Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II online conference, hosted by Miami University, 15-17 March 2024
Full conference program:
sites.miamioh.edu/heavy-metal...
"'Heavy Metal Gimmickry with Warrior Pope"
-David Burke, Bath Spa University
Abstract:
Heavy metal culture is an example of bricolage (Weinstein 2000; Walser 2014), a postmodern recombination of symbols and images that cohere around specific themes, including premodernity which is often used as a source of grounding, substantiality or authenticity. However metal is also known for its playful approach to its own subject matter, which in some cases is merely silly but in others allows musicians to disavow their own controversial rhetoric (Kahn-Harris 2007). In recent years the continued proliferation of metal bands has led to the emergence of prominent comedic or “gimmick” bands across the range of subgenres, a phenomenon which may be linked to the relative ubiquity of social media (Burke forthcoming). This paper will explore, using autoethnography and performance features, the ways in which the band Warrior Pope relates to the above phenomena and structures.
After joining the band Warrior Pope as singer/trombonist, I have written several songs focusing on the Cadaver Synod, which are historically faithful with some dramatic license. In my live performances I use the character of a lecturer derived from my position as a PhD student focusing on metal studies, and as an early career lecturer. I will demonstrate the performance techniques I use to inhabit this character, which adds to the novelty of the band while also distancing myself from the content of the music. Many discussions in band rehearsals have focused on developing additional novelties for our live show, partly as a means to differentiate ourselves from other local bands and partly to provide a spectacle for the audience. I claim that the focus on spectacle among UK metal scene bands should be understood as an increasing professionalisation of metal music at the local level. Finally I will consider the implications of this phenomenon as specifically regarding the study of premodernity and metal.
Biography:
David Burke is a PhD student and associate lecturer at Bath Spa University, focusing on heavy metal music and culture. His work incorporates media studies, musicology and cultural sociology alongside critical theory, Continental philosophy and psychoanalysis, aiming to expose vernacular practices in heavy metal culture which aid its longevity and continuity. His work has been published in Metal Music Studies and the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, and he has presented papers at the London Conference of Critical Theory and the International Society of Metal Music Studies, among others. David draws directly on his own experience as a metal musician, events promoter and journalist in his work and currently performs with the Bristol-based doom metal band Warrior Pope.