Bioenergetic Music/Music Theraphy.

ThinPicking

Corngold

My comment is that I've read that metal music can help stress relief and is an aggression/cortisol mitigator. There are lots of studies out there confirming such things that can be easily found, to the surprise of most people. I've always loved metal and people usually tell me I'm very easygoing. As a musician, learning the music is very rewarding and challenging.

My theory/observation is that metal is akin to classical because it is often following strict rules as far as timing, technique, speed, etc. Purely as listening, though, I will note that it is not always the same thing as classical!

Most people say metal is noise. This means something because noise is obnoxious and painful. Ok, but let's say it isn't noise and that it's only noise to the untrained ear. Great. The next step is in demonstrating that it actually does take training to understand metal which is why so many guitarists and other musicians love metal, and pick up instruments to learn it in the first place.

As far as bioenergetic, I think it's something like catharsis. I believe a lot of rock and roll has a modus operandi of undressing a girl or getting high; it is not always truly energetic music. It is often serotonin and estrogen music. Whatever, plenty of metal is shit / serotonin/pufa/estrogenic sound too, so it's not that game I want to play.

It is bioenergetic in that it is technical and requires concentration, critical thinking, and literally, the Peat motto of "perceive, think, act." Extreme metal especially is often a game of identifying deceit or trickery. The notes can sometimes be literally "bedeviled" in the best way - tricking the ear and the mind. This reminds me of reading Peat's articles, and hearing things that maybe you don't want to hear. At the same time it is sort of like the proverbial abyss staring back at you.

I think the cathartic angle is related to this. The technical skills needed to play metal are very underrated. Our culture does not enjoy much classical or metal; both are pretty underground and niche, even though there are some major acts. And I don't think the technicality is an IQ thing, or anything necessarily. Music and metal is sort of like one of the vestiges of traditional lifestyles - like chopping wood or skinning a bear. It is tough and requires discipline.

For that matter, jazz and other genres require discipline! But to me there is something molecular-sounding about extreme metal. The "emotions" are always second to the discipline and method. So that's one of things I love about metal and how it seems bioenergetic. The notes and patterns are almost not important in and of themselves, but in relation to the whole of the song. Similar to how minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins, etc., are understood better taking Peat's big picture lenses of the body, world, and health.