Metal Meltdown: Catharsis and Release

If you’re a metalhead like me, you might have heard this type of narrative your entire life: “How can you listen to such negative music? Isn’t it making your depression worse? No wonder you’re so dark and negative all the time; look at the music and imagery you’re surrounding yourself with.” 

It’s almost a cliche at this point—The goth kid sits in their room, wallowing in sadness, listening to sad music and wearing all black. And jokes about emo kids and sad or angry music are nothing new. But despite how mainstream that line of comedy has become in our society, it doesn’t stop the fact that people seriously still think consuming dark media makes mental health worse. 

Don’t get me wrong: There is something to be said for needing to take a break from the darkness to consume something more like a familiar comedy (thanks depression, I will watch Seinfeld in its entirety again for the 400th time); a goofy set of memes, joyful music to dance to; even a bright; cheerful spring day. But there’s also something to be said for using metal to wallow in and release negative feelings. 

As a bassist and vocalist in a death metal band, I find it extremely good for my mental health to take time out after a long day of work at OFM to have band practice. I get to hit the strings as hard as possible and scream out aggressive lyrics with no concern that someone is going to come along and ask me to check myself in somewhere for help. Society has deemed it acceptable—at least underground society—to scream and aggressively play an instrument, as long as it’s part of a performance.

And that’s not to say that I just scream and hit notes randomly. The fact that my band can take all of our negativity (all of us are pretty open about suffering from mental health issues and how we try and heal from it), all of our pain and sadness and anger, and express it together in a way that comes out as a song other people can then listen to to get out their sadness and anger, is—well, actually pretty cool, and one of the best feelings out there. 

You don’t have to get into metal and join a band to get this kind of release. I also experience this when writing, and artists talk about something similar. The same feeling can be achieved from physical movement as well, and pushing yourself in a way that maybe feels extreme but still good and not harmful for your body. 

So, next time someone tries to give you a hard time for your “dark” interests, be they metal, TV show choices, horror movies, or even your daily aesthetic, I hope they remember—What society sees as negative expression could actually be healing you every day.