actually has some good music, IMO, to empathize with anger & then bring me back to a more peaceful place/feeling... esp. 9th...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOTCtW9v0M

That experiment sounds interesting I'll certainly look it up. I will listen to that link in a bit - thanks for sharing! I agree with what you said about your mood seemingly determine what you listened to, I've found that to be the case with me also.

Originally Posted by Sangress

I'm an avid metal fan. I love the strength and passionate emotions and raw truth expressed in that music.

I've always found that it heightens my mood, rather than lowering it.

Though I do find listening to bands that are too similar, the same bands....etc to be a bit of a drag because it doesn't envoke the same emotions/reactions I usually have to the music. It's basically a killjoy.

I think variety and finding new artists/bands is the key if you want to continue to enjoy music and have positive reactions to it.

As for it being complimentary to a spiritual life....hmm. IMO anything done for leasure changes emotions and emotions colour perceptions. Perceptions are what shape our understanding of spiritual experiences.

So, I think, depending on the individual, Metal music can effect your spiritual perceptions if you are listning, or thinking of it, while thinking about or performing spiritual actions.

Though I do have one question....why is it considered to be "Dark" music?

I agree with that, good post - always interesting to see others opinions.

I don't consider it to be "Dark" myself, but I referenced that as many other forums I have seen this discussion on have had many users (mainly Christian) saying how Metal is "Dark" despite of the lyrics. Not that I agree with that though. I think they refer to artists such as Marilyn Manson maybe who would seem to be Satanist or into Devil worship maybe. Not sure! Not my views though.

[norseman]

Not much of a fan of "new" metal but I do still go with Iron Maiden, Sabbath, Motorhead, Zep, and the like - but mostly in the car. Despite being "apparently" spiritual, the beast still comes out in my Beemer with the stereo cranked high. Lately tho, a new element has come in with Inkubus Sukkubus - good Brit Witchy rock !
As you may have gathered, I am an embarassment to my daughter. I just tell her that I have reached the age of Irresponsibility .

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

Originally Posted by Sangress

I'm an avid metal fan. I love the strength and passionate emotions and raw truth expressed in that music.

I've always found that it heightens my mood, rather than lowering it.

Though I do find listening to bands that are too similar, the same bands....etc to be a bit of a drag because it doesn't envoke the same emotions/reactions I usually have to the music. It's basically a killjoy.

I think variety and finding new artists/bands is the key if you want to continue to enjoy music and have positive reactions to it.

As for it being complimentary to a spiritual life....hmm. IMO anything done for leasure changes emotions and emotions colour perceptions. Perceptions are what shape our understanding of spiritual experiences.

So, I think, depending on the individual, Metal music can effect your spiritual perceptions if you are listning, or thinking of it, while thinking about or performing spiritual actions.

Though I do have one question....why is it considered to be "Dark" music?

Not sure. I don't listen to anything that would be considered 'dark' metal .
I generally just don't like it ; it generally doesn't resonate with my musical/spiritual receptor circuits. I've gotten a teeny tiny bit more used to
metal from watching 'Metalocalypse ' with the (Adult Swim) cartoon Dethklokk , and I can appreciate good electric guitar (and acoustic, of course, my own choice of instrument) playing of almost any sort.

Personal taste aside, I'd venture to say that it's almost all , if not completely,
about individual perception and internal processing , and not much , if any, about the labels or judgements that anyone else puts on what we listen to.
It's a s simple as 'different strokes for different folks' , though we could probably go on (or already have) about how dissonance and harmony affect us energetically . Or maybe we couldn't, because comprehensive, objective, scientific studies have not been done, and may not be possible, to determine
the true and consistent effects on psyche, mental states, and 'spiritual' advancement , of varying degrees of harmony, tension, dissonance, resolution , 'dark' and 'light' metal, or any of it. Thinking of it in these terms, the idea of trying to quantify such subjective things seems like an absurd proposition, so we're left with what we started with , that it's almost all , if not completely, about perception and internal utilization.

I guess we might be able to draw a line somewhere between music and noise, but maybe not ; some experimental recordings are not musical at all, and the sounds of nature , which are obviously used by some for spiritual pursuits, couldn't really be called music by most definitions . So who can determine for someone else what is light and dark, good and bad ?. Sure, some music has Satanic , or whatever context , but we can look at listeners of that as being simply at a stage in their development that this type of music is part of their journey forward ; the point being that it's not really appropriate to judge so completely someone else's activities that are so subjective .

Music is such a complex interaction in many ways , and to me , that's as much about how music affects me as it is what I do with music when I'm listening. In other words, I determine what happens with music when it's interacting with my awareness . After all, it's just vibrations moving through air until it's deciphered in my brain, where it's recreated inside my holographic converters , which have their own individual parameters , as does everyone's .

Dar

[radareyes]

In my experience, music is very simply a reflection of the consciousness that produced it, and tends to appeal to people who share or wish to cultivate a similar quality of consciousness. Metal to me is predominantly fear being anesthetized and reinforced by aggression.

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

Originally Posted by radareyes

In my experience, music is very simply a reflection of the consciousness that produced it, and tends to appeal to people who share or wish to cultivate a similar quality of consciousness. Metal to me is predominantly fear being anesthetized and reinforced by aggression.

I have to disagree and say that music can become more and/or something other than simply a reflection of who made it, once it's inside our own heads. That is my experience .

Dar

[radareyes]

Originally Posted by Dar

I have to disagree and say that music can become more and/or something other than simply a reflection of who made it, once it's inside our own heads. That is my experience .

Dar

I'd say that an experience taking place inside our own heads isn't fundamentally different, just muddled by the fact that it has now been layered by extraneous perceptual filters that distort the essence of that experience. Kind of like wanting to enjoy a glass of orange juice but drinking a glass that's been spiked with milk after just having brushed your teeth.