Are heavy metal and other forms of aggressive music bad for your soul?

[SlickyBoy]

This is something that's been weighing on me for awhile. I've been a big fan of heavy metal, some of it very extreme(grindcore, doom metal, nu metal), for many years. The enjoyment I get from it can almost put me in a trance. It seems like that level of pleasure is almost unnatural, especially given how dark the music is.

Of course I'm not the only one who enjoys this kind of stuff, lots of people seem to. And I don't think music in itself is inherently sinful. But is there something wrong with this specific form?

The lyrics themselves of course do not glorify God, sometimes they even talk about occult themes. It's not necessarily glorifying the occult, but if you combine those lyrics with musical riffs that induce pleasure could it be causing some kind of subconscious positive association?

Other times the lyrics simply dwell on negative emotions. Drug addiction, angst, depression. Why do I find that kind of stuff enjoyable? Is it just an emotional outlet or something more sinister?

It's not even necessarily the lyrics though. Could the aggressive riffs and drum beats themselves be somehow harmful?

E Michael Jones has a few interviews and podcasts (links are hard to find - he keeps getting de-platformed) where he discusses music, scales and what they mean in terms of mood, feeling, spirituality, etc. After listening to his points of view on this and considering who's backing modern music production, I could clearly see how bad certain kinds of music are for the soul.

When I was younger I used to love Judas Priest. The harm to the soul is so obvious now when listening to the lyrics as well as the music, and the fact that the lead singer was so clearly a "closeted" homosexual (it was an open secret he was gay until formally coming out a few years ago - he had a habit of wearing leather-queer costumes anyway). Creative people tend to experience a lot of pain, and how they manifest the expression of that pain can be even more destructive if they don't recognize what they are doing. The very name of the band - Judas Priest - tells you everything.

About ten years ago their drummer was accused of molesting a learning disabled boy who he was supposed to be teaching how to play the drums. The drummer died not long after and probably has a lot to answer for now.

I wouldn't point at heavy metal exclusively but they were and are the easiest to blame. I think the more subtle music and lyrics promoting lifestyles contrary to the natural order are more pernicious and likely to cause harm and work against your best interests. Be mindful of what you listen to and (((who))) is making money off the enterprise.

 

[TheBestYearEver]

Sorry to say to all of you, but the reason why "Heavy Metal" music is called "Heavy Metal" is because the heavy metal music poisons your soul just like real heavy metal poisons the body.

Would you eat just a "Tiny Bit" of mercury every day because you feel like it's ok, or would you just simply stop eating it entirely?

They always have to tell you so that you have a choice. You can poison yourself if you like, just be truthful about what you're doing...poisoning your soul.

 

[avdiy'El]

Have any of y'all heard the Johnny Todd tapes?

 

[get2choppaaa]

Sorry to say to all of you, but the reason why "Heavy Metal" music is called "Heavy Metal" is because the heavy metal music poisons your soul just like real heavy metal poisons the body.

Would you eat just a "Tiny Bit" of mercury every day because you feel like it's ok, or would you just simply stop eating it entirely?

They always have to tell you so that you have a choice. You can poison yourself if you like, just be truthful about what you're doing...poisoning your soul.

There are many "heavy metal" bands that promote Christianity/values ect.

Megadeth writes songs about the coming NWO as a warning, has songs pointing out Lucifer, ect. There are even overtly "Christian" Metal bands within the genre of "heavy metal"

This is completely different than overtly evil/satanic music that mocks Christianity (Lamb of God for instance)

I would absolutely say your comment would be true if you are listening to those bands which are promoting evil even if its just because you like the sounds.

 

[dard]

It's all trash.

I'd listen classical music instead.

Start with Bach and your road will be long and full of beauty.

Yes
I agree.
Bach, Handel, Vivaldi & many other composers were devout Christians. Listening to their work is spiritually gratifying.

 

[MichaelWitcoff]

E Michael Jones has a few interviews and podcasts (links are hard to find - he keeps getting de-platformed) where he discusses music, scales and what they mean in terms of mood, feeling, spirituality, etc. After listening to his points of view on this and considering who's backing modern music production, I could clearly see how bad certain kinds of music are for the soul.

When I was younger I used to love Judas Priest. The harm to the soul is so obvious now when listening to the lyrics as well as the music, and the fact that the lead singer was so clearly a "closeted" homosexual (it was an open secret he was gay until formally coming out a few years ago - he had a habit of wearing leather-queer costumes anyway). Creative people tend to experience a lot of pain, and how they manifest the expression of that pain can be even more destructive if they don't recognize what they are doing. The very name of the band - Judas Priest - tells you everything.

About ten years ago their drummer was accused of molesting a learning disabled boy who he was supposed to be teaching how to play the drums. The drummer died not long after and probably has a lot to answer for now.

I wouldn't point at heavy metal exclusively but they were and are the easiest to blame. I think the more subtle music and lyrics promoting lifestyles contrary to the natural order are more pernicious and likely to cause harm and work against your best interests. Be mindful of what you listen to and (((who))) is making money off the enterprise.

It’s sad because early on they had some really interesting, introspective songs. I still love their piano ballad Epitaph. Bloodstone and Some Heads Are Gonna Roll are great songs about the sociopath “elite” carving up the world without regard for the damage they cause, and Victim of Changes is a story of an alcoholic woman who just gets older and never figures out how to turn her life around. Kind of a warning against nihilism and drug abuse.

 

[gent]

I feel like there are so many rock/metal songs that fall in a grey area where they describe negative things but aren't necessarily glorifying them. As opposed to hip hop or modern pop music which is clearly glorifying it.

For example, take this song (which I really enjoy as a piece of music):

Summon the warlock and you'll owe him a debt
After he's done with you you'll get no repent
His shadow will follow and you'll never be free
The fire is glowing in his eyes you can see

He cast his magic spell for you
You'll now do what he wants you to
Do his dirty work for him
To pay him back now you must sin
Must sin (x3)

He gave you the potion and you gave him your soul
No more temptations has you locked in a hole
Your life now devoted, you're forever enslaved
True love will not find you and you'll never be saved

He cast his magic spell for you
You'll now do what he wants you to
Do his dirty work for him
To pay him back now you must sin
Must sin (x3)

Is it warning you about the dangers of magic and sin? Or encouraging you to take part in it? It's kind of a grey area. I doubt the band members are Christians though.

 

[rouchno1fan]

E Michael Jones has a few interviews and podcasts (links are hard to find - he keeps getting de-platformed) where he discusses music, scales and what they mean in terms of mood, feeling, spirituality, etc. After listening to his points of view on this and considering who's backing modern music production, I could clearly see how bad certain kinds of music are for the soul.

Would love to listen to this, if anyone has any link.

 

[Galaxy_Traveler]

Honestly compared to mainstream pop, which is the most degenerate form of music ever created, I feel metal is not worse at all. The genre itself does not make metal better or worse than other music, it is the artist and the songs. A pop song can be a lot more destructive in a subtle way than a good metal song ever will.

 

[Talus]

It's all trash.

I'd listen classical music instead.

Start with Bach and your road will be long and full of beauty.

As a serious fan of heavy metal for decades, I'm sadly starting to conclude that it really does darken the soul. After starting to investigate Orthdoxy, I also began to analyze why I was so attracted to heavy metal. There use to be nothing more appealing to me then listening to metal, drinking beer, working on dirt bikes with my friends. Or putting in my ear buds, turning on meshuggah, and gripping some weights. But I'm starting to see now that it is more of a stimulating drug, than it is anything else.

We live in a world where we are surrounded by lies. Inundated constantly. Heavy metal is an outlet of the angst and anger that our degenerate culture has created. Whether consciously or subconsciously, it's a response to the lies and injustice. But at it's core, is hollow and solves nothing.

Maybe I'm just over analyzing it, but I do generally feel I am in a more pleasant and grounded state now, than when I listened to metal everyday.

Honestly compared to mainstream pop, which is the most degenerate form of music ever created, I feel metal is not worse at all. The genre itself does not make metal better or worse than other music, it is the artist and the songs. A pop song can be a lot more destructive in a subtle way than a good metal song ever will.

Agreed, pop music is far more destructive. It's just hard to argue that there is any altruistic purpose to metal, even if it is just instrumental.

 

[RedLagoon]

@ to the all of you young men ditching "metal". Good on ya!

I've talked about friends taking the black pill too far... all off them were in to metal music. I went to a couple of "concerts" of metal and they were truly disheartening.

None of them were positive.

Like I said go to Bach or anything your Church might recommend and spend your time (and money) there.

I know the noisy guitars tempt you now like it did to me but I'm done altogether as even the friendships I did have ended up in pain

 

[Pantheon]

I was never attracted to rock/metal generally because it sounded too fast, suffocating, streamlined, technical and even childish to my ear. But then I discovered the depth of the gengre and became fascinated by it, especially since the music follows a narrative pattern like classical rather than repetitive cycles like pop and rock. This gives it a deeper, contemplative dimension. If you believe it's bad because it's loud and dark well then maybe you should become a monk. For me it's the opposite - I find some of its dark themes spiritual and realistic, unlike mainstream music which is always about human social feelings and intentions. This is actually what authentic metal culture aims to escape from and rebel against. Metal doesn't want to look "nice" to modern society, hence you have death and black metal at the extreme end of the spectrum. Better be a black sheep than a conformist crowd.

 

[Hannibal]

I am generally angrier and more irritable when I listen to a lot of heavy metal.

 

[TheOnceAndFutureKing]

Metal is too ripe with over anti Christianity in its music and fanbases, I feel like its cucky for a Christian to listen to it.

I used to like rap when I was younger, but the older I got I realized its idolatry of materialism.

 

[KulturedKaveman]

Tool - they have the song Ænima. Back when it came out in 94: the subject matter was was considered the worst of California, but now it is mainstream in all America “f**k all you junkies, f**k your tattoos.”

I’d like to see a folk metal band that has byzantine music and culture involved - kind of like those viking bands

 

[Steven jr]

I think like most entertainment in the 21st century it requires a good deal of caution and self reflection. Asking other metal heads is also like asking stoners if its okay to smoke weed, most are going to find a way to justify it. I listened to Full of Hell by Entombed a few months ago and I was disturbed how much I was loving listening to it and not just the heavy riff but the dark lyrics. I guess like the song says I'm still "full of hell and sin", definitely not bringing in the Kingdom listening to that garbage though. The whole genre is passé at this point though, it might be less dangerous than other music/media based on how exoteric it is with its themes.

 

[Giordano Bruno]

I've always enjoyed classical music.

I did go through a phase where I listened to music on youtube, but most of it was garbage.

Personally I'd research the artists of the music before deciding if the music they make is bad or not. Though I suppose you can never know if you don't meet them yourself.

 

[super_perfundo]

I feel like over-indulgence of anything is bad for your soul. However, I've been listening to, playing and being in the metal for the last 30 years, and this is what I have seen:

I see 3 types of people who have opinions on heavy metal and other forms of aggressive music.
1) people who don't listen to it or maybe don't understand it. It is ok for you to abstain from it and call it devil music or bad for your soul.

2) people who have a more mainstream or an older view of heavy metal or a more shallow experience to it. Someone asks you to name 5 metal bands and you say Metallica, Slayer, Slipknot, Tool, Judas Priest. You understand that "rock music" is "all about sex drugs and rock and roll". Its "angry music for angsty youth". "Black metal is metal about Satan and the darker aspects of life, with purposely bad recording quality". You choose heavy metal because of its image, its bad and you feel bad. These people may try listening to Christian metal if you have a faith or are seeking today, or try abstaining from it to change your mood. Example: "I like Slayer since it sounds evil. Now, I've grown up/got saved, the music or lyrics bother me. So I should give it up to live better/live with God"

3) people (often men) who have something missing in their life, and seek to fill it with heavy metal. You are tired of "happy pop music", so you desire doom metal to tell you the truth. You are tired of an abundance of femininity, so you seek to find masculine metal music. You are tired of simple, dumbed down culture, so you seek out technical progressive metal. As a white European man, you have no "culture" or "heritage" so it amazes you that a group like Batushka has Eastern Orthodox, Eastern European culture to their music. It amazes you that there are metal groups that incorporate viking or other ethnic/historic/folk elements that you are currently missing being a man who is just told to work, pay taxes, and be a "toxic male" in todays corporate america while living in an apartment in a major city. If you, through introspection or some means, notice that you do listen to heavy metal to fill some need, I would embrace it and talk to God about it -- we've all been made unique by the Creator and this could mean some are more melancholic, some are more creative, some are more prophetic, etc... And the music could prod you into new life paths: I listen to orthodox Polish heavy metal -> I should start going to church. I listen to very technical music like Meshuggah -> I should let's say quit my simple retail job and pursue some mentally challenging math, engineering or tech career. I listen to folk metal -> I should move out of my studio apt in NYC or Chicago and buy a house and fix it up and get out into nature.

In the past, I have been in the front row of some blasphemous heavy metal bands like Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder, Aborted, and so forth. People in group 2 might be there just to say "yea, rock on, I hate God, hail satan, down with the system, kill people I hate" and so forth. People in group 3 might be there to say "Play faster and louder and more extreme. I am seeking higher knowledge, wisdom, a deeper experience than I get in my dull day to day life".

So while group 2 might associate aggressive music as destructive and bad for the soul, but they like it (it feeds their flesh nature in Christian terms), if you notice that you are part of group 3, you might keep the music but let it propel you into making external life changes that you are subconciously seeking out.

I am an advocate of Christian heavy metal or even heavy metal in general since being a straight, white, masculine, rational, introvert, thinking/smart, independent man is looked down upon in today's America or today's modern evangelical church in America. Of course, you can take it too far and people sometimes don't grow up -- being "stoners" and clutching on to being a 18 yr old metal kid.

To me, if I had a child, I would rather him get into the heavy metal group Death's song "Flesh, and the power it holds" or Alice Cooper or Impending Doom or something to say "Look, we are all going to die. We have a flesh/sinful nature, and could have power over us in this life or the next. Think about it" rather than "just go along with culture. Girls, guns, money, fun times, party it up" of whatever today's big pop hit song is.

I think in a perfect world, we would all listen to classical music. However, I feel like God uses/can use some bad events or types of music or musical experiences to push some people into a direction they should go. Example: there was little "end times" Christian music. Then, Savior Machine and Crimson Moonlight and Armageddon Holocaust and those types of end times preaching Christian metal came out, then people listened to them and starting reading Revelation and getting right with God. They may have been previously drifting along or their pastor was preaching "Don't worry about those scary books of the Bible. I'm not trying to scare you. Just like that movie All dogs go to heaven, we probably will all end up next to our dogs and cats who passed away playing harps on a cloud forever". We are not to focus on the end times and the beast and all that. But, God had to use scary heavy metal to get a point across to some that suffering can exist in this world and the life to come, whereas your church of God might just only let God say "Be nice to everyone and try to be loving and everything will probably go alright for you. There's no hell or devil or end times judgement or cancer or anything scary in life, just listen to some happy worship music". So God might say "Ok, heres some war. Heres some heavy metal. Heres some storms. Some temporary things to let you know life is not always easy and perfectly controllable and comfortable" as well as giving us blessings and joy too.

 

[Stoyan]

Are heavy metal and other forms of aggressive music bad for your soul?​

• Absolutely, it's true!

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” ― Nikola Tesla

This quote by Nikola Tesla means that music, which is having energy, frequency, and vibration, is the progenitor of matter. There is a theory in physics called string theory, which states that vibrating strings, like the strings of a musical instrument, are creating all the reality of the universe.

So it means that music has a subtle effect on the matter, it has a subtle effect on the universe. This effect is especially pronounced on the soul, which has a low relative density compared to thick matter, hence it is more permeable to energy, frequency, and vibration which is encoded in the music.

If you listen to heavy metal and other forms of aggressive music, they will over time damage your soul, because such music is disharmonious. In contrary, if you listen to for example Russian Orthodox bell music, it is extremely harmonious, and it will heal the soul. This is because each bell is specifically selected according to ancient principles, to produce harmonious music. It is not arbitrary, it is extremely wise!



Listen to the music, does it leave you with a feeling of warmth, or does it leave you with a feeling of disorder inside?

People are writing about the lyrics, but also the energy, frequency, and vibration that is encoded in the melody itself is actually really important!

 

[MichaelWitcoff]

Nick Leonard and I just started an Orthodox rock band, and our first single/lyric video premieres tomorrow. I was edified by writing my part, and my intention was to edify the listeners as well. Nick is a multi-instrumentalist and there’s a piano harmony over the main riff that I think spices things up and differentiates it from the mass of Cookie Monster vocal, dissonant nonsense that passes for rock these days. Hopefully this will be refreshing for you if you like rock/metal and wish there was more Christ in it: