Categorising Metallica
In the wake of our item about Metallica last night we've had an interesting email from viewer Biren Shah, querying the way metal is reported on the BBC. Biren takes us to task for describing Metallica as a 'rock' band and draws a parallel between this and the absence of metal as a genre on the BBC Music website, saying, "The listed genres are "classical, classic pop/rock, country, dance, desi, folk, hip hop and RnB, jazz, rock/indie, soul & Reggae and World." Where is Heavy Metal music? Why is it not there?" Biren is correct to say that metal is missing from the list but is this indicative of a slight? Do you think heavy metal sits comfortably within rock or does it need a category of its own? What did you think of our item on Metallica? Did it do the band justice? We have a 30-minute special on the band coming up on Sunday 31 August, so we definitely think they are worth covering.
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I completely agree with Biren Shah, heavy metal or metal as it is more often referred to nowadays is a genre all on its own and should be categorised as so,there is a miniculture that surrounds this genre of music withs its style of dress,concert rituals i.e the wait for the band before it comes on stage, the mosh pit and even hand signs, this alone gives it a separate identity. The title rock includes music the likes of the Beatles for an example, music which is completely diffrent to heavy metal. There is a little detail which you have seemed to have ignored that is the name of the band you covered in your report, the name METALlca, the very name of this huge band refers to a genre. by Naheem Ahmed
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I'm in agreement too. I listen to a huge range of music and I certainly split rock from metal. Yes there are subgenres like thrash, but metal definately seperate and has been since about 1983 when it gained a far heavier edge to it's sound. It's like saying because hard-core trance is dance music you can call it pop... Come on culture show, show us you're cultured.
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I've been a fan of Metal and Punk for the past 25+ years (if you really love a type of music it won't just be a 'fashion' when you're a teenager) and I was pleasantly surprised to see Metallica featured on the Culture. It's a rare occasion that Metal even gets a mention on any of the main channels as a separate and completely valid genre (usually lots of jokes and waving of the 'Metal horns' sign - you know who you are Laverne and Kermode, although we don't take ourselves so seriously that we can't have laugh), so the feature was much appreciated. However, the other artists featured on The Culture Show (all art, not just music) are there because they have a cultural worth and not just because they are popular and successful. I love Metallica, but can't help felling they were only featured because they are successful. With this in mind can we please have some Metal/Hardcore Punk from the underground. Some artists that don't care whether they're popular or not - because I was led to believe that it's irrellevant when talking about art.
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I agree largely with the comments above. What I would say however is that although the BBC Music Website may not recognise metal as a genre, Radio 1 does, or at least it does in it's current Cinema Advert. Admittedly, and something not mentioned above, in the programme, there was an acknowledgment that METALlica are a THRASH band.
My impression of the BBC with regards to coverage of any 'Rock/Metal' music, unless it is AOR or part of a major event like Live Aid/8 is that it belongs to late night transmissions, as it doesn't conform to current fashions or trends. Unless dare I say a product is being advertised, there may be a chance. (Do Metallica have a new album out...Oh yes, in 6 weeks, what a coincedence.) Meanwhile in the rest of the UK, away from the BBC, 'Rock/Metal' does quite well with national and regional STATIONS, never mind programmes. However, having said that, even here although Metal does get some air-time, this is again limited. The rock tends to be of the so-called 'Classic' variety, and the Metal towards the light end of the spectrum.There is obviously enough of a market for metal to remain a viable propositon for the monthly magazines and weekly 'comics' that are published, so why not on the public service network?
All parts of Rock/Metal deserve some airspace, (Classic/Heavy/Thrash/Death/Black/Prog/Goth/Indie, the list goes on. As Metallica themselves might say, ..Justice For All.....
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It used to be easy to categorize a rock band. It was related to the time it took your hearing to return to normal after listening to them live. This could be several hours of hearing loss and ringing in the ears and in extreem cases, permanent damage. Sadly Health and Safety have robbed us of this litmus test.
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I'm really not convinced by any of this genre business. How do you know what genre a particular band belong to? Well, you'd have to listen to them and say they have loud guitars, screechy vocals, and lyrics about death and Hades, therefore they must be metal. But before you do that, you have to decide what are the features of metal, and how do you do that? Well, you'd have to listen to all the metal bands and identify what they've got in common - loud guitars, screechy vocals, and lyrics ... But you can't actually do that until you've decided what genres there are, and which bands belong where.
Obviously, people think in genres, but defining them is impossible. Metal may be a subgenre of rock; rock may be a subgenre of pop; ultimately, they may all be subgenres of this thing called music.
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